Sunday, January 2, 2011

2010: A Year for Gratitude

2010: A Year for Gratitude

One year ends; another begins. Convenient divisions for review, evaluation, resolution, and gratitude. 2010 was a great year for me in many ways. In regards to poetry, I wrote my 1000th poem and published my 800th. It was, in fact, my most productive year in regards to both writing and publishing. I wrote 240 poems and had 210 accepted for publication. I also had two books released from Main Street Rag: Paternity in February, and my collaboration with Pris Campbell, The Nature of Attraction, in July. I received 4 Pushcart nominations and 6 Best of the Net nominations, and I gave 35 public readings of my work. None of this would have been possible without the help of family, friends, editors, and colleagues, and I want to take a moment as the new year begins to publicly thank all of those who have been so helpful and supportive this year. For anyone I overlook, please know that I am nonetheless grateful and regret that the only thing more faulty than my memory is my record-keeping.

So, a sincere thank you and a robust best wishes for the coming year to all those listed below.

• Julie Owens, my wife.
• Damian Blankenship, Keegan Blankenship, and Sawyer Owens, my children.
• Phillip Fracaro, my father-in-law and one of my most devoted readers.
• Tim Peeler, friend and colleague.
• Pris Campbell, friend, collaborator, and reviewer of Paternity.
• Helen Losse, Nancy Posey, John Womack, Ann Chandonnet, Bobbi Ackley, Jessie Carty, Bud Caywood, Dennis Lovelace, and Tony Ricciardelli, faithful participants in Writers’ Night Out.
• Edgar Nucamendi and D.W. Bentley, friends, owners of Taste Full Beans Coffeehouse, and hosts of Poetry Hickory.
• M. Scott Douglass, my publisher at Main Street Rag.
• Clayton Joe Young for the cover of Paternity and being a constant source of inspiration.
• Jerry Sain, Donna Ross, Teresa Sumner, Amy Bechtol, and Kevin Rouse, supportive colleagues at CVCC.
• Barbara Burns, editor of Outlook and publisher of “Musings”
• Helen Losse, again, poetry editor of Dead Mule and reviewer of Paternity
• Jessie Carty, again, editor of Referential Magazine and reviewer of Paternity
• Ann Chandonnet, again, reviewer of Paternity
• Bud Caywood, again, poetry activist and reviewer of Paternity
• Ami Kaye, editor of Pirene’s Fountain and reviewer of Paternity
• Glenda Beall, poetry activist and interviewer
• Joe and Chenelle Milford, editors of Scythe and hosts of the Joe Milford Poetry Show.
• Jeff Davis, host of Wordplay.
• Jane Crown, host of the Jane Crown Poetry Show and editor of Heavy Bear.
• Jonathan K. Rice, editor of Iodine Poetry Journal and poetry activist.
• Janice Moore-Fuller, poetry activist.
• Bill Diskin, poetry columnist for the Independent Tribune
• Sandy Benitez, editor of Flutter and interviewer
• Karla Merrifield, reviewer of Paternity.
• Felicia Mitchell, reviewer of Paternity.
• Jackie Regales, reviewer of Paternity.
• Janelle Adsit, reviewer of Paternity.
• Joanna Catherine Scott, Tony Abbott, and Al Maginnes for their comments on Paternity.
• Antoine de Villiers for the cover of The Nature of Attraction.
• Tammy Foster Brewer and Carter Monroe for their comments on The Nature of Attraction.
• Caleb Pletcher, reviewer of The Nature of Attraction.
• Sara Claytor, reviewer of The Nature of Attraction.
• Ed Cockrell, poetry activist.
• Ed Southern, poetry activist.
• Nolan Belk, poetry activist.
• Steven Smith, poetry activist.
• Ron Bayes, poetry activist.
• Jim Clark, poetry activist.
• Devona Wyant and Shane Manier, poetry activists.
• Roxanne Newton, poetry activist.
• Susan Meyers, poetry activist.
• Margaret Boothe Baddour, poetry activist.
• Carol Rinehart, poetry activist.
