break. blog. burn.

Astropoetica 8.1: Spring 2010

Emily — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:47:48 +0000

Astropoetica: Mapping the Stars through Poetry celebrates Global Astronomy Month with the launch of its spring issue, featuring:

Starfruit, by J. C. Runolfson
Comet Girl, by Claudine R. Moreau
The Moon and Venus, by Jim Culleny
Volcanoes on Io, by Melissa Frederick
Like Craters, by Stephanie Suhr
Deep Solar Minimum Blues, by Ann K. Schwader
Eros, by Melissa Frederick
Lithopedion, by Robert Borski
Dark River to Antares, by Stefanie Maclin
Heliopause, by Raul Garcia
The Reform of the Calendar, by Maryann Corbett
Orbit, by Jen D. Clark
Chant, by Raul Garcia
Total Lunar Eclipse, by Elissa Malcohn
Dying Butterfly, by Ann K. Schwader
The Crab Nebula, by Albert Melear
Not in Our Stars, by Maryann Corbett
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, by Stephen Lefebure
The Eighty-Eight, by Claire Webber
A Conclusion after the International Year of Astronomy 2009, by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

Submissions Update

Emily — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:38:12 +0000

I have now responded to all submissions received prior to April 9, 2010. If you have not heard from me, please feel free to query.

Astropoetica 7.3: Fall 2009

Emily — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:34:49 +0000

Astropoetica: Mapping the Stars through Poetry celebrates the International Year of Astronomy with the release of its fall issue, featuring:

Duet for Leviathan and Glass, by Mary Alexandra Agner
Constellations, by Jim Culleny
Looking for the Comet Halley, by Barbara Crooker
Beyond These Thin Apartment Walls, by Emily K. Bright
Apparition, by Mary Alexandra Agner
When the Seeing is Good, by Shelly Bryant
Myth Of Aether, by Claudine R. Moreau
Dissolution of the Moon, by Rae Pater
River: 18, by Jeff Streeby
Missing A Comet, by Meg Smith
A Dark Matter, by Kath Abela Wilson
A Letter to the Moon, by F.J. Bergmann
Blue Hand, by G. O. Clark
Haystack Observatory, by Meg Smith
Mother of the Moon, by Dan Mitrut
Tilt Your Satellite Dishes, by Claudine R. Moreau
Observatory, by John Colvin
Black Hole Theorem: ‘The Great Alexander’, by Dave Shortt
Dumbbell Nebula, by Tree Riesener
Astro-Memorial, by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

This issue is dedicated to the memory of Steliana Gheorghe, mother of longtime Astropoetica contributor Andrei Dorian Gheorghe. She was a dear friend of astropoetry and left us much too soon.

The Doors of the Body

Emily — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:03:22 +0000

One of my poetry professors often urged us to enjoy a leisurely après-midi de poésie, to step away from our own manuscripts and read, read, read what our contemporaries were publishing. As a student, I found it easy to take this advice, to curl up in the library for hours with a stack of journals, to scribble down thoughts and impressions, to breathe it all in. Inspired, provoked, or bored, I found it all so instructive and rejuvenating.

Of course, now, with so many demands and a gravity-defying toddler in the mix, I find it harder and harder to carve out those quiet afternoons of poetry. Working on Astropoetica is still rewarding and exciting, but it is structured, subject-specific reading, and the process of accepting and rejecting can hardly be described as leisurely. Now more than I ever I find those stolen hours for pure pleasure reading more and more precious.

Most recently I have been delighting in Mary Alexander Agner’s new collection, The Doors of the Body (Mayapple Press, ISBN 978-0932412-799). I admit upfront I am more fangirl than reviewer, so forgive me if I gush. Agner is deft of craft and fierce in voice. In The Doors of the Body, she gives fangs and heat and agency to the women of myth and fairy tale. A few of the included poems can be sampled on online, such as “Wear the Lighting” in Goblin Fruit, and “Sleeping Beauty” in Strange Horizons. Such delicious work! Check it out!

I have had the great joy of publishing Agner’s work in previous issues of Astropoetica, and two of her poems will be appearing in our next. I hope she can be persuaded someday to release a chapbook of her science-based poetry, because it too is absolutely divine.

One Man’s Cannibalism

Emily — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:48:21 +0000

I enjoyed the AP story “No Strain for Andromeda: Galaxy Is Cosmic Cannibal” about M31’s savage treatment of dwarf galaxies unfortunate enough to cross its path. If you have access to Nature you can read the nitty gritty here; otherwise, I recommend a peek at the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey’s images and a trip to Astropoetica’s archives to read Greg Beatty’s fabulous “One Man’s Cannibalism.“

Astropoetica 7.2: Summer 2009

Emily — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:34:54 +0000

Astropoetica: Mapping the Stars through Poetry is pleased to announce the launch of its summer issue, featuring:

Under the Geography of Heaven, by Taylor Graham
Gardening Space, by F.J. Bergman
Astronomy in the Dark, by Taylor Graham
The Names of Distant Stars, by Kendall Evans
Birds and stars, by P.S. Cottier
Constellation, by John Mirisola
Moonsong, by Rae Pater
The Surface of Venus, by Geoffrey A. Landis
Force Fields IV, by F.J. Bergman
Losing Weight, by Tim Jones
Fireflies, by Geoffrey A. Landis
Absolute Zero, by Neil Ellman
Comet, by John Bennett
The Strange Attractor, by S. A. Kelly
The many lives of stars, by P.S. Cottier
The Blue of Neptune, by Meg Smith
The Arecibo Message, by Dave Shortt
The Yap is Forbidden in the Heavens, by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
The Moon, Again, by Mary Cresswell
Magician on a Bed of Stars, by Dan Mitrut

Happy Moon Day!

Emily — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:40:29 +0000

Image Credit: NASA

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, Astropoetica invites you to enjoy these lunar gems from our past issues:

July ‘69, by Tim Myers
Inconstant, by J. C. Runolfson
The Moon, by C. John Holcombe
There Are No Imagists on the Moon, by Greg Beatty
Apogee, by Jennifer G. Cuthbertson

More poems about the moon can be found in our archives.

Astronomical Poetry for Mother’s Day

Emily — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:11:10 +0000

In honor of Mother’s Day, I would like to share Greg Beatty’s poem HD179949 (for Mother’s Day) from Astropoetica’s Spring 2006 issue.

I love you, Mom.

Astropoetica now on Facebook

Emily — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:32:40 +0000

Astropoetica now has a page on Facebook. Become a fan to receive updates on new issues, events, and submission windows.

There, where the previous issue begins

Emily — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:13:19 +0000

I was happy to learn recently that Terrie Leigh Relf’s poem “There, where the universe begins” published in Astropoetica V. 6.2 has been nominated for the 2009 Rhysling Award.

Congratulations, Terrie, and good luck to you and all of your fellow nominees!