Tonight, while the judges look over the poems and prose from the past year or so, I'd like to announce the new themes as well as an end to the contests. I've realized that I need to simplify The Song Is.. a bit and focus on themes rather than contests. Thank you to Catfish McDaris, Lynne S. Viti, Michael Oliver, Will Mayo, and Ethan Goffman who have served as judges over the year.
This time around the themes will be a little simpler, too. The first is for poetry and flash fiction inspired by musicians born in the 1950s such as David Byrne, Elvis Costello, DeeDee Bridgewater, Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Jane Bunnett, Poncho Sanchez, Geri Allen, Mike Stern, Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller, Dianne
Reeves, and Marcus Miller. As you can see, there are a number of musicians, some of whom you know and some of whom you don't. The second theme is for poetry and flash fiction inspired by musicians who were active in the 1950s, so this is a good time to send me your poems about Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and so forth.
Poems and flash fiction on other themes are welcome as are previously published works. Just let me know where they have been appeared before.
If you are interested in submitting work, you may send up to five poems or pieces of flash fiction to thesongis@gmail.com.
The theme will be open until October 30. Once the semester starts at the end of August, I may not be posting as often, so please bear with me.
Thanks--and I'm looking forward to reading your work and publishing pieces by writers who have appeared in the Song Is... and by those who are new to this blog-zine.
I'll post some music to start us off.
I don't think I've included Jaco Pastorius' "Liberty City" before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTobemFpDdk&index=8&list=PLyAjytBLG7Cdf7VUZCD7-rmq-WpvjIPIC
Back in the day in Boston I used to go to bassist Bruce Gertz's gigs, so I'll post one of his YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n8BrfoZwcI
My husband and I have seen Dee Dee Bridgewater in concert more than once, so here are a couple of her songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpArofkoVfA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73_Wn5MJuBU
I'll finish with Mulgrew Miller's "Old Folks": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aX39pJ9C3s&list=PLWxw1J_tkboIhgr-_-V1HdVCQYbTCqYTk
Enjoy!
hi marianne is my woodstock oem good or do yu want another . perhaps this is wonderful have a great evening
ReplyDeleterita
Your Woodstock poem is fine. Please feel free to send other poems, too!
DeleteNice. I so agree about keeping it more open ended with less contests. Just too much work! Ha. I say that as an on again off again editor for Eos: The Creative Context.... You need time to write and be too. You are such a fabulous poet Marianne! And so very generous.
ReplyDeleteDid you also say you are open to ecological poems too??
Thanks so much, Bea. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your poems *and* paintings. Yes, I hadn't realized how much work the contests are until I had to judge some of them myself. I hope that the poems will be just as good!
ReplyDelete