Poem: “Third Sunday In June”

I remember when Fathers’ Day
Was about “World’s Greatest Dad” mugs,
Clearance rack ties, cotton dress socks,
And homemade cards.

Now, Fathers’ Day is simply
A reminder that I haven’t
Talked to my father in months
And I have no intention of calling.
Well, at least he got a poem out of it.

*This poem first appeared on 30th Year Poetry blog and is included in the collection 30th Year Poetry, available from Amazon here.

Interview with Alan Barysh, author of Bugged

Greetings and salutations!

I recently interviewed Alan Barysh, author of Bugged. You’re in for a shock, just as I was. Here it is.

A. Jarrell Hayes: Tell us a little about you, who you are and what you do.
Alan Barysh: I am a human being involved in the struggle to change the world through art and revolutionary politics.

AJH: Describe Bugged in 5 words or less.
AB: Politically correct pulp fiction.

AJH: How did you come up with the idea for Bugged?
AB: I don’t remember to be quite honest!

AJH: What’s the main message you’d want readers of Bugged to get from it?
AB: There is a link between the Nazi’s of old and the conservatives of today. And I want to expose the multi-layered and often contrary contradictions of life under capitalism in this country.

Read the rest of Alan Barysh’s interview here.

jmww Poetry Chapbook Contest!

Reblogged from :

We are now welcoming submissions for our inaugural poetry chapbook contest, to be judged by Oliver de la Paz. The winning poet will receive $500, plus publication and 5 letterpress-cover copies of the chapbook.

Deadline: October 1, 2013; Entry fee: $15.

For guidelines, submission information, and to submit, please visit our submission manager. The contest begins Friday, June 14, 2013.

Read more… 84 more words

Three Ways Indie Writers Can Help Editors

Greetings and salutations!

So you’ve written your manuscript and you’re ready to share it with the world. Before you hit the “submit” button and self-publish your book, you decide to hire a freelance editor. Before you send your manuscript to the editor, here are three ways you can make the process smoother for both you and the editor.

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. Don’t Send Your First Draft. Ernest Hemingway famously said “First drafts are sh*t.” Don’t send your first draft to your editor. Do your editor a favor and proofread your manuscript, have someone proofread it or workshop it, preferably a few times before sending it to your editor. This cuts down on the editor having to correct a multitude of typos and other errors that the author could have fixed beforehand–which can become quite annoying.

2. Study Your Craft. This goes hand-in-hand with #1. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t graduate high school or have an advanced college degree, there’s always something to learn about the English language. Learning proper syntax, punctuation and grammar for yourself will benefit your writing. If you’re going to be a professional writer, that means having to study like a professional. This includes reading books in your genre, as well as style guides and grammar books. No one is perfect (which is why writers use editors), but the more you know, the less mistakes you’ll write and the less time your editor will have to spend correcting simple errors. It reflects poorly on you if your editor doubts if you passed 5th grade English.

3. Check Your Ego. Most authors consider their book their baby. There’s a personal attachment authors develop with their work. Authors know it like no one else. When sending your book to an editor, be receptive to changes, comments and critiques. That doesn’t mean you have to accept all your editor’s suggestions–it is still your book/baby–but take the suggestions with an open mind. You should trust your editor–if not, why send your manuscript to her or him? Besides, your editor’s name and reputation are on the line as well. They want to see your book in the best shape as possible; good editors have the book’s best interest in mind.

Editors aren’t alchemists; they can’t turn a poorly written book into gold. Think of an editor’s job as polishing your manuscript; what’s underneath the rust–whether lead or gold–depends on the author. Send your best work to a good editor, and he or she will make it shine.

Do you have any additional tips? Share your thoughts below.

Nook Seeks an Edge With $2 E-Books

Reblogged from C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m:

See on Scoop.it - Writing and reading fiction

Barnes and Noble's Nook store has commissioned a set of short, original e-books, priced at $1.99 apiece.

Robert Chazz Chute's insight:

Click the link below to see the full article by Lauren Indvik at Mashable.

I'm linking to this FYI, but not because I think it will work. It's kind of the Kindle Singles program without the power platform, numbers, audience and store experience to push the ebooks.

Read more… 120 more words