We are ready to celebrate the Book Launch for Unsung Canaan Ballads by Chyrel J Jackson. This much anticipated event is on February 22 at 2 p.m. EST via ZOOM.
Register now to save a seat for this exciting virtual event!
We had a lovely talk about so many things. Poetry, therapy work, art, baby love, and more. Check out this interview on YouTube or Spotify or anywhere podcasts are offered.
When I saw the following interview with Nolcha Fox, I was so pleased that I just had to share. It’s been such a pleasure to work with Nolcha Fox with the publishing of the above books. All are available on ProlificPulse.com/NolchaFox
Thank you to Poetic Bloomings for interviewing this prolific poet!
In fashion nothing completely goes out of style. Major trends often see great comebacks after generations of being shunned, resurfacing with a bang! So, yes, poetry is very much back in fashion, especially amongst the young, which is a delight to see. It never really left to be honest, I think it underwent and is […]
It’s gratifying that two poets as versatile in their own right as Ken Tomaro and Nolcha Fox have combined their imaginations, poetic skills, and talents in Seesaw, a collection of twenty-six collaborative poems. Their versatility shows in their ability to improvise: one says something, and the other goes with it, the result being these quirky, darkly […]
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
Wound up from the sugary Peeps in her basket, searching for Easter eggs, Mandy grabbed the pastel shades of purple, pink, yellow, orange, and blue plus G.I. Joe green. Running to the porch to share her treasures, her eyes opened wide at the live chick in a box. “Is this mine?”
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
PeeWee, my part Pekinese/poodle/dachshund mutt, loved to go on walks. He would explore every little bit of nature. As I chatted away with my walking mate, Peewee kept up the pace, then nosed through a ditch. Suddenly, a black striped animal emerged. “Skunk!” is all I had to yell when my friend and I broke […]
See: The Scent of History: Inside the Library of Smells In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more […]
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
It’s time to CELEBRATE the Placement of Finalist in the 2025 Children’s Book International Competition! “Wings and Whispers: Tales of Friendship, Volume 1” has placed in this prestigious competition! We are offering from April 11-16 the Kindle Version of this Children’s book for .99 – Available in the US and UK You can also buy the paperback or hardcover versions on https://www.prolificpulse.com/kaelenfelix where you can find all the links. Thank you for all of your support!!
In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative book by Ken Tomaro and me, I will post a quirky prompt each day in April. Submit your best quirky response poem (no more than 26 lines) to the Seesaw contest on Prolific Pulse Press:https://forms.gle/3a3NBmohikms19yA8 […]
(My Prompt): Use Apathy Sandwich to write a poem. (Ken’s Prompt): Write a poem about something you don’t care that much about but try to convince people around you it’s the greatest thing ever. In honor of April’s National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), and to celebrate the upcoming release of “Seesaw,” a quirky poetry collaborative […]
Recently, we sat for a phone interview, and it’s now published! It was such a pleasure to meet with Wil and I think you will like this too! Check out the latest Podcast!
Today’s Prompt: Craft a poem that explores the mysteries of the universe and our place within it.
Congratulations on reaching the end of National Poetry Month! How was the experience? Did you submit your poems to any publications, or are they still a work in progress? Best wishes and thank you for participating!
REGISTER for the VIRTUAL Book Launch featuring Elizabeth O Ogunmodede with her latest Poetry Book “The Beauty of Words” or send an email to admin@prolificpulse.com to register.
Dive into the enchanting world of poetic expression with “The Beauty of Words: A Poetry Collection” by Elizabeth O. Ogunmodede. This captivating anthology traverses through the intricate tapestry of human experience, touching upon themes ranging from the awe-inspiring beauty of nature to the complexities of society, from cherished memories to the depths of agony, and from whimsical fantasies to the warmth of friendship and family bonds. With each carefully crafted verse, Ogunmodede invites readers to explore the rich landscape of literature, where emotions are woven into words, painting vivid portraits of the human soul. Embark on a journey of introspection and revelation as you immerse yourself in the evocative verses of “The Beauty of Words,” where every stanza is a testament to the enduring power and allure of language.
