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I have published fifteen Rose Alley Press titles since the company's inception in November 1995. I feel proud of each one--and I feel gratitude to the wonderful poets with whom I collaborated and to the readers and listeners who appreciated our efforts. Now, I am taking a hiatus from book publishing. There will be no new Rose Alley Press title in 2013 and possibly in 2014, as well. I will continue, though, to organize and sponsor readings, write and perform, and learn about new methods of book publication. By 2015 I might well want to publish a book again. For over seventeen years I have worked over sixty hours weekly--at my job, for Rose Alley, and lately, too, for my mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease. I need to rest more and to focus more on my own writing. Again, though, I will continue to organize and sponsor literary events, and I will remain highly visible in Seattle-area poetry circles. I am not going away, and I am not going to stop helping my fellow poets. 2013 promises to be busy! Indeed, here is a link to the Rose Alley Press events page: www.rosealleypress.com/events.html

 

 

In 2012 Rose Alley Press published its fifteenth title, my own latest poetry collection, Sky Above the Temple. Dave Jarecki and Martha Silano contributed lovely back-cover comments to it. Thank you, Dave and Martha! To learn more about the book, click on this link: http://www.rosealleypress.com/horowitzsky.html. My most recently published poem is "Headlines," available by visiting The Smoking Poet and scrolling to the bottom of the "Poetry II" page: http://www.thesmokingpoet.com/id17.html. Also, Quill and Parchment recently published "Good Luck," a poem from my latest book, and "In Antioch to Rediscover Athens," a new poem: http://www.quillandparchment.com/archives/Nov2012/good.html and http://www.quillandparchment.com/archives/Nov2012/anti.html. Other recent publications include "Growl and Coo" and "Adult," my latest essays at Exterminating Angel: http://www.exterminatingangel.com/eap-the-magazine/growl-and-coo/ and http://www.exterminatingangel.com/eap-the-magazine/adult/

 

 

Joannie Kervran Stangeland, whose Weathered Steps Rose Alley Press proudly published in 2002, offers both an excellent blog and poetry Web site. You can visit Joannie's blog at http://www.joanniestangeland.com and her Web site at www.poetryonthesofa.com. I encourage you to visit Joannie's blog and Web site, and I thank her for her support of Rose Alley Press and poetry generally. Her talent and persistence have been rewarded by Ravenna Press's publication of her new poetry collection, Into the Rumored Spring. Ravenna has also agreed to publish Joannie's next collection. I list Joannie's and other Rose Alley Press poets' readings on our events page: www.rosealleypress.com/events.html. Congratulations, Joannie!

 

 

Congratulations to Michael Spence, author of the Rose Alley Press poetry collection Adam Chooses. Michael's third poetry collection, Crush Depth, was recently published by Truman State University Press in Missouri, http://tsup.truman.edu. I cannot think of a better way to spend $15.95 than to purchase Crush Depth, which poet and critic Mark Jarman calls "a book unlike any other in contemporary poetry, and it is Michael's best to date."

 

 

I strongly recommend visiting www.poetswest.com. J. Glenn Evans and his wife Barbara maintain this informative site, which offers a wonderful introduction to the poets and venues of Seattle, Washington state, and the Pacific Northwest. Also, I recommend the "Poetry Is Everything" newsletter produced and distributed by Christopher Jarmick. It provides much information about Puget Sound area poetry readings and venues. Request e-mail delivery of the newsletter from Christopher at emeraldchris@yahoo.com, and respond occasionally to tell him his efforts are appreciated.

