Saturday 2 September 2017

sept updates: changming's lit endeavors

1/ on august 1, i received a message (pasted below for record) about my poem 'generative genesis of grammar' being nominated by a nigerian publication for the 2017 best of the net award. this is the second time my work is nominated. i do not expect to really get it (as in the case of my 9 pushcart nominations), but it's always nice to know one of my poems has received an endorsement.

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Dear Yuan,

I'm pleased to inform you that your poem 'Generative Genesis of Grammar' (published in our Issue 4) is part of the six poems nominated by our Poetry Editor, Abeiku Arhin Tsiwah, for the 2017 Best of the Net award. And I look forward to having you on Lunaris Review Team.

Wishing you the best!

Warmly,
Tolulope Oke
Publisher, Lunaris Review
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2/ on august 10, Sandy Benitez, editor/publisher of Flutter Press told me she is ready to publish and release my (7th) chapbook dark phantasms in early november.  this is the second time for me to be published by flutter; in mid-2013, the press published my (3rd) chapbook landscaping. also, i do not expect to sell any copy, but i like the fact that there are some publishers willing to publish my chapbooks from time to time.

3/ my poems got 11 acceptances in july, and 19 in august. of course, rejections are at least 80%.

as a literary scholar (with a PhD in english literature) and a veteran poetry practitioner, i well know my own poetic work is among the very top in english literary history, as it is comparable to anyone's poetry in terms of thematic and stylistic ranges, or in terms of quality and quantity; it is but my personal identity, cultural personality and historical fortune that have prevented me from gaining wider and more significant recognition, for example, in the form of wining awards (i never participate in any), titles, not to mention positions. on the other hand, i never really care about how my work is eventually accepted; as i said ten years ago: i give out my best like a silkworm; if the world does not care, why should i? (this line was published  as a maximum in london magazine). for me, the ability to write good poetry is far more important than any acutal 'achievement,' such as fame and money, both of which i have seen through clearly, and found no longer really worthy. indeed, given my current state of mind, i feel happy enough with a free and enjoyable lifestyle.

nevertheless, for record, i paste the nominations, and interviews in the following::

Interviews:
6. World Poetry Cafe Radio Show - CFRO 100.5FM [Canada; 21 Jan 2014] htttp://worldpoetry.ca/?p=7447
7/ Driftwood Press [US. Apr., 2014] http://media.wix.com/ugd/d32313_9a31411fcdf
84c1988c6a9fe60ebb94c.pdf (pp. 34-35).
10/ fēlan [US, 25 May 2017] https://felanzine.wordpress.com/2017/05/25/interview-yuan-changming/
                                                                                                       

Pushcart Nominations: 

1. "Chansons of a Chinaman," nominated by my first poetry book publisher Leaf Garden Press for a Pushcart Prize for 2009. [link::http://leafgardenpress.blogspot.com/].
2. "S. E. W. N," nominated by Blue Fifth Review for a Pushcart Prize for 2009. [http://samofthetenthousandthings.blogspot.com/2009/11/bfrs-pushcart-nominations.html]. Also, originally published by BFR, my poem "Last Single Sale" was selected for inclusion in Best New Poems Online;
3. "Word Collage: A Democratic Poem," nominated by Carcinogenic Poetry (Virgogray Press) for a Puschcart prize for 2010. [link:: http://virgograypress.com/2010/11/25/2010-virgogray-press-pushcart-prize-nominees/];
4. "SAWS: A Seasonal Poem," nominated by Wilderness House Literary Review for a Pushcart prize for 2011. [link::http://www.fictionaut.com/forums/general/threads/1448];
5. "Kinship: for Yuan Hongqi." nominated by Mobius, the Poetry Magazine for a Pushcart Prize for 2012 [link:: http://www.mobiuspoetry.com/prizeawards.htm];
6. “Read,” nominated by Yellow Medicine Review [http://www.yellowmedicinereview.com/] for a Pushcart Prize for 2013;
7. "Y," nominated by Sleet Magazine for a Pushcart Prize for 2013 [link:: http://www.sleetmagazine.com/selected/yuan_v5n1.html#Title1];
8. "Natural Confrontations," nominated by The Binnacles for a Pushcart Prize for 2013 [link:: http://machias.edu/binnacle];
9. “Y,” nominated by Cincinnati Review for a Pushcart Prize for 2015 [link: “Notes for a New Year: http://www.cincinnatireview.com/blog/];

Best of the Net Nominations:

1.      “With More Than One Being,” nominated by Drunk Monkeys for the 2016 Best of the Net Anthology. http://www.drunkmonkeys.us

2.      “Generative Genesis of Grammar,” nominated by Lunaris Review for the 2017 Best of the Net Anthology. https://lunarisreview.com/