prose poems

Good Riddance, 2023.

Nothing really changes on New Year’s Day. Still, January always feels like the opportunity for a fresh start. So let’s begin the New Year with a new post.

1.      Toward the end of 2023, I had the honor of having a series of lyric essay/prose poem pieces called “The Blues Notes” appear in Dog Throat Journal, a fresh new online publication dedicated to publishing flash fiction and prose poetry. A huge thanks to Victor Sandiego and the staff at Dog Throat Journal for appreciating my creative vision.

2.      2024 just started, so I’m hoping you haven’t fallen into an abyss of cynicism yet. If not, and if you are looking to turn the corner toward success this year - check out my recent post on Medium titled “Mastering These 24 Concepts Will Help You Crush 2024.” I’m honest enough to admit nothing I say by itself is groundbreaking, but if you successfully incorporate the 24 mini-habits listed in this article into your daily routines, I’m certain you will hit new heights.

Until my next post – be good.

https://dogthroat.com/issue/2023.12/the-blues-notes-by-adrian-s-potter

https://medium.com/@adrianpotter/mastering-these-24-concepts-will-help-you-crush-2024-9b43828def4c?sk=c6e85cdb9f7c87219d4194dcaac961c2

Presale Now Open for "And the Monster Swallows You Whole"

I am thrilled to announce that the preorders for my upcoming book, "And the Monster Swallows You Whole," are now open. This book has been a labor of love – writing it was what kept me semi-sane during the pandemic - so I am excited to share it with readers. Big thanks to Stillhouse Press and all of the wonderful folks over there who remain strong supporters of my writing!

Overview: “Adrian S. Potter's newest collection nimbly weaves poems, short prose pieces, checklists, film synopses, and diary entries into an arresting portrait of pandemic-era life as a Black American. Honest, funny, and hard-edged, his writings act as concentrated doses of a bracing and necessary tonic in the face of everyday acts of ignorance and indifference—monsters of all shapes and sizes held in check by Potter's clear and brilliant voice.”

Presale Details: The book is set to be released in May 2023, but you can secure your copy today by preordering it on the Stillhouse Press website.

https://www.stillhousepress.org/stillhouse-store/and-the-monster-swallows-you-whole

Thank you for your support, and I cannot wait for you to join me on this journey. If you are a fan of poetry, flash fiction, experimental hybrid literature, and a bit of snarkiness, "And the Monster Swallows You Whole" is a book you will not want to miss. Preorder your copy today and be one of the first to experience this unique book.

"Greetings From Flyover Country" published at RockPaperPoem

I’m happy to mention that my new prose poem “Greetings From Flyover Country” was included in the inaugural edition of RockPaperPoem.

RockPaperPoem publishes today's finest poetry from established, emerging and new poets writing in English. They strive to include all cultural identities as they highlight work that expands the boundaries of mainstream poetry, without sacrificing accessibility for experimentation. Check out my poem and all the amazing works in this issue!

https://rockpaperpoem.com/Greetings-from-Flyover-Country.html

My poem "In Which Love Is a Kind of Falling," published by the Baltimore Review!

I am so excited to mention that my prose poem "In Which Love is a Kind of Falling" was published in Fall 2020 in the Baltimore Review, along with a brief artist's statement. Check it out, then take notice of the other works in this stunning issue.

https://baltimorereview.org/index.php/fall_2020/contributor/adrian-s-potter#In%20Which%20Love%20Is%20a%20Kind%20of%20Falling

My poems "Lived Here Our Whole Lives" and "Elegy for Rest Stop Towns" + an interview at Portage!

Many thanks to Portage Magazine for publishing my prose poems "Lived Here Our Whole Lives" and "Elegy for Rest Stop Towns" in their 2021 issue. Portage Magazine is an annual review of upper Midwestern writing, art, and culture that's run and edited by undergraduate students at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

So check out this latest issue and read the wonderful variety of work. Also, check out my interview (!) with editor-in-chief Alexa Larson - I had an absolute blast talking about writing, creativity, and life with her.

https://portagemagazine.org/lived-here-our-whole-lives/

https://portagemagazine.org/elegy-for-rest-stop-towns/

https://portagemagazine.org/interview-with-adrian-potter/

My poem “Rainy Season” published by Claw & Blossom.

