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Unrequited

Editor's Note: I believe this is an unfinished entry by J.J. Feuerstein, I don't know when it was started, but we'll post it here in posterity. ~ * ~

Fortunately or unfortunately, one of the most prevalent and enduring themes of art in any form is unrequited love. In music and literature, a consistent theme is that of a love un-returned, a love that is at once overwhelming but also completely crushing. This at times overly-done topic is, for better or worse, one that can be powerful and connect with many individuals. It is also extremely therapeutic to write about these experiences.

Alive Again

Editor's Note: I believe this is an unfinished entry by J.J. Feuerstein, I don't know when it was started, but we'll post it here in posterity. ~ * ~

It's amazing what a change in the weather can do, and it's amazing how life will continue to move forward wether we are ready or not. Smelling the fresh air, filled with the scent of things growing and alive- flowers and mulch, newly cut grass. Perhaps some cooler dampness after the rain, when the air has washed everything clear. Spring and summer always feel like a fresh start, and allow us to see life from a new perspective. We are alive again, after the stillness of winter, and our lives now are filled with possibility again- exploring new places and things, and can once again see opportunity. We can again make our lives what we wish them to be, rather than being simply stuck, unable to progress or see beyond making through one more day of cold and darkness. There is sunshine, there is life again. I know this all sound cheesy, and has certainly been said before, yet I find nothing more true, pure, and amazing that the joy and possibility that these seasons bring.

When did Writing Knights start?

Writing Knights started as a freelance writing project in 2009. We started publishing books in 2011.

Inadvertent Hiatus Over(?) - This Joust In: Vol 2, Issue 3

So... I just read the previous "This Joust In" and I'm a little embarrassed.

I had so many plans and ideas for 2020.

I know I shouldn't beat myself up, because 2020 sucked for everyone, but the pandemic was largely gone by June in China. I should have been able to catch up and stay ahead of things. However, this year was harrowing to put it lightly.

I'm not going to go into full details, but I've done some reprioritizing and organizing of thoughts. I want to be a little more forthcoming with expectations and such. I'm going to need to overhaul the submission guidelines.

Basically, I'm going to have to arrange Writing Knights around school. So, during school months there probably won't be a lot of activity for WK, but during Winter and Summer vacations there will (hopefully) be a lot of action. Publishing, acceptances, etc.

I'll update the pages and post about them as things go, but I'll make sure I'm a bit more active on social media to get the word out.

Please, if you can't buy books or join the Patreon or write reviews, spread the word! Share our statuses, share the books you think look interesting. Help us get the Writing Knights name to as many people as possible!

We'll see you on the battlefield!

The Writing Knights Team

Back to Work! - This Joust In: Vol 2, Issue 2

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon, Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)

I don't like quoting John Lennon, but this is the truth, for sure. The last "This Joust In" we suggested Writing Knights was going to be able to release a few chapbooks in June. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It's no one's fault, just the variable nature of life in China. The last month was packed with work that needed to be done and tiredness that was had by me. Writing Knights can't be my top priority when compared to the job I'm in China to do. So energy reserves have to be poured into that first and foremost. Good thing about that? I'm on Summer Vacation^TM! If you've been following Writing Knights' Social Media, you'll see that we've officially released two books Little Fire Grows by Casey Krysztofik and PUNATIC by James Schwartz (even though that was technically available).

We have the go-ahead to re-release "When the Mist Has Gone" by our dear departed H.L. Rippingale (one of Writing Knights' earliest authors) so that will be on the docket in our upcoming releases. Again, we won't publish a schedule, because things change, but we are hoping to be busy this summer! AND if we can properly organize our time, we should also be able to keep releasing into the fall. "Getting Through Gold Beach" is upcoming as well, that might be the next book we work on. We will also start approaching the other entrants into the Birthday Chapbook Contest if we want to publish their work. Writing Knights also has a backlog of submissions we put on hold that we were sitting on, unable to do anything with due to burn out. We will probably approach those authors in time as well.

