ARYA'S WRITING & READING BLOG

What a shock a while back coming upon The Indianapolis Review's call for poems based on the zodiac. What!? Were they serious, I wondered. I'm a poet and writer, but my interest in astrology--I've had an on and off relationship with it since my teens--has never been something I ever let into my writing.  I was definitely curious about a "serious" magazine taking a leap into this nebulous, dubious arena. So I went for it and submitted three poems that toy with the idea of astrology while paying tribute to it. Two were chosen: "Done" and "Conditions," and they are featured in the current special Issue 30 of IR.  What a creative and original task the editor set upon herself. The results are visually stunning and intellectually intriguing.  Check out Natalie Solmer's gorgeous "Zodiac Collages," for example. (A snapshot of it is below).  The issue, which features zodiacal poetry, art and interviews with the "star" poets whose

I'm not sure what the longterm impact of AI in our lives will be, but as someone who dabbles in all the arts and considers herself a writer, I'm alarmed at the possibilities. For now, most notable literary publications warn those seeking to have their writing featured in their pages not to submit AI-generated work. For now the tone is offended, defensive. For now. But of course, with enough presence and repetition, even the unimaginable tends to creep into our lives. A former classmate who writes scientific articles claims AI is really helpful with first drafts. I imagine it could be. But as regards art, the role of AI is dubious at best. Personally, I'm not aware of having read any AI generated fiction, although of course it's possible, given that it's already so much a part of our lives, and has been, even before many of us realized it, I am told. A well-known poet on my Facebook page posted an AI-generated poem written in her style. The AI version was ridiculousl

Was thrilled and honored to receive news today that my prose poem, "With Dylan in Ithaca," has been nominated by The Mackinaw for the Best of the Net Awards Anthology. That prose poem, along with four others of mine, was included in a recent issue of The Mackinaw, a journal which specializes in publishing prose poetry.  "With Dylan in Ithaca" very much relates to the characters and events of my second short story, "Soliloquy," published in Blue Songs in An Open Key , my collection of jazz-inspired short stories, which is featured in the background of the image below. The other two covers in the image are of a couple of my poetry chapbooks. Here again is the link to my prose poems in The Mackinaw, which include "With Dylan in Ithaca," the fourth on the page.   https://www.themackinaw.net/arya-f-jenkins.html I am supremely stoked by this good news about my prose poem today.                                                                            

My #flash fiction, "The Fire-Starter," is being featured today in The Bookends Review. It's a timely political allegory.  I wrote "The Fire-Starter" during the pandemic, when the former president was making ridiculous claims regarding the reason for wildfires in California, and put this flash away after a few unsuccessful forays into the publishing arena. After coming across it in my archives last year and acknowledging, sadly, my characterization still applied, I did a quick review and re-submitted "The Fire-Starter" to a couple of journals. The Bookends Review was the first to accept it last August. Please vote Blue this coming election unless you want someone leading the country who is likely to take away most of our rights, including the right to vote, and who aims to convert our democracy into a dictatorship.  Vote as if your life depends on it. 🌊🌊🌊                                                                                                 

  So pleased to have five prose poems included in the fourth issue of The Mackinaw, a journal of prose poetry, alongside the fine work of authors Mikki Aronoff, Jacob Lee Bachinger, Miriam Bat-Ami, Suzanna C. DeBaca, Dominique Hecq, Bob Heman, Norbert Hirschhorn, Cindy Hochman, Karen Neuberg, Simon Parker, Mark Simpson and Jonathan Jungkans. The issue went live today, July 15th. The journal, which is beautifully curated, was founded by Lorette C. Luzajic, an artist and writer who is the editor of The Ekphrastic Review, and has featured astonishing works in all the The Mackinaw's issues since its inception. The objective of the The Mackinaw is "to celebrate prose poetry," so if you are a poet/writer working in this genre, I urge you to send your best to this journal. https://www.themackinaw.net/arya-f-jenkins.html                 Artwork by Arya F. Jenkins 

My flash, "A Country Called Boupha," which was inspired by a New Year's day online article, is featured today in Dumbo Press, a new and exciting NY-based zine and press:  https://www.dumbopress.com/flash/20                     Arya F. Jenkins Photo