 

 

One excellent way for writers, especially beginners, to find publishers for their work is to study several annually updated reference books:

 

The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses, 48th Edition, CD-ROM, 2012-2013
Editor: Dustbooks staff
ISBN: 978-1-935742-18-0
Price: $30, CD-ROM
Pages: 800
For more information contact
Dustbooks
P.O. Box 100
Paradise, CA 95967
Info & Orders: 530-877-6110
Fax: 530-877-0222
E-mail: info@dustbooks.com
Web: www.dustbooks.com
Please note the International Directory is an annual and that Dustbooks publishes many other fine reference books useful to writers. Four of these, including the Directory, are now available as a CD-ROM package for only $49.95. Also, I offer a big bouquet of Rose Alley's reddest roses to the memory of Len Fulton, 1934-2011. Len founded Dustbooks and managed it for close to fifty years. A true American champion of the literary little guy, Len's directories helped me and thousands of writers find publishers for our work. I wish Dustbooks all the best keeping alive his wonderful legacy. With Len in mind, I pray a spirit of mutual support, not petty competition, influences writers' relations with each other.

 

2013 Poet's Market
Editor: Robert Lee Brewer
ISBN: 978-1-59963-598-9
Price: $29.99, paperback
Pages: 538
For more information contact
F+W Media, Inc.
Corporate Office
4700 East Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
Telephone: 513-531-2690; Toll-free telephone: 1-800-258-0929
Fax: 513-531-0798
Email: contact_us@fwmedia.com
Web sites: www.fwmedia.com; www.writersdigest.com; www.writersmarket.com
Please note Poet's Market is an annual, and that F+W Media and Writer's Digest Books publish many other fine reference books useful to writers.

 

2013 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market
Editor: Scott Francis
ISBN: 978-1-59963-595-8
Price: $29.99, paperback
Pages: 568
For more information contact
F+W Media, Inc.
Please note Novel and Short Story Writer's Market is an annual, and that F+W Media and Writer's Digest Books publish many other fine reference books useful to writers.

 

If you cannot afford these books, check your local library, which might feature reference copies of the latest editions. Consider, as well, purchasing e-book and CD-ROM versions of these books. Annual online subscriptions offer further options, as do used editions from one or two years ago.

 

Note, too, www.google.com is a wonderful Web resource. This powerful search engine can help you find the sites of numerous online journals and zines. Typically, these publications will include on their respective sites all necessary contact and policy information for those wanting to submit work for consideration. Here are several tips when using google.com:

  • Type a journal's name in the long bar on google.com's home page, and then click "Google Search." Alternatively, you could search by typing key words and then clicking the "Google Search" button (e.g., "poetry & journal & submission policy & editor," or simply "poetry journal submission policy editor," and then "Google Search").
  • You can use the minus sign as well as the ampersand when refining a google search. For example, you could type "Elizabethan poetry & sonnet - Shakespeare" if you wanted to focus on sonnets by Elizabethan poets other than Shakespeare.
  • Begin on the www.google.com home page. To begin exploring poetry journals with Web links, type in the search field "poetry journals & directory." This yields links to many sites about poetry and specific journals. You could also focus your search on a specific kind of poetry, such as formal verse, the sites for which include http://www.uncg.edu/~htkirbys/intro.html and The Democratic Republic of Poetry at http://www.trobar.org/prosody/

 

Of course, you could always visit your local literature librarian and request assistance. Librarians often use google.com in their searches and can greatly help you.

 

Again, please note Rose Alley Press does not consider or read unsolicited manuscripts, although we wish authors the best of luck finding publishers for their work.

 

 

Several important book fairs survive in the Pacific Northwest, despite tremendous challenges to their survival and the recent demise of many. Most prominent among the surviving fairs is one linked to an annual literary festival in Portland, Oregon, called "Wordstock: Portland's Annual Festival of the Book." Wordstock IX will occur on Saturday and Sunday, October 5 - 6, 2013, at the Oregon Convention Center near downtown Portland. Staffed by a marvelous group of volunteers, the event typically attracts good crowds and features wonderfully diverse readings and workshops, in addition to the book fair. I typically rent a booth there, selling many books and engaging in lively conversation. Indeed, I plan to have my customary booth there in 2013. For more information about Wordstock, visit http://www.wordstockfestival.com. Alternatively, feel welcome to contact Wordstock by e-mail at info@bewordstock.org or telephone the Wordstock office at 503-477-4361.