ADDITIONALLY, Writing Knights has opened up submissions for chapbooks, full length books and mixed-media books. What's more, The Wayward Sword has three submission calls currently open:

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37173321

"The Hero With a Thousand Faces" - 1,000 Haiku submission, based on Joseph Campbell's summary of the monomyth (Yes, we tried this in 2018, we didn't get enough submissions, so we cancelled that call, this is a new call, please resubmit).

https://www.facebook.com/Social-Media-Crush-147875015274986/

"CRUSHED" - Fiction Submission: One day, your social media crush / shows up on your doorstep. / You never told them your address. / But, you talked with them online to the point you / felt like you knew them inside and out, / and they knew you. / What would you do?

https://www.facebook.com/Iknowaplace/

"I Know a Place" - Poetry Submission: "I know a place and it's not the moon (or the sea)" / 'Poets be like "I know a place" and it's the moon. Again.' / 'Poets be like "I know a place" and then show you any body of water like we've never seen water before.' / -- Kimberly Nguyen @knguyenpoetry on Twitter Details in the links. All Wayward Sword deadlines are December 31, 2020 or until we fill the calls. We are trying to take measures so that burnout does not happen again. We want to make sure everyone gets the right amount of attention and get the best that Writing Knights can offer. So we are going to work on our books and our pages slowly, carefully and make sure everything is as close to perfect as we can get without being boring. Hopefully, that is reflected in our output! The best time to write is now! Azriel Johnson PS - Angry Cow poetry is opening up submissions for their video project "Outdoor Voices for an Indoor World, Volume 2" here

Return of the Knight! - This Joust In: Vol 2, Issue 1

FIRST of six I want to apologize for the lack of communication on the Hiatus front. It was not my intention to fall so far behind on Writing Knights-related business. But I make no excuses. I was burnt out. I should have handled things better. I may have irreparably damaged some relationships with some really good writers and really good friends. That's something I need to accept and atone for if possible. SECOND of six We are planning to open submissions in July. Obviously, we will not be doing a Grand Tournament in the sense of having a get together and performers in the same room. I'm in China. Most of you are quarantined. I am batting around the idea of doing a combination, chapbook/video submission competition, but no concrete plans yet. Ahead of opening book submissions, I have an anthology submission idea though related to our current crisis which I will unveil June 1st-ish.

THIRD of six We are getting our books in order. We are catching up on the tabulation of royalties and will let published authors know how much we owe them and asking for their Paypal information so we can give them what they are due. Our plan moving forward is to make sure we stay on top of that tabulation and make sure our authors get their royalties better than they have been, even if the amount is paltry. FOURTH of six If you look at: WK on Amazon! (and turn off your Adblock), you'll see rows upon rows of our books. WK is involved with the Amazon Affiliate program and we are trying to prove our worth. Yes, Amazon is the "Evil-Book-Empire," but if we make it into the Affiliate program we can do more and gain more $$ to do more things for our authors, including one day possibly having our own printer system and we can break free from Amazon corporate machine. Speaking of that visit Patreon.com/WritingKnights. You can get exclusive access to not only the Writing Knights full library (books sent to you every month AND weekly expert help with your own writing). FIFTH of six We are going to work out how to get our books into e-book formats that can be used on Kindle, Nook and other e-readers. This is project is in its infancy, but with some practice we will be able to produce older titles as well as our new releases once we start rolling those out. SIXTH of six Over the month of June we will be OFFICIALLY releasing a number of titles (some of the books have been soft released, but we want to give them the proper fan faire). Some are not solidified yet, but we are in talks with many authors. Four of the titles we will officially release... -- The perfect bound versions of the two Writing Knights Birthday chapbooks, Little Fire Grows by Casey Krysztofik and Getting Through Gold Beach by Barbara A. Meier. -- PUNATIC by James Schwartz. -- Fried Everything & Booze by Wanda Morrow Clevenger. We will also be in talks with other authors, mostly those with a history with Writing Knights. -- That's it for now! Another update... soon...? Stay tuned! Azriel Johnson

Spinning Plates - This Joust In Vol 1, Issue 7

I'm behind on some things.

