Your intrepid Editor-in-Chief is currently on assignment at the Bahamas International Film Festival in Nassau so please excuse the tardiness of this blog post. 

 

December has arrived and with it comes the end of our first quarter. It’s been a hell of a ride. We’ve managed to publish over 140 artists with more books and awards than I have time to count. We’re currently being read in over fifty countries, with well in excess of 25,000 page views. It seems we weren’t the only ones that thought creating a big ol’ tent where all artists can coexist was a good idea.

 

When we began to construct the December issue we strongly considered backing off a bit and giving our editors a month long reprieve. However, they were having nothing to do with that, and once again provided us with a rich and diverse group of artists. And although there have been some rough spots (like when our email service failed for two weeks!), by and large it’s been a lot of fun.

 

This month, Frank X. Gaspar graciously agreed to be our featured artist of the month, and it was a real thrill to be able to interview one of the individuals that most influenced my life. His new book, Stealing Fatima, is an astonishingly beautiful and haunting read that will stick in your head weeks after reading it.

 

Additionally, John Hoppenthaler’s A Poetry Congeries features an eclectic mix of artists including Michael S. Harper, Anselm Berrigan, Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, Michael Klein (with video!), Camille T. Dungy, Richard Garcia, Bunusha Lameris, Brian Lampkin, Timothy Liu, Martin Lammon, Nicholas Samaras and Sean Singer. We have a book review by Natalie Seabolt Dobson, our fiction editor, and a lovely and touching mixed media submission by Tom Lutz. Laural Meade’s new play, “The Wide Open Ocean Ate Amiee Semple Whole” is a lovely read, and the interview our drama editor Joshua Fardon did with Ms Meade was quite compelling. Also, our spoken word/performance column is finally on the way with a reading by the Southern California poet Eric Morago.

 

So what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time you took a chance and submitted your art? You’ll be glad you did. Connotation Press: We’ll Keep the Lights On for Ya’.

 

This issue of Connotation Press is dedicated to musician, autobiographer, and poet (with a decent outside jump shot), Jim Carroll. I had the privilege of escorting Mr. Carroll to an all day poetry event in Long Beach, California back in the 90’s. He was kind and interesting and made me stand behind him when he took a piss on a dumpster behind Fenders Nightclub to make sure no one mugged him. Yep, he actually asked if I’d get his back, and I did.