Acceptances

“Identity Theories” Named Winner of the 2022 Lumiere Review Prose Contest!

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I couldn’t be more honored to have my experimental piece “Identity Theories” named the winner of the 2022 Lumiere Review Prose Contest!

The Lumiere Review is a nonprofit literary magazine that strongly believes “that all creative voices should be heard through a platform to shine light on every story, idea, and experience.”

A huge thanks to the editorial staff and to judge Elaine Hsieh Chou for seeing my creative vision and deeming it worthy of an award. I appreciate it.

“Identity Theories” absolutely buzzes with life. The words jump off the page, rhythmic, inventive and wryly knowing, stitching together a multi-faceted character who I won’t soon forget. The story is both blade sharp and softly tender, unafraid to ask what it takes to survive in this world while wearing multiple selves.

 — Elaine Hsieh Chou, 2022 Prose Contest Judge

Check out Identity Theories if you get a chance, as well as all the other creative works in Issue 9 of the Lumiere Review!

https://lumierereview.com/adrian-s-potter

 

Finally.

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Three Microfiction Pieces at A Quiet Courage.

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A Quiet Courage is an online literary journal that publishes compelling, poignant, memorable, and well-written microfiction and poetry in 100 words or less. I am happy to announce that three of my microfiction pieces – Cabin Fever, Migrations, and Hopeless – have been published online in A Quiet Courage. Check them out if you get the chance.

https://aquietcourage.wordpress.com/2016/05/14/cabin-fever/

https://aquietcourage.wordpress.com/2016/05/14/migrations/

https://aquietcourage.wordpress.com/2016/05/14/hopeless/

An Update About Me.

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I have been so focused on posting resources lately that I haven’t talked very much about my writing. But there are good things happening behind the curtain and many more coming down the pipeline.

I do have a desk drawer and gmail inbox filled with rejection notices. Despite that fact, I have work forthcoming in The Talking Stick, Alchemy, Switched-on-Gutenberg, Opossum, and Birch Gang Review.

2016 has been pretty enjoyable so far from a writing standpoint and I am hoping to make it even better as it progresses on. Be good.

I’ve Been Putting in Work.

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I am blessed. I will have quite a bit of work that will come out soon in publications – a variety of poems, prose poems, and even a short story.

I will have work in upcoming editions of The Talking Stick, Kansas City Voices, North American Review (the first literary magazine in the United States), Obsidian, Switched-On Gutenberg, The Tishman Review, and Knut House Magazine. I appreciate all these journals and the staff that considered my work worthy to be in their publications.

I will be sure drop more info on this blog as these publications roll out. Until then, be good.

The Beauty of Acceptance.

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After many, many rejection notices, I finally hit paydirt in the past few weeks.

My prose poem “No Black People Were Harmed in the Making of this Poem” will appear an upcoming edition of Kansas City Voices, a publication of Whispering Prairie Press. This will be my second time appearing in this journal.

My poem “Trial Separation” will appear in Volume 18 of Steam Ticket, a nationally distributed journal from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

I will also have several poems appearing in an upcoming edition of the Vermillion Literary Project, a student produced journal from the University of South Dakota.

And my poem “On the Occasion of My Untimely Demise” will appear in The Talking Stick, a Minnesota literary journal published by the Jackpine Writers' Bloc. It is produced entirely by Minnesota writers for Minnesota writers since 1995. There will be more news about that poem in a future post.

Huge thanks to the editors of these publications for a chance to contribute. Now it looks like I need to get back to writing before I run out of work to submit! Be good.

Three Pieces in A Quiet Courage & Stepping Outside of My Skin.

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I’m excited to announce that I have three new microfiction pieces featured in A Quiet Courage, an online literary journal that publishes compelling, poignant, memorable, and well-written microfiction and poetry in 100 words or less.

Deadbeat: https://aquietcourage.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/deadbeat/

Role Model: https://aquietcourage.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/role-model/

Appearances: https://aquietcourage.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/appearances/

Thanks to the editors who deemed my work worthy – much appreciated.

What these pieces have in common: focused, emotional description told in first or second person using the voices of characters that are absolutely nothing like me. This is what I love about writing – it gives you a chance to walk in someone else’s shoes (pardon the cliché). And I believe you have to completely sell out to that concept of what a character is all about in order to make a story seem genuine. I think I was all in with these three pieces – and that is something I need to do more often in my writing in order to make it resonate.

