Cafe in the Woods

This year seems to be the year of publishing poetry. I got two new poems out, and how fitting that both are released this week during Worldcon!
The first, "I Will Keep the Color of Your Eyes When No Other in the World Remembers Your Name" can now be read for free in issue 8 of Stone Telling magazine (you can listen to me reading it, too!). Arguably, this is the loooongest title I've ever had of any story. It's one of my favorite lines from "The Last Unicorn", spoken by the tree ensorcelled to life by Schmendrick. I wanted to see what that scene looked like in a science fiction setting, so this prose poem came out. There's a very interesting story behind this poem which I don't have time to relate right now, but if you're at Worldcon, ask me about it and I'll tell you.
I'm joined by a stellar group of poets: Amal El-Mohtar, Sofia Samatar, Alex Dally McFarlane, Julia Rios...in fact, just check out the entire issue. It's deep, dark, and at times a little disturbing, but also thought-provoking. I'm honored to be included with them.

* * *

My other poem is no secret if you've been keeping tabs on Facebook and Twitter. "All This Pure Light Leaking In" will be appearing in the anthology Dark Faith: Invocations, set to debut at Worldcon this week (Update:Just received word that it won’t be released at Worldcon after all. Publisher is running ten days behind schedule. It will be orderable through Apex website). The poem is an answer to the question, "As a Christian, what scares me the most about my faith?"
This highly anticipated sequel to the first anthology repeats the exploration of faith through a horror lens. And man, what a lineup! Jay Lake, Lavie Tidhar, Tim Pratt, Mike Resnick, K. Tempest Bradford, Nisi Shawl. To tell the truth, I'm a bit intimidated to be included here, but also deeply honored!

You can pre-order Dark Faith of the Apex's website before they unveil it at Worldcon, and if you use the code "DFWanak", you get 10% off the cover price! That's right, I have my very own discount code. Eeee!!!

( UPDATE: And as stated above, copies won’t be sold at Worldcon, but in about ten days, you’ll be able to order it off the website, and they’re offering free shipping. Plus, you can buy Dark Faith 1 and 2 for $25.)

***

Feels like I need to end on the Willow novel note. As of today, 1/3 of Willow has been fully edited with the word count at 50,000. I had made a vow earlier in the year saying that I wanted the book to be completed edited by the time Worldcon rolled around, but it didn't work out that way. However, I'm not depressed that I missed my goal.
When I started the re-re-re-reedits of Willow back in March, I wanted something to toot if an agent or publisher asked me about it at Worldcon. Granted, first I need to work on actually making those contacts, but for the first time, I feel like I'm at a really good place that I actually can give a good pitch. And though the story edits aren't finished, I am comfortable enough with the first 50 pages that if someone asks me to send it in, I can.
As for the edits themselves, I'm feeling very good about them. Not doing much adding, but more cutting out what I don't need. And as I cut, the easier to see what needs revamping and what can stay as is. I'm feeling optimistic. I just need to keep plugging away.
So Worldcon is going to be a huge networking deal for me. If you're the praying sort, pray that I'll be able to make good contacts and not make an idiot of myself. And, if you're coming to Worldcon, I would love to say hi!