Welcome to the Community of Writers Omnium Gatherum & Alumni News. We invite you to find out what our community has been up to recently. You may view by date or by program (see left sidebar). Sign up for monthly updates here.
We also invite alumni and staff to submit your news here. Please note that news must be less than 12 months old, brief and to the point, and may be edited for brevity and/or clarity.
Judy Juanita’s poetry collection, Manhattan My Ass, You’re in Oakland, won the American Book Award 2021 from the Before Columbus Foundation. Many of the poems appear in New Verse News online. Her short story collection, The High Price of Freeways, won the Tartt Fiction Prize 2021 at the University of West Alabama [UWA] and will be published by Livingston Press [UWA] in 2022.
Elder Gideon’s debut poetry collection Aegis of Waves was published by Atmosphere Press, with a book launch at the Sacramento Poetry Center in August.
Cai Emmons’ fifth book of fiction, the novel Sinking Islands, was published on Sept. 14, 2021. In addition, she has two novels forthcoming in 2022, Unleashed from Dutton, and Hair On Fire from Red Hen Press.
A short play by Deborah Dashow Ruth is a winner in the Chameleon Theatre Circle’s 22nd Annual New Play Contest. The play is titled “The Previous Incident Versus a Recent Development,” and will be streamed sometime in the fall. Also, one of her poems was accepted for the debut issue of the Thuya Poetry Review, a new journal.
Tiphanie Yanique’s new novel, Monster in the Middle, will be published by Riverhead Books on October 19, 2021.
Two of Stella Santamaria’s poems were published in The Acentos Review, September 2021 issue after attending Community of Writers, Poetry Program in the Summer of 2021 in the Virtual Valley.
Terence Clarke’s latest novel is The Moment Before, was published September 15. Renowned Parisian artist Yvette Roman suffers from epileptic seizures that are preceded by extraordinary visions. Much of her work is based on those visions. While in New York City for an exhibition of her work at The Guggenheim, a painting by Yvette is delivered to her Manhattan gallery. But, Yvette has no recollection of having done it, even though the painting may be her masterwork. Is it hers? Is it a forgery? Is someone trying to destroy Yvette?
This novel is the third of a trilogy. The others are My Father in The Night and When Clara Was Twelve. All three are available everywhere, in print and digital versions.
Martina Clark’s memoir, My Unexpected Life: An International Memoir of Two Pandemics, HIV and COVID-19, is being published by Northampton House Press and comes out October 5th, 2021. This memoir was her workshop piece in 2013.
Barbara West interviewed Megan Stielstra for Another Chicago Magazine on the occasion of Northwestern University Press reissuing two of Stielstra’s essay collections. Topics covered include how we take care of ourselves and each other, Moratorium on Shame and Stielstra instructing me to “Please, look at all the asses, Barbara!”
Amanda Moore’s [Her] debut collection, Requeening, was selected by Ocean Vuong for the 2020 National Poetry Series and will be published in October 2021 by HarperCollins/Ecco.
Lynne’s has new children’s picture book The Story of Doves was published in 2021.
Debra A. Daniel’s novella-in-flash, A Family of Great Falls, was short listed for the Bath Novella-in-flash Award 2021, and was published by Ad Hoc Fiction in the UK. Two of her pieces were also shortlisted for the Smokelong Quarterly Mikey Award, the Bath Flash Fiction Award, and long listed for the Reflex Fiction Award.
Andrea Carter Brown’s fourth poetry collection, September 12, was published by The Word Works in September 2021 to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Swathi Desai’s short story, “A Girl, Almost Ten”, was featured in the May 2021 issue of Faultline. https://issuu.com/faultlinejournal/docs/faultline30printfinal
Cathy Park Hong has been included in Time Magazine’s 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2021!
Forrest Gander’s collection Twice Alive, has been long-listed for this year’s National Book Award in Poetry. His poem “Post-Fire Forest,” was published last spring in The New Yorker.
Her newest book of poetry, Forbidden Plums: Poems in Quarantine, was recently published by Glass Lyre Press. It is a collection of poetry written during the first 40 days of quarantine in 2020.
Her debut poetry collection, Hospice Plastics, was selected by Emma Bolden as the winner of the Cowles Poetry Prize and will be published by Southeast Missouri State University Press in October, 2021. Mary Szybist called Hospice Plastics “that rare collection that I’ve not been able to stop re-reading.” This somewhat autobiographical collection of poetry focuses on the illnesses and deaths of the poet’s parents during her teen years, centering on palliative care and literal plastics: medical tools and supplies—artificial, grotesquely present, weirdly funny, sublimely comforting.
His poetry collection, Boneyarn, was a June bestseller at Small Press Distribution. This collection is the first book of poems about slavery in New York City, where the oldest and largest slave cemetery in the United States is located. If you are interested in a signed copy, you can email David at edgarallanpoit@yahoo.com. Boneyarn is also available at Small Press Distribution and Amazon.
