Literary Revelations is pleased to bring you the poetry of Michael Shoemaker.
BIO
Michael Shoemaker is a poet, writer, and photographer. His writing has appeared in Ancient Paths Literary Journal, Last Leaves Literary Magazine, Front Porch Review, Littoral Magazine, Clayjar Review, the Compass Literary Magazine and elsewhere. His poems are in anthologies at Central Texas Writers Society, Poetica, Poetry Pacific, Pure Slush and Poets’ Choice. He lives in Magna, Utah with his wife, and son where he enjoys looking out on the Great Salt Lake every day. His book of poetry and photography “Rocky Mountain Reflections” which will be published by Poets’ Choice in November 2023.
Clackamas River Tubing
Floating back and forth swinging in the swirling stream sweet sounds in the leaves like the flight of piccolos flickering above the flutes.
Taking the Long Way Back
I trekked out in a flurry beating hot thin dust on the trail burdened with the swiftness of worry and pretense.
On the way back there will be no such error.
I will take time to lean on the old picket fence and stare at the far distance of the mist rising above the hills counting my brothers the quail bolting the trees to lie on the cool damp ground in the meadow tasting the tang of wild raspberries looking up saluting the bottom of daisies listening to the musical consonance of bees that must also breathe in the sweet smell of the graciousness of grasses to sit in playing light and shadow almost like a laugh by the brook with feet immersed in cold brisk liquid- self-transcendence.
You ask me how to live, this is how.
Below Michael’s original photograph that accompanies this poem.
Please note that mid-December Literary Revelations will publish Greenlandos, an excellent book for children written by Virginia Mateias. More about the book here.
Literary Revelations wishes everyone who cerebrates a Happy Halloween.
Telling scary stories is one of the Halloween’s traditions. Today we feature dark fantasy by Spyder Collins.
Trigger warning: Those of you who do not like this genre are advised not to read.
Eve of Elena
Alas, she sings, and with each note, my heart beats. Her warmth washes over me like the rising sun upon freshly fallen snow. She, my love, my soul, and the warmth of Heaven’s grace. Here with me, my dearest.
***
It has been a fortnight since the return of my darling Elena on Forefathers’ Eve—the night of ghosts and ghouls, a child’s play of tricks or treats. It will be a night I will never forget, nor take as play.
You see, a seer portended the fall of my love. She would surrender to consumption, if I did not take precautions. I, a proud and in retrospect foolish man, refused the seer. I had no belief in such craft or any craft I could not physically witness. Carpenters and masonries were crafters. I begrudge the wise who looked at mystics with a believing eye.
Enough of my ignorance. I am so pleased with the necromancer who came to my aid. Her raiment of ancient times and incantation from the tongues of devils brought my Elena home.
I fell into a grave sorrow upon Elena’s passing. The consumption riddled her with pain and dolor. My guilt rode on a trail of snide quips to the doctors who tried to cure her. Their failure was my guilt, and that failure stoked my fury. I would not let them take her after her death. She lay in my bed until her rotted flesh soaked the bed and the stench became unbearable.
As she was placed into the ground, I vowed—silently—that she would return to me. I struggled with courage, belief, and a willingness to sell it all for her. In the end, I did. My eternal life is nothing. I live for today, and this day I want Elena.
On the night of October thirty-first and until the aurora of November first, my immeasurable love would be tested. The necromancer did her due. I won’t go into details of the incantations or the process of removing the dead from their sacred home. It is not something I wish to narrate or relive. Just know you would need to prepare yourself for that unholiest affair.
Elena is here now. Her melodic voice carries the beauty of her soul, though she sings of longing for death, The fey sound haunts each moment of each hour, of each day and night. She never sleeps. My heart sings of joy—madness, perhaps. Her flesh is all but decayed from her bones. Her clothing hangs, as it did in the armoire. Her scent is as I imagine hell will be for me. Sulfuric, biting, and oddly metallic.
She sits before her vanity, as she has done many times. The empty stare at her reflection is unnerving. She’s all but brushed her hair from what remains of her scalp. Her sunken eyes shed tears, I swear it. Impossible, I know, or a product of my growing insanity. One must ask themself if this may be bedlam; it could only be expected.
My gluttony will never wane, no. I fear thralldom has me in its clutches. I wonder what will become of her when I find death’s door. But I’ve no time for such thoughts.
Elena, my love…welcome home.
End
Spyder also wrote a poem for us.
