Dispatches From Dena
Photo by Patrick Pellegrini on Unsplash
{Image Description: a minuscule snail rests on a bright green leaf in the foreground against a blurred blue background]
Hi friends! Each week that passes during shelter in place feels like butter melting through my hands; where did the time go? What did I even do? I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling this way but in the meantime, I have some publishing announcements to share!
You can find newly written AND published poems in Quaranzine: Art in Isolation! This zine was just released this past Wednesday! Two of the poems I wrote for #NationalPoetryMonth are in here, along with so many other creators of all types of art! There’s photography, illustrations, line drawings, comics, and yes, poems! Pour yourself a cup of your favorite beverage and settle in for an evening with this zine for artists by artists. Each artist also has their payment information if you’re so inclined to tip!
One of the first poems I’ve written since embarking on this writing journey, “Here Be Dragons” is finally being published! You may have heard of Colossus, which is a spoken-word event that “strives to evoke the spirit of sanctuary and radical inclusion that the poet, Emma Lazarus, intended the Statue of Liberty to embody.”
Lazarus is the author of the poem (a sonnet actually!), “The New Colossus,” that’s cast on a bronze plaque by Lady Liberty’s feet. According to Wikipedia, she even wrote the poem in order to help raise money to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty!
I’m really delighted that the editors of the first-ever Colossus anthology are giving my poem “Here Be Dragons” a home. It’s been rejected so. many. times. All of the proceeds from the anthology are going to Moms 4 Housing. I wrote this poem in 2017 about all the construction cranes popping up around San Francisco (when I lived there) and the onslaught of real estate speculation. It’s totally my gentrification poem. (Tongo Eisen Martin told me last summer said that every Bay Area poet has at least one!)
Cover artwork by Mina Jafari
{Image Description: a black banner with blue bold writing on the left side says “My Shadow is My Skin: Voices from the Iranian Diaspora” from the University of Texas Press. There is an abstract tree, with moon and stars just past its branches printed white on the right side of the banner ]
My essay “Pushing the Boundaries” was published in the anthology, My Shadow is My Skin: Voices From the Iranian Diaspora, and I first wrote it in 2015. The editors, Katherine Whitney and Leila Emery, took great care in finding a publisher that fit their vision for this anthology and I’m incredibly honored that my essay is included. It took five years of labor and conviction to get our words out there. You can purchase a copy from your local bookshop here! We’re also having a few readings to promote the anthology and I’ll be reading next Saturday, May 23rd, from 5-6:30PM PDT on Zoom!
Did you know that you can always find my readings here on my website? Since COVID-19 sheltering-in-place, there’s understandably has been a lot of shuffling around of dates and times, switching events to Zoom or postponing them all together. I try to keep that page as updated as possible!
One thing that a lot of authors I know have been dealing with is how to promote a book without the benefit of in bookstore readings or a book tour? Virtual readings have been such a blessing (and a curse with those who wish to crash & disrupt the intention of the virtual space) but I’m really happy that I’ve been able to still connect with readers this way. Here’s a list of when I’ll be reading next!
I’m happy to report is that I’ve submitted some new poems to the Blood Orange Review! Yesss one goal down! Now onto the other two goals!