Book review: Death Vibes, by Chris Reed

Chris Reed, creator of the Used Addictions comic book series and former editor of Theatre of Decay, has put together a chapbook of horror stories titled Death Vibes. The book collects four short stories and one poem, all previously published in places like Thirteen Magazine, Midnight Echo, and Trail of Indiscretion.

The stories are short -- the whole collection is only 15 pages -- which makes it a great book to take on the go or to pull out when you only have a minute or two to read. All five offerings are dark, and all pretty much what you'd expect from a guy who's written stories titled "Sick John" and "Conan vs. Rosa Parks."

The first story, "The Last Captain," can best be described as a brutal tale of high school romance (or the lack thereof). Next is "Sole Provider," the least horrific story of the bunch, but also definitely the weirdest. "Mushrooms" is a horror poem that first appeared in Aberrant Dreams, written in a narrative first-person style and very descriptive.

"Steve's Promotion" is my favorite story of the book, mostly for the twist at the end and the way that twist is presented. Reed does a great job of fusing humor and horror together in this one. "Lily's Grave" is the last story and definitely not for the faint of heart. It was the only story I'd read before getting my hands on the chapbook, and on the strength of that story I was eager to read the rest.

Death Vibes is a strong collection by a talented horror writer. My chief complaint was that the book was so short, but Reed also has a longer collection coming out called Vile Visions, which includes all of the stories from Death Vibes and plenty more (24 stories in all).

Both books will be available on the author's website (ChrisReedFiction.com) starting October 31st -- Death Vibes for $5 and Vile Visions for $10, both with free shipping -- but you can order a copy before then by contacting the author at c_allen_reed(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Trick or Treat: Haiku and Its Place in Dark Poetry

Marge Simon, who edits and writes the "Blood & Spades" column for the HWA newsletter, was kind enough to ask me to write a guest column a while back. The column appeared in the October issue of the newsletter, and thanks to a suggestion by Josh Gage, here it is. Any comments (agreeing or disagreeing) are always welcome.

Blood & Spades: Poets of the Dark Side

Marge Simon

My guest for this month, Greg Schwartz, is a copier technician and bartender. Of course, that's not all he does! His clever poems are popping up everywhere I look. Some of his poems have been published in Anomalous Appetites, Talebones, Horror Carousel, Modern Haiku, Scifaikuest, and Aberrant Dreams. Two poems have been nominated for Rhysling Awards, and one was nominated for a Dwarf Star Award. His chapbook of horror poems, Bits & Pieces, was published by Spec House of Poetry in 2007. I asked him for a column about haiku, and he has delivered it in fine style. Read on!

Trick or Treat: Haiku and Its Place in Dark Poetry

Greg Schwartz

When people think of haiku, they tend to think of ancient Japanese poets, cherry blossoms, and old ponds. When people think about dark poetry, they tend to think about zombies, werewolves, and killer dolls. Yet the two concepts fit together snugly, and haiku has managed to carve out a small corner of dark poetry and claim it for its own.

Dark haiku (which can be science fiction, horror, or fantasy) has been around for years, and it doesn't appear to be leaving any time soon. There is a popular magazine (Scifaikuest) devoted solely to speculative haiku and its related forms (with a section for just horrorku), and Sam's Dot Publishing and Spec House of Poetry both continue to support the publication of books of dark haiku. Magazines like Star*Line and The Shantytown Anomaly consistently publish both dark and speculative haiku.

morning shave--
trapped eyes watch with envy
from the mirror

There are many fine horror poets writing haiku--Josh Gage, Aurelio Rico Lopez III, Deborah Kolodji, and R.H. Fay, to name just a few. These names are probably familiar to most fans of speculative poetry.

