On her "Women and Books" blog, respected poet Glenda Bailey-Mershon recently published a list: "Books I Loved in 2010 and Think You Will Too." Her top ten list included "A Walk through the Memory Palace" by Pamela Johnson Parker. Here's what she said about it:
"Artful and precise in their construction, these poems won Johnson Parker the Chapbook Prize from qaartsiluni, a small press doing some of the most innovative issues on the web (and, in the interest of full disclosure, a publisher of some of my own work.) I include the Memory Palace here because I believe it will please those who favor poems that catalogue, parse, and sliver the human experience in ways that reflect like shards of glass. While I prefer poetry that is more accessible and wholistically illuminative, I couldn’t help but admire this poet’s skill. I know why it was chosen, and I think it’s important to all writers to examine carefully that which challenges as well as pleases." As 2010 draws to a close, we're delighted to launch this new website -- please take a look around! -- and to share lots of exciting news for the New Year!
-- The latest qarrtsiluni print edition, Words of Power, will be available for order in a matter of days. (See the HOME page for a view of the cover.) -- In early January, we'll be releasing 70 Faces: Torah Poems, a full-length collection of poems engaging the five books of Moses, by Rachel Barenblat -- known to many of you as the Velveteen Rabbi, and soon to be ordained as a real rabbi: an event this publication celebrates. More on this wonderful book very soon! --In late February or early March, we'll be publishing Mercy Island, new and collected poems by Ren Powell, whose finely-crafted, extremely beautiful writing has been published in three translated books in Norway, where she lives and works, but never before in an English edition for North American readers. --And Phoenicia is thrilled to be planning the publication, later in 2011, of Marly Youmans' astonishing book-length epic poem of apocalypse and hope, Thaliad. So it's going to be a very full and exciting New Year at Phoenicia, and we welcome you to sail with us, discovering the worlds revealed by these remarkable authors with whom we're so proud and happy to be working. We're proud to unveil our new website today, and hope you'll find it, as we do, a definite upgrade in both looks and usability.
CATALOG: Click on any book in the home page catalog to go to its full description, and ordering information. BLOG: There's a blog where we'll be posting news, reviews, awards, and commentary, as well as the occasional essay, interview, or guest article about publishing and its future; writing and editing; and books in general. GUIDELINES AND SUBMISSIONS: Please take a look at the Pages listed in the navigation bar at the top, and note that there is a Submissions page now and a revised "About Us"; together these two pages should give prospective authors a sense of what Phoenicia is looking for, and how to approach us if you're interested in sending a manuscript. And please let us know what you think. Your suggestions and comments are always welcome! Qarrtsiluni managing Editors Dave Bonta and Beth Adams have submitted six nominations for the 2010 Pushcart Prizes. While most of these fine poems will appear in subsequent print editions published by Phoenicia, Clayton Michaels' "Tantric" is from his chapbook, Watermark, currently available here!
As we often say, we have a love/hate affair with contests and awards. It's great to be able to nominate our authors, and even more wonderful when they win, but we see so much work that is deserving of greater recognition, so it's very hard to choose only a few pieces to single out. Our goal is to congratulate and encourage all writers -- but today, to give a special tip of the hat to these fine poets and their work, and to the qarrtsiluni guest editors who chose some of these poems for their issues. “24” by Barbara Young (New Classics issue) “Tantric” by Clayton Michaels (Watermark) “Relics” by Sherry Chandler (Health issue) “Sea of Stars” by Dick Jones (The Crowd issue) “So soft his neck, so distant from the thought of stone” by Jee Leong Koh (New Classics issue) “Apart” by Aline Soules (Chapbook Finalists 2010; originally published in The Houston Literary Review, May 2009) |
NewsThe latest news and commentary about our plans, events, authors, and titles! |