“It seems to me that we humans are in an almost constant state of longing – either a longing for someone or something that we don’t have yet or that we at one time had but then later lost. In this book of poetry, I seek to address that aspect of our human condition – this longing, this ‘desiderium’ (Latin word).”
Wil Michael Wrenn explores desiderium in the sense of longing. Through his poetry collection, one can feel the deep desire for something once cherished. There is a deep desire in the heart for what it once had. Loss brings with it silence, regret, and pain. Wrenn explores this in his unique way, going deep into the subject.
Desiderium is now available for pre-order. Available in Paperback and Kindle.
Kindle Publication Date is April 27 and Paperback Publication Date is May 3.
We have been anticipating this occasion to come together and celebrate Joni Karen Caggiano’s “One Petal at a Time.” The virtual event is scheduled for Sunday, April 28, at 2 p.m. EST.
Register by completing the following form or sending an email request to:
Happy Friday and TTOT time! Are you doing the tip-toe through the tulips? It’s certainly that time of year in Holland. What kinds of flowers have you seen this spring?
Roses are welcomed for my sweet daughter as she is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. She is doing great! Her surgery was on Thursday, early morning. This means we were up early, but it all worked out very well because we are early risers (although I didn’t sleep well from anxiety about waking up HA). The great news is that we were out of there in time to grab a brunch to go. Grateful for her surgery going well, early surgery times, recuperating going well, she is walking around the apartment with her walker, she was able to find her dirty laundry for me to do (AHA), she’s eating well, the ice flowing machine AKA The Ice Goddess, Naps, Naps, Naps, and a phone to call any time of day or night. I believe that must be at least ten thankfuls. I didn’t count, but will now count all the wonderful well wishes, prayers, blessings, visits, and wows.
As we pace by the daisies of life, we are filled with gratitude for all the colorful events. All the preparations gone well; staying well-informed, tax season ending so I have my sweetheart here to help, staycation time (that took a lot of doing to make a week off happen). Clearing the head as much as possible for the current events to happen. Tender mercies abounding. It’s been good.
How has your week been? How about a share of your thankfuls in the comments, by your own post or … If you go to the following link, you can see other thankfuls and even add your own.
I recently interviewed Jennifer Gurney, author of Indelible Ink: Postcard Poems and Paintings from the 2025 Postcard Poetry Fest. Let’s have a fun read!
The Fest and the Process
1. For readers who’ve never heard of it, what is the Postcard Poetry Fest, and how did you first get involved?
The Postcard Poetry Fest is an annual experience. Writers from around the world register for it and we each receive 31 names and addresses. During the month of August, we write a poem on the back of a postcard and mail it to a person on our list. In return, we receive poems and postcards from our group. As a writer and painter, both, I enjoy painting my postcards as well as writing the poems. It is a joy to connect with others from around the country, and in some cases, the world. Occasionally, we write a second or third postcard to someone we connect with. I stumbled upon this incredible opportunity on Facebook one summer and am hooked. I cannot imagine an August without it.
2. You painted all thirty postcards in one day and wrote all thirty poems the next. Why do it that way instead of one card a day?
Sometimes I set a challenge for myself to see what happens. This year I loved the flow of painting the cards on the same day and then writing the poems the next day. Last summer I completed a 24-hour poetry marathon that I loved. Sometimes less is more. And sometimes more is more. This was one of those times. Getting into the flow of painting and writing can sometimes take some doing. Once there, there is a beauty to the state of creativity. I love the shimmery feeling of hanging in the balance between real life and creativity.
3. What does a day of painting thirty postcards actually look like? Music, snacks, a mess on the table?
What a great question. I have a home studio where I typically paint. It is a spare room on the second floor. But for this excursion, I set up on my kitchen table where I could look outside to the patio, be near my Bose for great tunes and close to the kitchen for snacks and coffee. My cat was curious as to what the heck I was up to and hung close that day, keeping me company.
4. When you sat down to write, did the painting lead the poem, or did you sometimes ignore the image entirely?
I tend to look at the name of the person I´m writing to (and for) and their address. Sometimes their name gives me a spark and other times knowing where they live is the inspiration. When those fail, I look at the image on the postcard to see what floats to the surface. Other times, something comes to my mind entirely unrelated. And I go with it.