It's interesting to contrast this level of popularity with the mainstream poetry community. Most poetry readers (and probably many editors) wouldn't recognize the names of some of haiku's elite: John Stevenson, Jim Kacian, Cor van den Heuvel, or Lee Gurga.

toys put away
she goes to bed
toybox lid creaks

Mainstream poetry journals are also a lot less receptive to haiku than speculative journals are. Very few speculative poetry magazines won't accept haiku, yet you'd be hard-pressed to find a mainstream poetry journal with even one haiku between its covers. I've submitted a lot of haiku to poetry journals over the years, and almost all have been rejected. (This might say something about my writing ability, but we'll pretend to ignore that possibility.) Only a few magazines that I've seen have gone against the grain (notably, Cold Mountain Review and New York Quarterly) and published haiku. One prominent poetry magazine's editor told me she won't even consider haiku, and the editor of another journal said I should check my syllable count because it wasn't 5-7-5.

The 5-7-5 syllable count is no longer followed by the majority of haiku poets. Some (such as R.H. Fay) can mold their poems into it and make the syllable count work for them, but most have shed it like an old skin. Haiku today generally fall into the 10-14 syllable range, but even this is not a rule. It was depressing to learn that the editor of a popular poetry journal is so far behind the times, and thus missing out on a lot of good poetry.

In contrast to these biases held by mainstream poetry editors, I've seen scifaiku or horrorku published in almost every speculative magazine I've read. It makes me wonder why haiku is so much more accepted by the speculative community.

midnight tea party
saucers clinking--
haunted dollhouse

One answer is that as speculative poets (and editors), we're more open to new ideas and new forms of poetry, and less constrained by tradition. We are more at ease using our imaginations and creating not only poems or stories, but whole new worlds. When we're used to thinking up fantastic new monsters or imagining the thought processes of a killer, a new poetry form or an experimental style is no big deal.
Another explanation is that mainstream editors receive a lot more drivel, and they're simply tired of wading through it. Or, maybe speculative poets are simply better at haiku.

Whatever the reason, the speculative community has been very accepting of haiku. Haiku poets are submitting high-quality work, and editors are accepting and publishing it. And that's good, because haiku is a form that works very well for dark poetry.

Christmas Eve--
the toy soldiers
check their weapons

Haiku and dark poetry have similar goals. Both strive to capture in words a moment that the reader will never forget. Of course, instead of birds or flowers, dark poetry tends to focus on dreadful or frightening moments, like the moment when you wake up in the middle of the night and swear you heard a noise coming from the closet.

Writing a horror poem can be hard--using just the right words to elicit fear or shock or wonder from the reader--but it gets even harder when you whittle that poem down to a mere three lines. With less room for error, you (the poet) have to be sure to pick exactly the right word, every time.

But when you do pick the right words, you've created something magical--a fierce little demon with sharp claws, ready to pounce on anyone who gets too close. Haiku is an apt form for horror poetry because you have enough room to create a sense of dread in the reader without having to stick around too long and watch it be dispelled.

Some longer poems read like roller coasters, with ups and downs and breathless moments followed by a flat straightaway, a chance to catch your breath. But a haiku is too short for all that. There is just enough time to lead the reader up that first hill, pause at the top, show them the hellishly steep drop that awaits them, and watch their eyes go wide.

bankrupt
the farmer feeds his nephew
to the pigs

Then it's over. That's all the time you have with the reader, so you have to make it count. You have to make their eyes go wide and their hearts rise in their throats with just a handful of words.

That's the challenge of dark haiku, and when it's done right, it can be powerful. Because of its brevity and its focus on one particular moment in time, haiku is suited to the horror genre like no other form of poetry. The good poets not only recognize that fact but take full advantage of it. (See some of Joshua Gage's horrorku in various online magazines or Charles Gramlich's chapbook, Wanting the Mouth of a Lover, for good examples.)

For those of you writing dark haiku, keep writing. For those horror poets who haven't tried their hand at it, give it a shot. It can be challenging, but it can also be very rewarding.

And you just might scare someone.

