I can’t believe it’s late September already. I love Fall and want to make it last. Already there is less than week left of September.
E. Michael Desilets who has two poems (“Archangela Bautistsa” and “Faithful Departed”) in Solace in So Many Words is a contributor from Los Angeles who I met only through correspondence until I got on Facebook and he “friended” me. It is great because I get to keep up on his news and posts and have gotten to know him. He sent me an email recently with a link to one of his latest published poems, what he describes as one of his “happy Catholic poems.” It is called “Mother’s Mass Card” and appears in Hospital Drive, issue 6. I know it will resonate with readers. Hospital Drive is a journal of the words, sounds, images put out by the University of Virginia School of Medicine, which encourages original creative work that examines themes of health, illness, and healing. The name comes from an actual road between Thomas Jefferson’s original academic village and the earliest buildings of the school of medicine.
Another acceptance he told me about is from Curbside Splendor, a relatively new lit journal from Chicago. The latest issue (no. 2) is due out in October. The journal describes itself this way: “The Curbside Splendor semi-annual print journal showcases short stories, poetry, and photography/art that celebrate urbanism. Gritty, honest, thoughtful, in your face.” Some of you may remember that Michael’s poem “Last Set of the Night” appeared on the Curbside Splendor site. Here is the link to that. Curbside Splendor is offering various incentives and taking pre-orders for the new issue. Also, Curbside Splendor publishes books. Sophomoric Philosphy by Victor David Giron and The Chapbook by Charles Bane Jr. are two titles from the publisher, which also runs a bookstand at the Logan Square Farmer’s Market and a bi-monthly reading at Beauty Bar. 
Kathleen Kirk always seems to know about new literary mags, and she has two poems in the inaugural issue of Ithaca Lit. Her poems are: “Golden Retriever” and “Train Delayed by Lingering Fall.” Michele Lesko, editor, describes the first issue, “We begin our journey into the inaugural issue of with endings. Here in the Northeast, the blossoms will finish their heady display, the leaves will ‘rage against the dying of the light’ with a full force show of color, and we’ll begin settling in, shoring up our minds for the long days inside. In this issue, you will find art, poetry and two insightful interviews that may speak to you, edge you forward, expand your perception and simply entertain your mind as we all rage against the dying of the light in our day-to-day.” The submission period for the winter issue is open now.
Also, Kathleen reviews the Dancing Girl Press chapbook Excuse Me While I Wring this Long Swim out of My Hair by Sarah J. Sloat in the journal, Prick of the Spindle, which is a quarterly online journal of the literary arts. Dancing Girl is a Chicago press run by Kristy Bowen. Prick of the Spindle is out of Pensacola, Fl, and began in March 2007 “in the spirit of creating a journal whose contribution to the literary arts would be well-rounded, with an acknowledgement to the works of literary history.”
Also, Kathleen is Poetry Editor for Escape into Life, a site that you should most definitely visit. In her latest column (which features work by Sarah J. Sloat) Kathleen encourages poets to send in their own poems with very long titles.
Poetry magazine has produced gold with its October issue. “The Road to Emmaus” by Spencer Reece starts on page 3 and ends on page 17 and is nothing short of magnificent. I am not usually a fan of such long poems but this one kept me reading, interested and impressed. There are also poems by Dan Beachy-Quick who used to teach in Chicago and an essay by the North Shore native Lili Taylor. The actress writes about being “out there” in poetry and acting.
Cory Fosco who contributed “My Father’s Legs” to this site wrote me to say: “I teach creative writing at Harper College twice a year. I run an eight-week workshop focusing on creative nonfiction. The course is based on my studies at Loyola and Northwestern, and I really focus on helping new writers find their voice. Many of my students are first time writers, retired adults, stay-at-home moms, husbands of aspiring writers who want to support their spouse and take a class together…all over the board. if you have any friends or family that might be interested in taking the class, please encourage them to either contact me directly or go to the Harper College website for more information. My class is offered as a continuing education course, which helps keep the cost down ($109 for the eight weeks).”
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