Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Sunday, Dec. 9: Annual Holiday Women Authors Book Signing

Sunday, December 9
2 - 5 p.m.
Annual Lowcountry Women Authors Book Signing
Citadel Holliday Alumni House
Hagood Ave.
Charleston, SC
Free event, free gift wrapping, free parking
60 women authors with their books -- Center for Women, Charleston, SC
Readings throughout the afternoon

Click here for more info.

Authors and Titles


Charlotte Beers - I'd Rather Be In Charge (2012)
Cindy Blackburn - Playing with Poison; Double Shot; Three Odd Balls
Avette Brown - . . . Cause I'm Me (2012)
Nina Bruhns - Shadow of the Shiek; A Kiss to Kill; If Looks Could Chill; Shoot to Thrill
Archie Burkel - The Joy of Hats
Susan Hudson Chellis - The Kitchen Table (2011)
Mary Clark Coy - Charleston, from a kid's eye view (2010); The Civil War Walking History Book (2010); The                Revolutionary War Walking History Book (2009); Charleston 101 (2003)
Katie Crouch - The White Glove War (2012); The Magnolia League (2012); Men and Dogs (2011); Girls in

              Trucks (2009)
Jan DiRuzzo -The Lost Mermaid~A Shem Creek Moonlight Jamboree (2009)
Sherry Dixon -Natural Destiny (2012)
Carol James Drolet - My White Cocoon (2008)
Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubert - Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking (2012); Southern Biscuits;

               Shrimp and Grits (2011); Nathalie Dupree's Southern Memories (2004); New Southern Cooking
               (2004)
Margaret Middleton Rivers Eastman - Hidden History of Civil War Charleston; Old Charleston Originals;

               Hidden History of Old Charleston; Remembering Old Charleston
Laura Fogarty -I’m the Boss of Me! (2011); Painted Blue (2009); I Can Do Anything! (2008); Larger Than Life

               (2007)
Lisa Foster - Janie Mitchell, Reliable Cook (2011)
Linda Grabeman -No Prissy Shoes
Nathalie Gregg -Leading in Stilettos
Jacqueline Gum -Confessions of a Corporate Slut, The Accuser's Burden
Helen R. Hammond and Martha K. Graham -Standing Straight and Tall, The Charleston Light at Sullivan's

              Island (2012)
Kathleen Hegenberger - My Mimi Has Wings
Lee Heyward - Simply Effortless Style (2011)
Lynne M. Hinkey -Marina Melee (2011)
Jane Hirsch -Art is a Powerful Language: Willard Hirsch- The Man, The Artist
Sheridan Hough - Mirror's Fathom: A Novel
Trish Hutchison - Girlology's There's Something New About You (2010); Girlology: Hang-Ups, Hook-Ups &

               Holding Out (2007); Girlology: A Girl's Guide To Stuff That Matters (2005) Ann Igoe
Ann Ipock -
Life is Short: I wish I was Taller; Life is Short, But It's Wide; Life is Short, So Read This Fast
Charlotte Jenkins - Gullah Cuisine: By Land and By Sea (2012 edition)
Migsie Jensen -Mommy, Where Were You?
Kate Boehm Jerome - Columbia and the State of South Carolina: Cool Stuff Every Kid Should Know (2011);

              Who Was Amelia Earhart?
Nadine Johnson -I Love (2011); I Am (2011); Last Night I Dreamt I was a Musician (2008); Last Night I Dreamt

              I was a Doctor (2008); Last Night I Dreamt I was a Teacher (2008)
Kami Kinard - The Boy Project

Ann Kulze, MD
- Eat Right for Life®; Eat Right for Life® Cookbook Companion; Eat Right for Life®: On The Go
Suzette Latsko - Brides' Advixor Charleston
Nancy Lorraine -The Butterfly Adventure (2012)
Nancy Mace - In the Company of Men (2002)
Deb Mangolt - Drink Wine and Giggle (2012)
Lynne Marie (Morgan) - The Lion's Lair (2012); The Seahawk's Sanctuary (2011)
Vikki Matsis -Inside An American Hostel: A Guidebook for Managers and Aspiring Owners (2012)
Terri McCrea
Dorothy McFalls
- Oak & Dagger (2013); The Scarlet Pepper (2012); Flowerbed of State (2011); as D McFalls:

