Category Archives: Poetry

Poems are up at The Light Ekphrastic for Issue 9

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Carol A. Stephen

Today is a bit of a brag. I had mentioned my poem (well, poems, really) being accepted for the latest issue of The Light Ekphrastic.  Here is the link to the first page of the issue.  There are some wonderful artists taking part, so be sure to check them all out. http://thelightekphrastic.com/

My particular page is here, with my poems and the photographs of Marlayna Demond: http://thelightekphrastic.com/issues/february-2012-issue-9/stephen-demond-february-2012/

There is also a call for submissions to the May issue. Deadline is February 20th, so there isn’t much time. But it’s a lot of fun and a bit of a challenge!  Check out the submission guidelines here: http://thelightekphrastic.com/submissions-2/

C

Small stones 23 and 24 and poems going to the End of the World

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I wrote about my poem being entered in the Poetry for the End of the World contest, and being a finalist. I wanted to share the link to the video showing the balloon launch on Saturday, Jan. 21. If you scroll down the page you will also see the winning poem by Ian Ferrier.

http://www.versefest.ca/about/poetry-for-the-end-of-the-world/

Day 23

randomness of weather
today rain turns winter’s
clean white to grimy gray,
pools of water over the slick
of ice, waiting for someone
to slip-slide into wet.

Day 24

to focus large on life is to realize
that more of it has passed
than is to come.

to focus small on life I realize
I have each day: a glass
to fill with wonder
or to empty, untasted.

Carol

 

January challenges: small stones and comfort zones

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Carol A. Stephen

Day 22

sounds for a Sunday morning

clock tick and fridge hum
the rhythmic shush of shovel on snow
muted by a closed window
the slosh of slush against car wheels
the quiet when everything pauses to breathe

 

I had a successful result this week with my week One effort, the submitting of two poems to a contest, Poetry for the End of the World.  I was among the six finalists. I attended the fundraiser for VERSeFest, Ottawa’s new Poetry Festival, and read my poem, The Walking-Off Place in the End-Time, along with the other finalists. Although mine didn’t win, all six of the finalists’ poems were placed into a tube and then into a weather balloon and at 10 p.m. E.S.T. last night, the balloon was released. Off it sailed up into the sky. Destination the End of the World, or…? Doesn’t matter, really. What fun!

As for this week’s challenge, I am still working on lightening up and trying to find some balance rather than obsessing about things.  I have had some weight gain over the holidays, so this week I have been making a good effort to avoid chocolate and cookies (and cakes, and pies, and fudge and….!)  I have done reasonably well at that, other than a small treat last night while having dinner out with a friend. But I watched my portions, so I am not counting that as bad.

Poets plan to send a message to the end of the world

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Carol A. Stephen

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY VERSeFest

[OTTAWA, January 5, 2012] There’s a popular belief that the year 2012 will be momentous: some say it will be the end of the world. And in Ottawa, a group of poets have decided that this is a great reason to throw a party and send a poem to the end of the world, as a message of sorts.

Poetry for the End of the World, on January 21, is a social evening and party in support of VERSeFest, which takes place February 28 to March 4. Along with live music by Ottawa folk/acoustic band Call Me Katie and Montreal indie band Puggy Hammer (both bands claim poets in their membership,) an open mike, and featured readings of apocalyptic poetry, the organizers will name the winner of VERSe Ottawa’s ‘Poetry for the End of the World’ contest, and then, to crown the night, the winning poem will, quite literally, be sent off to the End of the World.

The idea to send the winning poem off into the unknown came as the organizers were thinking up the best way to celebrate the supposed apocalypse, and they have gotten their hands on a weather balloon, which will be launched from outside Arts Court, at 2 Daly Avenue, at 10:00 PM, after which everyone will head back inside to hear Puggy Hammer perform.

The poem will be laminated to protect it from the elements before launching. A weather balloon can climb to 100,000 feet (high enough to see the curvature of the earth), and can travel great distances if they catch the jetstream. The assumption is that the balloon will climb, and expand as it climbs, until the helium inside it expands too far and it bursts, taking the poem out “not with a whimper, but with a bang,” to misquote the famous poem by T. S. Eliot. Maybe not literally the End of the World, but this is poetry: it’s the metaphor that matters.

The Poetry for the End of the World contest is open until January 7th, and poets can submit their work, or sign up for the open mike, at versefest.ca. The party will be held on January 21, starting at 7:00, and guests are welcome to attend some or all of the events. The full schedule is available at the VERSeFest website.

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 For more information, or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Rod Pederson or Kathryn Hunt

verseottawa@live.ca

Rod Pederson: 613-747-1464

Kathryn Hunt: 613-314-4821

http://VERSeFest.ca