Bewildering Stories

This week Ludek's Dawn is up in Bewildering Stories. It was inspired by Wojtek Jacobson's photo Sunrise beyond Belot Strait, also appearing alongside. Do go and read it.

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue298/ludeks_dawn.html

Don Webb, the editor of BwS said: You have the right idea about poetry, but other contributors -- with the notable exception of those from Britain and Ireland -- seem to think that poetry should be either prose with line breaks or else some incomprehensible balderdash. Thank heaven for you and John Stocks and Doug Pugh.

I love the work of both these writers and I am so happy to have been compared favourably with them.

The photograph is from, My name is Ludomir/ mam na imie Ludomir by Maciej Krzeptowski and Wojciech Jacobson and is in Polish and English.

Ludomir Maczka was a geologist and master yachtsman and explorer who led an exceptional life which I have been privileged to touch, through his friends.

I'm off on holiday now... Lucky me!

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

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!

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

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...

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

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/