January is about half over and this year is looking like it’ll be the quickest of my life. I feel like it left me back in August. Since my last post, I’ve written bits and pieces of posts in my head almost daily while going about my daily life but sitting down and cracking open the laptop has found a spot at the bottom of the to-do list. But, I think about you all daily and about what I’d tell you.

After about 20 years of absolutely no colds, I had one in September and I’m currently, finally getting over a second one. Y’all. I had forgotten how rotten a simple cold can be. Or maybe it’s just that I’m older and my immune system is more fragile but, dayum. It sucked the going-about-my-business right out of  me. Finally, just yesterday and today, I’m feeling more energetic and alert. Thank the goddess.

Despite so  many low energy days I’ve been doing a lot of reading and research. I don’t think I’ve shared that I’m a Contributing Editor for Barren Magazine and Mockingheart Review now. I recently published an interview on MR with poet Sam Rasnake and I’ll have an interview with poet and writer Tina Barry on site later this  month. I love doing interviews with writers and I thank Clare Martin, creator and Editor, for giving me this beautiful gift of a venue to publish them. The new issue of MR will publish some time after January 25 and the new submission window will open March 1.

I read Flash Fiction and Short Fiction for Barren and I just love it. It’s so exciting to read such a diversity of writing and to find golden nuggets to share with our readers. We get submissions from all over the world which is so gratifying. Our new issue will drop tomorrow, January 14 and I can not wait for y’all to read it! Submissions are always open so polish up your poetry, fiction, CNF, and photography and send it to us!

Also, I’m working on a project for Barren that has me so excited I can hardly keep from blurting it out to everyone. Watch this space, watch my Twitter account (@charlotteAsh) and Barren’s Twitter (@BarrenMagazine). I don’t know exactly when it will be revealed but it’s dynamite!

I’ve been reading some great poetry. Right now I’m reading Duende by Tracy K. Smith, A Woman of Property by Robyn Schiff, Tropic of Squalor by Mary Karr, and The New Testament by Jericho Brown. Only As the Day is Long by Dorianne Laux is on it’s way to me via snail mail and I’m really looking forward to reading it. Love me some Dorianne!

Other than poetry, I’m reading Devotion by Patti Smith. Seeing me reading it, my husband asked if I had all her books because he sees me reading her all the time. Blessedly, no I don’t. I want to know that there will always be more – earlier ones I haven’t read and new ones to come. I recently finished reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and, let me tell you, it was one of the best books I’ve ever read. Ever. I am in awe of this book and this writer. It’s really unlike anything I’ve ever read and I was moved to tears so many times. I highly recommend it.

I’ve started being more mindful of saving writing that I love to share with y’all in future posts. Pocket is great for this. My plan is to write a share post quarterly with the first to be posted the first week of April. It will be links to Poetry, Fiction, Photography, & Essay/CNF that I’ve loved over the past 3 months. I’m so happy to see more and more journals adding photography and art to their publications. I think Barren has really been a frontrunner for adding photography to literary journals and zines.

As for my own writing, I’ve written a few poems and submitted a few new and older ones. I have two coming out in Burning House Press some time this month and one coming out in Nine Muses in February. I’ll post when they’re up. As always, I really appreciate your support and that you actually read these posts and my poetry. May you all have a wonderful, healthy, and fulfilling 2019!

Here’s a picture of my cat, Spratter, because everyone needs a cat pic in their day.