Update 08/03/2020: Spectral Realms #13 now available!

Hippocampus Press has added Spectral Realms #13 to their roster of new releases and it is ready to order at http://www.hippocampuspress.com/journals/spectral-realms/spectral-realms-no.-13 The cover design by Dan Sauer is eye-catching, as usual, and here is the blurb:

This thirteenth issue of Spectral Realms once again features many of the leading poets of our era—Richard L. Tierney, Ann K. Schwader, Adam Bolivar, Frank Coffman, Wade German, Leigh Blackmore, and K. A. Opperman. Several writers better known for their fiction—Darrell Schweitzer, Nicole Cushing, David Barker, Curtis M. Lawson, and Don Webb—contribute poetry of metrical precision and terrifying potency.

Scott J. Couturier evokes the shade of William Hope Hodgson in “Amongst the Sargasso,” while Adele Gardner writes an acrostic dedicated to Poe in “Nevermore.” Among our prose poets, Maxwell I. Gold again stands out in his signature issue—the mingling of weirdness and technology. Manuel Pérez-Campos’s “After Verdun” evokes the horrors of war.

Spectral Realms is now attracting an international cast of contributors. From Singapore, Christina Sng has long graced our pages, and here she is joined by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa from Vietnam, Andrey Pissantchev from Russia, and Tatiana Strange from Germany.

The classic reprints feature poems by two colleagues of H. P. Lovecraft, R. H. Barlow and Arthur Goodenough. Donald Sidney-Fryer supplies an extensive review of David E. Schultz’s landmark edition of the work of Leah Bodine Drake.

Unfortunately, I don’t get a mention this time, but that’s not surprising, as my contributions to this issue are all verse, no prose, and there are so many great poets in this issue, that cannot mention them all. My Bantam Black Fay gets a re-write for this issue, and my poems Hell-Flower and Moribond (respectively) make their publication debut in this issue.

Dan Sauer’s cover art for Spectral Realms #13.

Update 07/21/2020: Writing, submittting, and waiting…

Well, after the confirmation from Spectral Realms, I have not heard about any of my other pending submissions. Upon reflection, I am beginning to think that my Burning Ember Mission of Helldorado may not be specifically Lovecraftian enough for the anthology I submitted it to, but I am still curious to see what they have to say about it, if anything. Also awaiting confirmation is Errant Jenny, my dark fairy story.

I have some accepted pieces that are still in publication limbo, most significantly my story Rosaire, Master of Wolves, which I may just send somewhere else, as it has been well over a year since it was accepted for a publication which has never seen the light of day, as far as I am aware. I need to contact the editor and see if it is going to happen or not, so I might send it elsewhere. Spectral Realms #13, which should be out most likely in the latter half of August, will contain three of my poems: My Bantam Black Fay (revised), Hell-Flower, and Moribond. Around the same time my take on the origin story of Bloody Mary, The Hell of Mirrors, shall appear in the debut issue of the journal Penumbra, from Hippocampus Press. I am not sure when the Joseph S. Pulver Sr. tribute, Nightmares in Yellow will be coming out, although I believe Duane Pesice is working on it presently. My story, Yellow Tale will be appearing in volume 1 of that set, if I am not mistaken.

I am currently bouncing between a few different writing projects. I am mostly focusing on my Dark Red House story, about a creepy house with an even creepier tenant. I also have revived my interest in my sequel to The Burning Ember Mission… which is called Helldorado-Mouth, but that may require some research before continuing writing in earnest. I also have gotten some new ideas for my Morbidezza sequel, which would be part 4 in the series. I am not placing any length restrictions on what I write for that one, so it may not end up as a submission for Spectral Realms.

I also really want to write a story for an idea I got from a writing challenge my buddy Zach sent me, but that is definitely on the back burner for now.

Update 07/29/2020:

Forgot to mention Speculations 2 is due any day now, I think. It shall contain a reprint of my poem The Baleful Beldam.

