the eye of Nova's mind

Last year, I submitted some poems to a magazine. The editor wrote back, accepting two of my pieces but asking if he could do a huge edit on the longer. Basically, he wanted to gut the entire ending. I wrote back, stating why the portion was essential, & asked again that the piece be accepted as is or not at all. I never heard back from the editor, so I assumed that I'd been too forward, the pieces were not going to press, e&.

Imagine my surprise when I found a contributor's copy addressed to me.

Leafing through it, I saw that neither of the poems were edited. Huh, I thought. Maybe this turned out after all.

Then I flipped to the biographies. (It's funny--the bios are almost the first thing I check out in a contributor's copy; I think I want to know who my neighbors are.) The bios were in alphabetical order by first name--not a good sign. I read with interest an entry for the author of a poem I particularly liked; the entry noted other journals in which his work had featured--it was a standard bio, which was a good sign. In short order, I got to mine.

I share a last name with several celebrities, such as a basketball player (my high school government teacher used to call me by that male's first name to underscore that fact). I also share it with a well-known scientist. You may guess which one when you read the bio the magazine in question decided to give to me:

( not me )

Considering some of the spelling, it's obvious that this bio was in all probability lifted from somewhere else. God knows I didn't supply this biographical information.

I don't know what to do about this. Of course, I will write the editor & ask for a retraction. But, in many respects, the damage has been done: whomever hunts down a print copy of this magazine (say, in an attempt to authenticate my CV), that person will see that very wrong bio.

I've just never heard of such a problem in the publishing industry. Not saying that this is the first time something like this has happened--who knows--but it's not a common enough problem to have been identified & collated for advice gurus to tackle.

The Roundeau Roundup lists the "More Than Honorable" Mentions of its recent triolet challenge. "Late November" is included.

The winning entry can be found here.

Shepherd's Check has chosen "Before Winter (a cinquain)" as one of the pieces for its inaugural issue.

I received an email from one of my co-editors today. If it weren't for his information, I never would have known that Danse Macabre nominated one of my poems ("Sun of the Demiurge") for the 2010 Pushcart Prize.

My chances of being selected by the judges--whomever they may be--just doubled.

The Ambassador Poetry Project has released its second issue. The magazine, designed to showcase poetry from Michigan and Ontario, is in its first year and already has undergone significant visual upgrades. You should take a peek.

While there, you may encounter my two poems "Cusp" and "What Injury Can Run Its Course".

Poet's Ink Review very recently accepted "Liquid Life" and published it in its November 2009 issue today, just two days later.

Ouroboros Review's fourth issue is available today. The publication is slick, very professional. The quality of the features astonishes me and humbles me to have one of my pieces ("The Great Escape") included in the bunch.

Literary Tonic showcases "Not Now, Biology" while (A Brilliant) Record Magazine presents "Confession #12", "Inventor's Glee", "On Being Human" and "Your Odds".

Right Hand Pointing has unveiled its 28th issue. RHP focuses on short poetry. You can enjoy its contents in small bursts.

While there, you'll come across three of my pieces: "Acknowledgment of Self", "Photograph" and "[America, is that really you?]"

Markets that (1) demand that submissions sent to them be under their exclusive consideration and (2) then cease publication without notifying authors really tick me off.