10/17/24 - A couple of happy bits of news today. Last week, I received an acceptance for my poem "Filling Their Bellies," which will be out before long in Pensive: A Literary Journal of Spirituality and the Arts. Yeah!
Also, last year I attended a poetry reading in Burlington, where I live. It is called A Poetry Tempest and meets a really cool coffeehouse called Evermore. I have been lucky enough to be a featured poet there before. Well, anyhow, I went for a reading and heard the most wonderful poet, a tremendous lady named Miriam Kramer.
I loved her reading, bought her book and devoured it. It was a tremendous blessing. I decided I should do what I could to lift her work so more people could find it and wrote a review. That review has just been received for publication in The Inflectionist Review, probably this winter. Great work, Miriam!
5/13/24
Been a while - still writing here - working on a new historical novel in verse that takes place in colonial New England mid 1630s.
Also - 2 new pieces were recently accepted for publication.
First, a poem I wrote while on vacation with my family in Rome - "The Cab Ride Home at 10:30 PM Along the Road of Victory (Corso Vittorio Emmanuelle II)" will be published July 2024 in the anthology Thin Spaces and Sacred Places, published by Amethyst Review, who previously published my poem "Separation." Thanks again, Dr. Law!
Second, I have a quirky post-apocalyptic flash tale called "Hangin' On" which will be out in July from The Broadkill Review. Yeah!
7/13/23
A new poem - "Meetings" - has been accepted for publication in the next issue of Open Minds Quarterly. Yessir!
Also - had a great night of readings and music Upstairs at The Feed Mill in Medford, NJ. I got the chance to open up for Singer-Songwriter Todd Bailey. We had a great turnout and some fun. I'll be posting some cuts from that show soon under the Voice and Verse tab.
4/25/23
I've added a new (well, actually it's probably over a decade old) song - "Old Crow" - to my Songs tab. Check it out.
Also, "The Scrubber" will be out in Grub Street Literary Review next week!
4/20/23
I am happy to announce the acceptance of a short memoir entitled "The Letter." It is a very personal piece and the recollection of a miracle moment in my life. Thanks to Veronica McDonald at Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, for accepting this piece, and also for working at building a faith-based literary collective that is deep and wide. Alright!
3/23/23
This past fall, my Philadelphia Phillies made it to the World Series when Bryce Harper hit a 2 run homer in the rain. Wow, what a great moment, especially after so long a postseason drought (excuse me;)).
The night it happened, my eldest son Noah was upstairs preparing to take the SAT. That mixture of events led to a poem - "Eye on the Sinker" - which has been accepted for upcoming publication in Common Ground Review. This is great news. This poem is about parenting, with its joys and sorrows. I'll let you know when it comes out. Yeah!
10/21/22
Wow, I am feeling great today. Earlier this week, my poem "The Parade of Death Requires Labor" appeared in Vita Poetica, which also included a recording of the poem.
"Kneecapper" came out today in October Hill Magazine, and I also received a very encouraging acceptance for my poem "The Researcher's Dilemma" from Fare Forward. What a great week! I am filled with gratitude.
10/6/22
Yeah! I've recently had my short story "Kneecapper" selected for publication in October Hill Magazine. Look for it mid-October. Shout out to Lee Tury for his help making the piece tighter.
9/26/22
A couple of updates today-
First, I was happy to be notified this week that my poem "Oncology Ward Irregulars" will actually be placed in Nixes Mate Review's very first print issue. I love a book in my hand. Thanks again to Michael McInnis and the staff at Nixes Mate!
Second, more good news! This past week, my poem "Confession on Interstate 295" was accepted for publication in The Other Journal: An Intersection of Theology and Culture. Awesome!
8/22/22
The last couple of weeks I've been blessed with more good news. My poem "Oncology Ward Irregulars" will appear in the Fall 2022 Nixes Mate Review!!!
Also, my poem "Notifications" will appear in the Kelsey Review, which is based out of Mercer County, where I work. Cool!
5/12/22
I recently received another acceptance of my poem "Every Apocalypse is Not the Same." Look for this one in Flint Hills Review in early summer - :) [This turned out to be my fiftieth publication! Thanks to all of the great journals who've encouraged me and published my works along the way :)]
3/30/22
Last night, during the middle of Parent Conference Night, which can be tiring for teachers, I received the good news that my poem "Rejoice" was accepted for publication in Volume 9 of Frost Meadow Review. Yeah!
3/4/22
Great news! I've had two stories accepted for publication early this year. "The Million Millions" will appear in Cantos: A Literary and Art Review on this coming Friday, 3/11. "The Scrubber" will be published this spring in Grub Street Literary Magazine. Yeah!
Also, I was blessed to have Leviathan placed in the libraries at the University of Notre Dame and Oral Roberts University. Thanks to my good buddy Bret Spears for helping me so much.
2/28/22
I'd like to say thank you to my launch team, who helped Leviathan soar. Your support has been a great encouragement.
I'm a huge Jim Harrison fan, so this moment when I was ranked just below him in Nature Poetry was grand.
11/3/21
I've recently announced the release of my debut collection of poems - Leviathan.
