Stigma at Cavalcade of Stars

Jeanette Cheezum has my poem, Stigma, up at Cavalcade of Stars. And, in case you missed it last month, she also published another one of my works, Relative Degrees.

Poetry up at Melancholy Hyperbole

The good folk over at Melancholy Hyperbole publish poems on longing and have seen fit to post my poem, Chase. So many fantastic poets can be found there. Stop by.

The Gyroscope Review Inaugural Issue

I have three new poems published in the inaugural issue of the Gyroscope Review. The issue is free to read online and just oozing with poetic elegance.

Featured Poet at The Midnight Lane Boutique

Editor, Johnny Longfellow, has selected me as this week's featured poet at The Midnight Lane Boutique.

TMLB publishes street-themed poems of 8 lines or less. Read the submission guidelines here.

HARROWNAUGHT... coming soon to print and ebook

HARROWNAUGHT

An Epic Fantasy and Adventure Poem

 

By Angel Zapata

 

 

...coming soon to print and ebook...

Prayers from Crooked Spines Goodreads Giveaway

I'm giving away 5 print copies of my latest poetry collection, "Prayers from Crooked Spines," over at Goodreads.

Enter the Goodreads giveaway contest here.

New Poetry Book Release— Prayers from Crooked Spines

My latest poetry collection was released today in print. The Kindle version should be available in the next day or two. The stunning cover art is by author/artist, Gabrielle Faust. Please visit her webpage here. She’s a super-talented woman.

 

The twenty-six poems collected in this book are petitions, each one more urgent than the next. Fear is said to be rooted in the spine, yet the severing of its silver cord will paralyze the inflicted. Is supplication the only recourse? Perhaps, but “the body is never a silent witness. It would rather cat-scratch an arthritic limb than falsify an aura.” PRAYERS FROM CROOKED SPINES confronts “the creeping ivy of the brain,” takes aim at the “thorns at catatonic nerves,” and transforms emotional trauma into “something entirely wonderful and new.”

 

Full cover wrap:

 

 

The Midnight on the Stroll Poetry Contest

Editor, Johnny Longfellow, of Midnight Lane Gallery is hosting a Midnight on the Stroll Poetry Contest. The submission period closes on July 31, 2014.

Per their web page: Poets are invited to submit poetry written in response to our Grand Opening show’s overall theme, an image within the show, or to the music contained therein. Broadly speaking, we seek poetry submissions that can (un)comfortably inhabit the same space as said art and music. More specifically, we seek short poems between 1 to 8 lines. Free verse, syllabic, or (rhymed-) metrical verse are all acceptable. Please submit no more than 8 poems, and do so only once during our current reading period. We will be seeking First Rights / Rights to Republish On Site. All republication rights will return to poets on October 1, 2014, when we announce our top contestants in The Curtained Room. Please, do not send previously published work or simultaneous submissions–we’ll provide a reasonably swift response time of 21 days or less. Our submission window opens May 17, 2014, and closes July 31, 2014, Eastern Standard Time. Work received prior to or after said dates will not be considered. Read full guidelines here.

 

Thus far, work from ten poets, including myself, have been accepted for the "Open Screening." You can read them all here.

 

Prayers from Crooked Spines at Writing Tomorrow Magazine

Three of my poems appear in this month’s issue of Writing Tomorrow Magazine. If you get a chance, stop by and read my latest works, “The Anonymous Dead,” “Mission Aborted,” and “Prayers from Crooked Spines.”

Heartfelt thanks to editor, Miranda Kopp-Filek, for the publication and her encouraging words.

Book Giveaway-- Get Two Books Free

All weekend long (thru February 5th) An Offering of Ink and Feathers— A Chapbook of Poetry and Flames of Quiet Light: Thirteen Tiny Tales of Love and Loss are available for FREE. Pick them up for your Kindle.

New Poem, Chalk Dust, at The 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly

Gerald So, editor of “The 5-2: Crime Poetry Weekly,” has published my poem “Chalk Dust.” He also reads the audio version.

My poetry chapbook, "An Offering of Ink and Feathers," is FREE for your Kindle today thru Wednesday, October 16th at Amazon. I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to share this post with all your friends and family. And, of course, I’d be grateful for your review on Amazon and at Goodreads.

