Tag Archives: Rapunzel

March 12, 2026 · 11:07 am

Updates, a Little Late

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It’s March already. How does this happen? I have great intentions of writing more frequently in my blog, and yet, here it is, March, with this being the first entry. I’ve been trying to overcome ennui or procrastination, but really it’s creative procrastination. I get many things done, just not always the ones I should be working on. I also think I’ve wanted to write about so many things that I froze myself. So here goes.

Intensions for this year will come later, but let’s say if I can start to maintain some regularity of writing here, I hope to feature a poet every month and pay them for one new poem. I’m not there yet. In the meantime, I’m looking back on 2025.

It was a fairly good year, with many highlights. Top was having my fourth poetry collection Vellum Leaves and Lettered Skins published Raw Dog Screaming Press. The cover was done by BC artist Rene Nault. Each poem captures its own moment and imagery, yet the poems also come together to tell the tale of Rapunzel. This is not the Disney version. Rapunzel is a fairy tale that was told in many countries, where her name was also Prunella or Parsiletta, always names of edible plants. She was held in a tower by nuns who were trolls, a witch, and other types of characters. Always, because her mother transgressed into the property to eat of the plant for which she is named, she is given in payment. From compulsion comes the tale.

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She is sequestered in a tower where her only special ability is hair that continues to grow and grow. She knows little of the world until a Prince (of course, always a symbol of power, virility and authority) hears her singing and tricks her into allowing him into her bower. One thing leads to another, and when the witch finds out that Rapunzel is pregnant, she is banished to a desert to survive alone. The prince returns and is tossed from the window to land in thorns that blind him, until he wanders into the desert. Rapunzel cries healing tears into his eyes, and gives birth to twins. Then they live happily ever after. I guess I was attracted to this tale because there is suffering or hardship before ever after happens. I took the story past the happily ever after and progress through Rapunzel’s life.

A variety of my poems and stories were published, with “Eugenics in the Modern Era” in HWA Poetry Showcase XII, “Moon Rising” published in Absynthe and nominated for this year’s Rhysling Award, “Corn God Revival” first published in Journ-E and reprinted in Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction, Vol. 3, and three poems, “Whirlpool,” “generation ship,” and “Small Reveals” were nominated for the Dwarf Stars Award last year.

I’m proud of my poems and there were a few others that I worked over quite a bit. I was a little disappointed they weren’t nominated for a Rhysling but I find sometimes the poem that an author loves best is not the one that others do. “The King in Yellow” was in Weird Fiction Quarterly’s issue of the same name, and it was a highly experimental form to reflect the madness that the king in yellow distills. In On Spec’s issues I had “The Minotaur’s Tale,” and in its last issue “To My Koi Mistress.” The latter was a parody of Andrew Marvell’s poem “To His Coy Mistress” taken to the heights of space. This poem took years to write, working the rhymed verse, and not slavishly copying from the original. “No One Gets Out Alive” is a social commentary on what we do when aliens arrive, knowing each and everyone’s end date. “The Weavers” is a personal favorite in remimagine the Fates.

Many poems were published last year, more than one a week in total. And since it’s starting to look like there’s a regular Hugo Award for poetry, I should list my eligible poems, no? Now, really, it will be a cold day in Christian hell and a hot day in Norse hell before I ever win a Hugo, let alone get nominated, but I can dream right? Any fantasy or SF poem is eligible and horror falls under fantasy if there is a speculative element (or SF as well). So here’s a list of all my poems from last year that are eligible for nomination.

And what the heck, let’s toss in the stories that are elgible too.

Should you be a member who wishes to review my work, and cannot find it online, feel free to drop me a comment, including your email in the message (since WordPress is a bit wonky on the forms), and listing which pieces you’d like to read. I’ll do my best to send them to you.

I was interviewed several times last year but I will save this for later. Two other highlights were that my poem “Giants in Liverpool” is being taught in Introduction to SF Studies by Christina Rau at Nassau Community College. And, at the Rainforest Writers Retreat held by Patrick Swenson every year, I presented a mini workshop on speculative poetry.

Write on!

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