As the gloaming arrives my hopes for my love arise it has been far too long since I have heard her melodic song
Quietus the rogue took her from between my loving arms in my shame I confess, I did not stir to protect my beloved from harm
On the altar on All Hallows’ Eve this incantation I weave to sell my eternal soul to him as my future is quite dim
Evermore on the raven’s wing darkness casts its eternity River Styx endless flames it brings I will drown in Hades’ pitiless sea
I will pay my due, whatever it may be to share another moment, her with me for my undying love is greater than God for I know the truth of His façade
I’ll play that wager for her and I will take my punishment, for her as there is no life, without her this forevermore is for her
VM. Congratulations on your successful start in the art world! Can you tell us about the journey that led you here?
II. I started drawing when I was very young. My parents allowed me to draw on everything: books, post-its, walls… nothing escaped my crayon! I started taking drawing classes at 14, where I was taught in a more traditional approach using large paper pads and an easel. This has given me a good foundation to build my personal style upon and served me well in school while I studied Illustration at Dawson College. I have since done a variety of projects as a self-employed artist, from logos to murals, and everything in between.
VM. Your work has a unique style. How do you incorporate your love for Halloween into your paintings?
II. I’ve loved Halloween since I was young. Every year, my friend and I would spend a lot of time and effort planning and decorating her house for trick-or-treaters. We would make paper maché cauldrons and elaborate cemetery displays in her front yard, complete with zombie hands and legs sticking out of the ground.
While my art doesn’t necessarily always revolve around typical Halloween imagery, I have incorporated the oddities and feeling of eeriness using a more surreal style.
VM. How has your recent success impacted your creative process and inspiration?
II. Much like other artists, I also worry about my art being “good enough” or liked by others. We of course have to cultivate our audience, but in the end people respond to authenticity. The work I’ve done recreating Nalini Malani’s mural at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts reminded me how important it is to do work that is inspiring to us. Malani’s work is much different than mine, but her art and process are nothing if not authentic, and it really reminded me to enjoy and trust the process of creating art.
I was also able to gain more immediate feedback while working in front of the public during Montreal’s Mural Fest. It is a street art festival where, among other activities, artists are commissioned to paint on large wooden boards on the pedestrian-only street. Initially, I had created a design where I tried to cater to what I thought people would want to see at such a festival: something colourful and a much simpler theme revolving around the city. However, I changed my design a few days before the event. Remembering the authenticity in Malani’s art, I simply felt like it didn’t reflect my personality and instead created something that was more in line with my vision as an artist.
VM. What are some of your favorite themes or subjects to paint that relate to Halloween?
II. I very much love the idea of magic and witches. It’s the feeling in the air during the fall season that is charged with the possibility that anything could happen. Even if my subject is still, I want there to be some kind of presence that isn’t explicitly stated. There is a power and control to the concept of magic, which lends itself well to the power and control an artist has over their art.
VM. Are there any specific artists or painters who have influenced your work?
II. I find myself drawn to artists from the Golden Age of Illustration. The first that come to mind is Harry Clarke. I discovered his drawings for an Edgar Allan Poe book titled “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” while researching a project for one of my classes at Dawson College. I immediately loved the texture and detail in his art, and it has since heavily influenced how I approach any ink drawing I do. I also love the beautiful curves in the illustrations of Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha, and I try to incorporate those kinds of shapes in many of my own work. If I had the opportunity, I would love to go back in time and take a look at his studio. It would be fascinating for me to see how he approaches illustrations that are so intricate.
VM. Could you describe a recent project or painting that you are particularly proud of?
II. I was commissioned, along with a friend, to recreate a mural designed by the artist Nalini Malani, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Unlike a lot of murals that are normally done with paint, this one was done using markers and charcoal. We spent two weeks working in front of the public at the museum, and had a multitude of interactions with many who had never seen a mural being created. This experience has been an absolute honour and I will cherish it for the rest of my life.
VM. How do you balance the spooky and playful aspects of Halloween in your art?
II. I find it important to stay away from obvious clichés. There are plenty of images of witches or zombies, so I ask myself what kind of story I want to tell. To me, Halloween is about the strange and unexpected, so I take inspiration from many sources and mix them in my personal cauldron to create something new yet still familiar.
VM. What can your fans and art enthusiasts expect from your upcoming projects, especially in the context of Halloween-themed works?
II. I’ve experimented with many styles in the past years, but some ways of working come more naturally. I love intricate linework done in ink, and while it’s true it takes more time than other drawings I’ve done, I believe the investment is worth it! The style really evokes the look of an old engraved illustration in a grimoire, and I can really immerse myself in the drawing during the time it takes to create it. I intend to follow the path of many of the Golden Age artists who have illustrated books, to soon illustrate my own.
