04/01/13

Health issues have kept me off my website since last Fall. I am happy to say that I am finally improving and will be able to get back into both my literary and art fields and my website! Thanks to all who helped and encouraged me as I went through all this.

My Literary News

I will be participating in a group reading at Grassroots Books in Corvallis on April 27th, at 2pm - for more information, see their website www.grassrootsbookstore.com.

I am very pleased to announce the release of my 47-page book of garden poetry called Glimpses of a Garden - available at Lulu:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/catherinemcguire

I have been asked to gather some of my nature and garden poems, and have finally done so, with a "sprinkling of chickens" of course, since they are dear to my heart. And this is especially sweet because I really haven't had much chance to write over the summer, with just too many yard and food preserving tasks to complete. As the rains set in, I might get more writing done (fingers crossed!)

Meanwhile, I have really been enjoying giving readings from my Palimpsests chapbook. The first, at Tsunami Books in Eugene, OR, sort of passed in a blur, but here's what one person wrote:

    http://www.nancycarolmoody.com/1/post/2012/03/guts-not-blood.html

The Lake Oswego reading at Moonstruck Chocolates was small but very nice. The reading in Portland at Eat Art Theater gave me a chance to re-connect both with the series moderators, Duane and Patti, and also with Portland friends that I don't get to see enough. The reading in Eugene at the Central Library's Windfall Reading Series was a full half hour's reading - which felt very long to be hearing the sound of my own voice. :-} Despite my nervousness, this is really fun. The reading with fellow poets Laura LeHew and Sharon Munson at Grassroots Books in Corvallis on July 14th was attended by a surprising number of out of towners.

My poem "Lucky Frog" won the Seven Circle Poetry Contest! The poem and the interview is now on their website http://www.sevencirclepress.com/. I recommend checking it out - lots of good poetry and essays there!

As you can tell from the above, my first official chapbook Palimpsests is out. I was very happy to be able to do the cover artwork as well. Check the UC website (www.utteredchaos.org) for more information and for their interview with me.

Uttered Chaos

PO Box 50638

My Art and Craft News

My etsy site is going strong again --  www.cathymcguire.etsy.com  I am trying to put new items up at least once per week. I"m also exploring the possibility of printing and selling my kaleidoscopes, photos and other on fabric, and even gift wrap! Check it out below:

All images and text on this site copyright Catherine McGuire. No reproduction or use without permission.

2012: I have had poems accepted by Green Silk, Poecology, The Ann Arbor Review, Big River Poetry Review, Trillium, The Aurorean, a local New Year's contest, and the wonderful Seven Circle contest. I had a wonderful series of acceptances by Women's Voices for Change, and Also a short story was accepted for a science fiction anthology (more on that later). Not bad for a year where I barely had time to send anything out!

2011: Recent poetry acceptances include: Menopause Press (3), Blue Earth Review, Memoir (And), New Verse News, and GrassRoots Books e-zine.

I was honored when my poem about the Japanese crisis was accepted and posted on New Verse News, on March 15th, and they also published "Kirk Turns Eighty", a fun poem.  Other 2011 acceptances: Blue Lotus, Pacific Review, and BirdsEye Review.

My total acceptances for 2010 was 45. I've been busy getting a couple of book length and chapbook length manuscripts off to contests, and putting together a fun chapbook of poems about and illustrations of my chickens. The two latest poems online are at Untitled Country: Afternimage, a ternzanelle and Unobtainium.  I have now had more than 176 poem acceptances, another milestone for me (I'm pushing hard for 200!) This year I am in Nibble, Avocet (that's five in two years there),   Sketchbook, Dark Mountain and  Grey Sparrow Press, which shares an issue with the headliner, Maxine Kumin. Such heady company! Currently you can see my poems online (archived) at New Verse News, The Enchanted Conversation, and FutureCycle.

I have had wonderful opportunities to read and/or teach in 2010. This summer, I read poetry in Portland for Taddle Creek and in Lake Oswego for Joan Maiers monthly gathering.  I was honored to be a featured reader at the William Stafford birthday celebration in Corvallis in January (Benton Country library). I taught the class "Ready,Set, Submit!" at the Fooling With Words all-day event at LBCC in April and in May, I gave a one-hour workshop on poetry, alchemy & mythology for NW Poet's Concord in Newport.  I have also taken on (again) the webmaster job for Oregon State Poetry Association.

2009: I am happy to say I had 52 acceptances this year! Some are in print, and some online. You can find my poems online at melusine, The Road Not Taken, MReview, The Smoking Poet (archives),  and FutureCycle. I have poetry in two recent anthologies: three in The Quizzical Chair (available from Laura LeHew's uttered chaos press, and one in the Tuesday anthology (thanks to the Tuesday group for letting me be a guest!) and have won several prizes in state contests around the country.

My work, both art and writing, comes from my journey in the world, my sense of playfulness and my appreciation of nature and the mystery of life. It also comes from the dark nights; the losses and the lost times... forever striving to understand what it means to live.

I am available in the Oregon Willamette Valley or via internet to assist your writing or creative project; email me at cathy[at]cathymcguire[dot]com for more information.