5. Every poem in this book is a true first draft. Was it hard to let them go out into the world unrevised?
That is a very astute question. As a Virgo, I tend to want things to be in order. Tidy. Accurate. But as a creative type, I am getting better at going with the flow. I am also half German and half Irish, several generations ago. I truly think they form the voices in my head. The German side says get to work. The Irish side says take a break. I laugh when I hear them dickering. So the creative and Irish side of my brain had to take over with the whole first-draft-letting-go business. Luckily it worked. I was tempted several times to fix things, but in the end first draft-ness prevailed.
6. Was there a card you wanted back the moment it hit the mailbox? Why?
Wow, I had never thought about that. Honestly, no. When I write and paint for others, it is truly theirs from the get-go. Reminds me of a powerful experience a few years ago. Our part of Colorado experienced a horrible fire called the Marshall Fire. Over 1,000 families lost their homes. The elementary school where I teach was hit hardest. Fifty-five families lost their homes. After searching for a way to help, I landed on a project I headed called Art Heals. I pulled paintings I had made together, collected art supplies to donate and hosted 10 events for people to come get free supplies, art and make art there. After I ran out of my own paintings, I painted daily, voraciously, for the Marshall Fire Families. In about six months I gave out 800 paintings to help cover the walls of temporary housing these families were then living in. Hearing their stories at the events, painting beside the children and giving away my art was one of the most poignant experiences of my life.
The Art
7. Your paintings are bold, layered abstracts. How do you decide when a piece that small is finished?
My sense of completion is changing and evolving over time. The past eight months, I have been working on a series of pieces called Pushing the Limits. I asked myself: what would happen if I keep going after when I normally would have stopped? The results have been transformative. I couldn´t love a painting of my own any more than this series. And I never would have produced these paintings if I hadn´t asked the question. I am finding a new normal of when to stop and when to proceed. It is a fascinating process. I´m nowhere near finished with answering this question.
8. Tell us about the cover painting. Why did that one get to be the face of the book?
The vibrancy and fluidity of the cover painting stood out to me. I especially love certain color combinations, and this piece had several of them. But to be completely honest, it is my favorite painting in this collection. So it gets the prized position of cover. Don´t we all put our favorite in the best spot available?
9. You’ve painted the covers for all your poetry books. How do painting and writing feed each other for you?
There is a different kind of energy required for me to paint. I paint nearly every day, some days longer than others. Painting is a way to express my feelings and thoughts in a wordless format. There is a deep, physical element of painting for me. I love to paint big, sometimes 3×4 feet on stretched canvas, sometimes larger on flat canvas. I use music to help create the flow and I try not to look at a clock or my phone when painting so I can stay in that suspended state of flow. When I am adding layers to a former painting, or sitting to work on small studies, it takes less energy. But still takes energy. When I am writing, it is a way to communicate what is on my head, heart and soul in word form. I often write haiku-ish poems, which are only three lines. I also write prose poems which can be pages in length. There is less physical energy required for me to write, but still mental and emotional energy that is needed. I write almost every day. Sometimes to a prompt and other times whatever is on my heart. One of my favorite places to write is in nature, on the shore of my favorite lake. I also write on the back of envelopes at a red light. Poems come at all times of day and night and in every place imaginable. When I have something to capture them, they stay. I love having time to paint and write. What I love more than that is having the time to paint and write while I also have the energy to do so. Since I teach elementary school full-time and am very involved with other pursuits, the time does not always coincide with the energy. When they do, it is bliss.
The Poems
10. Reviewers have called this a book of summer: watermelon, fireflies, thunderstorms. Did you set out to write about the season, or did it just show up?
I think I write mostly about the life that I am living while I am living it. So it makes sense that during the summer, the poems would come out watermelon, fireflies and thunderstorms.
11. One poem pleads, “Summer, slow down.” What were you hoping to hold on to?
As a teacher, the summer goes all too quickly. When the calendar turns to August, I tend to get nostalgic that summer is nearly over. Don´t get me wrong. I love teaching and I love my students. But summer is my absolute favorite summer of all. So that one was just noticing that I was not done summering yet. (I´m still not and it´s October!)