Literary Revelations is proud to bring you the poetry of Michael Parker. I hope you enjoy it. Have a great weekend and “see you soon.”
BIO
Michael Parker’s poems have appeared in PoetsArtists, Moss Trill, Surely As the Sun, Dialogue, New Letters, and elsewhere. His poetry collection Divining the Spirits in the House of the Hush and Hush won the Utah State Poetry Society’s Book of the Year Award in 2021. Michael and family live in Orem, Utah.
WHEN PRAYING
after Mary Oliver
I have a vision in my mind of Jesus kneeling in front of His followers, His knees rooted like a Shepherd’s tree, hundreds of feet underground.
His heart is formidable like a mountain, its purpose etched into the walls of His heart: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done.”
The thoughts of my own mind soar in flight, like a murmuration of starlings flying in the wild season’s breezes under the ethereal foundations of heaven.
I speak words of gratitude gracefully, penitently, as I consider the voice of His disciples admonishing “give thanks in all circumstances,” “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise,” and declare “thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
Then, finally, I listen for the quiet voice in life’s song or in the desert whirlwind startling this life-worn soul awake.
LOVE
watching side-by-side the infinitude of light burst from the iridescent sunset
the marriage of complimenting luminaries kissing under a resplendent blanket of stars
cultivating the garden of another’s soul yielding its fruit together at harvest time
feeling the sparks flying inside our souls like the electricity flowing between two hearts
hearing the words adoration, devotedness, ardency, and confidant
how an investment is a great metaphor for our burgeoning relationship
the encouragement we award one another the charity we impart to a fellow traveler of life
the buoyant meditations and singing bowls which ring out the pure tones of our tenderness
the language of compassion and harvests– beneficent words borne with holiness
and you and I rediscovering one another as we transverse through our own Garden of Eden
Please continue to submit to our anthology Petals of Haiku. Submission guidelines here.
Please note that mid-December we will publish Greenlandos, an excellent book for children written by Virginia Mateias. More about the book here.
I am thrilled, proud, and excited so time to celebrate! Eleven months ago when I started Literary Revelations I secretly hoped that my publishing house would be listed by Doutrope in three or four years. I did not share my hope with anyone. Eleven months after Literary Revelations was born it made to Doutrope. I am happy as a human can be. I will share the links after I set up the profile for the publishing house.
Doutrope is an award-winner resource for writers and artists. As a writer and artist you can use it for a fee. You can access what Doutrope lists as best publishers, editors, journals, and literary agents.
On Sunday Literary Revelations received the following email.
And this is not all. Our upcoming collection Petal of Haiku: An Anthology was added as a resource too.
Please continue to submit to our anthology Petals of Haiku. Submission guidelines here.
Please note that mid-December we will publish Greenlandos, an excellent book for children written by Virginia Mateias. More about the book here.
Enjoy the rest of the week and thank you for submitting to Literary Revelations.
I am thrilled to let you know that Literary Revelations is working hard to bring you an excellent children book written by Virginia Mateias aka Virginia Witch mid-December.
Let’s open the curtains:
Good morning/Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen
Welcome to Greenlandos! In this epic clash of good versus evil, loyalty versus betrayal, and the natural world battling the artificial one, who will triumph?
Meet Belladonna, the enigmatic heroine, as she defends her pristine land. Follow the clever and brave Mandragoras as he unravels a sinister plot to obliterate Greenlandos, while Mr. Pepper falls hopelessly in love with Miss. Cauliflower. What is threatening everyone in Greenlandos?
This gripping tale raises its voice against the rampant use of pesticides, championing a return to a cleaner world. It’s ideal for young adventurers aged 9 and up, as well as for their parents. Greenlandos introduces ecological and moral values through its unforgettable characters and extraordinary escapades.
Greenlandos is a fantastic book. Children and parents will enjoy it alike. Virginia is an outstanding writer. The book is illustrated by Serban Adreescu whose work shines.
For the moment, let’s listen to Virginia
I was five years old when I discovered books. For me books are a magical universe. I started reading long before going to school and my mother was proud I was able to read the newspaper to my father. Boredom prompted me to learn how to read early on. However, I wasn’t bored at all once I started reading books.
On my journey to becoming an author I read a lot, studied literature and drama at the university. I was and I still am a cultural journalist. Yet I believe life itself has been the most effective instructor for me.
I was born in Europe. I left Europe and moved to Canada. Moving to a new country with a new culture has brought about a new perspective and new challenges. I would say that life constantly gives us the opportunities we need in order to evolve. It’s up to us to accept or reject these challenges.