My current project is transforming the old sales pages for the books into the new sales pages. The site is like brackish water, a little salty, a little bit fresh. All the buttons work on all of the pages as far as I know, I just want to make the sales pages a bit more uniform. The changes aren't even hard to make, its just a lot of steps to remember and sometimes I forget them. I'll get everything changed over eventually and you all will probably start seeing non-Writing Knights books in The Pawn Shop as we are going to branch (first online, then brick and mortar) into making some purchases happen to generate income.

I started a 9-5 job in July. This means I've had less time to devote to Writing Knights. We are still doing our monthly shows (just added a second show in Kent on 4th Wednesdays, but generally it seems like I'm only able to get substantive work done to the site on weekends.

The reason I bring this up, is not to bitch. In fact, I feel blessed to have so many projects. I've even got more than this.

In my personal writing, I'm finishing up the next Dragon's Bane Series novel, Indigo Inquest, which I hope will be out by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

The card game "Cycle of War" which has a story line based in the Dragon's Bane Universe is my next creative project once that is done. Add to that the "When an Orc Loves a Woman" romance.

I am trying to figure out how to put together Fat Guy Yoga episodes again. I've got a few backlogged that need edited, but I'm hesitant to do that until I have some new episodes to throw in.

Even THIS isn't all. I've got a few more projects I don't even want to mention until I've started them and gotten some legs under them.

It is a real blessing to have so much to work on, even if it feels overwhelming at times. I'm trying to triage, booking shows and sWord Fights tied for number one on the list. Those are the only things that have a solid deadline associated with them. Making books comes next, there aren't really deadlines to get them out, but I'm trying to be courteous to authors who have put their faith in me.

All this around making sure I get some exercise every day to keep everything running smoothly and trying to experience stories, whether online or from books.

This is just meant to be a slice of life newsletter. Add us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay apprised of our progression. If you want to talk to us online, add WK Pressman.

Thanks!

Azriel Johnson, Director

PS - If you want to receive our newsletter, send an email to [email protected]

Post Showcase Plans - This Joust In Vol 1 Issue 6

For all of you who came to the Grand Showcase 2018, thank you from the bottom of my heart. The videos should all be up on the Youtube Page and eventually we will get videos posted here so casual fans can check things out. If you're a video editor who wants to do some freelance work, hit me up, I've got a lot on my plate as far as that goes.

The Grand Showcase went off with a few hitches, but in general was a good time to be had by all. We conducted a sWord Fight between Daria Quinn and Franchessca Fallucco which was awesome (video to come) and served as a precursor for Daria to face Finn this Friday (August 10) at Take the Knight Off. In the future we have some plans in the brainstorming phase to offer a little bit more than just vendors and performances. (subject to change) We want to have classes going on during the days, the classes would be writing based and performance based. We have a couple different locations (same as this past event) so hopefully we'll be able to get them again, or close approximates. We want to get a hold of more vendors next year. We didn't get as many as we were hoping for. We will try harder and longer. :) We are thinking about a fee for the weekend or people can pay piecemeal for the different aspects they want to participate in. We don't want to charge, but we also don't want to go into debt to do this.

In the evenings, we want to have some stellar performances so we'll be looking and observing how people perform at our upcoming features. We will ALSO be bringing back the Grand Tournament next year in our original format (since our changing it up didn't work out this year). More to come on this front. Additionally, we have multiple copies left of the Grand Showcase 2018 litmag. AND We have multiple banners left over from the event if anyone who attended wants a piece of history. Email or message one of us on Facebook. Thank you for reading! Azriel Johnson Director of Writing Knights PS - If you want to receive our newsletter in your email inbox, send "Add me to This Joust In" to [email protected]

Grand and Meaty Occurrences - This Joust In Vol 1 Issue 5

Writing Knights is busy this summer! We are conducting our first ever sWORD FIGHT July 13, then the NEXT DAY, July 14, Writing Knights will be represented as part of the Ohio Meatgrinder Slam in Columbus, OH.

Meatgrinder is described as:

Workshop, bouts, finals, after party. All in one day

You can visit the site here to get the what's up from Louise Robertson and Scott Woods, the founders of Meatgrinder. Writing Knights sent a team to the last two Meatgrinders and while we didn't win or place, that's not the point. The point, truly IS the poetry when it comes to Meatgrinder. We are looking for two more people to join Azriel Johnson and Skylark Bruce. You don't need to be of any particular skill set other than have the willingness to go up on stage and perform your best, most out of the box work. We might even try to work in some group pieces. That is to be determined by how much time we have to practice.

