Tag: poetry

All Hallows Write

Jonathan Lenore Kastin2 Comments

I realize that I have not posted here in a million years, but my life has been pretty chaotic lately and I’ve been trying to save my writing time for more creative pursuits. That said, I wanted to pop back over here to announce that I will be participating in All Hallows Write this year on October 31!

You can find out all the details on the website, but the short version is that I will be staying up all night on Halloween (well, probably not all night. I have a doctor’s appointment the next day) writing terrifying poetry, which I will then post on this, my blog, on November 1st! So stay tuned for witches, ghouls and other startling creatures. And if you wish to participate, as well, be sure to email Jeff at AllHallowsWrite [at] jeff-seymour.com

My Critical Thesis and a New Poem!

Jonathan Lenore Kastin7 Comments

Whew! I finally finished the rough draft of my critical thesis. Now I can breathe again. I have never written a paper this long (35 pages! Eek!) and I’m still a bit shocked I managed to get through it all. It was…challenging. I won’t lie, but it helps to be writing about something I love: Omniscient Narrators. Many of my favorite middle grade books feature an omniscient narrator, and the more intrusive the better, in my opinion, but there’s a fair amount of animosity towards omniscient narration nowadays. So I wanted to explore the various ways in which intrusive narrators can actually pull a reader into a story instead of pulling them out (as many who argue against omniscient narrators claim).

And, of course, I got to read some awesome books like Maryrose Wood’s The Mysterious Howling and Pseudonymous Bosch’s The Name of this Book is Secret. I would have happily read all of Lemony Snicket, but sadly there wasn’t time. And I got to include some books I had already read that I absolutely adored like Catherynne Valente’s The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and Adam Gidwitz’s A Tale Dark and Grimm.

After struggling through most of my school days writing papers in literature classes it was wonderful to write from the perspective of a writer and not a literary critic. And after years of convincing myself I couldn’t write papers it’s pretty awesome to say I wrote 35 pages that are mostly coherent. So hurray! Now I’m going to give myself a little break for a few days and go back to my novel.

Last, but not least, I’ve been terribly remiss about posting the link to my poem Said the Satyr to the Wood Nymph that was published in the Summer edition of Goblin Fruit! Hurray again! You can even hear me read it aloud, if you so wish.

http://www.goblinfruit.net/2011/summer/poems/?poem=satyrtowoodnymph

I’m so excited to be in yet another issue and with such wonderful company 🙂 And I’m sorry it took me so long to post this. Anyway, if you haven’t already, you should check out the whole issue. You won’t regret it.

Goblin Fruit Review

Jonathan Lenore KastinLeave a comment

I was looking myself up on the internet the other day (like you do) and lo! I came across a review of the Spring issue of Goblin Fruit mentioning my poem “Icarus”. Oh frabjous day!

“As the issue began with birds, it ends with Shawna Lenore Kastin’s ‘Icarus’, that same Icarus from Greek myth who is the embodiment of the wish to fly, that thing that makes us envy the birds. The poem makes the reader recall that hubris spells downfall as often as not.”

You can read the rest here: http://www.fantastique-unfettered.com/2011/05/goblin-fruit-spring-2011-fifth.html

Goblin Fruit Spring Issue Out!

Jonathan Lenore Kastin12 Comments

 Yay! The Spring issue of Goblin Fruit with my poem "Icarus" is out! The artwork is beautiful as usual. And I can’t wait to read through the other poems and listen to the recordings. My other poem "Said the Satyr to the Wood Nymph" has been moved to the Summer issue, so I get to be in two issues of Goblin Fruit *maniacal cackling*! Anyway, go forth and check it out!

http://www.goblinfruit.net/2011/spring/

Of Goblins and Sketchy Come-ons

Jonathan Lenore Kastin36 Comments

My poem “Said the Satyr to the Wood Nymph” was accepted into the Spring 2011 issue of Goblin Fruit! I’m quite pleased about this as I wrote this particular poem with them in mind. Now I just need to figure out how to do an audio recording of it that doesn’t make me flee the room. Why is it so hard to listen to one’s own recorded voice?

Someone, a very sketchy someone, sent me a message on facebook today: Just browsing. You are beautiful, the face of EAP’s Lenore. Got to say hello. Give me a reason to get back to you.

Ummm, I guess I’m supposed to feel grateful that a sketchy stranger deigned to compare me to the rare and radiant angel whom the angels name Lenore and message him back right away with torrid outpourings of my undying affection. Or not. Oh Edgar, the internet is indeed a strange place.