Author: Auroras & Blossoms Page 23 of 36

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‘The PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition’ Is Out Today!

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On October 26, 2021

In Announcements, Latest book releases, The PoArtMo Corner

Hello folks!

That’s it, The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition is finally out! And it looks beautiful!

What’s in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition?

This new volume features more than 60 pieces (poetry, six word stories, short stories, flash fiction, and visual art) created by 40+ talented contributors at every stage of their artistic careers and hailing from around the world.

Poetry: Amanda Baker, KB Ballentine, Beth Brody, Lakshman Bulusu, Claire Champommier, John Collins, Tara Dasso, Lynn DeLong, Stacie Eirich, Nicole S. Entin, Casandra Hernández Ríos, D. R. James, Emory Jones, Jackie Kirman, Virginia Kovach, Brice Maiurro, Zia Marshall, Julia McNamara, Kathryn Sadakierski, Anna Sallee, Julie A. Sellers, Wesley Sims, Giuseppe Sloan, Mike Todd, and Shelby Wilson.

Six word stories: Cindelle Ancajas, Amanda Baker, Melissa Frentsos, Lisa Marie Lopez, and Chris Slade.

Short stories and flash fiction: TR Biggar, Sharon Dockweiler, Lorraine Horsley, Smita Das Jain, Rati Pednekar, Sabiha Rizvi, Anna Sallee, and J.W. Wood.

Visual art: Azelle Elric, Theodore Heublein, Ángeles M. Pomata, Annette Solakoglu, and Justin Smith.

From the editors: a flashku and a pareiku.

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Where Can I Find The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition?

The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition can be purchased everywhere books are sold (except for Amazon) and is available at the special price of $7.99 (instead of $9.99) until November 9, 2021.

Click here to purchase your copy!

An Important Message

To all selected contributors: We created a banner for you to proudly display anywhere you want online. Just save it to your computer / phone, then upload it to your blog, website, or social media accounts. But don’t forget to link to https://abpositiveart.com/poartmo-anthology-2, so people interested in supporting you know where to purchase their copies.

To the selected contributors who qualify for a PDF copy: You have until Monday, November 1, 2021 (11:59 pm CDT) to contact us to secure your PDF copy. We will reject requests sent to us after November 1, 2021 and you will have to purchase your own copy as a result.

Email: info@abpositiveart.com

Rule: To qualify for a PDF copy, you must have paid the full submission fee. This fee is $6 per poem / story / essay / image / two six-word stories sent to us.

Once again, we kindly ask that you stop inquiring about print copies of our anthology. Due to the high cost involved in printing books featuring visual content, we only release ebooks.

We cannot wait to read your reviews of The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition. This is a very special and beautiful release and we know that you will enjoy every page!

Have a wonderful week!

David & Cendrine.

The PoArtMo Anthology Series: Interview with Sharon Dockweiler

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On October 21, 2021

In Inspirational Artist Series, Latest book releases, The PoArtMo Corner

Hello everyone!

Welcome to our PoArtMo Anthology Series, which celebrates the artists whose work appears in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition.

Today’s guest is Sharon Dockweiler, who contributed the short story titled “Picker” to our anthology.

Auroras & Blossoms: Hello Sharon. Congratulations for being a featured artist in our anthology! How does a story begin for you? Does it start with an image, a form or a particular theme?

Sharon Dockweiler: Usually my stories and poems begin with a person who has affected me in some way.

A&B: Tell us all about the inspiration behind “Picker,“ the piece that will appear in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition.

SD: “Picker” is about a man I met when I was at a low point in my life, battling bi-polar disorder. It describes our friendship and touches on the joy we brought each other in small ways despite our circumstances.

A&B: Who are your biggest influences in the writing world?

SD: Douglas Adams and Christopher Moore keep me slightly off center in a magical way that gives humor and texture to the serious subjects I often write about. I also love Orson Scott Card and the poetry of Robert Frost, who so simply brings the human condition to light.

A&B: What is your relationship with your speaking voice and your written voice?

SD: I love to read out loud. My mother was in a car accident when I was ten, and I spent years reading to her after school. She always commented on my reading: Too fast. Too slow. Enunciate. Use more feeling. She taught me to feel the words I read. I believe it is responsible for the way my written voice can grow to a crescendo of passion, then soften to a place where you want to strain to hear every nuance. That has carried over to a love for poetry open mics.

Whenever I read, I can hear emotional reactions from the crowd that let me know I’m hitting home.

A&B: Has your own opinion or idea of what writing is changed since you first started writing?

SD: I’ve been writing poetry and stories since I was five years old. I still think writing is simply fun. It entertains and teaches. I love that you can take off in any direction and create a new world.