Later in July, the 27th & 28th we are moving full force into the Grand Showcase and Marketplace in downtown Canton. All of our programs are full, so we are now looking to get some amazing performers into our all day open mic on the 28th. Our Open Mic List as it stands is here. The open mic will be an important part of the day as it will give new people exposure to words they might not have expected otherwise, so we are looking for people of diverse backgrounds and experiences to share themselves with our marketplace walkers. Open mic performers will also be the first people we ask to fill in if someone has to cancel their performance slot during the main shows. While you're here, check out the other links on our site. We have a bunch of new releases as well as submission calls in progress and coming up. Sit, stay a while, explore. Thanks! Azriel Johnson Director of Writing Knights Press PS - email [email protected] subject line "This Joust In" to receive the newsletter.

Grand Developments - This Joust In Vol 1 Issue 4

It is with a heavy heart I write these words.

We did not get the minimum number of entries for the Grand Tournament, so unfortunately, we have to cancel the competition.

*pause for effect*

BUT

We are not canceling the event festivities. We still reserved part of the downtown Canton area for vendors, the venues are booked and we want to have some poetry events.

So in an effort to rebrand while not confusing people, we're calling it:

the GRAND SHOWCASE

new banner pending.

So here’s the plan:

Friday July 27th from 7pm to 9pm

We will have one show (with the option to expand) at Makeshift Makerspace.

Saturday July 28th will be the big day.

We will have the following shows (with the option to expand):

12pm to 2pm show at IKON Art Gallery;

3:30pm to 5:30pm show at Makeshift Makerspace;

7pm to 9pm the final show of the event at Avenue Arts/Kathleen Howland Theatre.

We will be posting the official schedule of performers today.

There will still be vendors along Court Avenue from 3rd street to 6th street,

so bring some cash to get items, food, etc.

This being said, we are going to need performers.

Poets, Fiction/Nonfiction, Acoustic Music, Comedy or an amalgam of styles and genres.

We are looking for 10 minutes with potential for more time on the mic with our inevitable cancellations.

Performers who have to travel more than 100 miles will be offered two sets (a total of 20 minutes which do not have to be contiguous, ie you could perform 10 at one show and 10 at another).

Performers will be invited to sell their works during the event alongside the established vendors.

Hosts of the events will be Skylark Bruce, Marissa Hyde, JM Romig and Azriel Johnson.

We will be collecting “love” offerings at each show. If you don’t quite love us, call it a “you’re not half bad” offering.

We will be sending personal messages to performers we want to join us, but feel free to message us first if you’re interested. One last thing, for those of you who want to be a part of the festivities, but might not be able to attend, we will be opening up a short call for submissions for a book to be put together and sold at the event. Details later today.

See you all in July, Azriel Johnson & Skylark Bruce PS - If you want to be added to the newsletter list, send an email to [email protected] Subject line "Please add me to the Newsletter"

And the Hessler Winners are... - This Joust In Vol 1 Issue 3

Greetings and Salutations everyone! Azriel Johnson here with the results of the Hessler Street Fair Poetry Anthology Contest. Before I reveal to those who have not seen the show, I just want to thank everyone again for showing up and sharing themselves. We had amazing work shared. According to the judges the decisions were difficult to make and I'm certainly glad I was the host, rather than one of the judges. If you want to watch all of the performances for yourself, here is the video: (click Read More to see it and the results)

If you want to watch the video and also spoil it, keep reading. :) Third place and winner of $25 - Mary Turzillo Second place and winner of $50 - Ross Martyn Hayes First place and winner of $100 - Sy Castells This is one more reminder about the Grand Tournament submissions being open until June 2nd. Here is the link to the Entry page. Questions can be directed to WK Pressman on Facebook or [email protected]. There will be a second part to this newsletter probably this weekend. It will go over changes being made to the Wayward Sword as well as the new competition Writing Knights is putting together. We will also include photos from the Hessler Street Fair Poetry Contest reading. Thank you for reading and we'll see you again this weekend! Azriel Johnson PS - If you'd like to be made aware of upcoming Newsletters, send an email to [email protected] with the subject line "Add Me to the Newsletter"

