Pond 28 - 2017 |
|
The 3rd Annual SPANK the CARP Poetry contest is Now Closed. Thanks to all who entered, it’s been our largest response yet! Winners will be announced on May 1st - wait for it...
This issue has a great mix of veteran and new to StC authors and as usual there isn’t a weak piece in the bunch. I’m one lucky editor. Enjoy! - Ken |
 
|
|
___________________________________________________________________________________
P O E M Ken Poyner’s ‘Basic Life’ reminds me of the old mother’s speech in Parenthood, about the rollercoaster of life. Of course Ken’s piece is a little farther out there.
___________________________________________________________________________________
P O E M ‘In Our Hands’ is Kimberly Campbell’s first foray into poetry and, well, just wow. Its unique voice delivers what I must say is an idea that’s new to me, and even as a man I felt the emotions it portrayed.
___________________________________________________________________________________
S H O R T S T O R Y Fred McGavran’s speculative ‘Gone’ proves he’s a jack of all trades, master of all.
___________________________________________________________________________________
AUTHOR PROFILE - Fred McGavran Fred is one of my favorite veterans of StC. And his bio is humbling to say the least. I’m proud to re-present his Author Profile.
|
___________________________________________________________________________________
P O E M Roy Cover’s ‘Fair’ exemplifies the power of poetry to make a point, however subtle, in a manner no other venue can match.
___________________________________________________________________________________
S H A P E P O E M / P O E M ‘Rising’ and ‘The Little Girl...’ by Penelope Scambly Schott are both deceptively simple, yet one’s going to grab you by the collar, and the other will make you take notice. Serious work here.
___________________________________________________________________________________
S C I - F I S H O R T S T O R Y ‘Some Company On The Journey’ by Paul Stansbury is my kind of sci-fi, speculative and addressing the big ideas.
___________________________________________________________________________________
|
Friends of the Carp
American Life in Poetry The Art of Elizabeth Darrow National Steinbeck Center Barking Moose Press 
  |
AUTHOR'S ROW
|
William Swarts
|
|
|
Readers praise William Swarts’ latest poetry collection, Harmonies Unheard: for example, ”Bill Swarts rewards us with poetry of an often delightful earthiness and much ironic humor,” says Black Buzzard Press publisher and poet Bradley Straham. “This is a book not to be missed.” And, University of Vermont English Professor Emeritus Richard Sweterlitsch agrees, “His verses resonate with rich images; his themes are universal.”
|
|
Peter Dabbene
You've got spam! And so does everyone else. But what happens when you reply to those spam e-mails?
Peter Dabbene poses as his alter ego, Dieter P. Bieny—a man who gives spammers just enough hope to keep them coming back for more abuse. |
Fred McGavran
The Butterfly Collector has more Fred McGavran stories like those in Spank the Carp.
“The humor is understated and often wicked.” William Pratt, Miami University, World Literature Today. |
Jacqueline Jules
“Jules’ gift is in finding the small moments — green paisley pajamas, carrot cake, the giggle of a nine-year-old boy — and gracefully elevating them to tell the story of a life. If half of all marriages end in widowhood, Stronger Than Cleopatra is a manual for how to go on.”
|
|
Jeanne Julian
The changing seasons provide a framework for these poems that explore the loss and rebirth in the natural world and in the spirit. "These poems challenge and resonate; the reader will be haunted by them." - David E. Poston, author of Slow of Study
|
Ken Poyner
Forty-two surreal, irreal, subreal fictions of master bird races, nine foot tall women, chickens and their cell phones, the collection and consumption of oxygen, a surrogate lover for a mermaid.
|
Brett Stuckel
Guided by Shadows: A Westward Walk on Spain's Camino de Santiago. Discover the absurdity of Europe’s most famous pilgrim path (a Kindle eShort, ~15,000 words, also available for Nook and Kobo).
|
|
Carol Roan
When Last on the Mountain: The View from Writers over 50 offers nonfiction, fiction, and poetry that range from the heart-wrenching to the hilarious. Who better to bear witness to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune than writers over 50?
|
Carol Roan
Speak Up: The Public Speaking Primer is an inspirational guide through the thickets of stage fright, in all its forms, to the freedom of speaking up. The journey begins with a breathing exercise and wends its way through practical advice about the use of space and energy.
|
William Quincy Belle
Fate can be kind. Fate can be cruel. However, every once in a while, fate can be funny. This is the lust love story of how one man met the most unusual of women in the most unusual of circumstances.
|
|
|
|