               The Nude
Kim McLendon - Izzy and the Crystal of Power (2012) Galactic Guerillas Saga, Book 1 (2012)
Harriet McLeod - Good Morning, Lowcountry! (2011)
Janna McMahan - Anonymity (01/2013); The Ocean Inside (2010); Calling Home (2008); Undertow (2002);

               Literary Dogs and their South Carolina Writers
Amy Mercer - The Smart Woman's Guide to Eating Right with Diabetes (12/2012); The Smart Woman's Guide

               to Diabetes (2011)
Susan Laughter Meyers - Keep and Give Away (2006)
Jennifer E. Michaels - What is Love? My Question... God's Answer (2012)
Ashley Glenn Miller - Common Senseless (2012)
Mary Alice Monroe - Beach House Memories (2013); The Butterfly's Daughter (2012); The Beach House, 10th

             ann ed (2012); Last Light Over Carolina (2010); Time Is a River (2009); Swimming Lessons (2010);
             Turtle Summer (2007); Sweetgrass; Skyward; The Four Seasons; The Book Club; Girl in the Mirror
             (1998)
Dorothy Perrin Moore, PhD - Island in the Storm (2006); Careerpreneurs (2000); Womenpreneurs (2012)
Kathy Murphy, PhD - Your Possible Life: How To Build The Life Of Your Dreams (2011)
Valerie Perry Upper King Street (2011)
Sarah Renee - Enchanted Home (2012); Hunted Home (2011); Dash (2010); The Tiger Princess (2009)
Mary Caroline (Walker) Rhea - Lose Weight, Feel Great! (Even after Kids) (2011); Managing Life with Kids

             (2007)
Pattie Simone - Big Bold Business Advice (2012)
Jo Anne Simson - The God that Says I Am: A Scientist's Meditations on the Nature of Spiritual Experience
Heather Solos - Home-Ec 101 (2011)
Shari Stauch - Pool Player's Edge (2nd Edition) (2010); Precision Pool (2nd Edition) (2007)
Stephanie Suell - I Speak Female Poetically; Songs from My Soul; Hot Water Cornbread
Barbara Jean Sullivan - Born On The Kitchen Floor
Megan Waldrep and Melissa Nelson - Spice & Little Sugar (2011)
Marjory Wentworth - Taking a Stand, The Evolution of Human Right (non fiction); The Endless Repetition of an             Ordinary Miracle (poetry); Noticing Eden (poetry); Despite Gravity (poetry); Shackles (children's book)
Mary Whyte -
Down Bohicket Road (11/2012); Painting Portraits and Figures in

            Watercolor (2011); Working South (2011)

Karen Spears Zacharias - A Silence of Mockingbirds: Memoir of a Murderer (2012); Will Jesus Buy Me a
            Double-Wide? (2010); Where's Your Jesus Now? (2008); After the Flag Has Been Folded (2006); Hero
           Mama (2005)

 

Monday, November 19, 2012

Monday, November 19: Visit to the Poetry Club at Ft. Dorchester High

A pure delight to spend an hour or so with members of the Poetry Club at Ft. Dorchester High School this afternoon. Twelve of us sat in a circle and shared some words, lines, and poems. We did several activities, starting out with building a word bank and writing a group poem, which we read a couple of times, round-robin style. After looking at several strategies for writing poems, I had the pleasure of hearing some of the members read their poems.

Thanks to the Club and their sponsor, Donna Miller, who's a Media Specialist there at the school, for inviting me!

Saturday, November 17: Poets reading at art exhibit & sale

How I enjoyed reading with fellow poets Susan Finch Stevens, Linda Annas Ferguson, Ann Herlong-Bodman, Rick Pfann, Debbie Scott, and Marjory Wentworth last Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m. We read at the Some of Us art showing at the home of artist Peggy Howe in Mt. Pleasant. I forget sometimes how stimulating it is to be in the midst of a mix of the arts--paintings, ceramics, textiles, jewelry. And what an inspiring setting we were in, overlooking the marsh. Thanks to Peggy Howe and her artist friends for including us!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Saturday, Nov. 15 poetry workshop: Fishing for Poems

POETRY WORKSHOP: FISHING FOR POEMS
Susan Meyers, instructor
November 15, 2012
Thurs.,10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
Waccamaw Higher Education Center
160 Willbrook Blvd., Litchfield, SC

 
In this writing workshop we’ll be casting for poems, our method somewhat like throwing out a fishing line in first one spot and then another. By the end of the workshop, participants will have several poem drafts to take home for revision, as well as new strategies for filling the poetry pail. Class packet included. Within two weeks after the workshop concludes, participants have the option of emailing a poem to the instructor for feedback.

