New collection from Li Tien

Friend and translation collaborator Li Tien of Midland (MI) has just self-published a chapbook of 23 poems published in journals. Entitled No Rain No Rainbow the book includes work that has appeared in Mid-America Poetry Review, Orbis Quarterly International, The MacGuffin, White Pine Review and numerous others. Among the translations are three from the Chinese of Tien's father, Yu Y. Tien, as well as two Song Dynasty poems that Li and I translated and published in the March Street Press chapbook Drizzle and Plum Blossoms. Li's new chapbook is full of wonderful short poems. Some are meditations on the natural world, others looks back at his youth in occupied China. Drizzle and Plum Blossoms was reviewed last year at 360 Main Street by Matthew Falk. His review is here.

Reviews of High Desert Journal, MacGuffin

I've had the joy of reading some outstanding fiction, poetry and essays in reviewing literary magazines for New Pages. My review of the latest High Desert Journal is here and of The MacGuffin is here. Best of the best: Don't miss Joe Wilkins' prize-winning short story "Enough of Me" in High Desert Journal, or Hunter Liguore's "The Last Soucouyant" in The MacGuffin.

I'll Have a Story in "Sleet" in the fall

As peaceful as things are for most Americans, the fact that we are engaged in our longest war to date slips into the background. One on-line magazine, Sleet, has been publishing war-themed poems and stories recently, and will continue with my short story, "Honk to End War," in its fall 2011 edition. It's a good magazine that I'm happy to be in. I was particularly grateful that the editors did some judicious editing to the piece to make it more forceful and direct. The current issue is here.. As usual, I have New Pages to thank for its "Calls for Submissions" feature that alerted me that Sleet was reading.

Press 1 takes a story

I grew up working in my father's retail store in a small Midwestern town. I've always been fascinated by the back story of retail -- what happens behind the counter in contrast to what happens in front. Happy to say that "Personal Touch," my story about a Valentine's Day crisis in a chocolate shop, will appear in the September issue of the online magazine Press 1. The current issue is at http://www.leafscape.org/press1/