Scene Break
October 2, 2024
SCENE BREAK 9/26/2024
MY APOLOGIES FOR SKIPPING A MONTH!
I tried to post this on the above date but had internet issues. Trying again!
WHAT'S NEW IN POETRY
I've had a few more acceptances and publications but the main news in poetry is how busy I am with several projects. The Poetry Society of Indiana fall contest is in the judging stage. Kathy Jo and I are collecting the winners' names and poems for each of the 39 categories from the various judges. We are both keeping our own list or spreadsheet. So far, we have the results for 9 categories. Kathy Jo had more envelopes in her mailbox today that should indicate 6 more.
From all the miscommunication, left out information, and the fact that she and I came to this game late has led to a few items we know need fixing for next year. I've begun a guide sheet with all that information. We will have a one guide sheet for poets entering their work and another for the judges.
This is my first time doing this and it's proved very educational. Responses have ranged from praises heaped on me to being screamed at over the phone. That's a story I won't get into, but it happened. And many people don't know how involved I am with the whole thing. They see KJ on the email and often think she's running the show. Believe me, I keep busy!
I'm also keeping busy with the book we are putting together at PrimeLife Enrichment. It's the senior place I go to. The writing group there has a new leader – me – since Caron, the previously leader decided to return to the workforce as a substitute teacher. Our book, Creative Expressions is a collection of poetry and prose written by the 7 of us in the writing group with art from the art class. Published independently, proceeds from sales are earmarked for PrimeLife Enrichment, a 501c3.
And of course, Lost at 27: Musicians, Artists, Mortals. Cicada Song Press has hit the ground running with this poetry collection. I turned everything over to the publisher, Johanna. We are hoping for a release date of October or November.
I'm lucky to stay awake with all the work, let alone write poetry.
WHAT'S UP WITH CICADA SONG PRESS
I attended a workshop online about marketing through a Facebook group, The Publishing Lane. It was extremely helpful. I forwarded worksheets from that workshop to our marketing folk.
Here is how our schedule looks for now:
Lost at 27 – November 2024
long story/novelette/novella collection by 1 or more authors at end of 2024.
short story collection – stories are coming in now. Spring 2025 publication
single author poetry collection – my next book, Calling to Shore, Summer 2025
possibly a single author prose for Autumn 2025
Looking ahead to 2026 Johanna hopes to add another single author poetry collection and single author prose collection beyond the one-a-season schedule as listed above.
WHAT'S UP WITH MY FICTION
My novel, Under the Bubble, is still in the query trenches. So far, I've received nothing but rejections. My second book, which isn't the same, is in progress. Dreams to Visions takes place 2000 years after the end of Under the Bubble. It's become a novel in verse.
WHAT I'M READING
Not much. I've started Oxoto a novel in verse by Lyn Hejinian. She calls it a short Russian novel, as compared to long Russian novels. Each poem in the book has 14 lines, though some are rather long. She was inspired by Pushkin to write Oxoto. Of all the books on my list and shelf, I chose to read this one next because I'm involved in ModPo, a free course online in which we study poetry. Hejinian is one of the poets in the course.
STAR TREK (not really)
Star Trek is between schedules at the moment. I participate when I can with online groups. We watch episodes and chat. Or I sometimes watch videos of others in the Trek world. More realistically, I've been watching YouTube. Genealogy, crime, but mostly The Voice. I had no idea The Voice was all over the world. YouTube offers snippets of the various shows. I have seen great performances from Norway, Romania, France and other places. Mostly, I watch US, Australia, and UK. I love hearing how the contestants put their personality into covers of popular songs.
PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST SCENE BREAK
Evolution
https://www.journalofexpressivewriting.com/post/evolution
I need to tell you about a river
https://luckyjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ember-No.-12-ONLINE.pdf
also available in print
Kate
https://www.miserere-review.com/
careful – this journal is complete with music
Utility
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1774156048/storm-cellar-112-ebook-literary-magazine
Shade
https://www.qwertymagazine.ca/product/qwerty-48
This journal printed the last stanza of my poem wrong. I emailed and they said they would also publish 'Shade' in their next issue and send me a free copy.
Elements of a Fire
https://www.redrosethorns.com/redrosethornsmagazineissue03
Breed Restrictions
https://litshark.com/lit-shark-shark-dog-live/
also available in print
A Quartz Prayer
http://www.activemuse.org/2024_Collections/varsha/poems/Mona_Mehas.html
3 poems along theme of 'silence'
https://coalitionfordigitalnarratives.org/2024/07/29/cw8-mona-mehas-3-poems/
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
It doesn't take much energy to sign up for things. My energy is consumed by all the things I sign up for.
TODAY'S CARD
Deborah Koff-Chapin makes my favorite oracle cards. She has a monthly zoom meeting for those of us who have purchased the Portals of Presence cards. They are different faces she painted over a 20-year span. I always get a poem from these gatherings.
In the last zoom she said she'd taken this card to the place on the mountain where she made it. When I saw the card it spoke to me. I wrote a poem in the POV of the card. Afterward, I read it aloud and almost brought her to tears, and me too. She asked me to send her the poem, which I did. Deborah said she would write about the experience on her website and post my poem. I check often and it isn't there yet. Eventually, I'll put the card and poem on my website.
THANKS FOR READING!
https://linktr.ee/monaiv