Lunch can be brought or bought nearby.
XWRIT 524 W03      
$30, plus one-time-per-semester $20 OLLI membership fee
To register: 843-349-6584

2013 Poet's Market

At the end of last May, editor Robert Lee Brewer put out a call for submissions of unpublished poems, with plans to select 20 and publish them in the 2013 Poet's Market. In the fall he announced the 20 poems selected, and my poem "Wind Chimes, Minus the Wind" was one of them. How exciting for me to have a poem published in Poet's Market! Thank you, Robert Lee Brewer.

2013 Poet's Market

Here's a list of the 20 poets and their poem titles. Congratulations to all the other poets:
  • Kelli Russell Agodon, "On Some Other Planet We're Newlyweds"
  • Nin Andres, "Ghosts"
  • Pris Campbell, "Sackcloth"
  • Jessie Carty, "The Painter's Pantoum"
  • Sage Cohen, "Dear Fritz Guest House"
  • Iris Jamahl Dunkle, "Photography Lesson, Pt. Reyes"
  • Terri Kirby Erickson, "At the Bowling Alley"
  • Patricia Fargnoli, "When I Re-Read His Letters"
  • Jen Karetnick, "Arrival: A Love Villanelle for Haiti"
  • Jeffrey H. MacLachlan, "Sea Ghost, Fire of the Sea"
  • Susan Laughter Meyers, "Wind Chimes, Minus the Wind"
  • Heather M. Moore Niver, "Flinging the Unsaid into the Surf or Seeing You Again . . . "
  • Shann Palmer, "Occluded"
  • Nancy Posey, "Follow the Leader"
  • Nate Pritts, "Frost at Midmorning"
  • Karen Rigby, "Echolocation"
  • Rebecca Givens Rolland,
  • Linda Simoni-Wastila, "Greetings from Motel 6"
  • Kelli Simpson, "Hands to"
  • Joannie Stangeland, "As a Beginning"
You can go to the Writer's Digest website for more information about this newly released edition of Poet's Market, as well as information for ordering a copy.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Mark Smith-Soto has won this year's James Applewhite Poetry Prize

Congratulations to Mark Smith-Soto, winner of the 2012 James Applewhite Poetry Prize for his poem "Last Retreat to Topsail Beach." The winning poem and those of the finalists will be published in the North Carolina Literary Review (NCLR). Mark's poem was selected by poet James Applewhite from the work of six finalists chosen by NCLR Poetry Editor Jeffrey Franklin. Almost fifty poets submitted to the competition.

Here are the finalists:
  • 2nd place: Laurence G. Avery’s poem “Only Yonaguska”
  • Honorable mention: Grace Cloris Ocasio’s “Little Girlfriend”
  • Other finalists:
    • Richard Betz’s “Picking Blackberries on Yellow Mountain Road” 
    • Samantha Lee Deal’s “North Carolina, This Will Be The Last Poem”
    • Susan Laughter Meyers’s “Banding Hummingbirds” and “Beggar’s-Lice”
NCLR has further details at its website.



Poems published by Poemeleon

Poemeleon: A Journal of Poetry
has just posted its newest issue called The Epistolary Issue, and I'm pleased to have two poems in it: "Dear Heavy Traffic" and "Dear Yellow Speed Bump." There are thirty-five poets whose epistolary poems are published in this issue:
 
Congratulations to these poets and to the editors: Cati Porter, Ren Powell, Maureen Alsop, Tom C. Hunley, Judy Kronenfeld, Charlotte Davidson, and Lalanii Grant.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Cider Press Review Editor's Prize

I'm pleased to announce--no, actually I'm ecstatic--that my manuscript "My Dear, Dear Stagger Grass" will be published by Cider Press Review after winning their inaugural Editor's Prize. The day that Ruth Foley, managing editor of the press, called me with the news I was speechless, stunned with joy. And I'm still celebrating.