• Mindy Evans, poetry activist.
• Viranya Filipiak, poetry activist.
• Sarah Greene, poetry activist.
• Eliot Lytle, poetry activist.
• Maureen Sherbondy, poetry activist.
• Jan Knotts, poetry activist.
• Ron Moran, poetry supporter.
• Tracy Mancini, poetry activist.
• Patricia Bostian, poetry supporter.
• North Carolina Writers’ Network, poetry supporters.
• North Carolina Poetry Society, poetry supporters.
• Poetry Council of North Carolina, poetry supporters.
• Poetry Council of North Carolina, poetry supporters.
• Malaprop’s Bookstore, poetry supporters.
• Quail Ridge Books, poetry supporters.
• McIntyres Fine Books, poetry supporters.
• Phillips & Lloyd Bookstore, poetry supporters.
• The Literary Bookpost, poetry supporters.
• Rosa Martha Villareal, editor of Tertulia.
• Malaika King Albrecht, editor of Red-Headed Stepchild.
• Jayne Jauden Ferrer, editor of Your Daily Poem.
• John Amen, editor of The Pedestal Magazine.
• Margaret Bauer, editor of North Carolina Literary Review.
• Eve Hanninen, editor of Centrifugal Eye.
• Alice Frampton, editor of Heron’s Nest.
• Vince Gotera, editor of North American Review.
• Zinta Aistars, editor of The Smoking Poet.
• Jen Michalski, editor of JMWW.
• Richard Krawiec, editor of The Sound of Poets Cooking.
• Harry Calhoun, editor of Pig in a Poke.
• Rob Greene, editor of Raleigh Review.
• Sam Rasnake, editor of Blue Fifth Review.
• Bruce Wheelton, editor of Word Salad.
• Scot Young, editor of Rusty Truck and Deuce Coupe.
• Scot Siegel, editor of Untitled Country.
• Dan Albergotti, editor of Waccamaw.
• Molly Gaudry and Troy Urquhart, editors of Willows Wept Review.
• Annmarie Lockhart, editor of Vox Poetica.
• Greg McBride, editor of Innisfree Poetry Journal.
• John DeLin, editor of ken*again.
• Aurora Antonovic, editor of Magnapoets.
• Christine Swint, editor of Ouroboros Review.
• Dave Bonta, editor of qarrtsiluni.
• Miriam Barr, editor of Side Stream.
• Fawn Neun, editor of Battered Suitcase.
• Lorin Ford, editor of Notes from the Gean.
• Jack Marlowe, editor of Gutter Eloquence Magazine.
• Anthony Kudryavitsky, editor of Shamrock.
• Ross Vassilev, editor of Opium Poetry and Asphodel Madness.
• James Clinton Howell, editor of Town Creek Poetry.
• Valerie Nieman, editor of Prime Decimals.
• Dale Wisely, editor of Right Hand Pointing.
• Dawn Albright, editor of Polu Texni.
• Heather Lenz, editor of Stepping Stones Magazine and Crimson Rivers Review.
• John Hartness, editor of Red Dirt Review.
• Linda Matney, editor of Imagining Heaven.
• Serena Tome, editor of Leaf Garden.
• Travis Hedge Coke, editor of Future Earth Magazine.
• Richard Pierce-Saunderson, editor of protestpoems.org.
• Karen Bowles, editor of Luciole Press.
• Dan Cuddy, editor of Loch Raven Review.
• Zvi Sesling, editor of Muddy River Poetry Review.
• Valerie Polichar, editor of Grasslimb Journal.
• Barbara Fisher, editor of Waterways.
• Ivan Brkaric, editor of Callused Hands.

And, of course, a thank you to everyone who bought a copy of any of my books or any of the journals or anthologies in which my poems were published.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for including me on the list - TWICE! I love being in this group of poets and people :) Congrats on a great 2010 and here's to a terrific 2011. I can't wait to be back at Poetry Hickory!!!

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  2. Ha. I don't know how many poets ever feel famous. I certainly don't. But I don't really care either. The only fame I want would be any that lead to more people reading the poems.

    Jessie, you could have been on the list even more. Your friendship, your editing, your interviewing, and your writing are all very important to me.

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