2019 Best of the Net Nominations
As the editor of Midnight Lane Boutique, I’m pleased to nominate the following poems for Sundress Publications’ 2019 Best of the Net Anthology. Please, feel free to click on the bold-faced title of each nominated piece, and give ’em all a read . . .
“Wife’s Arrest,” by Kimo Armitage: This first-person narrative expertly balances descriptions of a deeply traumatic event against expression of its lasting impact, often allowing the tale itself to reflect the speaker’s emotional state. With that, readers are taken on a journey where past griefs and regrets are not so much reconciled with future hopes and dreams, but rather form an uneasy truce in lieu of complete closure. A truly fine piece of story telling.
“Ouija Leans In,” by Jeff Bagato: Despite its seemingly supernatural underpinnings, this poem speaks directly to the difficulties of not simply communicating with others, but of sometimes even finding the words to express a complete thought. Not simply a fine example of contemporary absurdism, this poem also illustrates the utility of using the so-called “pathetic fallacy” that many less daring writers would not even think to attempt. And, it does so with both sly humor and rich imagery.
“The Beat,” by Joan Colby: An exquisite piece of elegiac verse, this poem illustrates how a heightened awareness of mortality can ultimately engender a deeper appreciation of beauty in the mundane affairs of the world. And, it does so with truly noteworthy skill, what with its playful alliterations, it well-measured sentences and phrasing, its unusual but always fitting word choices, and its rich yet precise imagery. A beautiful poem!
Just as was the case last year, I’d like to thank Sundress Publications for sponsoring their annual Best of the Net competition. In so doing, they highlight the importance of online publishing and the hard work online editors and publishers do in making the literary arts free to the reading public.
Also, I’d like to just close by noting, though the boutique remains on hiatus, it will likely reopen to submissions at some point in the-not-so-distant-future. ‘Til then . . .
J.L.
In Memoriam
Midnight Lane Boutique is dedicated to the memory of Joe Dunn, actor, impresario, poet, publisher, and friend.
We will meet again
one day, we will
gather at the river
(Paterson perchance)
~Robert Creeley
To hear Joe read Robert Creeley’s poem, “Desultory Days,” click on the picture above.
And, be sure to learn about his important contributions to the San Francisco Renaissance by reading this article about the White Rabbit Press at the glade of theoric ornithic hermetica.
Midnight Lane Boutique 