"Among the Briars"

My original intent was to write this idea as a story. I even have a half-finished draft, 2500 words written in two stints separated by years; the problem was, I didn't know where to go with it. I had a neat concept and no actual plot.

Which is why, when I began writing poetry, this was one of the first ideas to pipe up and say "maybe I'll work better in that medium?" It was also my first foray into writing a villanelle, a form that people often find daunting because of its repeated lines . . . but in this case that dovetailed perfectly with the material, because it's a poem about one would-be hero after another dying amid the brambles surrounding Sleeping Beauty's castle.

It has found a home at The Rialto Books Review -- my first sale to a literary market, and my first print poetry publication! It appeared in issue #27, which you can buy here.

(originally posted at Swan Tower: https://is.gd/cLyhZH)

Hugos 2025!

I went for a hike this afternoon so I wouldn't just spend the entire middle of the day haunting social media -- but as some of you have now seen elseweb, I am once again a finalist for the Hugo Awards!

. . . in the category of Best Poem!

If your reaction to that news is "wait, you're a finalist for Best Poem?" -- no, you didn't miss a category in previous years. Every Worldcon has the right to pick a Special Award; Seattle chose poetry. It's possible this might become a regular thing in future years, as happened with Best Series, especially since the Nebulas have instituted that as a new category. But for now, it's a Special Award.

If your reaction to that news is "wait, you're a finalist for Best Poem?" -- trust me, I was as surprised as you are! I only started writing poetry in 2021, and at the time of this posting, I have a whopping six such publications to my name; my nominated poem ("A War of Words") was my fourth. So yeah, this is almost as new to me as it is to the Hugos, and I'm still a little croggled.

(And also amused that I have boomeranged from what is generally going to be the longest single category -- Best Series -- to what is generally going to be the shortest -- Best Poem.)

I am in splendid company, and there's something particularly cool about being part of this unique (or, dare we hope, inaugural?) cohort. I can't wait to sit down and read all the finalist poems!