Congratulations, too, to the runner-up and honorable mentions:

      Runner-Up:
           Snow White, When No One Was Looking, Donna Prinzmetal

      Honorable Mentions:
           The Green Cup, V. P. Loggins
           The Principle of Flickering, Laura Donnelly
           Planetary Nights, Jeanne J. LeVasseur

My Dear, Dear Stagger Grass will be released in the fall of 2013.

I've followed the recent history of the press and admire so much the work that they're doing, the authors that they are publishing. I had the pleasure of hearing Landon Godfrey, author of Second-Skin Rhinestone-Spangled Nude Souffle Choffon Gown, read last fall; I've enjoyed reading Liz Robbins's Play Button; and I fell for the poetry of Joseph Fasano, author of Fugue for Other Hands, when he won the Rattle Poetry Prize a few years ago. Landon, Liz, and Joseph are all past winners of the Cider Press Book Award.

If you're not familiar with this press, please do check it out:

Cider Press Review website

Finalists for the Cider Press Review Editor's Prize

For the inaugural Cider Press Review Editor's Prize, eight finalists were selected in August from the hundreds of manuscripts submitted. Here is the list, alphabetically, and I'm pleased that my manuscript My Dear, Dear Stagger Grass was included:

     After Jay
     The Green Cup
     My Dear, Dear Stagger Grass
     On the Desire to Levitate
     Planetary Nights
     The Principle of Flickering
     Significant Others
     Snow White, When No One Was Looking


I'm grateful, too, that my manuscript has been a finalist in several other book contests during the three years that I've circulated it. During that time it has also been a semifinalist for The Washington Prize (Word Works) and the Elixir Press Antivenom Poetry Award, as well as a finalist for these:

     The National Poetry Series
     Prairie Schooner Prize in Poetry
     Robert Dana-Anhinga Prize for Poetry
     Cider Press Book Award

Circulating a manuscript is hard work, and I want to thank these presses/contests for their encouragement along the way.



Friday, August 17, 2012

The rewards of working with poets on their manuscripts

Congratulations to North Dakota poet Madelyn Camrud, whose poetry book manuscript was recently accepted for publication. Oddly Beautiful will be released in the fall of 2013. (I'll wait to name the press, so I won't steal its thunder.) I had the pleasure of working with Madelyn this past spring, when she hired me to help with the editing and sequencing of her manuscript. A talented poet, she's the author of This House Is Filled With Cracks, as well as the chapbook The Light We Go After.

Saturday, August 04, 2012

Keep and Give Away -- now on Kindle

My book of poems Keep and Give Away is now on Kindle, good news--and yet news that leaves me with an odd mix of feelings. Joy, of course, for its new life in a different format. But what this news also says to me, in a mocking tone, is that I'm old fashioned. I don't own a Kindle. Or an iPad or any kind of tablet. So it feels as if Keep and Give Away has moved to another planet. 

Yes, this Kindle news is good news. It's also encouragement to catch up--so I can read the electronic version of my own book, so I can visit it on Mars. Somehow, though, I think I'll still prefer holding the old-fashioned print book in my hands, turning one paper page after another. Pure nostalgia--for paper.

Friday, August 03, 2012

Sept. 14-15: Writing, Creativity, and Soul -- Sophia Institute

September 14-15, 2012
Writing, Creativity, and Soul
Sophia Institute
297 East Bay St., Charleston, SC 29401
Mary Alice Monroe, Josephine Humphreys, Debra Moffitt, Stephanie Hunt, Susan Finch Stevens, Susan Laughter Meyers, Nina Bruhns


Be among the unique gathering of writers who will engage in intimate conversations with authors Mary Alice Monroe, Josephine Humphreys, Debra Moffitt, Stephanie Hunt, Nina Bruhns, and poet Susan Finch Stevens about writing, the creative life, and publishing.


