a review of Shades of Green

“This chapbook is an intensely-packed collection of poems…”

- aleathia drehmer

click here to read the full review

more kind words re: shades of green

I read your chapbook last night (Shades of Green) and again today. Very powerful. Along with your poems and a book I read some time ago (In the Combat Zone) and the memories I’ve heard from dear friends and new people I encounter, I have a better understanding of the Vietnam experience, it is closer to my heart. What I understand about it is that it was stamped onto the souls of the men who were there. As a teenager I can remember one of my father’s buddies, sometimes he would hear shit in the trees. He’d mumble some stuff as if no one else were there, talking to his self, but there would be three or four of us around drinking Bud longnecks and him gazing into the trees at night.

Well. I just wanted to tell you that your chapbook was a thought-provoking and enlightening read. Thank you for writing it, sir.

~ James Eric Watkins

read more.

just buy it.

first words

got a comment from a poet who has read Shades of Green.  he writes:

Young Mr Fleming-I just read Shades of Green. Excellent work, spare and vivid, visceral. Especially the closure to The Good News. Unforgettable line. Question: How or rather, why Vietnam? – alan c

if you’ve read it, we’d love to hear what you think.  if you haven’t, you can read more about it here.

looking for the one

yesterday we were wading through submissions, and we don’t mean that to sound like ‘trudging,’ like it’s something we don’t enjoy, more like pulling off your sneakers and rolling up your jeans on an unexpectedly warm day when you had planned only to walk along the river, but were instead compelled to wade in and cool your feet, maybe dangle your hands, and then find a dry, flat rock to sit on while you watched the river carry on down to whatever sea you might be near.

so yesterday we were luxuriating in some poetic submission when we came across a rather frustrating circumstance that is not uncommon.  we read a poem that started, frankly, rather poorly.  somewhere in the middle stanzas, the poet found a bit of genius.  then the poem ended in a mildly satisfactory way.

what to do…what to do…pass on brilliance in the face of a clumsy, poorly written beginning?  or seize genius where it may lie?  we put it to the side, allowing it to percolate in our subconscious.  but really, this story isn’t even about that poem.  it’s about the next poem we read, which we loved and immediately agreed was probably too good for nibble, but we were going to accept it before the universe did a cosmic 180 on us and took it away.

such are the joys of editing a poetry mag.  such is the joy that you, dear reader, dear poet, give to us poor, unwashed schlubs.

so thank you.

and keep ‘em coming.

shades of green cover

press release for ‘Shades of Green’

want to know more about this new book from jeff fleming?

read the press release for Shades of Green by clicking here.

shades of green

jeff fleming’s new book Shades of Green, is available from alternating current/propaganda press.

Click here to order your copy.

it was small…for a blackhole

apparently we’ve fallen into a blackhole…or gone on another vacation.

maybe both.

anyway…how are you?

written any good poetry lately?  yeah?  cool.  what are you going to do with it?  nothing?

oh.

cuz, we were thinking you might want to email it to: nibblepoems@gmail.com and maybe see your name in print, on actual paper, in a real live magazine full of other poets.

well, something to think about at least.

nice chatting with you.  take care now.

‘bye.

the 1st ever poetry competition is dead

of course by “dead” we merely mean that it’s officially over.  the winners have received their prizes and the printed issue is going out in today’s mail.

ahh…that was fun.  we sincerely want to thank everyone who took part and we look forward to doing it again next year.

so mark your calendar.  the deadline for entry is December 9, 2010. 

we’ll post the revised rules in…oh…about 10 1/2 months.

wow…that’s cool

check out these mini reviews:

- click here -

pay particualar attention to the one that says: “Jeff Fleming – The Bones of Saints Under Glass – Best chapbook I’ve ever read, bar none.”

Damn…that’s really cool.

FYI: The Bones of Saints Under Glass is available here.