If I blogged more often, then I wouldn't need to do these long catch up posts...

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So long time no update and I’ve been a bad, bad blogger.

But much has been afoot in the sea beneath the blog, the current under the silence. For instance:

  • Several chapbooks are nearly ready for submission. One may have enough momentum to become a full-length manuscript, depending on my attention span.
  • Two prose poems from one of the aforementioned chapbooks (tentatively titled The Alter Ego Handbook) were published in 2014 at burntdistrict. burntdistrict is a journal of contemporary poetry published by the editors of Spark Wheel Press. This is the 3rd time I’ve had work published by the journal, and Volume 3, Issue 2 is awesome – and I’m not saying that because my two trivial poems are in there. It’s truly a great read.
  • Three poems were finalists for 2014 Atlantis Award at the poet’s billow. You can read them here. No money, but it was great to be in the running for the award and to have my writing published on the poet’s billow website. Thanks to all involved with this award.
  • My poem Only the Moon Knows You’re Signing the Blues won first place in the 2014 Lebanon Poets’ Society Free Verse Poetry Contest.
  • I have many short stories in various states of construction. I’ll be finishing and revising them soon to get them ready for submittal. I have caught the fiction bug again. Who knows, maybe a novel is rattling inside of me?
  • I haven’t given up on my poetry manuscript The Blues Almanac. But I’m no longer letting that book not being published (yet) subliminally cause me to be creatively constipated. I’m partway into writing what will be my next poetry book, although the concept hasn’t fully bloomed yet. I’m looking forward to seeing where 2015 takes this potential book and the rest of my writing.

Broken record, but I’m going to be better at blogging and updates in the new year. If anything, it is another extension of my writing…and I definitely need the practice.

Happy New Year!

Upcoming.

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Ayris Magazine, a magazine edited by the students at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, will be publishing my prose poem Migraine soon.

Siren Magazine will be publishing two prose poems of mine, Damage Control and Signs of the Impending Apocalypse.

I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to both of these publications.

Not much more to report. Still writing and submitting and trying to get my creative vision out there. Oh, and trying to survive the holiday season, just like everyone else.

Some things I forgot to blog about…

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(1) I will have two prose poems in “World’s End”, which will be the inaugural edition of The End Times. The End Times is a student run publication from the University of Illinois Springfield. Per their mission statement, it’s a literary magazine with a focus on distributing literature in a post-apocalyptic Midwest; a collection of poetry and prose signifying the challenges of maintaining humanity in the end of the world. I’m excited to contribute– thanks to the editors for choosing my work.

(2) The results of the 2013 Annual Whispering Prairie Press Writers’ Contest came out in early August 2013, and I was ecstatic to find out my poem Bad Luck Sings the Blues took third place. No publication, but cash and encouragement are positive things. Big thanks to the judges for deeming my work worthy of commendation.

(3) I’ve got a lot of love for Whispering Prairie Press this year.  In addition to the aforementioned 3rd place contest finish, their periodical Kansas City Voices published my poem How to Sing Under the Influence. Kansas City Voices’ mission is to discover, encourage, and promote creativity and communication through literature, art, and other forms of cultural expression. I am happy to be a part of Issue 11 of Kansas City Voices. If you get a chance to check out this periodical, I’d suggest it – the poetry, pictures, and fiction are all very engaging.

(4) Since I am behind in mentioning publications, I will play catch up on my year in print by mentioning that I had poetry and fiction included in Talking Stick Volume 22, two poems in the Vermillion Literary Project, and a prose poem featured in the Bare Root Review.

That’s all for now. Be good.

That silence you hear…

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…is the sound of me working. Seriously. The lack of posts on this blog is not an indication of a lack of writing activity, for sure.

I will have upcoming work in publications that I failed to previously mention on here, in print in burntdistrict and online in the Bare Root Review.

In addition, I earned third place finishes in both the Art Affair Poetry Contest and the Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest – no publication, but a little cash always soothes the soul.

I wrestled my inner procrastination demons in a cage match. I won and am now back on pace with a decent writing work rate in the past month. This has been partially sponsored by a new manuscript idea that I hope will lead to the promised land of publication and not another dead end.

