Vocal Poetry Anthology: Progress Update and Requests
Update and request for Contributor Bios please!
Hey folks!
Remember this?
It's that time again, folks! Another update for my long-term self-published poetry anthology project featuring poetry from many of you on this platform.
As most will know, I recently suffered a bereavement and my Dad's funeral is on Tuesday, 17 June. So, my head is a bit messy already, with funeral stuff, but I also have a stack of projects I am working on, including this book.
To give myself the chance to do something positive and lighten my own load, I thought I'd push ahead with the next update.
The previous update, see link below, included details of the poems I had selected from each of the contributors during the first submission period and a plea for more contributors, as there was not really enough to justify publishing.
And you didn't disappoint. The second submission period proved very successful, so thank you!
Here is the full list of the poems that will be included in the book (still untitled).
Vocal Poetry Anthology Poem List
- Alexandria Stanwyck - will you hurt me? (love's a dagger)
- Mark Graham - The River
- Mark Gagnon - The Ubiquitous They
- Jeremy White - Let's talk about Autism and social anxiety
- Matthew Fromm - Borne Aloft Upon A Gale
- Shirley Belk - Jade Elizabeth
- D.K. Shepard - Creatures of Comfort
- Heather Zieffle - Following My Light
- kp - what I learned from a pea today
- Bradley Ramsey - A Letter to My Demons
- Calvin London - Can You See the Artist Painting in the Sky
- Mackenzie Davis - When I Made Stars Cry
- Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred - Imbolc
- KA Stefana - The Wanderer
- Amanda Starks - The Mortal Limit
- Alyssa Nicole - The Gamble
- John Cox - Mary in the Moonlight
- Ruth Stewart - Royalty Transformed
- Paul Stewart - Of Past and Grief
- Mother Combs - The Pressed Rose
- Iris Obscura - Mitten
- Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock - The World Ends
- Kendall Defoe - Marydale
- Natalie Wilkinson - One Way To Write a Poem
- Caroline Jane - My Will: In Glorious Technicolour
- Gabriel Huizenga - Not There Yet
- Andrea Corwin - Zenith
- Cathy (Christine Acheini) Ben-Ameh - The Warrior's Death
- Heather Hubler - Midnight absolution
- Angie the Archivist 📚🪶 - Parched Soul
- Lamar Wiggins - South
- Addison Alder - Heartmelter
- Poppy - My Aurora Borealis
- JBaz - Born of the Dark
- River and Celia in Underland - Dragon's Breath
- Euan Brennan - Where is...?
- Teresa Renton - Imagination
- Donna Fox (HKB) - Feeling Winded
- Marilyn Glover - Time Escapes Me
That brings the total of poems up to 39, which I think is excellent! (Had to revert this to drafts after publishing cos I missed one, and noticed I had missed another, so if anyone else has definitely submitted a piece to me and I've said yes to it, but your name is not in the list above let me know - I am only human, haha!)
(Please also note that my maths aren't bad, but I will probably forget to change the number in the above paragraph if I get late submissions. :))
Thank you again to everyone who has taken part so far.
So, now what's next? I think we need to move on to the next stage. However, if you're reading this and only just hearing about this project now, and you have a poem you'd like to include, please read the original post and then share the link in the comments section for this article.
Contributor Bios
What would an anthology be that was designed to highlight the poetic talent published on Vocal regularly, without contributor bios? A collection of poems without the connective tissue a bio would give to a new reader, happening upon your works for the first time. What do I need for the contributor bios?
To save me some hassle, I will copy and paste from the next section of the project's original article, which needs to be tackled as we inch ever closer towards printing and publishing.
Contributor Bios: As Stephen pointed out in the comments section, it's standard practice for multi-author collections to feature author bios for all contributors. I have yet to decide whether these will be included alongside the poems or at the back of the book. That depends on the number of submissions I receive. Regardless, the bios give a little more real estate for the authors and a great place for the authors to plug their Vocal profiles, author websites, or even podcasts. Contributor bios are normally restricted by length, with 50 words or 2 to 3 sentences, in collections for shorter pieces like poetry. Thanks again, Stephen.
Same as before, if everyone who has put forward a piece for the book, please provide their contributor bio in the comments section of this piece. That would be great. Thank you!
I will set the completion date for this section as July 13, 2025. So, that gives everyone a month
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Thanks for reading and thanks for your ongoing support!
About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.
The Accidental Poet - Poetry Collection out now!
Streams and Scratches in My Mind coming soon!
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Center Stage with Gina C.
*** I'm keen to republish the interviews I did for my series with Vocal creators. It's been a few years and I thought it might be nice to revisit these wonderful conversations. I'll be releasing them one at a time for a few weeks/months.
By Heather Hubler4 days ago in Interview
Comments (37)
Hi Paul, apologies for my last-minute bio! It's been a crazy month. I hope you are doing well! Here is my bio: Alyssa Nicole (Alyssa Musso) is a full-time scientist by trade but a true creative at heart. She has been writing fiction (a current novel in progress) since her teenaged years and has more recently started to delve into non-fiction and poetry writing on Vocal. Outside of writing, Alyssa enjoys reading, music, and traveling to new places.