12. Is there a poem in the collection that surprised you when you reread it later?
I think it has surprised me the most to hear what others have to say about my poems. This is the first time I have had others review my book. It has been delightful to hear what they find enjoyable. I also shared a few poems with my fourth-grade class on the day my advance copy arrived. Hearing their giggles and questions added a nice depth to how I view the poems. (They loved the ¨boyfriend¨ one!)
The Community
13. What was it like to open your mailbox every day and find postcards from strangers?
It was so cool! Every summer when the first one arrives, it is a sharp intake-of-breath moment.
14. Do you remember a card you received that stuck with you? Tell us about it, please.
My first card that referenced my poem I had sent them felt like connection.
15. Postcard poetry is very much a gift economy. What does it give you that publishing in journals doesn’t?
The fact that someone else wrote a poem just for me, and I just for them, is unique. In a world that values AI, plastic surgery and one-up-manship, this festival is the epitome of authenticity and generosity. It lifts my soul.
The Bigger Picture
16. With nearly 3,500 poems published, how does a project built on speed and no revision fit into your practice?
It is a once-a-year experience that I look forward to. To send my poems into the world and find poems in my mailbox is a gift.
17. What would you say to a reader who wants to try the Fest but is scared of sharing first drafts?
There is nothing to be afraid of. You have a poem on your heart right now. Just write it down on the back of a postcard. And add a stamp and mail it. Then do it again each day for a month. And you will find your voice in setting your poems free.
18. Why turn this exchange into a book? What did you want readers to take away from it?
I love this collection of short poems and small paintings. And I love this Postcard Poetry Fest. Pulling them together into a book is a way of honoring this community of poets and bringing a taste of summer into the world in book form.
19. Where can readers find you and Indelible Ink online?
I am hoping to have a website at some point in the future. For now, you can find Indelible Ink and my other books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you search ¨Jennifer Gurney poetry¨ or ¨Jennifer Gurney art¨ you can find other examples. I have a small Etsy site that is Jennifer Gurney Art. And my Insta is @pelican6527.
The Search for a Star: A Crabby Abby Christmas by Ellen Kolman, illustrated by Kaelen Felix, is out today from Prolific Pulse Press.
It’s Christmas Eve in Ruby Reef. The ornaments are hung, the ribbons are wrapped, and the whole town is ready to celebrate. There’s just one problem: the town tree has no star.
If you’ve ever stood back to admire a Christmas tree and felt that something was missing, you already know how big a problem that is. And if you know Crabby Abby, you know she won’t sit still while it goes unsolved.
An Undersea Quest
Crabby Abby, the decorator crab who first won readers over in Crabby Abby the Decorator Crab’s Big Heart, sets off with her friends Daniel and Lavender to find a star for the tree before Christmas morning.
Their search takes them across the reef, past swaying kelp forests and glowing coral, under a bright Christmas Eve moon. Along the way, young readers will find plenty to point at, laugh about, and talk over together.
We won’t spoil where the search leads. But we will say that the star they find may not be the one anyone expected.
The Light That Shines Brightest
At its heart, this is a story about what really makes Christmas shine. As Abby, Daniel and Lavender search the reef, they discover that kindness and God’s love shine brightest of all.
That message is woven into an adventure, not tacked on at the end. Children experience it through the friends’ choices along the way, which makes it easy to talk about afterward: Who was kind? How did it help? Where do we see God’s love at Christmas?
Meet the Creators
Ellen Kolman, author. Ohio native Ellen Kolman is an award-winning author driven by a passion to teach children the love of Jesus. She has been teaching and entertaining children in church and Christian school settings for over 35 years. Her young students inspired her to write stories that help them understand kindness, forgiveness, empathy, and friendship. Ellen and her husband Andy have five adult children, five grandchildren, and a little white dog named Chip. Learn more on Ellen’s author page.
Kaelen Felix, illustrator. Kaelen Felix brings Ruby Reef to life with richly colored, hand-drawn art, from Abby’s mismatched shoes to every ornament on the tree. She is the author, illustrator, and designer of Wings and Whispers – Tales of Friendship, Volume 1, and has been creating children’s books for clients since 2018 in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. She holds a BFA in Illustration from Memphis College of Art.