Today, kind editor Mary Bast of Bacopa Literary Review has posted some kind words announcing my upcoming release.
Also, I've uploaded my essay about football called "Tackling Drills", which was posted in BULL:Men's Fiction. There is mention of the College Football Playoff Committee in the essay. Incidentally, they made some major mistakes last night. Boomer Sooner!
8/20/21
I'm starting a YouTube channel! The other day, driving along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, fretting over some aspects of my life that have left me discontent, I saw a billboard with two words "Sing More."
So, I've decided to pair two of my favorite things - song and poetry. My channel is called "Voice and Verse" and I hope you'll follow along.
There will also be some news about a book just over the horizon. :)
4/5/2021
Happy Easter to all of my western friends! I've recently been blessed to have two acceptances. My story "The Lullaby of Progress" has been accepted by Blood and Bourbon. My short memoir essay "Tackling Drills" was accepted by BULL; Men's Fiction. Both pieces will undergo some extra revisions in tandem with editors from those magazines, and I'm very excited about working together. Each should be released in late spring, early summer.
2/9/2021
Wow, we made it to a new year. I am so happy to announce that my poem "Separation", which is about the difficulty of connecting to students via Zoom, has been accepted for publication in the Amethyst Review. Thanks to editor and poet Dr. Sarah Law for choosing my poem! It is scheduled for publication on June 12th. Hoorah!
10/28/2020
I have parent conferences this week, so it means more hours on Zoom, away from home. I got good news, though. One of my most recent poems called "Every Creature I Wanna Know" was accepted for publication in Crack the Spine's "This Year" Anthology, with entries inspired by 2020. I like good news :)
9/23/2020
2020 has been tough, and now that I'm back to virtual learning and away from my students, it is sad and hard. However, I got great news yesterday that my creative non-fiction piece entitled "Fires" has been selected for publication in Barely South Review for the Fall 2020 issue. Yeah!
5/20/2020
Yesterday, I received an acceptance of my poem "The Throbbing Hypnotism of Sorrow." Updates will follow on when it will appear in Chapter House Journal. Yeah!
5/11/2020
My review of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost (A Story of Church) is out this week. Take a look. This book was a great encouragement to me and filled with hope during these bleak days.
4/23/2020
What a month it's been. A very hard month for all of us. Some of us are only losing our routines, but even that is stressful and depressing. For some, the losses are so much greater. Lord, have mercy! Deep South Magazine released the third of my poems they'd accepted. Thanks again to Erin Z. Bass, EIC.
Ladder of Loss" is an anthem of resilience and rejoicing in the face of destruction and sorrow. I hope it will be an encouragement in this bewildering and heavy time.
4/1/2020 - April Fool's Day :)
What a day! It started out with a major google classroom fail and some scrambling. But then, my poems "Shelter" and "Hopeless Cases" came out in Deep South Magazine to kick off National Poetry Month. Yippee! Thanks to Editor in Chief Erin Z. Bass.
Also, my essay "Rejects and Relics, the Recycled and Revered" is up today at The Purpled Nail.
The day just kept getting better. I also received an acceptance for my short story "Uncle Myron", which will appear online in the spring and in print in the 2021 version of the Coe Review.
I did receive a rejection notice to end the day, which I took as a reminder that it's always back to the grind. :)
I feel truly blessed.
I've also added a link to sign up for email updates. I'd be so happy if you signed up to follow along:)
3/27/20
Couple of new and fun announcements today.
First, I've been selected as a member of the Launch Team for Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost, by Traci Rhoades. I've interacted a lot with Tracy over the last several months on Twitter and she is a kind and ardent seeker. I'm excited to get my hands on an early copy and to do my part to make sure everyone has a chance to learn about her work. Search #notallwhowanderbook on Twitter for recent news. Thanks, Traci!
Three of my poems - "Ladder of Loss", "Hopeless Cases", and "Shelter" - have been picked up for publication in Deep South Magazine for April. I really love the poems, and I'm so happy they've found such a great home.
Older
Been writing a lot of poetry lately. Read Mary Oliver's The Poetry Handbook and finally gained a sense of how to write poetry consistently and well. Memory Eternal!
One of my recently published poems is up with my commentary on the Bacopa Literary Review's Blog. The poem is one I think Ms. Oliver might enjoy, as she seemed to share my fascination with all kinds of birds. Have a look:)
I also received an acceptance to publish my non-fiction "Rejects and Relics, the Recycled and Revered." This is one my favorite recent pieces wrestling with the question of what is really meaningful in life. It will be out in The Purpled Nail in April.
Also, my crazy story "You Were Her Neighbor", which came out in print in the fall, is now online at The Sandy River Review.
I am proud to announce that Noah, my eldest son, has received his first publication. His poem "The Right Ingredients" was published in Issue #100 of Amazing Kids! Magazine. Great work, buddy!
My response in the "Why I Write" section over at WriteOnFightOn is up. Go check it out and take in the wise reflections of Jay Armstrong. I am grateful you thought of me, Jay. Keep up the good fight!
