**Six of my mainstream poems were published in the second issue of Stormcloud Poets

Six of my poems, a mix of old and new works, were published in the second issue of Storm Cloud Poets magazine.  These poems are:

-Appetite for construction, a versework about a poet writing his way toward his best self;

-Loneliness (suburban 03 mix), about a restless, couch-surfing young man seeking some sense of "home" in a Pacific Northwest city;

-Orphan Andy's, a heartfelt and briefly flirty piece about two exes - now time-tested friends - hanging out in the poem-titular San Francisco diner;

-Pens, I - III*, a poem that brings together three writing-impetus microverses, penned in successive decades, 1990s - present;

-Products*, in which an adolescent combusts at the thought of submitting to his parents' ways (as well as corporatized adulthood);

and

-Shaking the northern spheres*, a work that recalls a Gothic-themed road trip with a restless friend in the early 1990s.

Not only that, this issue features superb verses by Richard Cody ("Sprite," The Job of the Poet").

Thanks, once again, to editor/author E.S. Wynn (a.k.a. Earl S. Wynn) for including my work in this poetry collection - it's an honor to work with such an accomplished and inspiring word-conjurer. 

If you have the time and are so inclined, pick up a copy of Stormcloud Poets #2 now!

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*Pens, I - III and Shaking the northern spheres were also published in the 2014 single-author anthology Mondo febrifuge: omnibus poems.

**Richard Cody's microstory Unidentified Flying Object was published in issue 7 of Vine Leaves Journal

Richard Cody, whose mini-tales – Alice and Lisa - appeared on this site, has published another microstory, Unidentified Flying Object, in issue #7 of Vine Leaves Journal.  (You can read this charming tale on page 8.) 

Check this microstory out!

**Two of Richard Cody's poems were published on the Strong Verse site

Richard Cody, whose microstories – Alice and Lisa - appeared on this site, has published two excellent poems, Beware and The Reason Why, on the Strong Verse site.

Check these poems out!

**Two of my works - a poem and a microstory - were recently published

1.)  “baise moi: San Francisco”: This trashy poem about two road-tripping, homicidal lesbian wrestlers appeared in the fourth issue of Pink Litter. It is, as you probably guessed, a “for mature readers only” read.

I’m also thrilled that, in this fourth issue, I’m sharing space with two writing friends, whose works consistently wow me – Richard Cody, who penned another sweet, brief  poem (“I enter”) and Peter Baltensperger, who authored the sensual, balance-themed microstory “For the Sake of Symmetry”.

2.)   “Jailhouse sleepover”:  This 58-word microstory tells the tale of two bloodthirsty, lusty clowns who get thrown in the clink.  Again, this is a “for mature readers only” read.  

"Jailhouse sleepover" will appear on the Erotica Readers & Writers Association (ERWA) site until October 30, 2012.

Review: The Jewel in The Moment, by Richard Cody

I reviewed Richard Cody's wonderful "haikuish" anthology The Jewel in The Moment on the Reading & Writing By Pub Light site.

Cody published two spooky stories on this site, as well: Alice and Lisa.

Cody, also the author of the horror anthology Darker Corners and the poetry anthology This is Not My Heart, is a writer whose work is worth reading - and owning.

**Richard Cody’s poem, Haunted, was republished on the Phantom Kangaroo site

Richard Cody, whose microstories – Alice and Lisa - appeared on this site, has republished another powerful poem, Haunted, in issue 13 of Phantom Kangaroo.

This poem was originally published in one of Richard's poetry anthologies, This is Not My Heart.

Check out his work, and these sites, if you’re so inclined and have the time!

Alice

By Richard Cody


Alice stepped into the room, filling the small space with her presence. Her eyes danced blue and beautiful, like waves crashing on a beach. She was vibrant, vivacious, barely contained energy rippling beneath almost luminous skin.

“I will never love you again,” she whispered, soft as gently falling rain. “I will never love you. . .”

I moved as if to catch her, confusion gripping my mind; my blood, replaced by cold fear, pumping through a heart withering toward oblivion. I needed to touch her, to feel the soft warmth that was Alice . It was too late, I knew. She was gone, forever. The air burned my skin, my eyes, with horrible realization. My heart collapsed in upon itself, forming a black hole of infinite density deep within the middle of me.

“I will always love you,” I muttered, the light of the room beginning to bend toward me. “Always.”

Alice stepped out of the room, leaving it completely empty.


Copyright ©2011 Richard Cody. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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If you like this story, check out Richard’s other story, published on this site: Lisa

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY


Richard Cody has been known to write poetry and fiction. His work has appeared most recently in Kaleidotrope, Red Fez, Askew Poetry, Daily Love and Eclectic Flash (including their best of 2010 anthology). His books are available at Lulu and Amazon.

**A review of Richard Cody's Darker Corners was published on the Reading site

I just posted a review of Richard Cody's horror anthology, Darker Corners, on the Reading & Writing By Pub Light site.

Last week, one of Richard's stories, Lisa, was published on this site.

Lisa

By Richard Cody


I came home from work to a dark and quiet house, the front door standing sinister and slightly ajar. With a curious and creeping sense of déjà vu, I entered. Inside, shadows crept over the walls.

“Lisa. . .” my voice echoed through quiet rooms. “Lisa, are you here?”

She moved slow and furtive from swirling shadows, nothing but a vague shape in the murk before my eyes. I groped blindly for the light switch, nervous apprehension thickening my fingers as I fumbled and felt and finally flicked it on, bathing the room in electric light. Shadows fled like roaches into corners and there was Lisa.

She stood silent and still before me, pale blue eyes staring at some vacancy in the middle distance, slender arms hanging limp at her sides. It was then I saw the knife clenched tightly in the curled fist of her right hand, a smooth expanse of silver blade reflecting white light with flashing brilliance. She held it firm and deliberate, knuckles white with the pressure of her grip. I noticed the small scar on the back of her delicate hand, white and jagged even against the ghostly pale of her flesh. In a vivid flash I remembered the previous summer at the lake when she’d cut herself on a broken bottle.

“Lisa,” I ventured cautiously, “give me the knife.”

She remained still, painfully quiet.

“Lisa,” I began again, “give me the knife.”

She moved toward me slow and shambling, her feet dragging over the floor. Then she stopped.

“Lisa,” I commanded, “give me the knife.”

An anxious moment passed, the two of us standing there, waiting. Finally she moved forward . . and gave me the knife.


Copyright ©2011 Richard Cody. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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If you like this story, check out Richard’s other story, published on this site: Alice

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Richard Cody is a native Californian and a writer of poetry and fiction. His work has appeared in many print and virtual publications, most recently Red Fez, Eclectic Flash and a handful of stones. Look for his books, The Jewel in the Moment, This is Not My Heart and Darker Corners at Amazon and his Lulu page.