My first book called “The Persistence of Memory” was published in Romania and it was received with much success. The public purchased all the available copies and the book was highly praised by critics. The second book called “In the Shadow of the Angel” was published in Canada in 2019. The poetry I wrote emerged from a soul that has walked along fiery instants and from a mind that never ceased to question existential concepts.
In my opinion, the author and the reader are the opposite sides of the same coin. Writers cannot exist without readers and readers cannot exist without writers. A book is simply a bridge that invites the mind and soul of the two entities to meet.
A book is a chance for the reader to enter a new time frame, to live a new life and learn something new. I would encourage readers to choose books that allow them to dream, to learn what they do not know and to rediscover themselves.
My passion for nature extends beyond my poetry to Greenlandos. I’m an advocate for preserving our environment and stop harming it. Children and animals hold a special place in my heart. Tyger, my cat, being a cherished family member. Lost civilizations have always captivated my curiosity. Traveling with my daughter, Andra Maria, to explore ancient ruins brings me immense joy. I hold life in the highest regard, and it saddens me to witness ongoing conflicts at the dawn of the 21st century. My hope is for human progress and peace.
Announcements:
Please, stay tuned for more news on Greenlandos!
Thank you to everyone who submitted to Petals of Haiku: An Anthology. Please continue to submit by entitling your email only HAIKU SUBMISSION. If you use more words your email will end up in the wrong folder. Those of you who submitted incorrectly please resubmit.
I have big and exciting news about the Literary Revelations Journal and our anthology Petals of Haiku. I am beyond happy and beyond proud. I will share the news with you in an upcoming post.
Literary Revelations is thrilled to bring you the poems of Peter Kaczmarczyk . I hope you enjoy them.
Bio
Peter Kaczmarczyk was raised in New England and has lived the last 30 years in Southern Indiana. He has written poetry his whole life but has only recently been putting them out into the world. His works are inspired by his life, loves, travels, and experiences. Peter strives to create poems that are accessible to all, and hopes that his words will resonate with those who read them. Peter is always surrounded by cats. He has published a chapbook of his work through Alien Buddha Press titled Distant Yet Always Heard as well he was works in numerous journals and anthologies. He is co-creator of the Captain Janeway Statue in Bloomington, Indiana.
Bittersweet
That moving on is bittersweet Tells me it was right To be with her Even as I face the end That I should not regret That all that is left now Is fading memories and growing pain
Bittersweet tells me Had I never loved her So much happiness Would never have been So much that she taught me Never learned That I must leave and begin again Will never diminish All the love All the strength That I still and always will Carry along with me
A Flower Rises
A weed is defined as something that grows Where you don’t want it to be We raise neighborhoods for high-rises Pave farm fields for interchanges All just human capital pushed aside Weeds cleansed from the earth As gardens are turned
Yet sometimes a flower rises From a pile of refuse leaves and debris Resurrected like the body of Christ To demonstrate the resilience Of nature and the human spirit
Thank you to everyone who submitted to our Petals of Haiku: An Anthology. I am humbled by the number of submissions I received. Please continue to submit but do not forget to label your submission email Haiku Submission only. More info here.
Literary Revelations invites you to unleash your poetic prowess and be part of our upcoming poetry collection entitled “Petals of Haiku: An Anthology.” With a cover designed by the brilliant duo of award-winning Japanese artists, Hikari, and her mentor Naoki Kimura, please do not miss the chance to have your words grace the pages of our anthology.
Featured image by Hikari and Naoki Kimura. Note: This is not the image that will be used for the cover design, but it’s a work that those fabulous artists created together and I hope you enjoy it.
Interpret the theme the way you want.
Here are two haiku that I like.
“A Poppy Blooms” by Katsushika Hokusai
I write, erase, rewrite Erase again, and then A poppy blooms.
“The Old Pond” by Matsuo Basho translated into English by Robert Hass
Email your submission at literaryrevelations@pm.me and title your submission HAIKU SUBMISSION. Please note that any other title will land your submission in the wrong email folder, and your submission will not be read.
Do not submit more than 6 haiku. We will select 3 or 4 for publication. For your submission you should use Times New Roman 12, double space.
Submit your name and your haiku in the body of the email. No attachments will be open. No need to submit a bio.
By submitting to the Petals of Haiku: An Anthology you, as a contributor, affirm that you own the rights to your piece(s) submitted and/or accepted for publication by Literary Revelations LLC and give Literary Revelations LLC permission to publish your work.
You attest that you are 18 years or older.
If you commit plagiarism Literary Revelations LLC is discharged from any liabilities.
You retain the right to your work. Literary Revelations LLC retains the right to the anthology, and it remains its exclusive publisher in perpetuity.