I also have big plans to revamp this blog.

All I need to do is execute. Which means not more hiatuses, no more wandering focus.

That’s all for now. Be good.

Forthcoming.

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Great news, another poem has found a loving home.

I will have a prose poem published in an upcoming edition of The Broken Plate, a national literary magazine produced by Ball State University undergraduates each spring. The magazine features poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, art, book reviews and interviews. The poem is called The Algorithm of Desire. This will be my second engagement with The Broken Plate; they were kind enough to publish my poem Instructions in 2010. 

Huge thanks to Jeremy Flick & the other staff at The Broken Plate for giving me a chance to contribute.

Upcoming.

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I will have a prose poem published in an upcoming edition of Ayris Magazine, a magazine of literature and art accepting work from everywhere and edited by the students at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.

The poem is called Migraine, and it is part of my manuscript, The Blues Almanac, which still needs a publisher, by the way (hint hint hint).

Huge thanks to Jenn Monroe & the staff of Ayris for thinking my work good enough.

Year of the Prose Poem.

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If you follow my writing and/or this blog, then you probably have noticed that I‘ve been writing a lot of prose poems lately, and those pieces are what I’ve been lucky enough to get accepted at journals. Which kinda makes 2011 the year of the prose poem, for me at least.

My prose poem Memoir will be published in the next edition of Apropos Literary Journal.

Ginger Piglet Press has accepted three of my prose poems for its next issue.

Huge thanks to the editors of these publications. I truly appreciate the love.

I Haven’t Posted in Awhile, But I’m Still Writing.

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And I have proof. My poem Innovations in Violence will be included in the forthcoming Heyday Magazine Vol.1, Issue #2.

I'll have prose poems appearing in the upcoming November print edition of Insolent Aardvark.

Big thanks to the editors of these journals. I’ll post updates when these poems make their magnificent appearances and include more info about these journals.

As far as my manuscript goes…it’s still not accepted, but I’m not giving up. My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Be good.

 

Upcoming.

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My prose poem Accident Prone will be published online in Issue 17 of Switched-on-Gutenberg. This is my second engagement with Switched-on-Gutenberg.

My prose poem Epiphany shall appear in the first issue of burntdistrict, a new journal dedicated to elevating public awareness of contemporary poetry and to the promotion of our writers.

Thank you to the editors of these journals. So much appreciated, as always.

Of course I’ll post updates when these poems make their glorious debuts.

It’s been awhile since I posted, or 5 things that I want you to know

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(1) My poem Excerpts from the Guide to Modern Survival has gathered some praise. It was a runner-up in the 2010 Princemere Poetry Contest, and earned honorable mention in the 9th Annual Saturday Writers One Page Poem Contest. I appreciate the love.

(2) My flash fiction piece Hush and poems Waning and Life is a Series of One-Hit Wonders will appear in Talking Stick 20. The Talking Stickis a Minnesotan collaboration of poetry, creative nonfiction and fiction, and is a publication of the nonprofit organization, The Jackpine Writers' Bloc. You can go to their website to find out more about how the Talking Stick started and what the group does. In addition, Hush received an honorable mention nod amongst the fiction entries this year, and Waning earned first place honors in poetry. I am flattered by all this; big thanks to the judges and editors.

(3) So far my full-length poetry manuscript, The Blues Almanac, has been rejected by no less than twenty publishers. I am hopeful though. This is a good book & I believe in it.

(4) I wrote two prose poems last week, and created some random scribbled thoughts this week. I think my writer’s block might be over. My work rate was almost nil since mid-January, so my creative side was struggling. Glad to be back on the horse.

(5) The weather in Minnesota stinks, except for today, but I am working too hard at the day job to enjoy the rare occurrence of sunshine outside. My inner Florida Evans is screaming, “Damn, damn, damn.”

Forthcoming.

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I’ll have a prose poem published in Clare Literary Magazine, a journal published by the students and faculty of Cardinal Stritch University. The poem is called The Inherent Discontent of Objects, and it is part of my completed manusctipt, The Blues Almanac, which still needs a publisher, by the way (hint hint hint). Huge huge thanks to Abby Gambrel & the staff of Clare for thinking my work good enough.