An Offering of Ink & Feathers— Book Giveaway on Goodreads!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

An Offering of Ink and Feathers

by Angel Zapata

Giveaway ends August 23, 2013.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

An Offering of Ink & Feathers— A Poetry Chapbook

It's my pleasure to announce the publication of my poetry collection, "An Offering of Ink & Feathers." The print version is available now on Createspace and the Kindle version through Amazon. Most of the poems have never been published in print or online.

An Offering of Ink & Feathers is a chapbook of twenty-four poems. It begins with the flight of a moth and the sacrifice of its fragile body. This incident sparks a series of events— physical and spiritual— that takes our author and readers on a journey through love, marriage, fatherhood, divorce, and ultimately to the very brink of death.

I'd like to thank author/artist, Gabrielle Faust, for providing me permission to use her gorgeous artwork for the cover.

And thanks to my fellow writers and readers who have encouraged me along the way. I hope my words will find a place in all your hearts.

Poetry Rewind: oh touch me you fool

Digging out some old pieces of mine that were published in printed journals, pre-internet submissions. This 4-line poem was accepted for issue #81 of The Lilliput Review back in 1996.

An Update and Crucifixion Mornings

It's been quite some time since my last post, but I’ve been a slave to the pen. Thus far in 2013, I've had three rejections, two no replies (what’s up with that?), and seven pieces slated for upcoming publications, online and in print. The next few weeks I'll be doing some final edits on new fiction and poems.

A bit of bad news... looks like I may be out of commission for a couple of weeks due to health issues (which includes a surgery), but I should be back feeling better than I have in years. And that's great news.

And since it has been a while, I offer you a poem. Take care!

Crucifixion Mornings

Vermilion joy;

only anger swings a finger in this direction.

The subtle reflex of morning strikes electric perfection

as thought throbs arterial.

One bird, gray against the fevered veil,

speckles itself bright, then dim to burn quiet.

In itself it is common, but face is merely fiction.

Nature bursts forth a bouquet.

An instance:

wings like grape surrender to wine;

amber branches flag rubies of blackened oak;

shadows perfume indigo in dawn-born covenant.

It’s a pretense of obscurity, but bend this elbow,

it will always return to an arm, morsel of the whole.

An ark floating leaf and plume on sea-tossed air

reduces thought to ash and bark of birch.

Only anger dares swing a finger in this direction.

The bird is a dove entangled in the nesting brain.

To mystics it is wide and open as ocean,

but Christ it’s a hole in my wrist.

Copyright © 2013, Angel Zapata

The Incurable Weight of the Breathless at eSteampunk

eFiction publishes a variety of genre magazines (adventure, fantasy, horror, noir, romance, sci-fi, Steampunk, humor) every month. Submissions guidelines for their Steampunk issues can be found here. I highly recommend you spend some time exploring the many offerings they have available.

My poem, The Incurable Weight of the Breathless, appears in their latest Steampunk issue, eSteampunk December 2012. The following is an excerpt of my poem:

My thanks to editor, Mandy Brown, whose valuable feedback was most appreciated.

New Poetry: Brood and Mass and Mirrors at Mused

I’m happy to report my poems, Brood and Mass and Mirrors, have been published in the latest issue of Mused: BellaOnline Literary Review. The Fall 2012 Issue is loaded with new poetry, fiction, non-fiction, art and photography, and interviews.

They are currently accepting submissions for the Winter Solstice 2012 issue. You can find the guidelines here.

Thanks to publisher/editor Lisa Shea and all the staff at Mused.

Tin Men at Every Day Poets

I have a new poem up at Every Day Poets called Tin Men. It's a semi-autobiographical piece stemming from childhood.

As always, big thank yous to Oonah V. Joslin, Kathleen Cassen Mickelson, Constance Brewer, and the rest of the EDP staff.

Birthright: a new poem up at Every Day Poets

I have a poem up today at Every Day Poets. It's called Birthright. It's about a father holding his newborn son for the first time. Of course, this joyful moment does have a bit of a shock...