It is hard to describe any month in my life of late as being anything other than … blissful. Amazing and/or lovely should also suffice. I’m at peace. My mind is calm. My thoughts are clear. My body is clean. The present is bright, and the future is calling/screaming. I rarely use a phone, but I can still sense such sounds being signaled strongly in the atmosphere. Synchronicity was, is, and always will remain the station on the dial that I seek to tune my consciousness toward. Reception achieved. Breaker! Breaker! 10-4. Over and out.
Thank you to all the editors associated with these 16 venues for accepting and/or publishing my work during the month of May:
Peeking Cat Poetry Magazine; Where Are You From? anthology; Poetry Leaves; Poetry Pacific; Dissident Voice; Writing Knights Press; Leaves of Ink; ELSiEiSY; Creative Talents Unleashed; Duane’s PoeTree; Scarlet Leaf Review; The Blue Mountain Review; Setu Mag; GloMag; Our Poetry Archive; and Synesthesia Literary Journal.
The Visions of Verse event held in Jasper, Georgia and hosted by the Southern Collective Experience served to kick off the festivities in May quite nicely. My poem “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” from the performance can be seen here on YouTube.
One of the five print publications that my work appeared in during the month, Peeking Cat Poetry Magazine, featured a review written by Sam Rose about my book, Happy Hour Hallelujah (copies of which are available here through the publisher, CTU).
I also had an opportunity to read several poems at an event in Sandy Springs, Georgia held at the Phoenix & Dragon bookstore. One of the pieces, “Midnight Wonder/Wander,” will be published as a signed and numbered limited edition broadside in the 48th Street Press 2017 series. It can be viewed here on YouTube (please subscribe to the new channel if you’d like to remain in the loop with my latest videos).
I fully enjoyed appearing on Marcia Epstein’s Talk With ME radio show a few weeks ago for an hour-long conversation about my current work and upcoming projects. Marcia is an incredibly gracious and supportive host, and the archive of our discussion can be listened to here on Lawrence Hits out of Kansas.
Poison in Paradise, my new book coming soon from Alien Buddha Press, is in the final stages of development. It’s going to be a full-length collection with over a dozen incredible color photographs (taken by publishers Jay Miner and Red Focks) included throughout. The poems in this book are compiled in such a way so as to reflect my spin on the tried-and-true tale about the hubris-filled fall from grace followed by a redemptive rise out of the ashes. Actually, a better way to phrase the synopsis would be: it’s an original work of art that was ripped from out the depths of my own soul. I wouldn’t dare try to pawn anything less on those who read it. I swear to God. Authenticity, after all, is the skeleton key to salvation. My hope is to open the doors to your hearts and minds with the words I pen. Lofty ambitions. But why settle for anything less in life, right? Right! Hot damn! I’m looking forward to sharing further details in the weeks ahead as a firm release date is set. I hope you’ll help support my work by purchasing a copy when Poison in Paradise becomes available.
Anything else? You betcha! Setu Mag, a bilingual Hindi/English online publication, included a video link in their latest issue to my poetry recital from the Collective Sessions event which was held at Good Acting Studio in Marietta, Georgia not too long ago. I read three poems during my set, including “Transcending Definitions” which was recently translated into Afrikaans by Don Beukes. The full performance can be seen here.
Another selection of my work was also translated into Persian during May by Soodabeh Saeidnia for the Where Are You From? anthology. The three poems she lent her talents to can be listened to here on my SoundCloud page.
There were also plenty of goings-on at the four journals where I serve as an editor, The Blue Mountain Review, Walking Is Still Honest Press, The Peregrine Muse, and Novelmasters. I will speak much more about all these venues in new posts coming soon.
All in all, I feel a sense of satisfaction for what was accomplished during May, though I will never become complacent because I’m still nowhere near to where I hope to one day be. Thank you to everyone who supports my journey. Your kindness means the world to me. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, peace-filled, successful month of June ahead!
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar
17Numa 