Pieces accepted for the anthology may be used by Literary Revelations LLC in whole or in part to promote the anthology. Writers and artists will be appropriately credited in all promotional materials.
Read the About section before submitting. You will find the Terms and Conditions under which we operate there.
Example of submission:
Dear Editor, Name: (please use the exact name you want to appear in the anthology)
Here are my 6 haiku
Haiku 1
Haiku 2
Haiku 3
Haiku 4
Haiku 5
Haiku 6
If you have any questions please leave them in the comments below.
Thank you.
Submissions will close on January 15, 2024. We will let you know when the book will be publish.
Literary Revelations is thrilled to bring you the poetry of Marion Berndt. I hope you enjoy it.
BIO
Marion Berndt was born in 1968 in Oldenburg in Northern Germany. Even as a preschooler, she loved books and dreamed of writing. She always made up stories and wrote as soon as she learned to. At the age of five Marion announced to the family that she would become a teacher and “book writer.”
First she set out on the teacher’s path. After graduating from high school in 1988, Marion studied German, religion and mathematics at the Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg until 1992 to become a teacher at primary and secondary schools. The trainee service in Verden an der Aller followed from 1992-94. Since 1994 she has been teaching at primary schools in the district of Cloppenburg, currently at the GS Halen / Emstek.
Between 2004 and 2008 she completed two distance learning courses at the Axel-Andersson-Akademie in Hamburg parallel to her teaching activity, in order to fulfill her dream of becoming a “book writer”. In 2014 Marion started publishing teaching materials at Persen-Verlag and the GSV.
Since 2020 she also ventures into poetry. Her poetry can be found on her Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts. A few of Marion’s poems can be listened to at Dead Letter Radio Podcast, and she joined the Move Me Poetry community. Her first poetry collection Lockdown Poetry is available since January 2022 at Olympia Publishers London.
Ghostly
An eager emptiness. A ghostly longing covered in a lingering twilight. A fathomless hole of deep intimacy. Heartfelt in the mirror of the untenanted moon. Swallowing star nebula nourish a desperate hope to sink into the roaring silence of a numbing sleep soon…
Timeless
Timeless moment, all masks fall, and the smile is finally real. Even the day gives in, and the truth meets the moon. Sleep beats the fake. Sigh of letting go. Long breaths so deep. Brain loses control. Timeless sinking into a dream. For a long walk the soul is freed…
Literary Revelations is thrilled to invite you to Montreal, Canada, where our wonderful correspondent and writer Virginia Mateias takes you to visit two beautiful art galleries. I hope you enjoy this Sunday feature.
Let’s listen to Virginia:
If you are an art lover, like me, you’d enjoy a stroll through the art galleries of Montreal. Inside the over 225 existing galleries, painters, sculptors, and photographers sell and exhibit their original works. All styles are present: modern art, classical art, naive style, figurative and abstract.
Spending an afternoon in an art gallery means escaping everyday life in the happiest way possible. There are many art galleries in Montreal that deserve our time and interest. I stopped at two less known and I discovered true artistic gems at affordable prices.
Art Gallery Valmi
Located in the fancy Outremont neighborhood, the Valmi Gallery has been operating for 21 years. Unlike other galleries, the prices are accessible to all budgets, starting at $20 for a watercolor greeting card and going up to $15,000 for large oil paintings designed for those who appreciate the classical style.
The owner of the Valmi Gallery is Valeria Gruia. A member signatory of the prestigious Canadian Society of Watercolorists. Valeria comes from a family of artists and had her first exhibition at the age of 11. As a unique feature, the artists who exhibit here pay only 10% of their sales to the gallery, not the usual 50%.
1595 Ave Van Horne, Outremont, Quebec H2V 1L6
Art Gallery BOA
Located in Montreal’s touristic area, Boa Gallery exhibits modern art, contemporary art and pop art from around the world. Thanks to its highly varied offer, you are sure to find interesting new paintings for your home or office. The prices of the paintings range from $1,000 $ to $3,000 $.
Opened in October 2022, the gallery also rents space for events. You will also discover books in the gallery. It was here that art critic Andre Seleanu’s book “Comprendre l’art contemporain” was launched. The gallery’s director and owner is the writer Bob Ore. Passionate about art and literature, he states that one of the gallery’s goals is to promote Quebec art worldwide.
263 Rue de la Commune est, Montréal-Nord, QC, Canada, Quebec
I will close here with the promise that Literary Revelations will be back from Montreal.
Have a great week ahead.
Featured picture: Tour de l’Horloge, Vieux-Port de Montréal, Gabriela Marie Milton