Hessler Roll Call - This Joust In - Vol 1 Issue 2.5

Harrowing times were had in the gathering of submissions, but we've got things resolved at least for now. The Hessler Street Fair Poetry Contest Reading is May 23rd at starting promptly at 7pm at Happy Dog on Euclid. Event Here. Even if you aren't in the anthology, this is still a good reading to attend. The poetry is excellent and the Happy Dog has many great food options. There is no admission, but books will be available for purchase. Those in the anthology will receive an email explaining what happens next some time after this entry is posted. Enjoy! Az Here are the finalists and their pieces. A Fintastic time with Grandpa - Aisha Smith ... Sarcastic Teen Girl - Alyssa Smith ... new truth - anitakeys ... 10/17 - Azriel Johnson ... With a Bunch of Lace at His Throat - Bethany W. Pope ... Brian Taylor - Mind Reading 102 ... August Rush - Caitlin Blair Cogar ... “Deborah” - Casey Krysztofik ... Stone Cold Sinner - Christena AV Williams ... Leftovers - Christine Howey ... Tell Me - Clarissa Jakobsons ... Cigarette Butts #1 - Craig Firsdon ... Populist Punk Heroes - David S. Pointer ... In Search of a Good Night - Emily Reid Green ... “The Struggle” - Frank Kinor, Jr. ... A Villanelle - Geoffrey A. Landis ... Pray for Death - Jacob Paul Patchen ... If a Body is a Temple - James Croal Jackson ... Family Practice - Jeremy Jusek ... Erielhonan - Jeremy Proehl ... North Atlantic Right Whale - Jill Lange ... RE: Orlando - JM Romig ... The Sons and Daughter - Joann Celleghin ... Ageless our Timeless Light - Joe Bisicchia ... At the Dawning of a Winter’s Day - Julie Ursem Marchand ... Rotten Apple Dumpling - Juliet Cook ... His Name - Karen Davis ... To be a Woman Today... - Keely Aaliyah ... Idiotic Idioms - Kevin Frederick Smith ... Rose of Jericho - Lennart Lundh ... Childbirth vs Creative Birth - Lori Ann Kusterbeck ... Summer Stained - Lorraine Cipriano ... “Recipe from the KSU Counseling Center” - Lynne Shayko ... this is you - Marc Mannheimer ... Road Rain - Mark Jordan ... Don’t Mention You’re from Cleveland - Mary A. Turzillo ... Vox Populi - Matthew Scott Harris ... Love Lies Bleeding - M. J. Arcangelini ... Sanctuary - Nancy Brady ... Rot - Rachel Hayes ... FaceTime - Ralph Pitman ... Entomology 101: - Rob Smith ... March 2018 - Dr. Roger Craik ... The Homonym Garnok - Ross Martyn Hayes ... Fashion of the Day - S. Renay Sanders ... Return to Eden - Skylark Bruce ... Steal - Soumyadeep Bhattacherya ... Gender Confirmation - Sy Castells ... Gotu Kola - Tam e. Polzer ... Forgotten Feet - Tanya Pilumeli ... My Dragonette - Valentina Ranaldi-Adams ... Joy - Vincent L. Robinson ... worst of all - Wanda Morrow Clevenger ...

Social Media Revelation - This Joust In - Vol 1 Issue 2

I honestly should have known better. I am not an idiot when it comes to tech stuff. I should have realized and applied myself earlier about the change in Facebook's algorithm (algorithm is a pain in the ass to remember how to spell by the way). So, this lack of adaptation almost lead to me having 10 submissions for the Hessler Street Fair Poetry Anthology. The common response I received from people was they "didn't see any promotion" on social media. Thankfully, I had my one last ditch effort and went through two full contact lists and sent out a mess of a couple mass-type emailings and we now have a full, thick, throbbing collection of submissions for me to go through and let everyone know who is in, come May 23rd at Happy Dog (facebook event). Even if you aren't included in the anthology, you should absolutely attend the show and get a copy of the book. All of the proceeds go towards the Hessler Street Fair and that is one of the few institutions we absolutely love. Click Read More for news about additional Submission Calls.