("morning shave" was first published in Anomalous Appetites, March 2009. "toys put away" first appeared in Dreams & Nightmares, July 2008. "midnight tea party" is from Twisted Tongue, June 2008. "Christmas Eve" is from Twisted Tongue, January 2009. "bankrupt" is unpublished.)

Sentry

Wizened little face perched atop his tiny doll-sized body in his garish yellow shirt and threadbare bright red trousers peering 'round the bedroom door down the hallway alert for any signs of life. His stomach rumbles and his back is to the action the giant creaking bed where the other gnomes are busy feasting on the human boy.

("Sentry," by Greg Schwartz, originally published in Niteblade, 2008. Artwork by Marge Simon.)

some markets & stuff to read

Ghostlight, the journal of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers, opens for its next reading period on December 1st. This is a good market for writers of horror or dark fiction -- response time is only one month, and they accept reprints. Payment rates are $5/story or $4/poem. There is also an Editor's Choice award given for each issue, which comes with $10 and a year's membership to the GLAHW. Stories should be 500-6000 words.

Emerald Tales is a fiction and poetry journal out of Florida. The editors will accept both snail mail and email submissions, and they pay $40/story or $20/poem. Each issue has a theme; the "Winter Solstice" issue has a deadline of November 1st, and the "Carnivale" issue is open until January 1st.

For Horror Writers Association members, writer and publisher J. Bruce Fuller had a well-written and intriguing article in the September issue of the HWA newsletter (available in the newsletter archives) on "Imagination and Persona in Horror Poetry." I had the unfortunate luck to follow him with my article in the October newsletter, "Trick or Treat: Haiku and Its Place in Dark Poetry." (Marge Simon came up with the title -- thanks Marge!)

Here are a couple of good haiku, courtesy of tinywords (which is hopefully making a comeback) -- one by Ed Markwoski and one by Helga Härle.

two haiku contests

Both of these contests close on October 31st:

2009 San Francisco International Competition: This contest, sponsored by the Haiku Poets of Northern California, is for haiku, senryu, tanka, and rengay. There are different prizes depending on the category, but for haiku there are three prizes of $100, $50, and $25. No simultaneous submissions or reprints. There is a $1 entry fee per poem.

IHS International Haiku Competition 2009: Entries for this contest (put on by the Irish Haiku Society) are $4/poem, or seven entries for $25. No previously published poems. There will be three prizes given of 150, 50, and 30 Euros each.

The deadline for the 2nd Annual Basho Haiku Challenge is also October 31st. If you feel like reading haiku instead of writing it, check out the new issue of Chrysanthemum (#6). There are a couple of good haiku by John Martone and Mark Miller, as well as poems by Peggy Willis Lyles, Bob Lucky, and Paul M.

Two contests

A horror fiction contest and a poetry contest:

- The 1st Annual Dark Moon Anthology Short Story Contest: Dark Moon Books is holding this contest in order to fill their zombie anthology, A Collection of Zombie Short Stories. The editors want only zombie stories, between 2000 and 6000 words. Stories can have appeared online, but not in print. The three prizes are $100, $50, and $25. Other stories selected for inclusion will receive contributor's copies. The submission deadline is January 1st, 2010.

- Bay Area Poets Coalition Annual Contest: This yearly poetry contest has three categories -- Mini (up to 15 lines), Midi (up to 25 lines), and Maxi (up to 35 lines). Entries must be unpublished and accompanied by an entry fee of $2 per poem. Three prizes will be awarded -- $50, $35, and $20. The deadline is November 15th, 2009.

Also, I came across this review the other day of Bits and Pieces. The reviewer spelled my name wrong, but he or she seemed to like the chapbook, so I won't complain. (Copies of Bits and Pieces are still available from The Genre Mall and Spec House of Poetry.)

Project Wonderful

For anyone with anything to advertise -- a book, magazine, website, or whatever -- I've added a Project Wonderful ad box to my site (as you can see). Currently it is free to advertise there, so if you have an ad you want to display, pop on over. If a lot of people start bidding on the ad space, I'll add more boxes to keep the price down.

