Tag: poetry
WHO ARE OLD SCRATCH PRESS?

In January I emailed a bunch of poets who had allowed me to publish their poetry, and asked them if they would be interesting in forming a poetry collective, a thing where we could work together to promote and sell poetry, so that DPP could afford to publish poetry. MOST poetry chapbooks are published either by contests, or universities with large budgets, so that it doesn’t matter if the book sells or not. DPP can’t survive unless we sell books, so we had to find a different way to crack the nut.
I asked a lot of people who had writing I loved if they’d like to do something like that, and some of them decided to give it a try!
WHY did I choose them, instead of just putting out a call? Dave and I are a family (with our daughter), and so we tend to run DPP like a family business, and we like to offer any opportunities we have to people we already work with first, before we go find new people. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to find new people; it just means that once we publish you we try to promote you as much as possible. We would not have anything to publish without our authors, and we appreciate them.
If you’re interested in the folks who decided to roll the dice with us, visit their “about us” page.
You’ll find they’re great people, and great authors.
DAFFODILS AND MUD INSPIRED POETRY: REPRINT FROM OLD SCRATCH PRESS
Welcome to Week Two of National Poetry Month. The four seasons of the year are the subjects of many different types of poetry from traditional sonnets to exuberant free verse sprawled out across the page. So to start this week we are sharing two poems by American poets from the past.
The first poem is by Amy Lowell (1874-1925). A Pulitzer Prize winner for her poetry collection, What’s O’Clock, Lowell is associated with the early 20th Century Imagist Movement, which sought to use precise, colloquial language and concrete imagery in lieu of traditional poetic diction and meter. Compared with the second poem we’re posting by E.E. Cummings, however, to our twenty-first century ears it sounds very traditional, until you compare it to last week’s poem posting by William Shakespeare.
To an Early Daffodil
By Amy Lowell
Thou yellow trumpeter of laggard Spring!
Thou herald of rich Summer’s myriad flowers!
The climbing sun with new recovered powers
Does warm thee into being, through the ring
Of rich, brown earth he woos thee, makes thee fling
Thy green shoots up, inheriting the dowers
Of bending sky and sudden, sweeping showers,
Till ripe and blossoming thou art a thing
To make all nature glad, thou art so gay;
To fill the lonely with a joy untold;
Nodding at every gust of wind to-day,
To-morrow jewelled with raindrops. Always bold
To stand erect, full in the dazzling play
Of April’s sun, for thou hast caught his gold.

The second poet, E.E. Cummings ( 1984-1962) was one of the most popular poets of the twentieth century. Challenging the established approach to words on a page, Cummings experimented with form and language to create a distinct personal style. The exhilaration of the change in seasons is transmitted by his merging certain words together and distancing others in a poem that shouts out to be read aloud.
[in Just-]
By E.E. Cummings
in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman
whistles far and wee
and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it’s
spring
when the world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing
from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it’s
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee
Do you have a favorite poem to greet the season? Share it with us and share it by posting it on your own social media account as well. Poetry is not only meant to be read aloud, it is meant to be shared.
Thank you for reading and don’t forget to follow us on WordPress, Facebook , Instagram, and Twitter.
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HEY POETS, CHECK OUT WHAT’S DOIN’ AT OLD SCRATCH PRESS!

You can read the post here. 🙂
NATIONAL POETRY MONTH: A TIME FOR READING OUT LOUD (reprinted from Old Scratch Press)
By Nadja Maril
April is the month for poetry, and in the part of the United States where I live, I’m fortunate to have a hiking trail where years ago small signs were posted with quotes from poetry. What a delight, to only hear the sounds of my shoes crunching into the dirt and the twitter of birds and insects, blue sky overhead, surrounded by green. I pause and read the poem painted on a wooden sign. If I am with a friend, I read it to them aloud. If I am alone, I still read it out loud to myself, because poetry is meant to be heard.
National Poetry Month was established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. According to the Academy, it is the largest literary celebration in the world. Listening to a poet read their own work is a treat. Click on the previous link to see and hear Joy Harjo read one of her exquisite poems.
One of the earliest poets I was introduced to in school was William Shakespeare. Today, due to the evolution of the English language, his works are not as frequently read. Some of the words and phrasing may seem “odd” to your modern ear, but listen to the phrasing and the selection of vowel sounds and consonants. Read him aloud and his work may start to grow on you.
Discovering new poets and rediscovering forgotten favorites, is part of the fun of National Poetry Month.

