Recent Acceptances: Mirror Dance and Songs of Eretz, Also, L. Ron Hubbard WOTFC Certificate

Two of my poems made the cut in two publications:

"Three Times She Loved" to appear in Songs of Eretz, May 2014
"Woman Came Last" to appear in Mirror Dance, Spring 2014

A big thank you to the editors, Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD (Songs of Eretz) and Megan Arkenberg (Mirror Dance) for the opportunity.

I have also received my L. Ron Hubbard, Writers of the Future Contest certificate this week:

Came with a cool gold sun sticker

Have a Porky Christmas

Just for fun... to get the spirits up hehe

4th cold, encounting

Colds = 4
Anne = 0

Oh come on, immunity. What do I have to do to get you working?

Things I'm taking: GNC Vitamins for women, Berocca, Virgin Coconut Oil, Honey

What next? :'(

No Shame These Days?

Is it out of fashion? Shame must be a thing of the past, when despite the whole world clicking their tongues at you, you continue doing that thing politicians in the Philippines do. You know, like stealing... but that's not the only thing, you also want to steal and make it appear like you're Robin Hood imparting aid and relief to the people.

When you get your much-needed votes, oh noble politician, I hope you savor the taste of blood in your mouth, the blood of those who've died in the calamities you milked for profit.

The vice president of the Philippines taking advantage of the calamity. He is putting his name on the foreign relief goods for his campaign for the next presidential election. Source

Late Post: The special literary issue of the Silliman Journal launches on December 6

In this issue, my poem "Santa Maria Goretti Asks for a Virtue" appears:

Santa Maria Goretti Asks for a Virtue

I might have been near death
I don’t know where
the rogue truck went
but I met the Santa then
in peasant garb, still a child,
had the hesitant halo
that gave realist artists
such a headache.

Using two fingers
she pinched the nimbus
and lilies fell
to the ground like light
lily white, she muttered.
Apparently, she had a beef
with the flower
that kept replacing the knife

she preferred her idols to hold.

After all these years
must my sainthood rely
on withholding my blossom?

And when I told her she was pure
she laughed and laughed
In heaven you can have everything
but not a virtue
you do not already own.
But what else can a girl have?
Drunk with mirth, she screams
for only a passing soul to hear
Give me another!
Another!

 


Reposting from The Spy in the Sandwhich

The Book Cover

The special literary issue of the Silliman Journal launches on December 6! This special issue of the Silliman Journal — edited by Anthony L. Tan, Marjorie Evasco, and Grace Monte de Ramos — honors the legacy of two giants in Philippine letters: S.E.A. Write Awardee Edilberto K. Tiempo, in honor of his birth centenary in 2013, and National Artist for Literature Edith L. Tiempo, in honor of her second death anniversary.

The issue includes a preface by Rowena Tiempo-Torrevillas, with contributions by Anne Carly Abad, Gémino S. Abad, Ceres Y.C. Abanil, Merlie Alunan, Adlai Amor, Ronn Andrew Angeles, César Ruìz Aquino, Corin Arenas, Cirilo F. Bautista, Randy Bustamante, Erin Cabanawan, F. Jordan Carnice, Ian Rosales Casocot, Albert Casuga, Thomas David F. Chavez, Elsa Martinez-Coscolluela, Jhoanna Lynne B. Cruz, Vida Cruz, Alice Sun-Cua, Zaldy Dandan, N. Adrian de Pedro, Ricardo M. de Ungria, V.I.S. de Veyra, Simeon M. Dumdum Jr., Felix Fojas, Armand Gloriosa, Michael Aaron Gomez, Asterio Enrico N. Gutierrez, Antonio Hernandez, Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, Susan S. Lara, Francis B. Macansantos, Priscilla Supnet-Macansantos, Lorna Peña-Reyes Makil, Hansel B. Mapayo, Peter Zaragoza Mayshle, Timothy R. Montes, Homer Novicio, Corinna Arcellana Nuqui, Carla Pacis, Allan Pastrana, Myrna Peña-Reyes, Victor Peñaranda, Mary Ann E. Pernia, Noel P. Pingoy, M. Protacio-De Guzman, Deedle Rodriguez-Tomlinson, Dinah Roma, Melissa Salva, Allen Samsuya, Nadine L. Sarreal, Trish Shishikura, Jojo G. Silvestre, Cherrie Sing, Joshua Lim So, Victor N. Sugbo, Brylle Tabora, Michelle T. Tan, Seann Tan-Mansukhani, Roberto Klemente Timonera, Joel M. Toledo, Tim Tomlinson, Denver Ejem Torres, Renz Christian Torres, John Jack Wigley, Januar Yap, Anna Yin, and Alfred A. Yuson. The photo art is by May Tobias-Papa.

Area of Responsibility

Fear swooped in
battered down hearts
and homes.
scythe winds harvested
our joy,
so little we have
yet so much we can give
bangon, tindog, kapatid
words for those who've lost them,
hands to deliver relief,
eyes to guide the weeping
see, we were made this way
the sky in our lungs
earth in our tongues
sun in our blood
metal in our spirits.

It is not a storm
that enters the area
of responsibility
but a convergence
of kindness, an awakening.

Hedgehog Swimming in Space

Just dying of cuteness. I have to share this video!

Tanka that I forgot :P

I can't quench
my lover's thirst
so he sends me away
even an empty glass
is filled with air

-First appeared in Ribbons: Tanka Society of America, Spring/Summer 2012

Coughing, but got several goodies

What the, despite the vitamins, fruits and honey, I have a developed a cough. Sickly girl. Sickly girl, I am.

Maybe I'll try herbs next time. I sure am getting tired of this. Ever since I was a kid, I get a cold or a cough every month. Sucks!

Some goodies: Porky, my hedgehog is growing big. He's 400g now. Little fatty :3

I've also received my certificate for my modest success at the 2013 Basho Haiku Festival:

In terms of publishing, I have four, for which I'm thankful for the editors. Thank you for believing in my work.

Have one from Modern Haiku, for my poem "Today's Special." Haiku don't really have titles, but after writing more than a hundred, tracking them is driving me nuts. I first appeared in MH in their autumn 2013 issue. You can get a sampler of their excellent haiku here.

Also have one from Liquid Imagination. They invited me to record a reading as well, for my poem "Ace Hardware." Gonna have to oil my rusty reading skills! Ahem Ahem!

Third, Expanded Horizons will feature my poem "Molting Season" in January 2014 or February. Looking forward to that. Last time I appeared on their pages, I wrote fiction, which I'm pretty sparse in now.

Last but not the least, David Kopaska-Merkel, editor of Dreams & Nightmares wrote me this very kind acceptance letter:

Anne

"Three times she loved" is sweet and poignant: how I wish I thought it a speculative poem! Actually, I like all of these, but want to buy "The visitor" for DN 97 (January, 2014)... 

Best,
David

Thanks so much, everyone. I should recover from the curse of colds soon with all these good news.