Tag Archives: Inspiration

Delmarva Review’s 10th Edition features 40 writers – New Submissions period is open

23 Saturday Dec 2017

Posted by in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, Poetry, The Delmarva Review, Uncategorized, Writing

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I am pleased to publish “Delmarva Review” announcements on my blog, as chairman of the editorial board and executive editor.  All of us are proud of its continued progress over 10 years to publish outstanding literary work. – Wilson Wyatt

Delmarva Review announced publication of its tenth annual literary journal presenting original poetry, short stories and nonfiction from 40 authors in 18 states. The Review welcomes submissions from all writers.

“The tenth anniversary issue touches on the themes of change and hope,” said Emily Rich, editor of the tenth edition. “Amidst the uncertainties of life, people grasp for what is eternal in the human condition.”

The 2017 first place winner of Chesapeake Voices Prose Contest is featured in this edition. The short story, “The Future is Not For Sale,” by Jeremy Griffin, of South Carolina, was hailed by contest judge Laura Oliver, of Maryland, as “sophisticated with especially strong characterization.”

Editors selected 41 new poems, 11 short stories, five nonfiction essays, and five book reviews for the tenth edition.

Since its first year, the journal has printed the original literary work of over 280 authors. Some are newly discovered. In all, they have come from 35 states, the District of Columbia, and 10 other countries. About half are from the Delmarva and Chesapeake region. Fifty-three works have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and some have received notable mentions in anthologies and critical journals.

Delmarva Review is published by the Delmarva Review Literary Fund (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit), supported by individual contributions and a grant from the Talbot County Arts Council, with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council.

The submission period for the 2018 issue is open now through March 31, 2018. Submission guidelines are posted on the website www.delmarvareview.com.

The journal produces print and electronic editions. Both are available worldwide via Amazon.com and other online booksellers. It is downloadable in a digital format for tablets, computers, smart phones, and other reading devices. Two-year subscriptions are available at a discount through the website. 

Delmarva Review Reading . . . the voices behind the words

04 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by in Maryland, Poetry, The Delmarva Review, Uncategorized, Writing

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At The Writer’s Center, one of the premier writing centers in the United States, six authors were invited to a public “reading” honoring The Delmarva Review’s eighth edition. Reading from their prose and poetry to a full house, on January 31, the authors expressed the feelings and emotions behind their writing. It was a transference of inspiration only possible by a live performance. . . a delightful event. The writers include:

Poet Sue Ellen Thompson reads from her celebrated book They, as the featured poet in The Delmarva Review, Volume 8.

Poet Sue Ellen Thompson, of Oxford, MD, reads from her celebrated book They, about acceptance, discovery and raising a transgender child. Ms. Thompson’s interview by poetry editor Anne Colwell is the cover feature in The Delmarva Review, Volume 8.     Click on the photo for a larger view

Anne Colwell, Poetry Editor of The Delmarva Review, introduces the poetry in the review and interviews Sue Ellen Thompson, the featured writer.

Anne Colwell, Poetry Editor of The Delmarva Review, introduces the Review’s poetry and interviews Sue Ellen Thompson, the featured writer. Ms. Colwell is an award-winning poet and English professor at University of Delaware.     Click on the photo for larger view

Poet Arden Levine, from Brooklyn, NY, reads from her poetry in the Review as well as a selection of her latest poems.

Poet Arden Levine, from Brooklyn, NY, reads from her poetry in the Review as well as a selection of her latest poems.     Click on the photo for larger view

Poet Wendy Mitman Clarke, of Maryland, reads her Pushcart Prize nominated poem "The Kiss," and other poems in the review.

Poet Wendy Mitman Clarke, of Maryland, reads her Pushcart Prize nominated poem “The Kiss,” and other poems in the Review. They are her first published poems.     Click on the photo for a larger view

Essayist Sheila Walker reads from her essay "Pacific America is so African," her first literary essay outside of academic journals. She is a cultural anthropologist from Washington, D.C.

