Archive for the ‘Word Salad Poetry Magazine’ Category

Word Salad staff editors Jean Arthur Jones and Bruce Whealton are proud to announce the latest editions of Word Salad Poetry Magazine and Haiku Ramblings. These two publications are available here:
http://WordSaladPoetryMagazine.com
and here: http://WordSaladPoetryMagazine.com/Haiku/
This is Volume XVI, No. I for Word Salad Poetry Magazine – that means we are moving into our 16th year! Word Salad is made great by the contributions of the many poets and by the talents of Co-editor Jean Jones and Co-Editor and Publisher Bruce Whealton. Haiku Ramblings is a huge success and we are moving into our second year with that publication.
You will find various other publications on Word Salad beyond the quarterly magazine. Just click on Word Salad Publications from the top menu. We’d like to highlight one publication in particular and that is a new poetry collection of poems by Jean Jones. Bruce Whealton reports that this is one publication that he doesn’t take much credit for publication, unlike the rest of what you will see on the site. This manuscript, for “Post Mortem: New and Selected Poems” by Jean Jones, was created and edited by Wilmington poet and contributor to Word Salad, Scott Urban. Scott also provides a nice introduction to the publication. Scott also collaborated with Bruce Whealton in a collection of poems about vampires and vampirism, called “Puncture Wounds,” which can also be found among the Word Salad Publications.
Bruce Whealton would like to share his first edition of “What Really Matters,” one of the “Word Salad Publications,” available from the top menu. Wilmington poet and writer, Thomas Childs will be contributing to the editing of this publication as the second edition of this publication is in the works. So check back soon for updates to this.”
Word Salad also announces a slightly new look to the publication online. Bruce Whealton, writes, “I wanted to accomodate a growing amount of content on the site and make it easier to find what we have. Originally, Word Salad was just a quarterly poetry magazine, but we’ve grown from that.”
Word Salad would like to submit a request for artwork and photography that will become a part of the permanent features of Word Salad. So, if you are an artist, graphic artist, or photographer, this is your chance to showcase your work in a great publication. All contributors get full credit for their work if it is used on Word Salad.
Print copies of Word Salad are available for $10 each plus $1 shipping per copy. Payments can be sent via paypal to editors@wordsaladpoetrymagazine.com
or you can mail the payment, made out to Bruce Whealton and sent to
Bruce Whealton
Word Salad Poetry Magazine
112A Dillard St.
Carrboro, NC 27510
Thanks,
The Staff of Word Salad.

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I’m excited to share that another poem of mine has been published. Here is a link to my poem on “Aphelion: The Webzine of Science Fiction and Fantasy.” This poem can also be found in my poetry collection entitled “Puncture Wounds,” available here.

Word Salad co-editor Jean Arthur Jones has a poem that also appears here at this link in that edition of “Aphelion: The Webzine of Science Fiction and Fantasy,” his poem is entitled “The Patron Saint of Dinosaurs.”

More poetry by Bruce Whealton can be found at http://brucewhealton.us

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I’d like to introduce this poem with two quotes from Anne Sexton.
From “Sylvia’s Death,” by Anne Sexton:
“(In Boston
the dying
ride in cabs,
yes death again,
that ride home
with our boy)”

And from “Letters to Dr. Y, February 16, 1960″
“To die whole,
riddled with nothing
but desire for it,
is like breakfast
after love.

A Tragic Love Affair that Ended Before it Started

Oh, Anne,
What was it about death,
the lover with many faces,
and many forms,
shared by two poet friends,
you and Sylvia?

To hear your words,
you’d think he was a handsome boy -
the man of your dreams,
your angel.

You were insanely chasing
an illusion
and drunkenly toasting your hallucinations.

Even suicides cannot be perfect.
In the end,
there’s only one
suicide.

You couldn’t see him,
through the fog,
for what he was,
barren of features,
cold skeletal,
like wintry trees…
but you were in love
So, you dreamed
and you dreamed.

You spoke of suicides,
like so many imperfect boys,
who never lived up
to your expectations…
but in end
there’s only one
suicide.

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Speechless

Shyness can be like writer’s block
and vice versa…

There are times like this,
right now, when I know,
I have something to say.
I can feel it…

The desire is strong
and yet, I feel speechless…
nothing comes out,
It’s almost like I lost
my capacity to use language.