I also love the attention that comes from readers or listeners. As an adult I know writing can be hard work, but, as Robert Louis Stevenson said, “I hate writing, but I love having written.”

A&B: Does your work have any specific themes or social commentary we should identify with?

SD: Much of my work sheds light on the forgotten: the homeless, mentally ill, addicted… I paint word pictures of individuals to show who they really are, how they got to where they are, and how they deal with that. It can go from heart-breaking to humorous on a hair pin turn.

A&B: Tell us the most positive and uplifting advice you have been given while working as a writer.

SD: All writing starts with free writing. Begin with a notebook that lays flat, that you aren’t afraid to ruin. Choose a smooth-writing pen. Let the words flow. Don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, or sentences. If you can’t think of a word, leave a space or draw an underline and keep on going. When you’re done, let it marinate. Set it aside for two weeks. Then see it as the raw clay that it is, and start to sculpt the actual image you want to convey.

Bio:

Sharon Dockweiler has lived through hell, and now serves as a sherpa for those following in her footsteps. The faith and humor that have kept her going are evident in her writing. She facilitates Writers’ Workshops for Deer Park and Brentwood Libraries on Long Island.

Sharon, thank you for answering our questions and supporting Auroras & Blossoms! We know that people will love “Picker” as much as we do!

The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition is coming soon!

Cendrine & David

The PoArtMo Anthology (Volume 2) Is Almost Here!

By

On October 18, 2021

In Announcements, Latest book releases, The PoArtMo Corner

Hello folks!

We have more fantastic news to share with you. The second volume of our PoArtMo Anthology has been accepted by our distributor and should be released very soon!

However, the huge issues we encountered over the last several weeks led us to implement a couple of changes.

A New Cover

Initially, we wanted to keep the cover that Cendrine had made. But after what happened, we decided that it was safer to design a new one. As a matter of fact, we actually prefer this one!

New cover
Old cover

A Slightly Different Title

Another thing we did is edit the title, to remain in tune with the first volume we released in 2020. So, the “new” title is The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition.

Congratulations to Our Selected Contributors!

Congratulations to the artists whose beautiful works will be featured in this upcoming new release. Their names can be found below:

Poetry: Amanda Baker, KB Ballentine, Beth Brody, Lakshman Bulusu, Claire Champommier, John Collins, Tara Dasso, Lynn DeLong, Stacie Eirich, Nicole S. Entin, Casandra Hernández Ríos, D. R. James, Emory Jones, Jackie Kirman, Virginia Kovach, Brice Maiurro, Zia Marshall, Julia McNamara, Kathryn Sadakierski, Anna Sallee, Julie A. Sellers, Wesley Sims, Giuseppe Sloan, Mike Todd, and Shelby Wilson.

Six word stories: Cindelle Ancajas, Amanda Baker, Melissa Frentsos, Lisa Marie Lopez, and Chris Slade.

Short stories and flash fiction: TR Biggar, Sharon Dockweiler, Lorraine Horsley, Smita Das Jain, Rati Pednekar, Sabiha Rizvi, Anna Sallee, and J.W. Wood.

Visual art: Azelle Elric, Theodore Heublein, Ángeles M. Pomata, Annette Solakoglu, and Justin Smith.

From the editors: a flashku and a pareiku.

What’s Next?

For the next few weeks, we will be hosting a series of interviews with some of the contributors in this volume on the blog. Everything will start this Thursday.

Next week, we will also announce the official date for the release of The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition. You will be able to purchase copies of the ebook for a special price for 15 days.

NB: Due to the cost involved in printing multimedia projects featuring visual content, we do not release print copies of our anthologies. So, please stop contacting us to inquire about that.

We look forward to (finally) releasing the anthology! Thank you all for your patience!

David & Cendrine.

PoArtMo Anthology (Volume 2): Update to Selected Artists List!

By

On October 4, 2021

In Announcements, Latest book releases, The PoArtMo Corner

Hello everyone!

We have some fantastic news to share with you. We know that it will be both exciting and a massive relief to you.

Further to our previous communication, our PoArtMo Anthology (Volume 2) has now been filled with additional content and we have enough material to move forward with the Anthology!

Congratulations to the artists whose beautiful works will be featured in this upcoming new release. Their names are found in our updated artists list below:

Poetry: Amanda Baker, KB Ballentine, Beth Brody, Lakshman Bulusu, Claire Champommier, John Collins, Tara Dasso, Lynn DeLong, Stacie Eirich, Nicole S. Entin, Casandra Hernández Ríos, D. R. James, Emory Jones, Jackie Kirman, Virginia Kovach, Brice Maiurro, Zia Marshall, Julia McNamara, Kathryn Sadakierski, Anna Sallee, Julie A. Sellers, Wesley Sims, Giuseppe Sloan, Mike Todd, and Shelby Wilson.