Nonfiction author Sheila Walker reads from her essay “Pacific America is so African,” her first literary essay published outside of academic journals. She is a cultural anthropologist from Washington, D.C.     Click on the photo for a larger view

Novelist Neal Gillen reads from his memoir, "Northwest to Huguenot," in The Delmarva Review. Mr. Gillen is from Potomac, Maryland.

Novelist Neal Gillen reads from his memoir, “Northwest to Huguenot,” in The Delmarva Review. Mr. Gillen is from Potomac, Maryland.     Click on the photo for a larger view

The Writer’s Center, in Bethesda, Maryland, honored The Delmarva Review as a literary journal in the region that produces both print and electronic issues available worldwide (via Amazon.com and other major booksellers online). The current edition, Volume 8, contains the selected literary work of thirty-five authors from 12 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

Over its eight-year history the Review has published new work from 216 authors in twenty-seven states, the District of Columbia, and nine other countries. It is published by the Eastern Shore Writers Association to promote the literary arts.

Submissions: The Review welcomes new poetry, short fiction and nonfiction submissions, in English, from all writers regardless of residence. While submissions are competitive, each is read by more than one editor. The current submission period is open through March 31, 2016, for Volume 9. Please see the website for more information and Submission Guidelines: DelmarvaReview.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tribute to High Flight

28 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by in Aging and Freedom, Inspiration, Maryland, Photography, Poetry, Writing

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"Inspiration," photo by Wilson Wyatt Jr.

“Inspiration,” photo by Wilson Wyatt Jr.      Click on photo for larger image

Today’s photo is a tribute to John Gillespie Magee Jr.’s familiar sonnet, “High Flight.”  He wrote the last line when he was inspired as a pilot, first reaching an altitude of 33,000 feet in 1941, during World War II:

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, –and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of –Wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air…

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark or even eagle flew — And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.                                                                   

A special thanks to the organizers of the Annual Easton Airport Day, on September 27, where “Warbird Formation” flyovers generated choruses of “wows” from an appreciative crowd of children, mothers, dads, and our veterans. The planes were classics, many dating back to World War II. One could not see the show without being mindful of the importance of flight to our freedoms.

It was a beautiful day, filled with family enjoyment.  It was also a day of inspiration.

The Delmarva Review…so many choices. So many talented writers.

24 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in Inspiration, Poetry, The Delmarva Review, Writing

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Choices come with the weight of decision and responsibility, never to be taken lightly. That is what we feel as editors of The Delmarva Review.  It’s decision time.

Cover - The Delmarva Review, Volume 6

Cover – The Delmarva Review, Volume 6

While our literary journal is young, at seven years, submissions are beyond expectations.  Over 1,000 writers submitted poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction for the coming issue.

We created the Review as a new publishing opportunity for literary work in print, offering writers permanence and readership beyond borders.  Standards are high as we welcome all authors.  Our goals are to select writing that inspires and encourages writers to create their finest work.  Literary writing is often considered the far end of the writing spectrum, reserved for the most skillfully created prose and poetry.  Through the journey comes discovery, giving significance to the pursuit. . .for literature and for the writer.

As editors, we will do our best to make thoughtful decisions, knowing we can only publish a sample of the work submitted.

Editors will finalize selections over the next few weeks and contact the authors. Publication of Volume 7 is October 2014.  On behalf of the publisher, the Eastern Shore Writers Association, we thank all the authors who have considered The Delmarva Review for publication.

This is a privilege.  We do not take it lightly.

The Delmarva Review is published annually in print.  A downloadable digital edition is available at Amazon.com. Website: www.delmarvareview.com.

 

“Chesapeake Views” – Blink of an eye

24 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by in Chesapeake Bay, CHESAPEAKE VIEWS - CATCHING THE LIGHT, Maryland, Photography, Writing

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Another book review of Chesapeake Views – Catching the Light. Thank you to Dara McBride, Feature Editor at The Cecil Whig, for the current article.

Chesapeake Sunrise, at Thomas Point Light

Chesapeake at Dawn, Thomas Point Light –  One of the images before the cover shot for the book.   Click on the image for a full view

This is the third consecutive book review and interview by an editor recently, all unsolicited. As a photographer and writer, I’m delighted.  In fairness, I must give most of the credit to the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay region. My contribution is a click of the shutter, a blink of the eye.