 

Update 03/13/2020: Moribond accepted for Spectral Realms #13

Last night I received confirmation from S.T. Joshi that my poem Moribond has been accepted for inclusion in Spectral Realms #13, where it will join My Bantam Black Fay, and Hell-Flower, respectively. After so many prose poems, it’s nice to be able to offer some verse again. Admittedly, I would not have been able to accomplish this without the help and guidance from my colleagues Ms. Chelsea Arrington, and Frank Coffman, who both commented on my work in progress. Mr. Coffman in particular gave me useful advice on how I might improve on Moribond. I am grateful to them both.

Note: the character of Moribond also made an appearance in my tribute to Clark Ashton Smith, The Fell Fête, which can be found in the anthology The Averoigne Legacy from Pickman’s Press.

Update 10/26/2019: Revised poem to appear in Spectral Realms #13

Well, I just got a confirmation email from S.T. Joshi that the revised version of My Bantam Black Fay shall be published in the subsequent issue of Spectral Realms. Issue #12 is next and that shall contain my prose poems Kiss of Life and Satanic Sonata. The poem shall appear in the following issue, #13, which I think is appropriate considering the content.

Update 10/21/2019: My Bantam Black Fay, revised

After my disappointment with the way My Bantam Black Fay faired in Speculations, I have decided to give it another go, but this time with Spectral Realms. This gave me the chance to deal with a line that never really sat well with me. I believe the new wording flows better, but it remains to be seen what S.T. Joshi thinks of it. I sent it to him a couple of days ago, so hopefully I’ll have an answer from him by next weekend, if he gets a chance to look at it. He’s pretty good at getting back to one in a reasonable timeframe, but this time of year is a busy one in the world of Speculative fiction, so he may have other obligations. I’ll keep you all posted as things develop.

Update 10/18/2019: Performance Poetry, chapbooks and formatting issues

It has been a while since my last update and so much has happened, and yet nothing has happened. For starters, I finally got my contributor copies of both Speculations and The Phantasmagorical Promenade.

Requisite author pic with my contributor copy of The Phantasmagorical Promenade.

The latter is a sweet collection of ghostly poems and stories edited by Duane Pesice for Planet X Publications. The sublime front cover and interior art is by Mutartis Boswell, the back cover is by Lucy Alvarado. I immediately read the pieces by my friends and acquaintances, which were great, then I moved on to the other offerings. Everything I read was entertaining and I even enjoyed the few bits I have read so far from the authors and poets who were unknown to me. Granted, nothing here is going to give M.R. James a run for his money, but it was all interesting if not straight up spooky fun. I was pleased to find that my personal anecdote, Night Hag, was accompanied by one of Mr. Boswell’s striking skull face illustrations.

Me and my contributor copy Speculations 2018.

Speculations, edited by Frank Coffman for Mind’s Eye Publications, is a slimmer book than The Phantasmagorical Promenade, although it has about as many contributors, most likely the difference in size owing to the difference in content, the former featuring short stories which take up more pages. The cover art as well as the interior artwork are by David M. Hoenig. This collection features work by some of the members of the Weird Poets Society, of which I am a member. I read poems by Frank Coffman and Scott J. Couturier, both of which I enjoyed. Mr. Couturier had shared his poem The Lich-Queen with me some time ago, and it was a pleasure to reacquaint myself with it.

The few other poems I read didn’t move me much and overall the calibre of the remaining work did not seem to be on par with what I am used to in Spectral Realms. I was also upset that despite having gone over it online with the person in charge of the visual aspect of the book, whose name escapes me, my poem My Bantam Black Fay, which opens the book, has formatting issues that messed up the line breaks of about half of the poem. I have since decided to clean it up and submit it to S.T. Joshi at Spectral Realms to see if I can get it printed properly.

