Call for co-editors in poetry and fiction

Blood Lotus is seeking co-editors in both poetry and fiction, up to two volunteer positions in each genre. Expected time commitment is at least 5-10 hours per quarterly reading period, evaluating submissions, corresponding with authors, and discussing promising work with other co-editors.

If you can do what you say you’re going to do, deadline-wise, and want to have a say in what’s published rather than just wading through someone else’s slush pile, email us at bloodlotusjournal(at)gmail(dot)com and tell us why you want the gig and what you like from a few recent issues of our journal and any other journals you’re really into.

Previous lit journal experience, current social media presence and activity, knowledge of Submittable (we're transitioning very soon), and publications/demonstration of literary activity are big pluses. Whatever you want to tell us that you think makes you a good fit, we want to hear it.

Thanks for understanding that we can only respond to those applicants we wish to learn more about.

"Captive," by Martin Ott--a review by Stacia M. Fleegal

Martin Ott's "Captive" won the 2011 De Novo
Poetry Prize by C&R Press and was published
in 2012. Order it here.

The word “captive” is multi-dimensional in Martin Ott’s first full-length collection of poetry.

A former U.S. Army interrogator, Ott organizes his musings on military life in tight, efficient lines and stanzas. “The interrogator’s notebook is more frightening / when closed. That means the questions / have ended,” (p. 14) he intimates matter-of-factly, but with a hint of shame (he knows he’s frightened people in his life). In “Breathless,” he tells us the hierarchical protocol for the gas mask drill: “When it is time to take off the masks / the lowest ranking soldier tests the air” (p. 6). Such lines appear to be straightforward glimpses into military life, until aha lines like “The lesson was: masks work” (p. 6).

Because Ott, we are to presume, has had these often dark and complicated experiences--which he tells of compassionately, with a strong grasp of craft, and with no goal toward shock value—we trust his observations about, say, magic tricks. We are glad the person speaking is seeing lighter, happier scenes, like his daughter in a sandbox.

Frank X. Walker, founder of Affrilachian Poets, named Kentucky Poet Laureate

Frank X. Walker is a powerful poet. His persona and historical poems are must-reads (hint). He's the founder of the Affrilachian Poets (revisit our four-part series of interviews with fellow Affrilachian Poets Keith Wilson, Ricardo Nazario y Colon, Parneshia Jones, and Ellen Hagan). He's even a graduate of Spalding University's brief-residency MFA in Writing program, like almost all our editors.

And now, he's the youngest and first African American poet laureate of the state of Kentucky.

Congratulations, Frank. Congratulations, Kentucky. And congratulations to everyone who will now be exposed to Frank's words because of this well-deserved title.

Lit mag love: "A Spade, A Spade" by Emily O'Neill, from Feb issue of decomp

We think we put out a pretty awesome lit mag every three months, but we aren't the only ones by far. Online journals consistently publish some of the most innovative and edgy writing out there, and we're big fans of much of it.

decomp is one of my fave online mags. In the most recent issue,

BL #26

In this issue...

Boom for Real -- Keinah
by Scott Parker

Julie Brooks Barbour
Matthew Brown
Lara Candland
Holly Current
Lindsay Daigle
Lisa Douglass
Robert Heath
Theodasia Henney
Louise Henrich
Alison Hicks
Parneshia Jones
Zachary Lundgren
Chuck Marecic
Lucian Mattison
Christopher McCurry
Keith Moul
M. R. Owens
Scott Parker
Jason David Peterson
Mahtem Shiferraw
Neesa Sunar
Tawni Vee Waters
Gregory Zorko

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

Affrilachian Appreciation interview 4: Parneshia Jones talks to Teneice Delgado

In recognition and appreciation of Appalachian heritage month, and in an effort to contribute to a more diverse conversation on what it means to be Appalachian, Stacia Fleegal and I decided to show a little love to a few talented poets that we’ve published in previous issues who are all members of an organization called the Affrilachian Poets (you can follow them here on Facebook and learn more about them here).

We're going to feature one poet every Monday that remains in October. Last week's interview was with Ellen Hagan. Week two featured Keith Wilson, and the week before that featured Ricardo Nazario y Colón. Our fourth and final interview is with Parneshia Jones, who will have work in the upcoming issue (#26)--but we include a timely reprint of one of her poems here, a poetic reminder to vote next week.

Enjoy the interview!

-Teneice Delgado

Affrilachian Appreciation interview 3: Ellen Hagan talks to Teneice Delgado

In recognition and appreciation of Appalachian heritage month, and in an effort to contribute to a more diverse conversation on what it means to be Appalachian, Stacia Fleegal and I decided to show a little love to a few talented poets that we’ve published in previous issues who are all members of an organization called the Affrilachian Poets (you can follow them here on Facebook and learn more about them here).

We're going to feature one poet every Monday that remains in October. Last week's interview was with Keith Wilson, and the week before that featured Ricardo Nazario y Colón. Third in our series of interviews is Ellen Hagan. We’ve had the pleasure of publishing Ellen in #13 and our latest double issue, #24-25. Ellen’s amazing stage presence has always captivated me. Stay tuned for videos of her and the other AP’s we’ve interviewed.

Enjoy the interview!

-Teneice Delgado