The published interview follows:

Photographer Wilson Wyatt catches Chesapeake moments                               By Dara McBride, dmcbride@cecilwhig.com | Wednesday, February 19, 2014

ST. MICHAELS — At just the right moment, with just the right light, photographer Wilson Wyatt can get the shot no one else can.

Out of 27 photographers taking photos of the Thomas Point Shoal Light, the historical Chesapeake Bay lighthouse, at dawn one morning, Wyatt walked away with the award-winning shot. After waiting for the sun to hit the roofline of the lighthouse, Wyatt captured the meeting of a cruise ship and tanker as they sky turned tangerine.

“Photography, for me, is purely a pursuit of beauty,” said Wyatt, 70, of St. Michaels. “A pursuit of passion and beauty, those are the things that make life worthwhile.”

The Chesapeake region has its own unique beauty, one that Wyatt has tried to capture as a photographer in his latest book, “Chesapeake Views — Catching the Light.” The scene of the Thomas Point Shoal Light, which won the Nikon Mentor Series “Best of Maryland” photo, is the cover of the book.

For area residents, the book is filled with familiar sights of the Eastern Shore, of lighthouses, sailboats and sunsets over water. The tabletop book includes 82 color images taken of the Chesapeake and Eastern Shore region. Also included in the book is information on where and how many of the images were taken.

Enchanted by the bay area, Wyatt and his wife decided to move to the Chesapeake region about 15 years ago.

Although now a skilled photographer, Wyatt started on the other side of communications: writing.

He started his career as a reporter and feature writer at The Courier-Journal in Kentucky and, intrigued by the skill of the newspaper’s photographers, took up photography as a hobby. He said he learned photography by studying the works of others and critique from mentors.

Over the years he has balanced both photography and writing. Right now, he is executive editor of literary journal The Delmarva Review and is active on the board of The Writer’s Center, in the Washington, D.C. area.

Today, he’s the one teaching the photography skills. As president of the Academy for Lifelong Learning at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, he leads spring classes in beginner and intermediate digital photography. He reminds himself and students that photography can be a demanding art.

Wyatt focuses on light in his series of Chesapeake photos. Photography is more than pointing a camera and pushing a button, he said. Photography is about catching light, the colors that make up a scene, how light bounces off clouds and waiting for the moment for it all to come together.

“I am definitely a morning person,” Wyatt said, commenting on his favorite time of the day to shoot. There are three stages of light to shoot in the morning, he explained: predawn light, the reflection on clouds before sunrise and the sunrise itself.

Photography is “a constant discovery,” Wyatt said.

“It’s always a challenge, and I wish I could go back and take many of the photos I took years ago again because I’ve gotten better,” said Wyatt.

In addition to “Chesapeake Views,” Wyatt has published another hardback book of his color photography in 2011, “Yosemite – Catching the Light.” He also publishes a blog on his experiences, Writing & Photography – the Art of Words and Images, at www.wilsonwyattjr.com.

For the full article in The Cecil Whig, go to:

http://www.cecildaily.com/features/arts_and_culture/article_c308bfd6-a792-59d1-8f7f-3c7334e2ed9f.html

Book Availability:

‘Chesapeake Views—Catching the Light,’ is available at Talbot County Public Libraries, the News Center, in Easton, MD and Mystery Loves Company, in Oxford, MD. For more information about signed copies of the book, contact the author directly by email at: wwwyatt2@gmail.com.

November Reflection, from "Chesapeake Views - Catching the Light" - click on image for a larger view

November Reflection, from “Chesapeake Views – Catching the Light”    click on image for a larger view

A wonderful task for an editor. . . Pushcart Prize nominations!

03 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Inspiration, The Delmarva Review, Uncategorized, Writing

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DR-6-Pushcart

 

The Delmarva Review nominated the writing of six authors for The Pushcart Prize. It’s one of the greatest pleasures an editor can experience, recognizing the writers among the best, all in contention with other selected authors around the nation, their work competing for the coveted Pushcart Prize.