In other news, Morbidezza & Other Denizens of the Dark is just about ready for the printers. I am only waiting for Denisse to set up the Table of Contents and complete the cover art. It may take some time to scrape up the money for the printer, but hopefully it will be finished before the end of 2019. I also have been thinking a lot about  the recital I was hoping to do for promoting the book. I really want it to be a performance. I have been thinking a lot about this lately and after seeing some live videos of the band Twin Temple doing their Satanic rock & roll show, I really have been chomping at the bit to go out there and give the poetry crowd a dark spectacle like they’ve never seen before. I wouldn’t do anything as overtly Satanic as Twin Temple, but I think our prop table would look very similar. By the way, if you haven’t heard or seen them, I suggest going online and checking out some of their live clips, they are what my friend Sali Z would call amaze-balls.

Twin Temple “Satan’s A Woman” 45 rpm

Update 05/28/2019: “Speculations” now available!

I found out this past weekend that the Weird Poets Society‘s first collection, Speculations, has finally become available for order at Lulu.com (see below for link). If memory serves, it opens with my poem My Bantam Black Fay, a little ditty about a witch’s familiar. Not sure if they offer contributor copies, if so I haven’t received mine yet. If not, I’ll order one for my collection. A few of my new literary acquaintances are here, such as editor Frank Coffman, and the very talented Scott J. Couturier, as well as some genre favorites whom I don’t know personally but have interacted with here and there, like Jessica Amanda Salmonson.

Speculations: Poetry from the Weird Poets Society (2018).

According to one reviewer, the collection also has illustrations by David M. Hoenig. I assume it would be too much to hope that my poem was illustrated, but it’s still cool that the book will bear some adornment. Once I have it in hand, I can say more about it.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/frank-coffman/wps-anthology-speculations-2018/paperback/product-24106394.html?fbclid=IwAR1fm0O5-OAgVcE9pfqY8hlFYtS8_oRkYYfX7jUcE3GlIqj0V6OwgMJbcR4

 

 

Bibliography

A listing of my published works and appearances.

2018

Thalía (poetry): Spectral Realms #9 [Hippocampus Press]

2019

Morbidezza (prose poem): Spectral Realms #10 [Hippocampus Press]

Gargoyle (prose poem): Spectral Realms #10 [Hippocampus Press]

My Bantam Black Fay (poetry): Speculations: Poetry from the Weird Poets Society 2018

Vampire Vigil (prose poem): Spectral Realms #11 [Hippocampus Press]

The Baleful Beldam (poetry): Spectral Realms #11 [Hippocampus Press]

Night Hag (prose vignette): The Phantasmagorical Promenade [Planet X Publications]

The Fell Fête (tribute fiction): The Averoigne Legacy: Tribute Tales in the World of Clark Ashton Smith [Pickman’s Press]

2020

Satanic Sonata (prose poem): Spectral Realms #12 [Hippocampus Press]

Kiss of Life (prose poem): Spectral Realms #12 [Hippocampus Press]

My Bantam Black Fay (poetry/revision): Spectral Realms #13 [Hippocampus Press]

Hell-Flower (poetry): Spectral Realms #13 [Hippocampus Press]

Moribond (poetry): Spectral Realms #13 [Hippocampus Press]

The Baleful Beldam (poetry/reprint): Speculations II: Poetry from the Weird Poets Society 2019

The Hell of Mirrors (fiction): Penumbra #1 [Hippocampus Press]

Rosaire, Master of Wolves (tribute fiction): A Walk in a Darker Wood [Oxygen Man Books]

2021

H.P.L. R.I.P. (poetry): Spectral Realms #14 [Hippocampus Press]

Greetings from Krampus (poetry): Spectral Realms #14 [Hippocampus Press]

Errant Jenny (fiction): Knock Knock: Wyrd Folk and Wive’s Tales [Frisson Comics]

Manurog (poetry): Spectral Realms #15 [Hippocampus Press]

Witch’s Tit (poetry): Spectral Realms #15 [Hippocampus Press]