National Poetry Month is coming to a close in a few days and Writing Knights is charging ahead with our 10/30 (ten well crafted poems in 30 days). Submissions for that go from May 1-May 10 for inclusion in a Wayward Sword litmag to be determined later. Details here.

The Wayward Sword: Break the Mold has extended the submission guideline to May 10 and is reflected in a Facebook Event. There are five different calls. Break the Mold. Anti-Mimetic. Personify Poems. Iconoclasm. Cover Art.

The Grand Tournament is still looking for submissions. There is a $5 entry fee (per person, per category) and a questionnaire we ask all entrants to fill out. We also plan to have Vendors and Sponsors (we already have 1 sponsor, but are seeking more). So if any press or artist related person is looking to get a super inexpensive booth at a potentially well attended event, hit us up. Other information about the Grand Tournament can be found under Grand Tournament 2018 up at the top of this page.

Original Book Cover from Wikipedia

In the tradition of haikuists who submitted for 1,000 Paper Cranes, Writing Knights is opening another submission call for 1,000 haiku under the name: "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" from August to the end of October.

Last but not least, we are always accepting FourPlay submissions from new authors (or at least new to Writing Knights authors). Details here. Thank you for reading and we hope to see submissions from all of you for something! Azriel Johnson Director of Writing Knights PS - If you would like to be added to the "This Joust In" mailing list, send an email to [email protected] with the subject line: "Add me to the mailing list"

Changes: Grand Tournament, the Site, etc - This Joust In Vol 1, Issue 1 (formerly The Bard Newsletter)

This Joust In... ...it's a funny pun. Thank you Andy Pear from Facebook!

If you've been to WritingKnights.com before you may notice a couple things have changed. First, the name of the newsletter has changed from "The Bard" (which, let's face it, was bland) to "This Joust In" which, okay, cheesy pun, but hopefully you got a smile from it. Also, we've changed the name of the "Store" to "The Pawn Shop" (thanks Steve Brightman!). Again, cheesy pun, but still fun. When we get our MP3 stores up and running we'll probably call them Knight Tracks (thanks Jack Smith). Why all the Knight puns? ... Why not? Words are supposed to be fun!

Banner by Eli Williams

The Grand Tournament 2018 entries are in full swing of acceptance. For those of you out of the loop, we are switching up the formula. Previous years had entries starting with the Page round where people would submit their manuscripts, then the best manuscripts would be chosen to perform in the Stage round. This year, we're having the Stage round first and the top performances advance to the Page round where our judges will choose the top written pieces to advance into the final Stage round.

The idea here is a fest type atmosphere. We have three venues booked for July 27-28 in Downtown Canton AND we are looking for vendors to buy spots along Court Ave NW between 6th St and 3rd St. Our current plans accommodate 120 performers over nine programs in Poetry, Music, Comedy and Storytelling in Fiction & NonFiction. We want to surpass that. If you know anyone or you are someone who would be interested: here's the link for more information and entry. Also, we might be partnering up with Oddmall in cross promotion as we are having overlapping events during that weekend. Writing Knights' Take the Knight Off - Inspiration Showcase has already done great things in 2018. Our February and March shows were brim full of amazing performers. Add to that, we are starting to edit the raw footage down to digestible video lengths for the casual viewer we imagine the shows will start ramping up.

March 2018

February 2018

April has an amazing line up with Michael Salinger, Carla Thompson and Grand Tournament 2017 Storytelling Champion: Aurora Stone Mehlman. On Social Media, we are going to try to make our posts a little more conversational. Our "spammy" promotion of books and events is going out the window. Replacing it will be posts asking questions about the things we are trying to promote. I am not sure how exactly we are going to handle the promotion of books and events yet, but we will figure it out as we go, much like we usually do with Writing Knights Press as a whole.

