Updates - JAY SIZEMORE

New poem published and happy surprise!

This week my poem “Nashville, TN” was published in the August issue of Calliope Magazine. Calliope is a great local magazine run by Robert Olson here in Nashville. It is given out freely to the public. Next month I am the featured poet and they will be showcasing 8 of my poems. I owe a lot of gratitude and appreciation to Robert, who not only nurtures local poets, but helps provide venues for their voices to be heard through open mic night events. Robert does all this despite health concerns of his own that have been a challenge for him financially and personally, so thanks for everything you do, sir. You are something special.

Calliope is in the running for best magazine by the National Poetry Awards. You can vote for them at the link provided.

In other news this week, I found out my poem “Disco Ver(ses) in the key of American Hustle” was nominated for Best of the Net by Change Seven Magazine. Thanks to Sheryl Monks and staff for this honor.

NEW chapbook released and a new venture undertaken:

This week I released my second chapbook of poetry. It’s called Confessions of a Porn Addict. It’s 30 pages of poems dealing with desire, guilt, and human relationships. This collection was initially accepted by another press, but was withdrawn due to a misunderstanding with the contracts. I could not find another publisher to take it, so it becomes the second Crow Hollow Books title. I’m proud of this book and especially love the cover art, generously supplied by Martin de Pasquale.

Since I decided to go this route, I went ahead and plunged head first into another idea I’ve been weighing the pros and cons of for a while now. I got a domain and started the groundwork for Crow Hollow Books to begin publishing other writers. It seems I am capable of making decent books, using Amazon and SPD, and so why not help other writers get work out into the world? I’m also starting a quarterly journal, called Crow Hollow 19. Every quarter I will publish 19 works of bone-splitting poetry, poetry with such honesty it blisters the eyes. Submissions for the quarterly journal open August 1st. Since the theme of the journal revolves around Crows, each issue will be called a Murder. I hope to have a reading period for chapbooks in October. Stay tuned. This train is just getting rolling.

Help me support Tupelo Press!

This month I am participating in Tupelo Press’ 30/30 challenge. I, along with eight other poets, am committing to writing a poem a day for thirty days, in an effort to promote poetry and raise money for a respected press. This is a tough challenge for any writer, to write something worth sharing every day. I hope that you will follow along, and give me your support.

For the month, my concept is to take classic poems and rework them in my own voice. This is a daunting goal by itself. One never knows how people will react to taking classic literature and meddling with sacred texts. I hope people can appreciate my concept.

As an incentive, any person who donates $10 or more and mentions my name, I will send a specially made chapbook of poems to thank them for their support. Spread the word. Tupelo Press is an awesome pillar of the poetry community, and we should help them continue their good work of promoting good work and supporting poets who deserve recognition.

New poem published with Silver Birch Press!

My poem “Five syllables” is live today at Silver Birch Press as part of their “All About My Name” series. I am grateful to have had this opportunity. Many thanks to the editor.

Poetry published with Vending Machine Press!

The new issue of Vending Machine Press contains my poem “Chalk outlines of a future self.” Many thanks to Michael Lafontaine for letting me be a part of the issue. I am thrilled to be included; the issue is full of talent. Check it out and let us hear your thoughts!

Two poems in the new Yellow Chair Review!

Thanks to Sarah Frances Moran for including two of my poems in the Super Hero Issue of Yellow Chair Review. My pieces “The Sniper” and “Captain Beatty as George W. Bush” are included. Check out this promising new magazine and tell them what you think!

New poem at Enclave!

As part of the #finalpoems project undertaken by Entropy/Enclave, I wrote a poem titled “Reduce reuse recycle.” You can find it here. An awesome project that I am happy to have been a part of. My thanks to Janice Lee and the staff at Entropy for making this possible. Browse through some of the work there. I am certain you will find something to take your breath away. Let us know your thoughts!

Poetry up at Snapping Twig!

Snapping Twig has published some of my work. Many thanks to Nic E. Turiano for sharing these poems with the world. You can find three of the pieces they took, here, with two more forthcoming in their Summer Anthology. Among the posted pieces, is my poem “Self-portrait as a Southern Baptist prayer altar,” a very personal piece about my experience growing up in fundamentalist faith and my transition away from it. It’s probably one of my favorite poems I have written to date. If you read it, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, if so inclined.

Spring issue of FRiGG published!

The new Spring edition of FRiGG is out, and it includes five pieces of mine, which you can find here. The pieces published are part of my ongoing social media experiment, where I take inspiration from my facebook feed. I hope you like them. Many thanks to Ellen Parker and Dennis Mahagin for the opportunity. The issue they put together features a lot of stellar work, and I am just lucky to be a part of it. As always, thanks for taking the time to read and comment if you feel so inclined.

New poem up at Philadelphia Review of Books!

Editor John Ebersole has been causing a stir by publishing many poems directly to the Philadelphia Review of Books blog – with a political slant. As part of this project, I submitted a piece, about the Baltimore riots and police brutality, that was published. This has been an interesting and unique experience to watch unfold, and to see everyone’s responses. Many thanks to John for giving this moment a voice, and pulling no punches. You can read my poem here: Guilt.