I recently had the privilege to be part of Up The Staircase Quarterly's 10th Anniversary celebration, in which April Michelle Bratten, longtime editor of the incredible magazine, asked me to help select one of the best pieces over the last 10 years. Since one of my own poems appeared in UTSQ in 2011, she asked that I scour that year for a choice poem, and I selected "waking//daydream//or I MAY JUST CEASE TO EXIST:" by Faith Mingus. It's an excellent poem about her truest self, an existence of choice, a reality running counter to her day-to-day life. I highly recommend not just this piece, but the entire issue, which is full of other great selections, poets, and reviews! And keep submitting your own work to UTSQ, which I hope will be going strong for another ten years and far beyond!
Poems, Reviews, and Upcoming Fiction
It's been a busy winter so far, and it's only getting busier. Here's a rundown of what's out now and what's coming soon!
- My review of Nice Feelings by Iris Appelquist now appears at Up The Staircase Quarterly, which is a stellar publication you should be reading.
- My poem "Going Ghost" now appears at Boned, a journal of skeletal writings. I omitted this poem from my collection Berlin (Maverick Duck Press) so I'm happy it finally found a home.
- My poem "Nights Don't Die" should appear in the upcoming issue of Five:2:One this month.
- I have two flash fiction stories coming up in late winter: "Desperate Ain't Lonely" will appear in Full Of Crow, and "Thompson Hill" will appear in Ink In Thirds. I'll post links when they both hit!
- And finally, for now, I recently had a poem called "The Carson Effect" in Winedrunk Sidewalk: Shipwrecked in Trumpland, and I'll soon have another titled "The Young May Love Without Fear". They publish a new poem every day of Trump's presidency, and if you're not the biggest fan of the current admin, you'll want to take a look.
Thanks for reading and all of your support!
New Poem in Up The Staircase Quarterly
"Berlin Night" by Mia Avramut
My poem "Exposed Brick in Candlelight" now appears in the new issue of Up The Staircase Quarterly, an excellent collection of poetry, art, and book reviews. Editor April Michelle Bratten always puts together a beautiful menagerie of artists and writers, and I feel very lucky to be included in yet another issue. I'm especially lucky to have my poetry paired with the wonderful artistry of Mia Avramut, who created a piece titled "Berlin Night" -- a beautiful pairing, as I wrote the poem in Berlin! Thanks for taking a look at my poem, and consider submitting your own work!
Up The Staircase Quarterly's Book Review of 'The Cards We Keep'
Author, poet, and Up the Staircase Quarterly editor April Michelle Bratten has posted a great review of my collection of short fiction, The Cards We Keep. In part she says, "Duncan’s characters are genuinely interesting and relatable in all of these ten stories, no matter what strange or dangerous predicaments they might have gotten themselves into… (continued)
Read more