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It's 250 plus days into the quotidian project.

I rather enjoy it; the freedom of throwing absolute care out the window and writing a poem based on a day's rhythms and images, or not. Character poems. Personae. Dramatis Personae. I like a good lyric. Short, compact, musical. I enjoy iams, and rhyme. I've had fun letting the throat rag itself out a bit.

There's plenty of bad poems, and mis-fires. Those looking for a little Schadenfreude will find much to chuckle about. Still, lots of drafts and lots of potential.

For those fascinated with the Accomack county serial arsonists there are several poems set in the emotional landscape of the county during the height of the arsons.

Broadkill Press will issue Black Narrows (potential cover art above*), a collection of poems centered in a fictionalized marshpunk black market community. Death is a prominent feature, as is loss, generational poverty, the marsh, steampunk motiffs, and moments that I hope transcend marshlife and communicate in the present.

Figment.com will feature a short on the chapbook. I've chronicled the quotidian project on Figment all year, and have spent a lot of time reading teenagers stories and poems and offering what I hope to be encouraging words. There's talent out there. And lots of interest in storytelling. Very hopeful.

The summer will be spent organizing poems, revising another YA novel, tentatively titled Castaways, and reviewing poetry.

May National Poetry Month find you well.

S

*Pirates dredge oysters at night. Harpers Weekly. 1896. Public Domain
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