Admission Confounded

“Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.”

Mark Twain, US author (1835-1910)

Out There

Wide Of The Mark
By Mark Cantrell


From my writing
You think
You might know me.
You feel you can get some kind
Of handle
On my sense and sensibility,
Some insight
Into the ticking clockwork of my mind’s
Making,
Maybe you feel you’ve got the gist
Of what I’m all about,
Well, let me tell you,
Nothing’s wider of the Mark.


Mark Cantrell,
Stoke-on-Trent,
15 February 2009


Copyright © February 2009. All Rights Reserved.


Category: POETRY

More From Mars

The pens are out there

THE Martian fountain pens are out there, it seems, scribbling their way into the meme-sphere of the internet, as I discovered while randomly browsing my way around Google. My collection of short fiction and essays, Attack of the 50-Foot Verbose Mutant Killer Fountain Pens from Mars has turned up on a new site, with a nifty way of on-screen reading.

Fountain Pens From Mars, as I foreshorten it, was released in 2006 under a Creative Commons license. Initially, it was (and still is) available from my website Tyke Writer Export (www.tykewriter.supanet.com), and then it was listed on Many Books, a site which is dedicated to public domain and Creative Commons literature, from the most ancient classics, through forgotten works, to the latest modern fiction.

Now, as I discovered, the anthology has turned up at Sk.im, where it can be read in a nifty book-page-like display on screen, complete with animated page turning. The proofing is in the reading, so it will take more than a quick glance to find out how readable this method is, but it is certainly worth a look. And while you're at it, you can check out my fiction and prose work too.

To find the latest incarnation of Attack of the 50-Foot Verbose Mutant Killer Fountain Pens From Mars, then visit http://sk.im/browse/72521/view/

MC

Category: NEWS

Cash Prize For Voters

Vote winner

One lucky participant in a poetry competition stands to win a £100 prize without writing a single verse – all they need to do is vote.

The winner will be selected at random from the online votes cast to determine the top three winning poems entered into the competition organised by Chapter One Promotions.

As for the poets, they stand to win £1000 for the top prize, with second and third winners scooping £500 and £250 respectively. There is a £5 entry fee per poem, which must be previously unpublished.

“We are looking for original and unpublished poems that vividly create a moment in time, evoke an emotion or just entertain,” said a spokesperson. “The form and content of the poem is open, allowing you to tap into your creative resourcefulness and not be hindered. Our only stipulation is that the poem be no more than 30 lines long.”

Judging will be carried out by Bridgport Poetry Competition winner, the renowned poet and artist Linda Lee Welch. She will select 20 ‘finalists’ from the entries to be displayed on Chapter One Promotion’s website. The final prizewinners will be selected by popular vote by the public visiting the site and casting their votes online.

The deadline is as 12am on 1 June. Voting will take place between the 1st to the 15th July, with the lucky voter earning a nifty hundred quid.

For more information email info@chapteronepromotions.com or visit www.chapteronepromotions.com

MC

Category: COMPETITIONS

Mind How You Go

Many Me Is Making
By Mark Cantrell


It’s all of me
In here,
The entirety of me,
Every last one of me,
Bickering and squabbling,
Arguing and fighting,
Screaming fury, plain barking mad
Until I can’t hear
ME
Think!
Just give me,
All of me,
Every last one of me,
Some peace and quiet in here,
Yes, you, you there at the back,
That means me,
You got me?


Mark Cantrell,
Manchester,
12 February 2009


Copyright © February 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Category: POETRY