Black Hymeneal (poetry): Spectral Realms #15 [Hippocampus Press]

Hell-flower (poetry/reprint): Speculations III [Mind’s Eye Publications]

Dream of a Dead Poet (tribute fiction): Penumbra #02 [Hippocampus Press]

Nativity in Black (prose): Knock Knock: Deth Rock [Frisson Comics]

2022

Altagracia’s Lament (poetry): Spectral Realms #16 [Hippocampus Press]

Hand of Glory (poetry): Spectral Realms #16 [Hippocampus Press]

Zwartenberg the Necromancer (prose): Spectral Realms #16 [Hippocampus Press]

Gargoyle (reprint): Gargoylicon [Mind’s Eye Publications]

Flower of Evil (poetry): Spectral Realms #17 [Hippocampus Press]

Blackburn’s Bloom (prose): Spectral Realms #17 [Hippocampus Press]

The Many Lives of Carmilla Karnstein (essay): Penumbra #3 [Hippocampus Press]

The Hearse & the Highwaymen (fiction): Penumbra #3 [Hippocampus Press]

2023

Love Song of the Lugubrious Gondolier (poetry): Spectral Realms #18 [Hippocampus Press]

Thalía (reprint): The Vampiricon: Imaginings & Images of the Vampire [Mind’s Eye Publications]

Beware the Slenderman (poetry): A Walk in a City of Shadows [Alien Sun Press]

Brocéliande (poetry): Spectral Realms #19 [Hippocampus Press]

H. P. L.: R. I. P. (reprint): For the Outsider [Hippocampus Press]

Azraelle the Lich-Queen (Prose): Penumbra #4 [Hippocampus Press]

Crypt-Crasher (vignette): Weird Fiction Quarterly [Alien Sun Press]

Tricky Treat (vignette): Weird Fiction Quarterly [Alien Sun Press]

Collections

Book of Shadows: Grim Tales and Gothic Fancies (prose & poetry) [2021, Jackanapes Press]

“My Bantam Black Fay” accepted for Speculations: Poetry from the Weird Poets Society

It seems my poem, “My Bantam Black Fay” was accepted for inclusion in “SPECULATIONS: POETRY FROM THE WEIRD POETS SOCIETY”. Not sure what the circulation will be like on it, but it’s nice to be acknowledged. I will keep you all informed of any updates.

Update: 08/30/2018

Well, it seems that after a long wait, Spectral Reams #9, featuring my poem Thalía, is now available for ordering on the Hippocampus Press website. I am listed under my first and last name, Manuel Arenas. Initially, I had wanted to be known publicly by my full name, including middle name, but they didn’t use it for some odd reason. Being the superstitious sod that I am, I looked up the numerological significance of my full name as well as the abbreviated version and found that the shortened one totaled the number 12 which represents inspiration, creativity and self-expression, which are all good things so I decided to let it go. Perhaps that was the hand of Providence creating good energy flow for my writing efforts. Either way, the journal can be ordered on the Hippocampus Press website under journals>Spectral Realms then click on Spectral Realms no. 9. I would share the link, but it came up weird for me so I think this might be better.

After news of the journal came out I got a message from a fellow contributor, poet Frank Coffman, inviting me to join the Weird Poets Society. I am pretty new to it, so I cannot really say what it’s all about, but it seems to be a closed forum for published poets of the weird variety. As soon as I got onto the forum page I saw there was an anthology of member’s poetry in the works and they were taking submissions, so I sent in my poem My Bantam Black Fay. As of yet I haven’t heard anything on it but I will let you all know of any developments there. I also submitted my prose poem Morbidezza to Spectral Realms for issue #10. I will let you know of any developments there as well.

Update: 08/31/2018

Got a timely and courteous response from S.T. Joshi saying that he is always accepting submissions and will be happy to take a look at my poem when he has a chance. Fingers crossed…