Monday (8/15) is the next deadline for Rattlesnake Review. Send 3-5 poems by snail (4708 Tree Shadow Place, Fair Oaks, 95628) or e-mail (kathykieth@hotmail.com). No cover letters/bios, no simul-subs, no previously-pubs. The Snake also publishes artwork and photographs, too; send 'em along!
I've been thinking a lot about the Review this summer, and a lot of new features have been born. Far be it from that lazy Medusa to do any work, though—so I've hired four more columnists to contribute regular articles in specific areas. To wit:
• Marketeer-in-Residence KATY BROWN: We don't know if there even IS such a word, but it seemed like a good one to label Katy as she writes her new column, "Snake-Charmer's Bazaar: Poems in the Marketplace". Katy will continue to explore all the ins and outs of publishing: venues, etiquette, how-to's... Who knows? The possibilities are endless.
• Formalist-in-Residence JOYCE ODAM: The irrepressible Joyce O will pass on some of her vast knowledge of forms and how to use them in your own work in her new column, "About Form—Form Vs. Formal". Joyce has a special knack for making these tools seem accessible and useful and even fun.
• Interviewer-in-Residence JOANN ANGLIN: I consider interviews to be a hugely important part of poetry journalism, capturing the essence of people on paper for future generations and giving us a glimpse into who they are and how they work. JoAnn is a skillful, experienced interviewer who will join us, starting with the December issue.
• Something-or-Other-in-Residence Who Helps Us Find New Poems By Suggesting Possible Triggering Devices TAYLOR GRAHAM: We haven't come up with a name yet for this position, but Taylor is a skillful teacher who works with her Pony Espresso Poets/Tuesday at Two people in Pollock Pines on a weekly basis, giving them poetry "triggers" to get them started. Together, this group will be passing on these triggers and examples to help us get rolling on those grey days when the muse eludes us...
Also new in Snake 7 will be littlesnake's Poetry Puzzles for Big and Little Kids (a kid's page) and Medusa's Meanderings: Gossip from the Gorgon, which will list readings and other events—plus whatever else Medusa comes up with (or you send her) in her dementia, a la Medusa's Kitchen.
All these wonderful people will join our staff, which includes Robbie Grossklaus (Asst. Wranger), Sam Kieth (Artist-in-Residence), and B.L. Kennedy (Reviewer-in-Residence)—all of whom are such wonderful help to me and continue to be my mainstays.
And there may be even more new features! Keep tuning in to see whatever other nonsense evolves on this speeding train of ours...
Let's close with a little D.H. Lawrence:
GREEN
—D.H. Lawrence
The dawn was apple-green,
The sky was green wine held up in the sun,
The moon was a golden petal between.
She opened her eyes, and green
They shone, clear like flowers undone
For the first time, now for the first time seen.
__________________
—Medusa