Hello, my fellow wordcraft lovers,
I'm thrilled to share some fantastic news – this summer my poems have found their way into the pages of two literary magazines.
1. Like fish in the water, the green turns red and I lift up my umbrella became part of Stark Nights in June 2023. Stark Nights is "a unique and gritty online poetry magazine with a focus on the beauty in darker aspects of life". This description alone spoke to me and urged me to submit these three poems from my upcoming "100% water" collection. When I was thinking of recurring topics in my works, I formulated one as "exploring the darker corners of the mind", so I immediately thought my poetry would fit the editors' vision of Stark Nights. It's bliss to find like-minded people while on this quest of seeking beauty.
2. A Giant Creature (early in the morning), In the Swarm of Castaways (motorbike handles) and Under the Horizon (A boy walks on the stones) found their home in August 2023 on the pages of the Porch LitMag, which is a bimonthly web publication, featuring works by Southeast Asia-based writers. These also come from the future "100% water" collection, which is majorly inspired by the Thai sea and inescapable humidity. Porch Literary Magazine puts their mood this way: "A porch with an outdoor chair and a small table, a cup of tea on sunny afternoon, and someone sitting, facing a picturesque landscape, reading. A place to pass the hours. A place that feels like home." And I can relate, as a person whose home was lost, and then found again on an ephemeral porch in the shadow hiding from the blazing sun... These three poems explore the topics of exile and being a refugee, the uncertainty of the future, the lure of possibilities that are not really open to you, and, well, kaiju.
I am so grateful to be published in these wonderful places, drawing in light from everywhere in the world. I feel blessed. I feel appreciated. I feel connected.
I have one more publication coming after August 20 – stay tuned!
And the "100% water" poetry collection is due to be published right after that!