Category Archives: Blog

National Poetry Month 2014 Book Giveaway!

My Giveaway: 4 Free Books for National Poetry Month! (Free postage included! Leave a comment to be included in the draw!)

 


I’m very happy to be participating in this year’s poetry event, which involves sending out poetry books into the hands of people around the world. Organized by Kelli Russell Agodon, of Book of Kells, this year’s Big Poetry Giveaway includes a number of poets giving away their and others’ poetry collections through their blogs. For a list of participating blogs visit Kelli here

This is how it works: Participants give away two or more books of poetry, one or more of which must be by another poet. To win a free copy (free postage too), all you have to do is leave a comment in the comment box at the end of this post saying you would like to take part in the draw. Please include your contact information (if you are concerned about giving your email address in the comment box, please leave your comment and then mail an email address to: stella@stellapierides.com). Beginning of May, I will draw the winners, and email them to arrange posting the books.

The Books:

1: Parallels, by Johannes S. H. Bjerg
“The publication of Johannes S. H. Bjerg Paralles marks a watershed in the history of the development of haiku related arts…The book contains some of the most moving poems I have read…” Comment by Jack Galmitz, poet and writer.

2: In the Garden of Absence, by Stella Pierides
“A charming collection… This intersection of the past and present is within all of us, and Pierides mines it well. A very satisfying read.” Judges’ comment in Frogpond, Kanterman Merit Book Award for books published in 2012 (third place).

3: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan, by Abigail Friedman
“For its honesty, accuracy, and the pure pleasure of reading, Abigail Friedman’s book joins that small collection within easy reach of my desk for …continuous enjoyment.” Comment by William J. Higginson, poet and author.

4: Feeding the Doves, by Stella Pierides
A book of short stories and haibun
“They (the stories) simultaneously enchant and provoke, lure and unsettle. Some guide the reader to dream lands… Other short pieces come to life through the compelling characters that populate them: homeless men, writers, travelers, immigrants, wives, monks from Mount Athos. Scintillating moments of their existence dilate, to define and symbolize entire journeys…” Comment by Mia Avramut, poet and writer.

___________________

A few things about me– in case you are interested!

I like film, books, haiku, haiku, haiku, did I say haiku? The Haiku Foundation, haiku, tanka, stories, water in all its forms, North Norfolk, quark with honey and nuts, walking, playing with ideas, my cat and tortoises, plants, mountains, marshes and open skies, and many other things.

In 2013 I published “Feeding the Doves” through my very own Fruit Dove Press and I am working on the final draft of my next poetry collection… about angels.

Happiest poetry moment: my book In the Garden of Absence winning the HSA Kanterman Memorial Merit Award for books published in 2012.

I participate in a number of FB writing communities such as NaHaiWriMo, and I will also be writing a Poem-A-Day for the WD challenge.

______________________________________________

So, here you have it! 4 books: a wonderful collection of avant-garde poetry (by Johannes S. H. Bjerg), an award-winning poetry collection (mine), a delightful memoir of writing poetry in Japan (by Abigail Friedman), and a book of short stories and haibun (by Stella Pierides).

This draw is open from now through END OF APRIL 2014, National Poetry Month!

If you’d like to be entered in the draw, please leave your name and contact info by midnight (Berlin time), APRIL 30th, 2014 below in the comment section of this post and I’ll be randomly picking the lucky winners during the week of May 1st, 2014.

Good luck!

Poem-A-Day Challenge

This April I am taking part in the Writer’s Digest Poem-A-Day Challenge. Writing one poem each day of the month in addition to my other commitments is going to be tough, but hey, who likes the easy life!

April 1st prompt: beginnings/endings.

Here are my two offerings:
.
plum blossoms
the beginning of all
affairs
.
how many days
she waits by the window
to the empty street…
waiting for dusk
this unlived life
.
There are many poetic offerings on the site, and I look forward to reading them and following up on poets. Click here for the link to Day 1.

So, Robert Lee Brewer, bring them on!

‘internet of things’

Bringing technology to life,” the scientists of today create a mechanical, Frankestein-like world, where, everything that can take a “mobile-connected chip” becomes “alive”, and part of the internet of things! Actions, reactions, and interactions in this world are automated and devoid of meaning.
.
internet of things
my toothbrush orders
its own replacement

.

‘In the Garden of Absence’ wins prize!

In the Garden of Absence

Awarded the Haiku Society of America Mildred Kanterman Memorial Merit Book Awards 2013 (3rd place, for books published in 2012). 

From the judges’ commentary in Frogpond, the journal of the Haiku Society of America:

“A charming collection… This intersection of the past and present is within all of us, and Pierides mines it well. A very satisfying read” (Vol. 37:1, p. 170).

Previous praise for the Book:

— “In Pierides’s meditations, imagination takes center stage, as do imaginary gardens, real toads, and their negative space… The result is a welcome debut in which the reader will find much to admire.”
In Briefly Reviewed, Frogpond, 36-1, Spring 2013 (Click here, please scroll down).

— “This is an engaging collection…”
Modern Haiku 44.2, 2013 (in the “Briefly Noted” section).
*
— “A Poetic Gem… In the Garden of Absence is a lovely little book that sparkles with a quiet brilliance – every word shines.”
Debbie Strange on Amazon.co.uk

— “In the Garden of Absence is a stunning book. From homely to somewhat obscure, Pierides touches a chord. Her poetry is the essence of haiku and an inspiration for many of us. In the Garden of Absence A must-read book of poetry.”
Sondra Byrnes on Amazon.co.uk

–“… everything, from cover to cover, the cover image, the design, the graphical presentation, the empty space around the haiku, also the introduction… all very aesthetically (one more Greek word) appealing and pleasing! Thank you for taking me on this Magical Journey!”
Freddy Ben-Arroyo, Haifa, Israel*

–“… I really enjoy reading it, and already have some favorites…”
Annie Juhl, Svendborg, Denmark.

–“I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your book this afternoon while sipping on a chai latte. A few that I particularly like are: “between my ego and yours”, “the horses neighing”, “your vacant stare”, “moment of stillness” and “shooting stars”. The whole book is really lovely… the beautiful cover, the feel of the paper and the afterword by Michael Dylan Welch. Thank you for sharing your beautiful poems with me!”
.Lauren Mayhew, Boston, USA

–“Stella Pierides pays attention in simple ways (and sometimes vast ways) to her surrounding world, noticing the warmth of a hen’s eggs on Mother’s Day, that only a dog makes eye contact on a crowded train, or in observing the tiny dark holes in a pin cushion as she extracts its pins.”
Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, USA

–“I cannot recommend ‘In the Garden of Absence‘ by Stella Pierides highly enough. A great Afterword too by Michael Dylan Welch. … The book is entrancing.”
Sheila Windsor, Worcester, UK