Changes are in store...

Recent "upgrades" to PHP have resulted in the software that operates the PoetsHaven.com online galleries no longer working.  Rather than continuing to rewrite the software, changing everything that got depreciated in the latest round of "updates," (the MyScrapbook program that has been the backbone to the site for many years now has not had any new updates from the original author since 2003), the decision has been made to move to a new CMS.  While this won't be another two-years-to-complete update like the site went through a decade ago (as I won't have to manually create every page like I did back then, I can just reformat and import the database) (the site has more than tripled in size since then, by the way), I am having some trouble finding a new CMS that will function the way I need it to that has a large community of programmers behind it.  Wordpress is a leading contender at the moment, though it lacks a submission method that does not require users to use the control panel.  (I have tried several plug-ins, none work the way I want.  Allowing public registrations but having all new users be added to a group that has posts moderated will work, but takes readers out of the site and into the admin control panel.)  I am currently exploring some other options.  My hope is that I can have this all completed by early October.  I do NOT want this to still be up in the air when Halloween rolls around.  The plan to release season 3 of The Poet's Haven presents... podcast series in October has been put on hold while this is worked out.

Now seeking submissions for VENDING MACHINE vol.4!

VENDING MACHINE: Poetry for Change vol.4
The Poet's Haven is seeking submissions inspired by the following quote:

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -- Mahatma Gandhi
This is for the next "VENDING MACHINE" anthology that will be released at a special Stardust Poetry show on November 15th in conjunction with the Poetic Provisions food-drive. Patrons, poets, and other guests who donate to the food-drive will receive a copy of the book.

GUIDELINES:

• POEM SUBMISSIONS MUST BE LESS THAN 60 LINES. Poems under 30 lines are recommended. Story and essay submissions must be under 500 words.
• Submissions must be received by October 13th!
• SUBMISSIONS MUST FIT THE THEME!!! If you can't take the time to read the theme, we won't waste time considering your work.
• As this is a charity project to benefit the Poetic Provisions food-drive, we are unable to provide contributor copies. If sufficient copies remain after the release show, efforts will be made to get them into the hands of contributing authors who do not live in north-east Ohio that make a donation to their local foodbank.
• Authors retain the right to have their submissions published elsewhere, as long as the other publishers do not require first-time or exclusive rights. Previously published material is acceptable though discouraged.

This anthology will also be published as a free e-book download in 2014.

Submissions should be e-mailed to:
VendingMachine[at]PoetsHaven.com

"VENDING MACHINE: Poetry for Change" is an annual anthology published by The Poet's Haven and edited by T.M. Göttl and Vertigo Xavier. The book is not available for sale, but is instead offered in exchange for donations to the Poetic Provisions food-drive. To obtain a copy, bring a non-perishable food donation to the release show or to any Poet's Haven event in December (while supplies last). Donations go first to the Canton Sunday Picnic, with any items they are not able to use going to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

This year's VENDING MACHINE: Poetry for Change event will be held at the Stardust Poetry show on November 15th at Karma Cafe in Canton, Ohio.

World Cat Day, 2013 Bundle Offer

So, apparently, somebody somewhere declared today World Cat Day.  Tabitha would've disagreed, she would've said every day was Cat Day, then she would have demanded cheese from the refrigerator.  None the less, you can celebrate World Cat Day by picking up a copy of "The Poet's Haven Digest: On Velvet Feet."  This anthology features poetry, stories, and other creations about cats, starring cats, and possibly written by cats!  It includes work from Kristina England, Joshua Gage, Janet Garber, Alex Gildzen, Clarissa Jakobsons, Paul Kahle, Thomas Koron, Lori Ann Kusterbeck, Geoffrey A. Landis, Marc Mannheimer, Michael Gillan Maxwell, Rachel M. Newlon, Angela Nichols, Jen Pezzo, Tina Puckett, Lady Kathy Smith, Kevin Frederick Smith, Steven B. Smith, J.E. Stanley, Hannah Stevenson, Melissa Studdard, Mary A. Turzillo, and Vertigo Xi'an Xavier.

Or, if you're behind on picking up Poet's Haven books this year, you can now pick up the first eight books published in 2013 for a special reduced price with FREE SHIPPING!  This gets you the "On Velvet Feet" anthology, "Letter to 20" by Alexis-Rueal, "Like Michelangelo Sorta Said" by Steve Brightman, "Back\words & For/words" by Lori Ann Kusterbeck, "Inside the Walls of a Blackened Book" by A.J. Huffman, "Inhuman: Haiku from the Zombie Apocalypse" by Joshua Gage, "Universe Gone Dancing: A Manic Cosmology" by Mark S. Kuhar (with art by Sven Geier), and "It Takes More Than Chance to Make Change" by John Burroughs for only $42.00!  That's like getting one book for free!

Build Your Own Bundle Offer and Lake Effect Poetry 2013!