Hi Paul, hope things are better! Here is my bio: Andrea Corwin is an adventure novelist and a writer of scary stories. She is published in the Christian Science Monitor Home Forum, literary magazines, Bereavement Magazine, and local newspapers. Currently, she publishes her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry on VocalMedia and ReedsyPrompts.
love to you ❤️ here is the bio, sorry for the delay! "kp is a non-binary, trans-masc writer. They work to dismantle internalized structures of oppression, such as the gender binary, class, and race. Their writing is personal but anecdotally points to a larger political picture of systemic injustice."
This is awesome!! I’ll need to have a think about my author bio😆
Hi Mike, here is my bio: Calvin London. Poetry is a new challenge for me. I like the brevity of poems and the ebb and flow that comes with good rhyme. My poems are about nature, life, love, and anything else that comes up. There is so much to see in the world, when we open our eyes. Hope that works for you.
https://shopping-feedback.today/poets/time-escapes-me%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E- One of my underrated poems. I read your original post. If it's too late, I get it.
First and foremost, please accept my heartfelt condolences regarding your father's death. My mother-in-law died on this date several years ago. It's still difficult. I must have been under a rock somewhere because I am just now learning about your poetry collection. I see there is still a chance, and I would like to contribute.
Paul, sorry about your dad - that is a tough loss. 💔
Hope you are doing ok after the funeral Paul 💜. Here is requested bio. Hope its OK- if not feel free to let me know: Celia and River float somewhere between fiction and paperwork.Together, they write queer, unsettling, sometimes hopeful things.
Hope the funeral went well. And hey, another $20 toward the project is never a bad thing. Also happy to see Matt and Mackenzie both included in the contributor's list. I believe "Borne Aloft Upon a Gale" was the first thing of his I read. Quite an inspired decision, looking back on it.
Came here to say congrats on your leaderboard placement!!!
Congrats on you leaderboard placement! 🎉🎉 I was so glad to see your name on top of the list!
Yayyyyyyyy Paul!!!! Congrats on first place on this week's leaderboard!!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Ai! Ai! Never easy, Paul, I feel you, hon. Patience, is all I can say. No other remedy for the pain. If you are like me, suffocating yourself with worldly affairs like work can help. If you are not, that was the shittiest advice ever, feel free to tell me to stuff it. I'll post in my bio asap. Love, IO
I'm so sorry about your dad, and I hope you take the time you need. As far as the contributor bio, here's mine: Alexandria Stanwyck started writing poetry to help her cope with the quarantine blues, and it became the spark that reignited her love for storytelling and poetry. Today, she is an active member of Vocal, and she doesn't plan on giving up writing anytime soon.
Sorry to read about your Dad Paul. Hope you and yours are coping OK. Life is properly pants at times. Thanks for the inclusion on this. I see you are going with howl of vagitus. Did you prefer it to my 1st ever piece? I don't know if I like it now or not. Then, remembering my own name atm is proving a challenge. 🤣 Cool with whatever. I do hope you are pulling through OK. Xxx
Reading this comments section, I know I can say that all of hearts are with you right now. We're all in your corner mate; take all the time you need for everything you need. Deepest condolences to you, a living inspiration and a beautiful soul. Will reply this comment with my bio soon! Thanks again for doing this wonderful thing.
Paul, I hadn't heard about your dad. I hope your life is moving forward in a positive manor and getting the support you need.
Sorry again for your loss, Paul. Sending prayers of comfort. I will attach a bio soon. Thank you so much for creating this colossal collab!!! It's very encouraging!
My heart is broken for you, Paul. Prayers and hugs throughout this difficult time in your life. My bio would go something like this: Retired Introverted Nurse who seeks to heal all life's boo-boos through her writings, share her faith and lessons learned, and add smiles to others.
I am sorry to read about the loss of your dad. Please accept my condolences. Here is my bio: Cathy Ben-Ameh (Christine Acheini Ben-Ameh) is a singer and songwriter who draws inspiration from the quiet rhythms of everyday life. A homebody at heart, she finds joy in singing, playing her guitar, and writing—often all at once. When she's not making music, she enjoys taking long walks and experimenting in the kitchen, even if the results are sometimes unpredictable. Her work is rooted in simplicity, honesty, and a deep love for the creative process. You can keep up with her latest projects at linktr.ee/cathybenameh.
I’m sorry for your loss, Paul. Sounds like it’s been a couple of tough years for you in regards to losing important people in your life. Wishing you the best. I’ll send a bio soon.
So sorry to hear about your father, Paul. Losing my father in law was horrible, and my husband and I are still grieving him after 3 years. I hope you have a faith to help you with it, and I'll be praying for you and your family. ❤️ And thank you again for doing such a wonderful project. I know it's a lot of work, even just with keeping up with all the updating submissions and info. I would be honored to help, if you so need, but I'm here cheering you on as you work on it, regardless. Here's my bio. Mackenzie Davis is a poet with a proclivity towards the dark, introspective, and magical. Her work has been published in Auroras & Blossoms magazine and she is a winner of the 2024 Prime 53 Poem Summer Challenge. She has a BA in English from the University of Colorado Denver, and lives in the foothills of Colorado with her husband.
I am a writer who shares my memories through poetry and stories, and one who studied hard and wants to share what I have learned in many ways.