Six word stories: Cindelle Ancajas, Amanda Baker, Melissa Frentsos, Lisa Marie Lopez, and Chris Slade.

Short stories and flash fiction: TR Biggar, Sharon Dockweiler, Lorraine Horsley, Smita Das Jain, Rati Pednekar, Sabiha Rizvi, Anna Sallee, and J.W. Wood.

Visual art: Azelle Elric, Theodore Heublein, Ángeles M. Pomata, Annette Solakoglu, and Justin Smith.

From the editors: a flashku and a pareiku.

What’s Next?

Now that the future outlook of the Anthology is finally looking a lot more secure, we are looking for some passionate individuals who are keen to promote it and themselves when it comes out.

Are you one of the selected artists on the list above? If so, we would like to offer you the opportunity to be featured on our blog or PoArtMo Podcast. Rules:

  • If you have paid the full fee ($6 per piece), you are entitled to a full interview on our blog or our PoArtMo Podcast. You will have to let us know what you prefer.
  • If you have paid a partial fee / donation (starting at $3 per piece), you are entitled to a mini-interview on our blog (3-4 questions).

Contact Us Via Email to Either Confirm or Reconfirm Your Interest

Because of our very busy schedules, we are unable to contact each selected contributor separately. So, whether you have previously confirmed your interest in the interview or not, we are asking you to reach out to us via email. This extra step will ensure that we can save time and publish the Anthology within a reasonable timeframe.

Email address: info@abpositiveart.com

Deadline to confirm your interest in being interviewed: October 10, 2021 (11:59 p.m. CDT)

(Once again, only the selected contributors who have paid a fee will qualify for an interview on our blog or a guest spot on our PoArtMo podcast)

We look forward to sharing further news with you soon regarding the Anthology, once the editing process is completed!

Happy creating folks and as always, thanks for reading.

David & Cendrine.

Update to Last Week’s Announcement

By

On September 20, 2021

In Announcements

Hello everyone!

Last week was a roller coaster of emotions for us. After our announcement about Volume 2 of the PoArtMo Anthology, several people decided to withdraw their work from the publication. Others felt angry at us and let us know about it.

But most importantly, many of you reached out to show your support. We thank you for your words of encouragement and truly appreciate them.

Our Current Situation

Now, because of those last-minute withdrawals, we find ourselves with an incomplete Volume 2. But there is great news! We have quite a few entries for Volume 3. So this is what will happen: We will merge all the entries we have for Volumes 2 and 3 into one volume!

Of course, this means having to redo everything:

  • waiting for the remaining selected contributors to respond and confirm their interest in being in the PoArtMo Anthology,
  • triple-checking that the content is not already available online,
  • proofreading,
  • editing,
  • formatting,
  • re-uploading to Draft2Digital, and
  • waiting for confirmation that the ebook is good to go.

We will need several months for all those steps to be completed. Of course, we would love for everything to be done faster. But Auroras & Blossoms is volunteer work for us and this is an extra (and unplanned) workload. We have day jobs and can only do so much on our own. So, thank you for your patience!

We will update you on the anthology as soon as we are done with the formatting. In the meantime, please support us with shares to social networks and comments. 🙂

We Are Keeping the Cover!

We love the cover we revealed to you the other day. You do too! So we are not changing it. 😉

Our New Rules

Let us be very clear. Last week’s events have dire implications for us. Our account has been flagged by Amazon and Draft2Digital and we have been issued a warning. One more issue and it will be closed.

What does it mean? All our publications and books would disappear, including the books that we have released individually and as part of the PoArtMo Collective. As a result, not only would we have to start everything from scratch elsewhere, but we would also no longer be able to offer payments to our contributors. Needless to say that Auroras & Blossoms would have to close shop if this were to happen.

We would like to reiterate that we will no longer accept content that has been published elsewhere. The content you send us must be original. Because our multiple explanations of Amazon’s very restrictive rule keep falling on deaf ears, leading to our current situation, we have also decided to stop distributing our publications to Amazon.

Finally, we now require membership into our PoArtMo Collective to be able to submit to us. This is a very important step for three reasons:

  1. We vet members before allowing them to join us;
  2. We will not promote people whose behaviors go counter to what they claim they are and/or who defame or accuse us falsely; and
  3. We want our anthologies to be truly reflective of the PoArtMo concept: quality, positivity, inspiration, upliftment. Membership is free and comes with several perks. For more info, click here.

Please note that submissions to our PoArtMo Anthology are now closed for adults. We are still looking for more entries for the Youth Edition, which should blow your mind!

Thank you for reading us. Have a great week!

Cendrine & David

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