Friday Schedule:
Evening session 6:30-8:30: The Writer’s Life: Creativity, Soul, and Survival. Mary Alice Monroe, Debra Moffitt, Josephine Humphreys.  Carolyn Rivers to moderate. Bestselling authors discuss their personal stories in an open fashion.  Topics  include: keys for motivation, sources of inspiration, maintaining a healthy mind and body, overcoming rejection, the muse vs writer's block. Q&A from audience for a very special, intimate discussion.

Books of authors available for sale and autograph. Reception to follow.

Optional: Friday,
2:00-4:00: Debra Moffitt. Master Class. Preparing book proposals and developing platforms $40.
Saturday Schedule:
Morning session - 9:30-11:00: Mary Alice Monroe
Morning session - 11:30-1:00: Josephine Humphreys

Lunch 1-2:30: Catered lunch. Working session: Nina Bruhns,  How to Publish Online.

Afternoon sessions options– 2:30-4:00 with break – focus on genre: Nonfiction and Memoir - Debra Moffitt; Personal essay, blog, nonfiction- Stephanie Hunt; Poetry - Susan Finch Stevens, Susan Laughter Meyers. Methods of Critique, Mary Alice Monroe, Nina Bruhns

Big Conversation - 4:20-5:00: Dialogue with entire group and audience — final questions. Reflections
______________
Authors:
Mary Alice Monroe, NY Times author of 16 novels, including Beach House Memories, The Butterfly's Daughter
Josephine Humphreys, author of NY Times Notable Rich in Love, The Fireman’s Fair,  Dreams of Sleep, Nowhere Else on Earth.
Debra Moffitt, author of Gold Medal award winner Awake in the World.
Stephanie Hunt,  writer and editor published in Charleston Mag, Skirt, HOME, she writes personal essays, profiles features, blogs.
Susan Finch Stevens, author of chapbook Lettered Bones. Her poems appear in publications and invitational book arts exhibitions.
Susan Laughter Meyers,  author of award winning  Keep and Give Away
Nina Bruhns, award winning author of 40 novels and Editor at Entangled Publishing
                         Tuition: $195 by August 20, $225 afterward. 
                         Go to The Sophia Institute for details of workshops and authors.

Reading & discussion held at City Lights Bookstore

On July 19 I had a lovely time reading and discussing poetry at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC. Such a charming bookstore, complete with its two cats. We had a small, delightfully engaging group that circled up and talked about the writing process, as well as how poems affect us as readers. My good friend Pat Riviere-Seel took good care to get me from Asheville to Sylva--such a gorgeous drive!--and after the event we enjoyed spending time with Kay Byer, talented poet and former NC poet laureate.

If you're ever in the vicinity of Sylva, be sure to stop in at City Lights.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Poems published by IthacaLit journal

The summer 2012 issue of IthacaLit features the poetry of Bruce Guernsey, plus the poems of twelve other poets. My poems "Helen of the Ravens" (for my friend Helen Brandenburg) and "Oilcloth of My Childhood" are included. The guest poetry editor for this issue is Diane Lockward. I'm delighted to be in the company of such fine poets. To view the issue, including an interview and art, go to IthacaLit

Poets
Bruce Guernsey * Rachel Abramson Dacus * Ruth Bavetta * K. R. Copeland * George Drew * Michaela A. Gabriel * Bridget Gage-Nelson * Tom C. Hunley * Karla Huston * Susan Johnson * Adele Kenney * Susan Laughter Meyers * Michael Young

Staff
Michele Lesko, founding editor
Sherry O'Keefe, editor
Madeleine Beckman, non-fiction editor
Katerina Stanton, copyeditor and design consultant
Kerry O'Gorman, photographer

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Sunday, Apr. 15. -- Reading in Georgetown, SC

Poetry reading in Georgetown, SC
The Two Susans: Susan Finch Stevens, Susan Laughter Meyers
Sunday, April 15
3 - 4 p.m.
Coffee Break Cafe, 716 Front Street
... Come early to get a latte or pastry to enjoy during the reading.
Reading sponsor: Harborwalk Books

Other Susans--and poetry lovers of any name--are welcome.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

storySouth has published three of my poems

The new issue of the online literary journal storySouth is out, and I'm happy to have three poems in it: "Season of Tourists"; Military Maneuvers, South of Drowning Creek"; and "Passage." Here's a lineup of the poets in Issue 33, Spring 2012:

