Saturday Sharing (My Finds Are Yours)

Those of you oriented to literature and art will revel in what you'll find among today's offerings. Enjoy!

✭ An annual independent review founded by a group of writers from Knightville, Maine, The New Guard publishes literary and experimental fiction and narrative and experimental poetry. Its current issue features essays and "Writers to Writers: Fan Letters to the Dead", a collection to which Maxine Kumin, Annie Finch, Tom Grimes, and others have contributed. The annual's next open reading period will begin in late spring/early summer.

✭ Need a writing prompt? You'll find a continually lengthening list of poetry prompts at louder Arts, which also sponsors poetry slams, writing workshops, publication parties, and a range of other writing and performance events in New York City.

✭ The oldest literary journal in Canada by, for, and about women is Room Magazine. Each quarter, the Vancouver-based periodical publishes fiction, poetry, reviews, artwork, interviews, and profiles that showcase women's creative lives and work. A group of volunteers — The Growing Room Collective, or Roomies for short — handles all administrative, editorial, and production functions. The magazine sponsors an annual fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction contest and frequently produces themed issues (for example, the current issue is about women and spirituality). 

In 2012, Room celebrates its 35th volume of writing and art and will be issuing a special 35th anniversary issue on the theme "journey". A call has been issued for quality art and writing reflecting all aspects of journeying, from milestones and lessons, to companions, to maps and misadventures. The deadline is August 31. Check submission guidelines here.  

Room Magazine on FaceBook and Twitter

✭ The National Book Foundation is celebrating 61 years of National Book Award Poetry Winners. Go here and click on any active cover image to access the blog entry, with curatorial appreciations, for the particular award-winning collection. New posts, each featuring the original book cover, an author photograph, a list of NBA judges and finalists, commentary including one original essay, and related information and links (year, original publisher, current print status, etc.) are published each weekday. The retrospective project will culminate in May with Terrence Hayes' Lighthead and result in a digitized literary archive on the foundation's Website. This is a wonderful resource for students and anyone who appreciates poetry.

National Book Foundation on FaceBook and Twitter

✭ Take time to explore the Website of author, illustrator, world traveler, and total inspiration Danny Gregory. In addition to his books, which include Everyday Matters: A Memoir, An Illustrated Life, Bad to the Bone: Drawings & Doggerel, and The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Truly Are, Gregory showcases his wonderfully illustrated journals and videos.

Gregory participates in a number of creative communities, including Everyday Matters (EDM) Yahoo Group, focused on drawing and creating illustrated journals, and EDM Flickr Group, which features weekly drawing challenges (some 50,000+ images from members' sketchbooks have been posted).

EDM on FaceBook

Danny Gregory on FaceBook

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My thanks to New Pages, where I first saw mentions of the The New Guard and Room Magazine, and to artist Susan Cornelis for listing Danny Gregory as a creative arts site in her Resources for Inspiration at Imagine With Art.