And all I have
is this internal dialog.

I go to write something
and some critical voice
stops me -

“That’s boring!”
“Start over!”

No, don’t say that.
You think anyone will listen
when that’s the best
you can come up with?

Don’t bother.

And so I say nothing.

You can find my poetry by me at: http://brucewhealton.us

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A Cold State of Being

Winter hangs on
in bare skeletal trees
in cold nights,
in the south,
in March.

It hangs on within me
like a state of being
and I cannot help but doubt
if there will be warmth
and life within me
ever
again.

You can find my poetry by me at: http://brucewhealton.us

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Secret Companions

Despair is a companion
I’ve known well,
it almost seems that he is a part of me…

We’ve had a unique relationship
few would understand -
it was our intention -
we invented our own language.

Since he came back,
we have been talking endlessly,
we have so much catching up
to do.

There’s no time to think of anything else
these days…

Words, I cannot express
to anyone else
he understands -
I’d only be angry if I tried
to explain to anyone else
what I’m feeling…
there’s that disconnection.

It’s amazing the things
we find to discuss,
despair and I.

He tells me he has a sister
and how perfect
she would be for me…

I dream of her,
of resting in her arms
and a final serenity.

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The Best Thing I’ve Ever Done

I forget how it happened,
was a kneeling?
Doesn’t matter.

It wasn’t a surprise.
She picked it out.
Had no doubt I was going
to get it.

While it is true
that many other details
around this event
have faded
over the years,

I do remember,
that though there was
no surprise surrounding
this event,
she had tears in her eyes
when she held the ring.

I made her happy…
I think that’s got to be
the most right
and best thing
I’ve ever done
in my life.

Bruce Whealton

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Show me how you see me – Three Poems, Three Parts

Poem I.
Part I.

She asked,
“show me how
you see me.”

I said I cannot draw or paint.

So, I tried to paint
a picture
of her
with words -
a poem
to serve
as a painting
of what I saw
when I saw her.

Part II.

My challenge was
to convey something
beyond
what mere descriptive words
can do -
my desire/challenge
was to show her
or any reader
what I alone
was seeing (or feeling),
to convey something
of the nature of
an impression.

Part III.

What I saw…
She stood just over
five feet,
so very thin
and delicate.
I remember her falling
and I was so afraid
that if I were to
pick her up
I might break something…

and what I felt,
was something soft.
I’d imagine my arms
wrapped in pillows
so I both could hold her
closely, feel her touch
and hold her softly.

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Advice to those wanting publication

Tell your stories,
paint your pictures
in verse…
be concise,
add passion
use vivid imagery
paint your reader
a picture
with words.

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Poetry Workshop Followed by a Poetry Reading

Poetry Reading will Feature Jean Arthur Jones and John David Capps

Poets Jean Arthur Jones, Word Salad’s co-editor, and John David Capps, will be reading their poetry in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area on January 30, 2010.  We also will be having a poetry workshop hosted by these poets, with myself, Bruce Whealton assisting with hosting and organizing the event.  Bruce Whealton is pictured below Jean.

We will kick things off with a poetry reading and poetry workshop. Guest poets, Jean Arthur Jones and John David Capps will be coming from Wilmington, NC. Both poets have English Degrees and Jean Jones has his MFA (Master’s in Fine Arts) from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. More information about Jean Jones is available here.

David Capps has been publishing poets for his company, Shakin Outta My Heart Press.  Pictured on the right is David Capps.  Pictured below is Jean Jones.  This event

Participants are asked to bring about 15 copies of their poems for the workshop portion of the event, where they can get feedback from others in the group. This will be from 7:00-8:30pm. At 9pm we will start with Jean Jones and David Capps reading their poetry. Following that we will offer an open-mike for others to share their poetry.

If you have any questions, please contact me, Bruce Whealton at 919-636-5809 or on my cell at 919-428-0943.  Of course you also can contact Jean Jones or Bruce Whealton directly from our website for Word Salad here. or you can email me.

If you have any questions, please contact me, Bruce Whealton at 919-636-5809 or on my cell at 919-428-0943. Of course you also can contact Jean Jones or Bruce Whealton directly from our site here.

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