In submission news: -- Writing Knights will be producing the Hessler Street Poetry Anthology again this year. It was a great experience last year and we are eager to do it again. Here is the link. -- Our next edition of The Wayward Sword: Break the Mold is accepting submissions. We have three specialization calls as well as the general call for poems which "put an end to a restrictive pattern of events or behavior by doing things in a markedly different way." Here is the Wayward Sword link to the submissions and the recent release of Vol 2, Issue 1: Heroes Villains Death. -- Less news and more of a reminder, Writing Knights is always accepting FourPlay submissions. If you are or know a new author looking to test the waters of written commerce: here is the link.

Finally, in book store news, if you haven't noticed littered through this newsletter have been photos of our shelves. Our space at Avenue Arts in downtown Canton is getting pretty full. We need to start making more cash so we can get more space and put up more shelves, to sell more books, etc. So if you know anyone in the Canton Area who is looking to buy or donate used books, send them our way.

Additionally, once we get the LLC worked out we will start offering new books by mainstream authors in multiple genres. That's it for now. We are going to try to do this once a month (maybe making up for missing January and February). Check us out on Facebook (and our new Facebook Group), Twitter and Instagram. Azriel Johnson Director of Writing Knights Want to be added to the newsletter? Email us! Subject line: "This Joust In Newsletter Add"

Stark Soup, Stark Knights, Book Store and More: The Bard Newsletter #15

So there has been some development in Writing Knights in the past few months. We have some plans in the works.

First and foremost, We've just opened up submissions for Chapbooks (with specific submissions for Form Poetry and Slam Poetry), Full Length books and Mixed Media & Visual books. These submissions will be open until December 31st. Everyone who submits something will be sent our Author Guide (as soon as I finish it). Next, we will be starting up a Free Book Archive to get into WK circulation some of the out of print archives that we don't want to charge for, but that we want to make available. These will mostly be anthologies, like the 2011 & 2012 Best Ofs (released in the same file) and the Hands, Seasons, Warriors anthologies (again released in the same file). There are a couple others I think. Contact will be made with contributors.

As some of you know, Writing Knights and Skycycle (or Skyified Crochet) have a gallery at Avenue Arts in Downtown Canton. We have taken to the last three months with having an "Add a Line" poem to get people from the community to add to the board. All to often we get rejections. We've come up with a solution. Click here to read about it. Without going into too many details, we are getting really close to a solid set of rules for the Grand Tournament VII: Stage before Page. A bit of a warning, there will be a fee to enter, but we'll make it worthwhile. More details later. For Stark County, OH residents, you know about the Stark Knights tour Writing Knights did for three years straight, 2014, 2015 and 2016. We skipped 2017 because we weren't getting a lot of interest and we were spending more money in preparation than we were making. Since we've started asking for donations we've noticed we ARE still getting people in the door. So...

We plan to put in an application to the thrice yearly Stark Soup microgrant program in January to get the Stark Knights tour funded in April. Basically, we want to be able to pay our performers at all of our events and in the cases where we perform at libraries, donate the collected money to the libraries themselves. We may even work in some workshops throughout the month. I bring it up now, because we will need some support and for people to purchase tickets in advance so they can get in the door so they can vote for us if we make it to the presentation round. Keep an eye out for that! Last, but not least for this newsletter: Writing Knights will be working on starting an actual, really real brick and mortar book store! We got some really great advice from another local book seller. After which we have started acquiring used books to sell at our Gallery, mostly fiction and some home and garden books, but we will be accepting donations of books from people. We need to find a couple shelves to help better organize the books. The eventual goal will be to get our very own brick and mortar store where we will be able to sell new and used books as well as working out consignments with local artists as well as other presses. It'll be a process, but I think something will really come of this as long as we have you behind us, helping us out. That's it for now, thanks for reading! Azriel Johnson Director PS - Don't forget new opportunities to Write for WK.

Grand Tournament VI: The Bard Newsletter #14

The time has come to announce the Grand Tournament Finalists for 2017 (don't click away after the finalists have been announced, we have one more quick announcement to make). We had a solid group of contestants and once again, I'm glad I didn't have to judge this contest. For those of you not in the know, the Grand Tournament will be held July 29, 2017 at the Kathleen Howland Theatre at Avenue Arts in 324 Cleveland Avenue NW, Canton, Ohio. The show will start as promptly as possible at 7pm. Admission is $5.