I've recently announced the release of my debut collection of poems - Leviathan.
Today, kind editor Mary Bast of Bacopa Literary Review has posted some kind words announcing my upcoming release.
Also, I've uploaded my essay about football called "Tackling Drills", which was posted in BULL:Men's Fiction. There is mention of the College Football Playoff Committee in the essay. Incidentally, they made some major mistakes last night. Boomer Sooner!
8/20/21
I'm starting a YouTube channel! The other day, driving along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, fretting over some aspects of my life that have left me discontent, I saw a billboard with two words "Sing More."
So, I've decided to pair two of my favorite things - song and poetry. My channel is called "Voice and Verse" and I hope you'll follow along.
There will also be some news about a book just over the horizon. :)
4/5/2021
Happy Easter to all of my western friends! I've recently been blessed to have two acceptances. My story "The Lullaby of Progress" has been accepted by Blood and Bourbon. My short memoir essay "Tackling Drills" was accepted by BULL; Men's Fiction. Both pieces will undergo some extra revisions in tandem with editors from those magazines, and I'm very excited about working together. Each should be released in late spring, early summer.
2/9/2021
Wow, we made it to a new year. I am so happy to announce that my poem "Separation", which is about the difficulty of connecting to students via Zoom, has been accepted for publication in the Amethyst Review. Thanks to editor and poet Dr. Sarah Law for choosing my poem! It is scheduled for publication on June 12th. Hoorah!
10/28/2020
I have parent conferences this week, so it means more hours on Zoom, away from home. I got good news, though. One of my most recent poems called "Every Creature I Wanna Know" was accepted for publication in Crack the Spine's "This Year" Anthology, with entries inspired by 2020. I like good news :)
9/23/2020
2020 has been tough, and now that I'm back to virtual learning and away from my students, it is sad and hard. However, I got great news yesterday that my creative non-fiction piece entitled "Fires" has been selected for publication in Barely South Review for the Fall 2020 issue. Yeah!
5/20/2020
Yesterday, I received an acceptance of my poem "The Throbbing Hypnotism of Sorrow." Updates will follow on when it will appear in Chapter House Journal. Yeah!
5/11/2020
My review of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost (A Story of Church) is out this week. Take a look. This book was a great encouragement to me and filled with hope during these bleak days.
4/23/2020
What a month it's been. A very hard month for all of us. Some of us are only losing our routines, but even that is stressful and depressing. For some, the losses are so much greater. Lord, have mercy! Deep South Magazine released the third of my poems they'd accepted. Thanks again to Erin Z. Bass, EIC.
Ladder of Loss" is an anthem of resilience and rejoicing in the face of destruction and sorrow. I hope it will be an encouragement in this bewildering and heavy time.
4/1/2020 - April Fool's Day :)
What a day! It started out with a major google classroom fail and some scrambling. But then, my poems "Shelter" and "Hopeless Cases" came out in Deep South Magazine to kick off National Poetry Month. Yippee! Thanks to Editor in Chief Erin Z. Bass.
Also, my essay "Rejects and Relics, the Recycled and Revered" is up today at The Purpled Nail.
The day just kept getting better. I also received an acceptance for my short story "Uncle Myron", which will appear online in the spring and in print in the 2021 version of the Coe Review.
I did receive a rejection notice to end the day, which I took as a reminder that it's always back to the grind. :)
I feel truly blessed.
I've also added a link to sign up for email updates. I'd be so happy if you signed up to follow along:)
3/27/20
Couple of new and fun announcements today.
First, I've been selected as a member of the Launch Team for Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost, by Traci Rhoades. I've interacted a lot with Tracy over the last several months on Twitter and she is a kind and ardent seeker. I'm excited to get my hands on an early copy and to do my part to make sure everyone has a chance to learn about her work. Search #notallwhowanderbook on Twitter for recent news. Thanks, Traci!
Three of my poems - "Ladder of Loss", "Hopeless Cases", and "Shelter" - have been picked up for publication in Deep South Magazine for April. I really love the poems, and I'm so happy they've found such a great home.
Older
Been writing a lot of poetry lately. Read Mary Oliver's The Poetry Handbook and finally gained a sense of how to write poetry consistently and well. Memory Eternal!
One of my recently published poems is up with my commentary on the Bacopa Literary Review's Blog. The poem is one I think Ms. Oliver might enjoy, as she seemed to share my fascination with all kinds of birds. Have a look:)
I also received an acceptance to publish my non-fiction "Rejects and Relics, the Recycled and Revered." This is one my favorite recent pieces wrestling with the question of what is really meaningful in life. It will be out in The Purpled Nail in April.
Also, my crazy story "You Were Her Neighbor", which came out in print in the fall, is now online at The Sandy River Review.
I am proud to announce that Noah, my eldest son, has received his first publication. His poem "The Right Ingredients" was published in Issue #100 of Amazing Kids! Magazine. Great work, buddy!
My response in the "Why I Write" section over at WriteOnFightOn is up. Go check it out and take in the wise reflections of Jay Armstrong. I am grateful you thought of me, Jay. Keep up the good fight!