Water~Stone Review. Vol. 19, "Paper Bones"

My new poem "An Exchange in Ukiah, CA, 2557" will be in the new issue of Water~Stone Review coming out this month. Be sure to check it out along with all of the other wonderful writers featured in this issue! The theme this time "Paper Bones," inspired by a line from my poem in this issue.

It particularly stands out for the inclusion of four award-winning Hmong writers: Soul Choj Vang, Mai Der Vang, Kao Kalia Yang, and May Lee Yang, all of whom I've had the pleasure of reading with in the past, but somehow never all together. Maybe one day.

Their Annual Reading and Reception is Friday, Nov. 11 at 7PM at Kay Fredericks Hall in the Klas Center on the Hamline University campus in Saint Paul. There is a brief public reception after the reading. More details to come.

Water~Stone Review is a literary annual published by the The Creative Writing Programs at Hamline University. The review publishes work in all genres as well as essay/reviews and writers’ interviews. Features include three contests and photography curated by students at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design.

The name of the journal refers to the ‘Water~Stone,’ known in alchemy as the ‘Philosopher’s Stone.’ It "was composed of the four elements of earth, fire, air and water. The stone was supposed by alchemists to possess the property of changing base metals into gold, the most perfect of all metals. It was thought to combine within itself matter and spirit, or body and soul: a union of opposites in perfect harmony. Water~Stone connotes the dynamic, transformative power of literature, as well as the search for beauty and perfection at work in the hearts of aspiring writers. The logo type for Water~Stone is based on a hybrid of two ancient alchemic symbols: one for the amalgam of all elements, and the second for the element of water as a pure and dynamic force. The amalgam is a reference to the multi-genre, interdisciplinary nature of the creative writing programs at Hamline."