Literary MagNet: Abigail Chabitnoy
The author of In the Current Where Drowing Is Beautiful highlights five journals that first published her poems, including Peripheries and the Capilano Review.
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Genre: Poetry
Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Extinction Theory by Kien Lam and Liberation Day by George Saunders.
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5 Over 50: 2022
Essays by debut authors Madhushree Ghosh, Sari Botton, David Santos Donaldson, Shareen K. Murayama, and Jane Campbell.
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Mapping Your Words
“Each poem or song has a genealogy of sorts. When I speak with singers from our ceremonial ground about a song, they tell you who taught you the song, where the song came from, who has the authority to sing/speak it,” writes former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo in her Blaney Lecture “Ancestors: A Mapping of Indigenous Poetry and Poets” delivered in 2015 at Poets Forum in New York City. “The meanings make a map that sometimes connect you to a lonely serviceman in Japan, or to the journey over the Trail of Tears, from what is now known as Alabama to Indian Territory, or Oklahoma.” Inspired by Harjo’s words, write a poem that traces the genealogy of your poetry. Try starting with a list or a family tree to uncover the storytellers who have inspired you.
Favorite Poem Project: “Ay, Ay, Ay, de la Grifa Negra” by Julia de Burgos
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“Black of pure tint, I cry and laugh / the vibration of being a black statue; / a chunk of night, in which my white / teeth are lightning.” In this video for the Favorite Poem Project, bilingual special education teacher Glaisma Pérez-Silva reads Julia de Burgos’s poem “Ay, Ay, Ay, de la Grifa Negra,” translated from the Spanish by Jack Agüeros.
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Deadline Nears for the Changes Press Bergman Prize
Poets looking to publish their first or second poetry collections have until the end of the month to submit manuscripts to the Changes Press Bergman Prize. Offered annually, the prize awards the winner $10,000, publication by Changes Press, a book launch in New York City, and other opportunities for publicity.
Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages, a brief bio, and a list of previously published poems by October 31. Louise Glück, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, will judge. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
The Bergman Prize was established in 2020 in memory of Judson and Susan Bergman. The prize’s inaugural winner was Rachel Mannheimer, whose collection Earth Room was selected by Glück and released by Changes Press in April. An independent publisher based in New York City, Changes Press also publishes the online periodical Changes Review. Submissions for the journal are currently closed.
Hard Hat Reading Series: Timothy Liu
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“These New York City Pigeons / cooing in the air shaft / are responsible for me.” Timothy Liu reads Jayne Cortez’s poem “These New York City Pigeons” and two poems from his latest book, Let It Ride (Saturnalia Books, 2019), for the Poets House Hard Hat Reading series.
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Ten Questions for Olena Kalytiak Davis
“Poetry is impossible, but it is not difficult.” —Olena Kalytiak Davis, author of Late Summer Ode
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Portrait of a Life
In Derrick Austin’s poem “Jesus Year,” he creates a portrait of his life on the occasion of his thirty-third birthday. Instead of leaning toward the more familiar images of birthday cakes or candles, Austin begins by describing his immediate surroundings: “My clogged sink coughs up foul water. / My skeletal philodendron,” he writes. The poem then offers more about his life; family members, a cerulean sweater worn through a winter without work, memories of the last time he smoked a cigarette. Taking inspiration from Austin, write a poem that paints a portrait of your life. Try to color the poem with unexpected images to offer a complete picture.
Abby Orbeta: Chameleon
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“I spent most of my life trying to blend in. / Try to fade into the background. / Try not to be noticed.” Abby Orbeta reads their poem “Chameleon” (“Hunyango”), which has been translated into Filipino, for this Ours Poetica video, sponsored by Complexly and the Poetry Foundation.
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