Project Wonderful is an easy-to-use advertising management site that helps you manage ads. It seems a lot better than Google AdSense, and maybe someone can get some cheap advertising space out of it. I'm still learning the site, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

3Lights, the Journal of Modern English Haiku & Tanka, is open for submissions for their Winter 2010 issue. Up to 10 poems can be submitted by email, as long as they are in by December 15th.

Dark Discoveries and other open markets

Dark Discoveries is a great market for horror writers, but it has been closed to submissions for a while. However, anyone who subscribes to editor James Beach's newsletter already knows that the magazine has reopened to subs. It is also now a higher-paying market. Here are the full details from the newsletter (the new guidelines aren't available on the website yet):

DARK DISCOVERIES MAGAZINE RE-OPENING FOR SUBMISSIONS (HIGHER PAY RATES): I'm opening the doors once again for submissions. There are all-new guidelines with a higher pay rate ($.03 to $.05 a word with a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $150 with a 500 to 5000 word range). I'm also no longer accepting simultaneous submissions and will be a bit tougher on proper formatting.

I'm still looking to bump the rates up to $.05 a word starting 2010 if we can make our subscription drive goal of 75 one-year subscriptions. We're almost half way there so please consider subscribing or renewing if you are able to.

In nonpaying market news, Fissure and Twisted Dreams are both currently open to fiction submissions. Twisted Dreams just reopened last week, and Fissure closes to subs November 1st.

Mayfly (which pays $10/haiku) is also currently open to submissions, and if you want a chance for your poem to appear in the winter issue, be sure to submit by December 15th.

My friend and fellow writer Brent Borge saw Zombieland last weekend when it opened -- check out his review.

two anthologies, other news

Sam's Dot Publishing is currently working on a new anthology, Side Show 2: Tales of the Big Top and the Bizarre. (Thanks to Mark Crittenden for mentioning this one -- he'll be doing the cover art.) For this anthology, submit circus/carnival/midway-themed speculative stories between 1500 and 5000 words. Payment will be $12 plus a copy for unpublished stories, or $7 plus a copy for reprints. There is no set deadline, but they're hoping to publish by January or February, so get those stories in soon. You can find the full guidelines in the August issue of Expressions (scroll about 4/5 of the way to the bottom, or just search for "side show").

For fantasy writers, Fight On! magazine is hosting a fiction contest to fill their new anthology, titled Weird Enclaves and Black Pits. They want all sorts of fantasy stories (up to 10,000 words) and there is no fee to enter. Selected stories will appear in the anthology (with contributor's copies being sent out) and three lucky winners will also receive $100, $60, or $30. The deadline for this one is October 31st.

In other news, Goblin Fruit will be opening to submissions tomorrow (October 9th) while Inch will be temporarily closing to subs October 15th.

some new books, random news

For anyone looking for new books to read (or give as gifts), two new books have just cropped up from Sam's Dot Publishing. The first is a collaboration from poets Joshua Gage and J.E. Stanley titled Intrinsic Night. The book is a collection of cinquain, and it can be pre-ordered from the Genre Mall for $5.85 plus shipping. There are some sample poems from the book on Josh Gage's blog.

The second book is a novella by Niteblade editor Rhonda Parrish, "Shades of Green." The scheduled release date is January 1st, 2010, so it should be available for pre-order sometime before then. The book is set in the same world as her story "Sister Margaret," which has gotten some great reviews.

In other news, Necrography has just announced it will be closing. Another good magazine gone by the wayside. If you haven't read the first (and only) issue, copies are still available from the website.

For haiku enthusiasts, Don Wentworth (editor of Lilliput Review) has just announced the 2nd Annual Basho Haiku Challenge. Up for grabs this time is a copy of Bashō and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary, edited by Makoto Ueda, as well as a 15-issue subscription to Lilliput Review. Winners will also be published in the contest anthology (and receive free copies). Entry is free, and the deadline is Oct. 31st.