BUILD YOUR OWN BUNDLE!  Use the discount code "bundle" at checkout when ordering $25 or more in merchandise from The Poet's Haven Boutique to get 20% OFF ALL POET'S HAVEN PUBLICATIONS and FREE SHIPPING on your entire order!
(Offer expires July 31, 2013.  Discount not valid on already discounted bundle offers.)


Also newly available, the Lake Effect Poetry 2013 Team Anthology:

This anthology features poetry from your 2013 Lake Effect Poetry slam team: AKeemjamal Rollins, Christine Howey, Caira Lee, and Arianna Cheree, plus poems from: team alternate REDD; 2013 Women of the World Poetry Slam representative Eris Zion Venia; 2012 Lake Effect team members T.M. Göttl, Carla Thompson, and Skylark Bruce; and 2013 point finalists Joshua Gage and Azriel Johnson.  All proceeds from the sale of this anthology go towards getting the team to National Poetry Slam in Boston, MA!  FREE SHIPPING!    (Please note: this item is not eligible for the "Build Your Own Bundle" discount, as all money raised by the sale of this item goes to Lake Effect Poetry.)

Upcoming Schedule Changes...

Due to circumstances beyond control, Joshua Gage will not be able to feature at this coming Friday's  Stardust Poetry show at Karma Café in Canton, OH. His feature appearance has been rescheduled for June 21st's show.  Due to *other* circumstances not directly related to that, the release of Josh's Inhuman: Haiku from the Zombie Apocalypse has also been delayed.  The official launch will now be at June 21st's show, but pre-ordered copies will ship before that date.  I expect the book to be printed before the end of May.

May 17th's Stardust Poetry show will now feature storyteller and novelist Marcus V. Calvert and the poetry-and-music pairing of Ingrid Westberg and Emmanuel C. Bey!  Marcus V. Calvert is a native of Detroit with a nigh-uncontrollable imagination. He's been writing science fiction since he was eight. Even when life often got in the way, he couldn't give up writing. In 2011, he released Unheroic, his first collection of short stories. Two additional short story collections followed, and now he's working on his fourth book, a novel, to be released in fall 2013. His goal is to make up for lost years and to put out as many books as possible before he leaves this Earth. For him, the name and the fame aren't important. Only the stories matter.  Ingrid Westberg is an artist, poet, songwriter, and musician from Akron, Ohio, and Emmanuel C. Bey is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the the funk-rock band Full Effect.

June 7th's First Friday Poetry Spectacular will feature Mark S. Kuhar!  Mark S. Kuhar is a writer, poet, editor, publisher, artist, and songwriter.  He is the author of Acrobats in Catapult Twist (2003), Laughing in the Ruins of Chippewa Lake Park (2004), E40th & Pain: Poems from Deep Cleveland (2006) and Mercury in Retrograde (2012).  He was a featured poet in the book Cleveland Poetry Scenes.  He is the founder of the Deep Cleveland Poetry Hour (a live monthly spoken-word event) and is the proprietor of Deep Cleveland LLC, which includes Deep Cleveland Press and the Deep Cleveland Junkmail Oracle, a literary e-zine dedicated to the spirit of legendary outlaw poet, artist, and underground publisher d.a. levy.  This show will be the debut of Mark's newest book, Universe Gone Dancing: A Manic Cosmology.

June 21st's Stardust Poetry will feature John Burroughs and Joshua Gage.  Joshua Gage is an ornery curmudgeon who graduated from the Low Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing at Naropa University.  He has a penchant for Pendleton shirts, rye whiskey, and any poem strong enough to yank the breath out of his lungs.  He stomps around Cleveland in a purple bathrobe and hosts the monthly Deep Cleveland Poetry Hour. This will be the official launch of Josh's latest book, Inhuman: Haiku from the Zombie Apocalypse.  John Burroughs is a north-east Ohio poet and publisher. He is the author of many chapbooks including Electric Company, Water Works, and The Eater of the Absurd.  For around a decade, John served as a full-time playwright and occasional music director in residence for the Ministry of Theatre at Marion Correctional Institution. In 2007 he had a top-ranked blog on MySpace, after which John won the first poetry slam he ever competed in, formed the Poets of Lorain County, has contributed to the Cleveland Poetics and Ohio Poetry Association blogs, and is perhaps most proud of his work as the founding editor of Crisis Chronicles Press. This will be the debut of John's latest book, It Takes More Than Chance to Make Change.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: The Poet's Haven Author Series (chapbooks)

The Poet's Haven will be open to unsolicited chapbook manuscripts through the month of April, to be considered for publication in The Poet's Haven Author Series.

Manuscripts should be sent via e-mail as a file attachment. Attachments should be either plain text (TXT), rich text (RTF), or Microsoft Word (DOC / DOCX) files.