Being nominated for a prestigious literary prize gives authors more than recognition.  It propels their work to another level of discovery.  It’s a powerful incentive for writers to seek the best in literary writing, one of the primary purposes of the Review.

Personally, this caps a long year of hard work.  A gifted team of editors, all skilled volunteers, can appreciate our selection of poetry and prose, all over again.  We’ve gone through the difficult task of reading hundreds of submissions, making tough choices, accepting and rejecting the words that so many authors have labored over, sometimes for years.

The selection process was followed by the careful eyes of our copy editor, proofreaders, and designer.  All of us felt an obligation to print a quality journal that respected the words of our authors.  This often goes unnoticed, but a fine literary review is not just glued together and haphazardly sent to readers or posted online.  It takes time, and a creative, caring hand.

The pleasure we feel today is from knowing that our authors appreciate their opportunity. It’s now up to another set of editors to make their choices. We’ll know next year.

The Delmarva Review nominations include:

–       “Writing My Way Home,” a personal essay by combat veteran Ron Capps

–       “Melissa,” a poem by William Peak

–       “Immigrant,” a poem by Holly Karapetkova

–       “November Morning,” a prose poem by Devon Miller-Duggan

–       “Dioscuri,” a poem by Paul Otremba

–       “Flowers Scarcely Withered,” a short story by Nancy Ford Dugan

Thank you to Pushcart Press for its continued support of literary work published in the small presses.  And, thank you to a gifted team at The Delmarva Review…and to our sponsor, the Eastern Shore Writers Association.   For more about the Review, copies, and submission guidelines, please see the website: www.delmarvareview.com.

 

 

The Delmarva Review’s sixth edition honored by a reading at The Writer’s Center

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in Maryland, The Delmarva Review, Writing

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The Delmarva Review, Volume 6 - print and digital editions

The Delmarva Review, Volume 6, 2013 in print and digital editions – Cover photograph by Christopher Woods   click on image for larger view

There wasn’t an empty chair as five authors took to the podium and read their writing from the new edition of The Delmarva Review, a journal publishing compelling literary prose and poetry. The venue was perfect. The Writer’s Center, in Bethesda, Maryland, is known as a special “home” to many writers. As one of the premier writers’ centers in the country, it welcomes and supports literary work (www.writer.org).

The authors had never read together before, but their performances were so complementary that, taken together, one might think they were choreographed.  They read to an attentive, responsive audience that packed the house.  It was a memorable literary event.

As executive editor, I am thankful for our five reading authors: fiction author Margaret Adams, of Baltimore, poet Judith Bowles, of Chevy Chase, MD, fiction author Ru Freeman, of the Philadelphia area, poet E. Laura Golberg, of Washington, DC, and essayist Ron Capps, Of Washington, DC.

There is something magical to all of us as editors when we experience a reading. The words jump off the page as we hear the author’s unique voice…live.  It often reveals a new dimension of the author’s deepest intentions.

The event was Sunday, the day before Veteran’s Day.  Appropriate to the occasion, the last presenter was Ron Capps, a soldier, Foreign Service officer, and a combat veteran of five recent wars. He founded the Veterans Writing Project (http://veteranswriting.org).  Mr. Capps delivered his stirring personal essay, “Writing My Way Home.”

The Delmarva Review, Vol. 6, is published by the Eastern Shore Writers Association to encourage and inspire literary writing.  Print issues can be ordered through the website: www.delmarvareview.com.  A digital edition for download to popular electronic reading devices is available at www.Amazon.com.

The submissions period for Volume 7 is open until February 28, 2014.  All writers, please see the Guideline page on the website.

