Bethany Powell

In Harmony With Ghosts

bethany_powell — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:58:14 +0000

New poem out!

Or rather, it was new when it was published some time ago. I updated my bibiography but didn’t make a post.

Like “Kami“, this poem is directly written from experience of temples in Japan when I was living there as a teen. I think it’s great that Strong Verse has published both my semi-paranormal travel poems. It’s technically not a spec verse magazine, but I’ve kinda warped it my way a little…

Meta-Memoir

bethany_powell — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:36:18 +0000

For the year 2013, I have a blog project started–

the posting of my teen journals of moving to Japan, and the following adventures or misadventures.

Of course, 13 y.o. me was hilariously precocious and serious about writing, BUT there is some editing and expansion to be done. So I’m writing a simultaneous commentary, from me, at 26.

Should be full of LoLs, or at least, a lot of pathos. (and bathos. I WAS a teenager.)

Nikki and the B-Sides

SFPA poetry contest

bethany_powell — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:27:00 +0000

My poem “An Herbwife Lives by the Dragons’ Eyrie” was a finalist, but ultimately didn’t place in the SFPA contest. It was fun to enter something like this, and actually place, though! It has a different sort of feeling from getting personalized rejections from markets…

Looking at the lovely poetry that did place, I can see why mine may have been a choice for one of the initial readers and not the judge–the collection of winning poetry has a definite weird sci-fi beauty, a consciousness of the universe.

Go see them!

2012 Science Fiction Poetry Association Contest Winners

Come hear my first fiction!

bethany_powell — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 01:54:02 +0000

well, my first PUBLISHED fiction.

Color Contacts is up at Cast of Wonders podcast, and it sounds lovely!

It’s just a little dash of a story, but it’s so much fun to hear it.

Things you would pack when taken a hostage.

bethany_powell — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:37:32 +0000

Through the Gate‘s first issue has been posted, and it is lovely, lovely!

I am so pleased to have a poem in it.

Things you would pack is one I’ve really liked in that particular shy, fierce way since I wrote it. I feel odd about the recording I made of it (it seems a little dry and commonplace) but how else to read a poem that is meant to be commonplace?

Give it a look, or a listen!

Inkscrawl – Issue 4

bethany_powell — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 20:46:20 +0000

So excited to have my poem “Avoiding the Issue” in this webzine!

They feature speculative poetry of 10 lines or less–as far as I’m concerned, they’ve got it for brief but excellent verse.

In Issue 4 I also really enjoyed “The Mermaid’s Winter Song” by Brittany Warman and “Penny” by Dominik Parisien, though I’m still browsing it.

Advent of an Apocalypse

bethany_powell — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:08:46 +0000

Issue 13 of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is up!

And my poem “Advent of an Apocalypse” is contained therein. This is a poem where I did a major rewrite myself after some editor notes, and had it accepted. That was a cool correspondence, and I’m much happier with it as updated.

Kami – Strong Verse

bethany_powell — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:48:01 +0000

After posting about the poems I’m expecting to come out, the first is actually one I didn’t know when it would appear!

“Kami” is featured on Strong Verse right now.

This poem isn’t speculative–except in allusion.

I wrote this based on a real place I would pass when cutting through the shrine close to my school, a pleasant park-like space in the middle of our city.

I can’t tell you whether this is the little shrine I am remembering (the descriptions are in Chinese, though I can tell that at least it’s in the town I am speaking of) but this image is close enough.

Most shrines (especially those not close to cemeteries) were pleasant places, without much spiritual feeling to their grounds. This one small off-set shrine just had a different ambiance.

Future Appearances Round-Up

bethany_powell — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:15:56 +0000

A couple of magazines have finalized issues and told me when the piece they bought is coming out, so I’m doing a bit of a Coming Soon feature, today!

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly took my poem “Advent of an Apocalypse” for their July issue, so it should be up the first of the month! This is a more formal poem in style and subject, but hopefully it’ll be a nice companion to their other poem and stories.

inkscrawl has also filled their issue and will be putting it up in July! I’m so excited to see the other poems, since this poetry magazine has a neat sensibility I really enjoy. And since they took my kappa-included “Avoiding the Issue”, I’m even more intrigued what the

Through The Gate also let me know they hope to be putting up the first issue in August, though it’s not a done deal. I’m almost as excited to see this new magazine as I am to see the latest issue from inkscrawl, intrigued by their choice of “Things you would pack when taken hostage.” and curious what other pieces it will be mixing with.

Exciting!

Trying New Thangs.

bethany_powell — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:40:17 +0000

I sent a poem off to a fledgling market (one first) because I sold a poem to a different magazine started by the same editor, and thought “You know, it would be cool to be in the first issue of something!”

Through The Gate hopes to launch in August, and when it does, will be publishing my poem “Things you would pack when taken hostage.”

Which is cool and fabulous. The new thing most interesting, though, was actually step two–editor Mitchell Hart asked if I could do a recording of the poem.

I’ve recorded lots of music, vocal tracks, so I know how I want to approach things, but I haven’t practiced doing readings.

How does one read free verse? Especially when it’s a pragmatic, unflowery poem… I’m hoping it sounds fun!