Joyful Furious Flower

Oh, all kinds of joy! Today we announced the Pushcart nominees at Escape Into Life.  The colorful, joyful art here (and there) is by Xiong Lijun. And I needed some random sunflowers, as it's pretty misty out there. Congrats to the nominees, and lots of EIL poets are getting good news--books accepted, awards, Pushcart nominations from other journals. Poetry readings!  All good stuff.

Meanwhile, I was expecting more of the year-end rejections and got a sudden acceptance, from Redheaded Stepchild, one of my favorite online journals, as it is "a home for rejected poems." And a good one. So if you are wearing sad puppy face because your poems keep getting rejected, go read some of the fabulous poems there, take heart, and submit your work!

Visiting Redheaded Stepchild today, I learned that founding editor Malaika King Albrecht is on the board of Furious Flower Poetry Center at James Madison University. Perfect!

So I leave you with some lines from Gwendolyn Brooks: "The time // cracks into furious flower. Lifts its face / all unashamed. And sways in wicked grace."