Ron Capps, founder of the Veterans Writing Project, reading his essay in The Delmarva Review

Ron Capps reading his personal essay, “Writing My Way Home”                                    – photos by Wilson Wyatt

Fiction author Margaret Adams reading "Undertow"

Fiction author Margaret Adams reading “Undertow”

Fiction author Ru Freeman reading "Departure"

Fiction author Ru Freeman reading “Departure”

Poet E. Laura Golberg reading "The Solitary Farmer"

Poet E. Laura Golberg reading “The Solitary Farmer” and “Lockport Caves for Vita”

Poet Judith Bowles, who read "The Instrument" and "My Parkinson's and I attend my 50th Reunion"

Poet Judith Bowles, who read “The Instrument” and “My Parkinson’s and I attend my 50th Reunion”

A Choice…entertainment tonight, or poetry to inspire me for the rest of my life – Richard Blanco’s “One Today”

18 Saturday May 2013

Posted by in Aging and Freedom, Inspiration, Poetry, The Future, Uncategorized, Writing

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I had that choice this week…one of those times to pick between the ordinary and the extraordinary.  I could have seen a good movie or a play or a show on TV.  Nothing wrong with that.  Today, entertainment is only a “click” away.

But, instead, we drove two hours to a special reading of a poem.  To hear Richard Blanco, the fifth Inaugural Poet in history, read from his personal poetry and “One Today,” the poem he wrote for the nation…at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration.  I knew this would be unique, rarely to be repeated in a small gathering, as the poet told his story.  Another emigrant making an indelible contribution to the United States.

My wife and I attended…no, we listened…at a special gathering orchestrated by The Writer’s Center, in Bethesda.  The poet, one of the Center’s former teachers, told his remarkable story.  These were the words behind the words…some of the raw history behind the music of his poetry.

Richard Blanco has been acclaimed in poetry circles, winning praise and awards, but now he is known as one of the few poets to be celebrated on the world stage.  This would be a distinctive experience, one of those times I could place delicately in my memory, offering inspiration on demand…a gift that keeps on giving.

From the ending of his poem, “One Today”

We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight

of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always, always

Home, always under one sky, our sky. And always

One moon like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop

And every window, one country—all of us—

Facing the stars. Hope—a new constellation waiting

For us to map it, waiting for us to name it—together.

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A special “thank you” to my friends at The Writer’s Center, “one home,” a writer’s home, for creating this personal opportunity.

Inspiration is both soothing and awakening

10 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by in Inspiration, Photography, Writing

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Inspiration - click on image for a larger view

Morning Silence – click on image for a larger view

It has been a good week. A lot of volunteer tasks are getting done… various things for the Eastern Shore Writers Association, some photos for a book on the War of 1812, preparing a photography course, finished a writer’s blog interview, and contributing to a workshop project for The Writer’s Center…but one I overlooked was my own inspiration and creativity. That happens to us, doesn’t it? Time is a fickle mistress, sometimes revealing, but often steeped in denial.

That came to an end yesterday.  I was blessed to be with other writers listening to a poet and friend, Anne Colwell, speak on “poetic thought.”  Her remarks struck a chord with me.  Whether writing prose or poetry, much of an author’s voice comes from the sound and flow of language.  It is that wonderful music that creates lasting images in our memories.  One can extend that to photographic art.  Even in silence, the image creates its own cadence within us.  It is the magic of the artist’s voice.

I hope to carry this inspiration with me into the week ahead…soothed and awakened.

Inspiration . . .the muse is always present

24 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by in Inspiration, Photography, Sunrise, Writing

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Inspiration – Click on the image for a larger view.

Often we hear, “I need inspiration,” or, “I’m waiting for the muse.”  It’s as if we wait long enough it will come to us. Creativity is not a passive endeavor.  Just around us, perhaps only a few steps away, there is always something that can inspire us.  If we look, it will be there, waiting for us, like it always has.  We need to take that first step.

I find inspiration in a beautiful photograph or painting, in the lines of a poem, or the words of a great story.  I find it by walking outdoors to capture the sunrise or sunset or a flower in bloom, or to hear the rustling of deer in the forest.  It’s also present in the innocent faces of laughing children, or the wisdom imbedded in the wrinkles of an elder.  It is evident in remarkable deeds of kindness by one human being toward another. If we stop just long enough to see it, inspiration will be there, waiting…patiently…for our embrace.