 

Also, in the Seattle area Northwest Bookfest celebrates the printed and spoken word. The third revived Bookfest--the original version lasted from 1995 to 2003--occurred at various venues in downtown Kirkland, Washington, on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 - 23, 2012. I sold lots of books, had a wonderful reading with a half dozen other poets at The Grape Choice (thank you Christopher and Penny!), and made many new friends. Three cheers also to those who volunteered to make the festival so enjoyable for exhibitors. For information about Bookfest, contact Sheryn Hara by e-mail at sherynhara@earthlink.net or by telephone at 425-483-3040, and visit http://www.nwbookfest.com

 

 

Many Western Washington poets maintain entertaining, challenging blogs and Web sites. I listed Joannie Stangeland's Web addresses above. Here are links to some other addresses, preceded by the name of the host or relevant poet:


Below is a list of some literary organizations in the Pacific Northwest, and particularly Western Washington, that maintain Web sites and blogs:


The Puget Sound region features some of the United States's best independent bookstores. I feel lucky and grateful to have various Rose Alley Press books available at these stores. Please patronize them; independent bookstores and literary small presses need customer support to survive. I list each store's name followed by its Web site address:


Here are Web addresses for some American poets whose work I like:


Here are Web addresses for some additional organizations, businesses, and people that I like, regardless of their location:


 

Finally, I note the passing of three friends of Rose Alley Press. First, William Dunlop died from cancer on October 20, 2005. William was my teacher and mentor at the University of Washington many years ago. I was honored to know him and to publish his poetry. Of special interest to his friends and fans is the 2007 volume of William's Collected Poems. The book was published by Classic Day Publishing, 2925 Fairview Avenue East, Seattle, WA, 98102; phone: 877-728-8837; e-mail: info@peanutbutterpublishing.com. William's widow, Revelle, and some of his admiring friends produced this volume, which features previously unpublished poems and sells for $18. The back-cover blurbs are by William's friends Jonathan Raban and Margaret Drabble. These esteemed writers rightly valued William not only as a friend but as a great poet. Congratulations to Revelle and all others who contributed to the successful completion of this fine book!

 

Second, I mourn the loss of Paul Havas, who at seventy-one passed away on February 16, 2012, of pancreatic cancer. Paul was an excellent Northwest landscape painter and exemplified artistic collegiality. For my poetry collection of 1999--Streetlamp, Treetop, Star--I paid Paul a modest fee for use of one of his untitled cityscapes. He said he did not want much, just what I thought I could reasonably afford. I paid him $100 for use of the photographic slide. What a beautiful cover, too! I have Paul's generosity and talent to thank for it. He once attended a reading I gave at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park and bought ten copies of the book to show support. As he was driving me home, he ordered eight more copies! Four people attended that reading, but because of Paul's generosity it stands as one my most commercially successful. He always bought a few copies of new Rose Alley Press books--until the most recent, Many Trails to the Summit. In late 2010 Paul sent me a card indicating he was suffering from cancer but was trying to continue his painting. I inferred that he had huge medical bills and mailed him a complimentary copy of the book. It was the least I could do to reciprocate his many kindnesses to me. These kindnesses included giving me a lift home each time I would visit his Queen Anne studio to show him a new book. He was one of the Northwest's most celebrated, skilled painters, and he was capable of such remarkable humility and consideration. He is survived by his wife, family, and many friends. RIP, Paul Havas.

 

Third, I mourn the loss of Jack McCarthy, American poetry's raconteur of poignant humor, of stories showing how wounds can yield empathy and mistakes enough wisdom to reach tentative, but deeply valued, happiness. Jack passed away on January 17, 2013, the rightly acknowledged elder statesman of slam narrative. I sponsored, organized, and emceed about six or seven readings at which Jack performed--and he always satisfied his audience. Always. A great voice is now silent, but his books, CDs, and online videos remain accessible to all. Thank you, Jack. Note: the Northwest Memorial to honor Jack's life and work will begin on Saturday, February 16th, 2 p.m., at the Evergreen Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1607 Fourth Street, Marysville, Washington, http://www.evergreenuu.org/

 

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