Manuscripts should be between 28 and 36 pages in length NOT COUNTING title, copyright, dedication, or table of contents pages. Manuscripts containing full-color artwork may be shorter, 20 to 24 pages. One page can fit approximately 30 lines of poetry or 325 words of prose. If you have original artwork to be used as the cover, that can also be attached as either a JPG or PNG file. Please include your author bio either in the manuscript or in the body of the e-mail.

The Poet's Haven publishes more than just poetry! We are very interested in seeing fiction and art manuscripts!

Authors receive 25% of all copies printed. The first print run is 80 copies, with additional print runs completed as needed for 12 months. Authors can purchase as many additional copies as they wish for 50% of the cover price. (The cover price is normally $6.00.)

Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please notify us if your manuscript is accepted by another press. Due to volume and real-world occurrences, it may take until December 31, 2013 for decisions to be reached regarding all submitted manuscripts.

Submissions should be sent to:
books[AT]PoetsHaven.com

Columbus State Writers Conference

The Poet's Haven will be participating in the book fair at the Columbus State Writers Conference this Saturday.  Wick Poetry Center director David Hassler will be the keynote speaker.  If going to AWP was out of your budget range or you were able to go but find yourself thirsting for more workshop experiences, this is the place for you to be.

http://www.cscc.edu/academics/departments/english/writers-conference/book-fair.shtml

The Poet's Haven Digest: On Velvet Feet

THIRTEEN YEARS in the making, The Poet's Haven Digest #1 is now is available!

"On Velvet Feet" features poetry and stories by Kristina England, Joshua Gage, Janet Garber, Alex Gildzen, Clarissa Jakobsons, Paul Kahle, Thomas Koron, Lori Ann Kusterbeck, Geoffrey A. Landis, Marc Mannheimer, Michael Gillan Maxwell, Rachel M. Newlon, Angela Nichols, Jen Pezzo, Tina Puckett, Lady Kathy Smith, Kevin Frederick Smith, Steven B. Smith, J.E. Stanley, Hannah Stevenson, Melissa Studdard, Mary A. Turzillo, and Vertigo Xi'an Xavier.

FREE SHIPPING!

Click here to order!

Poetry tunes...

While I am working on a new season of "The Poet's Haven presents..." podcasts, here's something you might enjoy in the meanwhile. Neon Signs is the collaboration of music by Miearth and the poetry of Walter Beck. Beck's had two most excellent chapbooks released by our friends at Writing Knights press (and rumor is there might be a third on the way). Did I mention this album is currently a free download? Get it! http://3sdmusic.bandcamp.com/album/no-stone-left-unspoken

Online Gallery Submissions

Admittedly, since the new year began, I've let myself fall a bit behind on reviewing new submissions to the online galleries. As of tonight, I have finished going through the queue. Of the 104 pieces I've looked at this evening, 47 poems and one short story have been added to the galleries. Okay, now back to work I go on books and podcasts. Stay tuned! :-)

"On Velvet Feet" - Call CLOSED

The call for cat-themed poetry for the "On Velvet Feet" anthology is now CLOSED! The book will be coming your way in a matter of weeks. :-)

"On Velvet Feet" UPDATE

The Poet's Haven Digest anthology "On Velvet Feet" is almost finished, and will be available in early March! The cat-themed collection has a few small spaces left where one or two haiku, senryu, or a cinquain can fit. If you wish to submit some short poems (nothing longer than ten lines), please do so ASAP. This book's call for cover art is now closed. Submissions should be sent to: PHDcats[AT]PoetsHaven.com

A Poet's Haven Love Connection? ;-)

So today I received an e-mail asking me to update the e-mail address attached to some poems in Gallery 1.  This was for an author who's work was published back in 1998 and 1999.  She included this in the e-mail:

"Also, I'd like to thank you. Thank you for keeping the site up and running through all these years. In a weird way this site helped to bring myself and my soul-mate together. We did not know each other at the time we were both posting to the site, nor had we read each others work. However around 20 years later we ended up meeting each other and connecting almost instantly. In all the talking new couples do we discussed our past personal pages, places we chat, etc... only to discover we were both posting here at the same time with our submissions only separated by a few submissions. An odd coincidence, maybe, but we consider it evidence that our lives were circling each others and in its own way brought us closer together."

Okay, other than that "20 years" thing making me feel *REALLY* old (not to mention that I'm fairly certain last October only marked the site's 15th anniversary), this kind of thing is what has kept this site and press running all this time.  :-D

New Technology for Books!

A new technology has emerged that makes e-books obsolete.  This new format, called "paper," not only makes screen glare a thing of the past, but it completely eliminates the need to recharge or replace batteries.  Paper books come in slim volumes that can easily be stored upon a shelf or table.  Books made from paper can be produced in different sizes or with different textures of material and have no limitation on the artistic design options.  Paper books can be black-and-white, full-color, or a mixture of the two, depending only on the needs of the material with no worries over whether the presentation will be compatible with the reader's screen device.  Don't get left behind, join the revolution and buy a paper book today!

http://boutique.PoetsHaven.com