Monthly Archives: February 2023

Newsflash! My Poem, “Planet Burning,” Is in the Newest Issue of MOCKINGHEART REVIEW

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I am so happy that this beautiful new issue of MockingHeart Review includes my own poem, “Planet Burning.” Based a childhood memory, this poem refracts that memory through my current concern about unnatural/human-induced climate change. I feel that it is perfectly showcased in this issue of one of my favorite online journals, one filled with work that filled up my winter day with artistry and idealism.

Among the featured poems of Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, I am very drawn to “Healing Spell” and suspect that I shall return to read it often. I am not surprised to learn from her notes that she is a yoga student as well as poet. And I am grateful for her artist’s notes for helping me to understand the back story for her poem, “Saving the Farm.”

Kathryn de Leon’s poem, beautifuly slantwise Covid wisdom, “Whiskey and Chocolates” made laugh and nod my head. Jean Janicke’s poignantly and hysterically funny poem, “Evaluate Your Passion,” brought new focus for me to thinking about changing eyesight. Eric Christopher Uphoff, “The Furnace Stays Lit,” surprised me with delight. Finally the beautifully rendered images of Amy Marques–visual poetry & erasure poetry–made me think about how words and all they summon swim in and out of consciousness. To see her work, look at the tab for featured art work.

You will have your own favorites, of course, and I would love to hear which of these poems speak to you.

LESLIE

It’s Officially Sonnet Season! Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest (2023) is Now Open!

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It is February, a month when young and old turn to thoughts of love, Valentines, and, of course, sonnets. It is also the month when the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest opens to receive new submissions.

2023 Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest

Call for EntriesEntries are now being accepted for the 2023 Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest. The entry process is a one-step system. Sonnet(s) must be submitted with the Entry Form. Complete instructions for entering are available on our website. The Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest is an annual event that welcomes entries from around the world.

Cash prizes, totaling over $3,000, will be awarded in several categories, including:Top Four Sonnets Regional (Four Winners – Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa) Best Youth (Four Winners – High School and Younger) Laureate’s Choice (Sixteen Winners)There is a $5 Entry Fee for up to three sonnets per entry. There is no fee for entrants in the Youth category (high school and younger) or for undergraduate college students.

For complete contest information, visit:sonnetcontest.org The deadline for entries is June 1, 2023. Submissions should be made through our on-line process, with payment option by PayPal or check. If this process presents a hardship, instructions for entering by mail will be provided upon request. Just send us an email: entries@sonnetcontest.org

Based in Winona, Minnesota, this magnificent yearly contest is a treasure and an opportunity. Past winning sonnets are listed on the MWF website (link above). Why not read some for fun, and then, if the spirit moves, try writing one of your own? You just might have a prize-winning sonnet of your own! Not sure how? The Sonnet Contest website includes guidelines as well as examples, and lots more information about poetry and the arts.

And, while sonnets have been connected for hundreds of years to love poetry, the sonnet is an incredibly flexible and dynamic form that can express a multitude of tones, emotions, ideas, and imagery.

Want more sonnets? The Academy of American Poets is offering a month of sonnets on their Poem-a-Day pages. Curated this month by guest editor Patricia Smith, each day in February 2023 will love poems in sonnet form by African American poets–honoring also National African American History Month. Here is an interview with Smith (in print and in recorded voice clip form) and a bit more about her own work as a poet.

And if you already have a favorite sonnet, I would love it if you would let me know!

Happy February!