Blog of Oonah V Joslin -- please visit my Parallel Oonahverse at WordPress

where I post stories and poems that have not been seen elsewhere - also recipes and various other stuff. http://oovj.wordpress.com/

and see me At the Cumberland Arms 2011









Wednesday, 2 July 2008

July Links

http://www.everydayfiction.com/division-by-oonah-v-joslin/
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/anthologies/284-296_antho2.html
http://staticmovement.com/oonahvjoslin.htm
http://shortstory.us.com/08/07/story/wildnight.html
http://www.microhorror.com/microhorror/author/oonah-v-joslin/julys-the-time-for-jelly/
http://www.theshinejournal.com/joslino.htm

Every Day Fiction has published Division this month. It's another of my very short flashes. Virginia Diaz said: See now, that is a superb juxtaposition- the dead flowers falling from the Bible and the picture of the lost twin in the same book. Who knew you could put foreshadowing into a piece that compact? Very nice.

Thank you Virginia! Flash is like poetry. You have to choose each word and image carefully. There's no room for exploring feelings so you have to take short cuts that the reader will easily follow. This one is full of those. Bible, wreathed, cut photograph, death...even the title is a clue.

I have just been notified by Don Webb of Bewildering Stories that two of my pieces, Blast and Exposure are in the 2nd quarterly Review. This means I have made it into 3 Quarterlies in a row! I am delighted.

My friends, Avis, Sarah Hilary and Bill West are also there. Well done to all three of you.

Spike is a poem I wrote in a flash forum. Pike? I thunk...What can I possibly have to say about pike? Well, there you go!

Wild Night is based on an actual incident when our cat was a kitten. No I don't know how the rabbit got up the stairs and into the bedroom. But there you go!

July is the Time for Jelly - well this might not be the jelly you had in mind...Micro Horror Jelly...

A Tribute to her Beauty was written in the week Benazir Bhutto died. To that extent it is a flash poem - quickly written and relatively unrevised. I like to do that sometimes. It's more honest.
A friend of mine in writewords commented:
And thank you for writing that poem about Benazier Bhutto. It is very moving, and I think it was something important that needed to be said. Robin

Thursday, 26 June 2008

John Ritchie

My friend and mentor,
John Ritchie
is having his playlet,
A tense situation
performed at a
Theatre Festival in Cambridge
on the evening of
July 10th.
This being John's first venture into the theatrical world,
break a leg, mate!

Sunday, 22 June 2008

Summery or Links

It's a PUN! summery - get it? Too much Data - Mr Data that is... his type of joke :)

Here are all the June links together. Added here are Missy's Summer in EDF which even brings a tear to my eye... and 5 poems in The Ranfurly Review. I was very proud to get all 5 in. I don't have a favourite.

Room for the Living is a memory from when I was 7/8 (1962 my sister tells me).
In Yellow Brick Road to Ruin, Agnes was taken from a sermon preached by Pastor George Blaney who was a very good and humourous man and an inspiration in his life and work.
Grandma's Glove is taken from a real photograph.
Tryst was a windy day on the beach at Cresswell in Northumberland.
The Last Book came from a Summer job in the library when we had to burn books - literally - and I didn't want to.

I do hope you enjoy reading them.

http://www.theshinejournal.com/poetrycontestjudges.htm

http://staticmovement.com/oonah.htm

http://www.ranfurly-review.co.uk/

http://www.microhorror.com/microhorror/author/oonah-v-joslin/above-nature/

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue293/casino.html

http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/binnacle/short_list_short_2008.asp

http://www.bostonliterarymagazine.com/sum08drabble.html

http://www.bostonliterarymagazine.com/sum08quick.html#sum08color.html

http://www.everydayfiction.com/

Oh, here's my favourite comment on this story :
Comment by M.Sherlock
2008-06-22 14:14:54
You know i read the whole thing not realising this was a piece by oonah. So when i say that this story is brilliant…im reading the story, not the name. I was quite surprised to see oonahs biography at the bottom.
Reply to this comment


-->Comment by Oonah V Joslin
2008-06-22 16:06:08
I’m not quite sure how to take that… Thank you… I think… It says me name at the top…
Nice to know I can write a good story without actually being me… or something…
Maybe I’ll go and have a wee lie down!
…I keep telling people I’m eclectic but they’re not familiar with that part of the Oonahverse

Sunday, 15 June 2008

Boston Literary Magazine

I am very proud to be in Boston Literary Mag twice this month. I like both pieces. If you look at my post about Shine poetry competition earlier this month, you'll find ny first ever poem. I wonder whether you can spot certain... connections with this drabble? ;)

http://www.bostonliterarymagazine.com/sum08drabble.html

http://www.bostonliterarymagazine.com/sum08quick.html#sum08color.html

Avis Hickman Gibb's work is also in this month's. She has three. Do read them. Avis is a great friend of mine and I like to promote the work of good friends... who are also good writers...

Monday, 9 June 2008

Casino at Bewildering Stories and Binnacle News

Price /Cost /Value

What would you gamble with?

Casino - http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue293/casino.html

I got a story shortlisted in the Binnacle Contest. It's listed in the top 100.

http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/binnacle/short_list_short_2008.asp

Friday, 6 June 2008

Micro Horror

Well I said I'd try and here it is - Above Nature. It's a drabble; only 100 words to tell the story and in this case make a point which my friend Mark Dalligan appreciated. He left a comment. You can read one of Mark's stories too right along side mine. Good one Mark :)

http://www.microhorror.com/microhorror/author/oonah-v-joslin/above-nature/

Wednesday, 4 June 2008

Links to my work

Static Movement is a great magazine, as I've said before and this month it is carrying a little story called The Centoccules. Never heard of Centoccules? Well get over there and read about them.
http://staticmovement.com/oonah.htm

Actually I like this one because it has a humourous ending but it is making a couple of serious points and I like to make people laugh and then think - hey, hang on a minute - that means that... Also to do that in so few words takes effort - don't believe me? Try it!

I hope I succeed in doing that here.

To follow this month:
The Ranfurly Review - 5 poems
Bewildering Stories - Flash Fiction
The Boston Literary Review - Flash Fiction
The Shine Journal - a poem
Micro Horror - if I can get one in... :)
and who knows what else I may come up with. Watch this surface!

You can also read stories by my friends Mark Dalligan and Avis Hickman Gibb at Static Movement this month.