Writer and Artist Morgan Golladay, a founding member of the Old Scratch Poetry and Short Form Collective, created this beautiful piece of artwork featuring a flower found in many spring gardens, Impatiens.
Sonnet 98: From You Have I Been Absent in the Spring
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him.
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odour and in hue,
Could make me any summer’s story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew:
Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight
Drawn after you, – you pattern of all those.
Yet seem’d it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.
IF you have a favorite poet or poem you’d like to share, let us know. Follow us on WordPress, Facebook, and Twitter.
Thank you for reading.
HAVE YOU SUBMITTED TO SOLSTICE VOLUME 3?

Submissions are open. Click the image above, or go to the DPP SUBMISSIONS page.
We make a pretty nice-looking book….

Anthology
Solstice: A Winter Anthology
[volume 2]
Featuring a unique collection of authors, Solstice: A Winter Anthology is a compelling read from cover to cover.
HAVE YOU READ THE CHRISTMAS SURPRISE?

It’s in the new issue of Instant Noodles.
JOHN JOHNSON: In the Mind of the Anxious Traveler

Our great friend, and(one of our) favorite poet, John Johnson (you’ve seen his work in Instant Noodles and Solstice: A Winter Anthology), has a book out! The book has an instantly evocative cover, and the poetry inside is moving and takes the reader on a journey.
AND HEY! After you buy the book, leave John a review on Amazon. Here is your review, all figured out for you:
This is a moving book of poetry that I am glad I bought/gave as a gift/read.
Plus give it 5 stars.
That is ALL it takes to make a writer’s life significantly better! DO it! 🙂
Who is buying poetry? Only the best people! You be one of them!!!
We really want DPP to be all about our authors, and John is one of our family. We didn’t publish his book (we don’t yet do poetry, or we would have!), but we highly recommend it. And look how beautiful it is! I can just see you seeing a friend off on a trip, and handing him or her this book to read.
Or, better yet, take yourself on a trip! And take this book to read! You deserve a “writing retreat weekend!”
Happy Holidays and Congratulations John!

INSTANT NOODLES CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR 2023

Follow our blog? YOU CAN SUBMIT NOW! Submissions are capped at 50, and about half of those will be chosen, so don’t delay.
Good luck~
SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED AT MIDNIGHT

TONIGHT submissions CLOSE for volume 4 in our popular HALLOWEEN PARTY series. For submission guidelines and to submit a work for consideration, visit our Duosoma Page.
This anthology will be edited by Jeffrey Keeten, and designed by Juan Cantu! We’re so excited to be working with such a powerhouse duo. If you know anything about Keeten, you know that he knows great writing better than most men. And if you’re at a all familiar with “I love bad art” artist Juan, you know how compelling, dark, and soulful his art is. We’re so excited to see this book!
All authors chosen for the book receive a $25 honorarium in addition to a free copy of the book, and this payment makes them eligible for membership in the Horror Writers Association!
If you’re unfamiliar with the type of stories we prefer, or if you’re searching for a great gift for the horror lover in your life, consider picking up our HALLOWEEN HORROR BUNDLE, available throughout October at $20 below retail. This makes a great holiday gift for that hard-to-buy-for person in your life, like Uncle John!
Book Bundle
Halloween Horror 4-book collection
Four terrifying collections for one low price!
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