From their website, "Claw & Blossom is a seasonal online literary journal of prose and poems that illustrate human experience within a larger context. Claw & Blossom publishes work that is touched by the natural world."

Many thanks to Claw & Blossom and editor C.B. Auder for publishing my short prose poem "Rainy Season" as part of their Water issue. “Rainy Season” is a poem of nostalgia, melancholy, and hope. I’m honored to be published alongside some incredible poets/writers. You can read all the poems in this issue online here.

https://clawandblossom.com/issues/issue8/potter-rainy-season/?fbclid=IwAR22XmDlvWJmn17KygxR-DfDhgkuI3mf6jtYE7CVqA0fUHyizTP3boqWKNY

Entries From the Pandemic Diaries...

While the world is full of COVID 19-based literature and still sadly far too much of the virus itself, the Pine Hills Review recently published my lyric essay-esque "Entries from The Pandemic Diaries" as part of their F__k 2020 Special Feature. I think you'll find it to be a relatable snapshot of quarantine life during the 2020 Coronapocalypse.

https://pinehillsreview.com/2021/04/20/adrianspotterf20/

New Work in Barren Magazine

Barren Magazine is a literary publication that features fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and photography for hard truths, long stares, and gritty lenses.

I’m happy to mention that I have a new prose poem called “Dear America” as part of Issue 11 of Barren Magazine. Please check it out and then take a read at all the diverse authors and poets that contributed to this remarkable issue.

https://barrenmagazine.com/dear-america/

The Alter Ego Handbook

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I’m excited to announce my newest project, an e-chapbook of short prose called “The Alter Ego Handbook.” It can be downloaded for free at https://yavanikapress.wixsite.com/home/our-titles….

Big thanks to the folks at Yavanika Press and artist Phil Openshaw for the amazing images that were included in this chapbook.

“Adrian S. Potter’s 'The Alter Ego Handbook' is full of wonderfully wrought contradictions and conflicts, a prose feast of a dialectic in an attempt to answer why “villains seem more compelling than heroes.” And it is in this imperfect union (never becoming a true balance) that we come to appreciate caution, rationality, and even denial, as well as the “poor decisions…the fumbling over details, the clutching onto wrong things.” Phil Openshaw’s photos of double images perfectly complement this stunning collection of the self and its love-hate relationship, with its sometimes destructive shadow side.”

— Kyle Hemmings, Writer and Photographer

Check out The Alter Ego Handbook - download your copy now!

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/21d2c2_03522f10c7c84340a05a8d03a97e1642.pdf

New Work in Pioneertown

Pioneertown is an online literary journal publishing both traditional and genre-bending work. Named after an old western movie town in the Southern California desert, Pioneertown aims to establish a collection of work new and needed on the literary scene.

Here is something new-ish from me for you to read online in Pioneertown – a set of prose poem-like vignettes like called “Notes for Novels I’ll Never Write.”

And it’s not just a catchy title - these are premises to manuscripts and short stories that I never applied myself long enough to finish. I was literally squeezing out some tasty literary lemonade out of lemons with this one.

Check it out if you get a chance. A huge thank you to Brenna Kischuk and the staff at Pioneertown for publishing this work!

http://www.pioneertownlit.com/notes-for-novels-ill-never-write-by-adrian-potter

Inscape Magazine.

Inscape is the Pasadena City College student literary magazine. PCC Students edit the literary magazine, market the magazine, design the magazine, and put it into print.

I am happy to announce that my prose poem “Everyone Has Motives” has been included in Inscape Online Volume 1 Issue 2 as part of “The 100.” “The 100” is a special feature of work inspired by the first 100 days of the current president’s administration.

I appreciate the chance to contribute to Inscape and to be able to voice my thoughts on the recent political climate.

http://www.pccinscape.com/adrian-s-potter-100.html