Special feature: Katie Chaple
Also: Susan Laughter Meyers * Nadine Sabra Meyer * Nathan Friedman * Terri Kirby Erickson * Jenny Z. Wu * John Stanford Owen * Sarah Sweeney * Rebecca Gayle Howell

Congratulations to the editors and staff; many thanks for including my work.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

March 19, 2012: Ed Madden's MFA poetry workshop at USC

Tomorrow Bryan Penberthy and I will be guest teachers in Ed Madden's MFA poetry workshop at the University of South Carolina. We're both looking forward to the experience, meeting with the students while Ed is away in Ireland. We'll read a few poems, talk about our writing process and publication experience, and teach a brief mini-lesson. My mini-lesson will be on "The Usefulness of Silence in a Poem."

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Saturday, Mar. 3 -- Poetry Workshop: The (IL)Logic of Poems

Poetry Workshop: The (IL)Logic of Poems
Saturday, March 3, 2012
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Susan Laughter Meyers, instructor
OLLI at CCU
Waccamaw Higher Education Center
160 Willbrook Blvd.
Pawleys Island, SC 29585
$30
Register at 843-349-6584
or webadvisor.coastal.edu

Most poems veer from linear logic in some way – and are better for it. This workshop will look at the odd, illogical turns that poems often make – with their gaps, leaps, and non sequiturs, as well as their surreal and dreamlike juxtapositions. The class will include discussion, writing activities, and a class packet. Bring an in-progress poem of yours. Within two weeks after the workshop, you have the option of emailing a poem to the instructor for feedback. Lunch can be brought or bought nearby.

Monday, February 06, 2012

Feb. 12 - 16: Ossabaw Island Writers' Retreat

Ossabaw Island Writers' Retreat
February 12 - 16, 2012
Ossabaw Island, near Savannah, GA
Faculty: Craig Johnson, fiction; Sue William Silverman, nonfiction; Susan Laughter Meyers, poetry
Visit the website for further information.

What a beautiful setting for a writers' retreat! The program includes workshops, faculty lectures and readings, student readings, individual conferences, and time for writing and exploring the island.

Poetry workshop at SCCTE Conference, Kiawah Island, SC

Thanks to Hope Spillane for inviting me to teach a poetry workshop for the South Carolina Council of Teachers of English at their annual conference at Kiawah Island, SC, a couple of weekends ago. The workshop was on the morning of January 27, a day that started out rainy but had brightened up by the start of the class; so we pulled back the heavy draperies of the conference room to let the beauty of Kiawah Island be our inspiration. It was a pleasure to work with a room full of teachers eager to talk about and write poetry.

Our topic was "Writing toward a Poem's Mystery." To explore that subject we spent time reading and discussing published poems by poets such as Charles Simic, Kay Ryan, and Thomas Transtromer; and then we tried our hand at a group poem, which we read in a round-robin approach after each participant wrote one line of the poem. An impressive group!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Prime Number Editors' Selections, Vol. 1

A new print anthology of literary work chosen from the online magazine Prime Number has just been released by Press 53: Prime Number Editors' Selections, Vol. 1 -- edited by Cliff Garstang, Valerie Nieman, and Tracy Crow. I'm pleased to have poems included in it.

Contributors:
Nonfiction
by Maris Venia, Stephen J. West, and Faye Rapoport DesPres;
Fiction by Kevin Wilson, Scott Loring Sanders, Susan Tepper, Anne Leigh Parrish, Jon Trobaugh, Richard Wiley, Meagan Ciesla, Dennis Ginoza, Virginia Pye, John Flynn, Dan Moreau, Daniel Meltzer, Linda Stewart-Oaten, Paul Hetzler, and David Meischen;
Poetry by James Harms, Sarah Lindsay, Jake Adam York, Susan Laughter Meyers, Mark Smith-Soto, Lola Haskins, Timothy Black, Robert Hill Long, Theodore Worozbyt, Rachel Hadas, Erica Dawson, Barry Spacks, Ruth Foley, Emilie Lindeman, Catherine Staples, M.A. Schaffner, and William Reichard.

To order: Press 53