The Wayward Sword Litmag Vol. 1, Issue 3: #RESIST will be available for purchase and will showcase the finalists and judges, plus submissions from our National Poetry Month Call "Contronyms". The Litmag will be $15. First, let's congratulate all the competitors this year, many are new to the Grand Tournament format and we appreciate you giving your all. We look forward to seeing you again next year when we subvert the paradigm, just a bit. Without further ado, our runners up, in alphabetical order:

Daria Quinn -- Hollie Neil

Jonathan Thorn -- Liz Senn Peter D. Marra

Michael Bernstein -- Scott Thomas Outlar

Let's give these folks a round of applause. We will have brand new shirts available in Red and Blue with "Only Poetry Can Save You Now" on the back with the Writing Knights Logo on the front. Our Black shirts will be equally branded.

Next, our Alternates... These people will fill in for our Poetry Category finalists, in the event that they cannot attend the Tournament.

1st Alternate: Keely Aaliyah

2nd Alternate: Deborah Dalton

3rd Alternate: Sy Castells

Next, our Music Finalists. Music Category was a new addition this year and we hope it gets bigger next year!

Anita Keys -- Chelan Riebe

Next, our Storytelling Finalists. Again, Storytelling was a new category this year and we are hoping for more entrants.

Marcus Calvert -- Rory Stone Mehlman

Last, but not least, our Five Poetry Competition Finalists for the Performance Round! In alphabetical order:

Alexis-Rueal -- Casey Krysztofik

One Single Rose

Quartez Harris -- Zach Ashley

Congratulate these fine poets if you see them on the street!

Our last announcement is, if we get at least three people to participate, we will have a Haiku Joust this year at the tournament. The winner of the Haiku Joust will earn a chapbook deal with Writing Knights. Past winners, this year's competitors (including finalists), random members of the audience can all compete. If you want to preregister for the Haiku Joust, send an email of intent to [email protected] subject line: "Haiku Joust". No preregistration is necessary, it's just nice to know before hand, if possible. Thank you for sticking with us, and we'll see you July 29th! The Writing Knights Team

Hessler Street Poetry Contest -- The Aftermath -- The Bard Newsletter #13.5

Hessler Street Poetry Anthology 2017 Buy it Here! (link coming soon)

Greetings! (click any pictures to make them bigger)

Azriel Johnson (photo by Anita Keys)

Just a short word about the amazingness that was the Hessler Street Poetry Contest! The lighting was fairly bad for photography, but people tried anyway. I personally did a little, then gave up, but encouraged others with better cameras to try. The lighting was not a deterrent to the poetry shared. Our judges had a difficult time putting together the winners after a good hours worth of poetry. We had poets from all over Ohio and beyond participating and the inspiration ran wild.

Christine Howey (photo by Geoffrey A. Landis)

Mary Turzillo (photo by Geoffrey A. Landis)

The venue: The Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern was gracious to host us and we appreciated the space. Pretty soon the lighting didn't matter and we all just enjoyed the poetry. The judging drew to a close and in my hand were the winning envelopes. Third place: Keely Aaliyah with her poem: I am a Soldier. Second place was Devlinbleu Chambers with his poem: Environmental Super Nova.

Azriel Johnson (photo by Anita Keys)

Keely Aaliyah and Devlinbleu Chambers (photo by Indigo Orion)

At last, after the perfunctory delays to increase the drama, I revealed the 1st place prize...

TWO WINNERS!!!!

Vince Robinson with his poem: Star Struck,

AND Christine Howey with her piece: I Was a Male Impersonator for 40 Years.

Keely Aaliyah, Christine Howey, Vince Robinson and Devlinbleu Chambers (photo by Geoffrey A. Landis)

A special thanks to Mac's Backs for giving me and Writing Knights the chance to put together this anthology. Thanks to all the contributors to the anthology. Thanks to ClevelandPoetics Blog for helping cover this event. Thanks to the Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern for providing the space. And the greatest thanks of all to the Hessler Street Fair for continuing year after year to bring artistic and creative joy to the Cleveland Area. We hope to see your entry next year! Azriel Johnson Director of Writing Knights Press

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