POETRY/SHORT STORY ROUND UP

So I've totally slacked on updating my site for a long time. Instead of trying to play catch up, I've decided to create this post as a way to link to some poems I've had published recently. Perhaps when I have more free time I can write a little story about each one, but for now, here are the aforementioned links.

Enjoy!

Click here to read "Advice to Men" and "The Sunset" published at Hobo Pancakes.

Click here to read "Punk is Dead" published at Haggard & Halloo.

Click hereto read the short story "Danny" published at Haggard & Halloo.

Click here to read "Donut Shop at 6:45 a.m." published at Forty Ounce Bachelors.

Click here to read "Insufficient Funds" published at Haggard & Halloo.

Click here to read "Living the Dream" published at Haggard & Halloo.

Click here to read "A Real Man" published at Vis a Tergo.

Click here to read "Sure, One More" published at Modern Drunkard Magazine.

Click here to read "Rest in Peace" published at Haggard & Halloo.

A REAL MAN PUBLISHED AT VIS A TERGO

This poem is pretty self-explanatory, but in case you don't understand, it's about this totally rude jackass I saw at the Long Beach farmers market. Just because you have tattoos and a Social Distortion t-shirt, that doesn't make you a real man. Besides, Social Distorition is punk rock for girls, but that's another story for another day.

Point your cursor in this direction to read the poem.

REST IN PEACE PUBLISHED AT HAGGARD AND HALLOO

Haggard & Halloo, why do you treat me so well?

POEM PUBLISHED IN MODERN DRUNKARD MAGAZINE

I got this new phone that lets me check email. It's pretty cool, except when it buzzes in the middle of the night. Like a jackass, I always look at it although nine times out of 10 it's just Target telling me patio furniture is on sale.

So I had a bad day (week? month? year?) and the phone buzzed. With eyes half opened, I looked to find an email saying my poem would be in the next issue of Modern Drunkard Magazine. This woke me up real fast for two reasons: No. 1 -- I was having a poem published. and No. 2 -- I knew I hadn't submitted anything for a loooooooong time.

When I woke up officially (around noon), I searched my Gmail archives (God, what a great feature) and discovered that I submitted this poem in January. Of 2008.

Scroll to the middle of the page (by clicking here) and you'll find "Sure, One More."

"SOMETIMES THE WORLD EXPECTS TOO MUCH" PUBLISHED AT VIS A TERGO

I guess I could try to explain this poem, but reading it should say everything that needs to be said.

Read "Sometimes the World Expects Too Much" by clicking here.

DECISIONS DECISIONS PUBLISHED AT HAGGARD AND HALLOO

I visit Haggard & Halloo nearly every day because it's one of the few poetry sites that publishes things I like. I also submit poems to them regularly because of this and sometimes they use my work, which is always cool.

About two or three Saturday nights ago, I had one of those evenings in which the words just fell out of my fingers and onto the page. One of the poems I wrote that night is called "Decisions Decisions." The next morning I re-read it and liked it enough to submit it to Haggard & Halloo.

Fast forward to today.

It's 12:30 p.m. I'm in bed on my laptop watching Japan come back against Chinese Taipei in the Little League World Series (which is sooooooooooooo much better than Major League Baseball, by the way) when I decide to see what's happening at H&H. Much to my surprise, there is a picture of me on the homepage. And below that picture is my poem "Decisions Decisions."

It's always an honor to have a poem published anywhere. It's even more of an honor when it's a surprise.

Click here to read "Decisions Decisions."

POEM PUBLISHED AT HAGGARD AND HALLOO

Yesterday I had my third poem published on the Austin, Texas -based literary journal Haggard & Halloo. It's a silly little ditty titled "Jealous Justice."

In case you were wondering, I was in a thrift store on Mission in San Francisco, digging through a bunch of crap, disappointed the shop didn't have better stuff for sale. Upstairs I came across the book section and noticed how the stuff on the shelves was all best-sellers, celebrity cookbooks and those paperbacks with Fabio on the cover. It felt good knowing that people might buy this stuff, but they don't hold onto the works in both the literal and physical sense. This poem was my way of acknowledging that while these writers enjoy financial success, they don't make a lasting impression on many of the people who buy these books.

The posting of this poem is the quickest turnaround from writing to publication in my short poetry career. I wrote this poem in a hotel room in San Francisco in June and submitted it to H&H a few days after I returned home from my vacation. A few days later, their editor gave me a publication date and I was very excited to say the least.

In the past, I've found that having my non-journalism work published can take a very long time. Sometimes it takes months for publications to reply and by the time my work comes out, I forgot I sent the work off in the first place. So you can see why this is so exciting for me. One day this poem didn't exist and six weeks later, it's available for the entire world to see.

On another note, H&H is pretty awesome and I say that not because they are planning to re-publish my short story "Brown Eyed Girl" next month, but because of all the literary journals I read online, I actually really enjoy this one. The people running the site have similar taste in writing as I do, which I don't come across very often. It's quite an honor to have a site I like accept my work, so thanks Haggard & Halloo!

Click here to read "Jealous Justice."

ANOTHER POEM PUBLISHED AT BURNING SHORE REVIEW

Long Beach's Burning Shore Review has published another one of my poems. I'm very excited because it's always exciting to publish a poem, but this time is even more so. First, the guy who runs BSR is a good guy who never laughs when I order shitty beer. Second, I forgot all about this poem and found it by chance. I was digging through my files, looking for something else, when I came across it. A few days later, it was on the Intranets!

Click here to read all about it.

POEM PUBLISHED AT HAGGARD AND HALLOO

I stumbled across this online poetry site called Haggard & Halloo. They publish a lot of great offbeat stuff that isn't your run-of-the-mill poetry. I read the site for a few months and finally got the courage to submit. Two days later, they used one of my poems.

Click here to read "Looking Up."

POEM PUBLISHED AT BURNING SHORE REVIEW

I am excited and proud to be part of the first round of posts at Burning Shore Review.

The site is run by Rob Woodard, head honcho of Burning Shore Press, a Long Beach publication house. And thanks to Rob, I am one of the editors.

Click here to read my poem, "Tim."

POEM PUBLISHED IN FREEFALL REVIEW

My first poem printed on actual paper (and by that I mean it's not just online) is out now in a cool lil thingy called Freefall Review. Click here to go to their page.

Sitting Alone Trilogy

I am officially a published poet. Click here to read my Sitting Alone Trilogy on the Dogmatika website.

This is very exciting for me. I hope you enjoy them.