I am the contest chair this year. Send in your poems!

Contest opens July 1. Submission deadline August 15. Winners to be announced by October 1.

Contest Rules: The 2015 SFPA speculative poetry contest is open to all poets, including non-SFPA-members. Prizes will be awarded for best poem in 3 categories: Dwarf (poems 1–10 lines); Short (11–49 lines [prose poems 0–499 words]); Long (50 lines and more [prose 500 words and up]). Line count does not include title or stanza breaks. All sub-genres of speculative poetry allowed in any form. Blind-judged: author identification will be removed before poems are sent to readers or judge.

In each category, a first prize of $100, a second prize of $50, and a third prize of $25 will be awarded. No limit on number of poems; entry fee of $1.00 for SFPA members and $2.00 for non-members per poem can be paid via PayPal to sfpatreasurer@gmail.com. Please indicate name/e-mail under which poems are submitted if different.

Judge: Lesley Wheeler

Submission guidelines:

• Deadline is August 15.
• Unpublished poems only.
• Submissions via web form; link will be posted later in 2015.
• Send as many poems as you like, but an entry fee of $1 member/$2 non-member per poem must be paid via PayPal to sfpatreasurer@gmail.com.

Confirmation of receipt of your submission should follow within 3 days.
Announcement of winners will be posted on the SFPA website.

Prizes: In each category (Dwarf, Short, Long): $100 First Prize, $50 Second Prize, $25 Third Prize. Publication on Poetry Planet (StarShipSofa.com) podcast magazine and on the SFPA website for first through third places.

What a week for the country. (And I realize what a terrible week it has been in many parts of the world.) So much has happened and with getting over jet lag, I kept thinking about what I wanted to write about.

I’m not a Southerner and so many other people have stated opinions on the confederate flag issue eloquently and thoughtfully.

I have health insurance through work but knowing many professional writers without workplace benefits, I was happy that Obamacare had its victory.

As a gay man, I am very happy that the Supreme Court ended gay marriage bans across the country. I don’t have a partner right now, but now I know that marriage is at least an option for me and many of my friends and students.

Now, I know some people of faith are upset about the decision. I have seen many signs of protesters that “God hates fags.” So I wanted to share two stories.

When I was going off to graduate school in Boston, I bought raffle tickets at my Catholic church festival. I was still in the closet then. I got the call late Sunday night, after I was already in bed (I worked early at a summer job then) telling me I had won the main raffle. $2500. This was 1988. That was a lot of money to take with me to Boston (even though it ran out by the end of first semester).

Last summer, I went to the same church festival. The main raffle tickets were too expensive. However, they were raffling a large flat screen tv. I bought three chances for $5. You guessed it. I got the call on Tuesday that I had won the tv. When I went to pick it up, several of the church employees told me they had taken out a lot of chances on the tv. The were envious when I said I had only bought three. And there was a little voice in my head that wanted to say “And my gay porn will look really good on this!” but I refrained. (I sometimes do that though not very often.) So, I really don’t feel like God hates me. After all, I won out over church workers and more regular volunteers.

Of course, nonbelievers will just chalk this up to random chance. That’s fine too. But whatever the cause, if I get married, I have a nice screen to watch the wedding video on.

I’m proud to be a member of Post Mortem Press. Celebrate Pride month by buying a great book!

Well, I made it. Woohoo. I turned 49 this past week and celebrated with friends and family. There were dragon masks and rings and my niece made a cake with the cover of my chapbook on it. It was beautiful.

So what’s the big deal about 49? Why I am writing now and not waiting for next year, the big 50? Well, it’s pretty simple. My father didn’t make it to 49. He died a week before his 49th birthday.

Dad had lymphoma and actually had it eight years before that but he had gone into remission. It came back in 1979. He died in 1980, a week shy of turning 49. I think this has been in the back of my mind as well as my siblings as we approached 49. None of had serious illnesses as we approached that birthday, but still, it was something to think about.

So now, I look forward to turning 50 and having an even bigger party than this year. I hope to celebrate in style for a at least a week. I also plan on living every year and every day trying to be the best person I can and to be happy. Dad always put things off, saying he would do that “x” when he retired and he never got to do that. So, I’m going to. For you dad.

Okay, so a friend of mine (Hi Steve!) did this so I don’t feel bad. 🙂

My short story collection IN LOVE, IN WATER and OTHER STORIES is eligible for the World Fantasy Award. Also, several short stories in the collection are as well. For those who attended the Washington WFC, my story “Postcards from Andros” is on the complimentary jump drive everyone received. It is eligible.

So, if you liked the collection or the story and are eligible to vote, please keep me in mind!

Thanks!

As a Disney stockholder, I’m glad the Avengers has already made a bundle of money this year, because I sincerely doubt Tomorrowland will. Despite George Clooney, this is not a movie that will be considered a classic nor all that popular and word of mouth will probably hurt more than help.

Some Spoilers to follow

The movie’s beginning is awkward. The main characters, Frank Walker and Casey Newton, take turns talking to the audience. It seems really gimmicky and once it finally gets explained at the end of the movie who they are really talking to, it makes no sense. (why do the recruiters need to know any of this?)

The movie has some beautiful scenes but the pacing is slow. It takes a long time to figure out what the plot really is. Then we get killer robot battle and chase scenes.

The movie’s ending is less than subtle. People are rushing towards the end of the world and not doing anything about it because it’s too hard. Casey is the special one who can help fix things. And what special solution does Casey come up with? Let’s blow something up. I don’t mind movies with a message, but it doesn’t have to be a preachy monologue given by the villain. Strong, smart female characters are great, but let her be strong and smart and not rely on a bomb to fix things.

Tomorrowland may win the Memorial Day weekend box office, but I doubt it will be around long.