Ways to Share It This Season
At home: Make it a Christmas Eve read-aloud, then let kids pick the star for your own tree.
In the classroom: Pair it with a lesson on kindness, or have students draw their own undersea Christmas tree.
In Sunday school or children’s church: Use the story to open a conversation about God’s love and the true light of Christmas.
As a gift: Tuck it into a stocking, an Advent basket, or a teacher gift bag.
Get Your Copy
The Search for a Star: A Crabby Abby Christmas is available now on Ellen Kolman. Order today and it can be under your tree well before Christmas Eve.
Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris received this message from International Impact Book Awards about her win!
Following a thorough review of your work against our Standard of Excellence, our panel has selected you as a Distinguished Author of the International Impact Book Awards for your book, Reflections of a Woman’s Life.
This distinction is conferred upon a limited number of authors, leaders, and voices whose work demonstrates genuine, measurable impact on the readers and communities they serve. Your work reflected precisely the caliber this honor was created to recognize.
To be recognized as a Distinguished Author is to be positioned among a global community of authors whose words carry weight and whose ideas leave a lasting mark. This recognition is not given lightly. It is earned on the strength of what you created and it now belongs to you. It is a mark of distinction you carry into every room, every stage, and every conversation that follows.
Please join us as we honor this esteemed poet for this recognition!
Additionally… We received notifications that Peter Mladinic’s richly written review of Reflections of a Woman’s Life has been published by the esteemed Compulsive Reader journal.
Celebrate today as the new release of Red Threads and Silver Linings, A Woman’s Life in Haiku, One Bloody Drop at a Time!
Red Threads and Silver Linings is a haiku exploration of the female lifecycle, tracing womanhood through the intimate terrain of the body. Inspired partly by Jaques’ “All the world’s a stage” speech in As You Like It, Evershed moves through menarche, puberty, menstruation, fertility, conception, miscarriage, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum life, motherhood, menopause, and aging. Her short-form poetry illuminates the quiet power, vulnerability, and resilience held within the body’s cycles.
The collection catalogues the blood that marks each stage of women’s biological lives – periods, miscarriages, birthing blood – threading these experiences to seasonal change, the moon’s rhythm, and nature’s wider cycles. The “red threads” are crimson tides, blossoming flowers, the blood moon: metaphors for menarche’s first shock, miscarriage’s sadness, labor’s endurance, and postpartum’s complexity. The “silver linings” gather later pleasures – reblooming azaleas, HRT’s sticky petals, a bruised peach scented with second chances. Grief and loss coexist here with endurance, humor, desire, and deepening self-knowledge.
Organized into sections like It’s Just a Period She’s Going Through, Childbirth and Other Horrors, and An Old Wife’s Tale, the book blends the personal with the mythical, the natural world with the biological. Daughters and mothers share pages with ghosts of earlier selves and ancestral echoes. Through haiku’s precision, the result is a map of womanhood both grounded and lyrical.
At once meditation and celebration, the collection offers poems that are tender, raw, and unflinchingly honest – honoring the shifting landscape of a woman’s life from girlhood’s first flush to menopause’s soft letting-go, and the humanity found in every bleed, every change, every reckoning of living in a woman’s body.
Catch this video of my interview with author Adele Evershed.
Prefer the Podcast?
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About Adele Evershed
Adele Evershed is a Welsh writer who swapped the Valleys for the American East Coast. A Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and Touchstone Award winner for an individual poem, she is co-editor of Thin Skin Journal. Her work has appeared in Modern Haiku, Frogpond, The Heron’s est, Presence, Prune Juice, Poetry Wales, and elsewhere. She is the author of the poetry collection Turbulence in Small Spaces (Finishing Line Press), the short story collection Suffer/Rage (Dark Myth Publications), three novellas-in-flash, and the haiku collections Pressed Between Palms (Nun Prophet Press) and They F#% You Up Your Mam and Dad (Cuttlefish Books). When she’s not writing, Adele can be found drinking PG Tips tea and trawling thrift shops for teacups to add to her collection.
As a teacher, I will always remain a student. In the classroom of life, l wish to work with and educate others. Whether you’re a teacher, student, or just your average person, here are a few of my "TEACHERble" moments.
