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Wild Wind – we know who’s in

Cover for Wild Wind:Poems and Stories Inspired by the Songs of Robert Earl Keen edited by Sandra and Ron cooper with a preface by Willy Braun of Reckless Kelly. The cover shows an abstract, multi-colored painting of a guitar with white lettering superimposed over it.

Wild Wind: Poems and Stories Inspired by the Songs of Robert Earl Keen

edited by Sandra Johnson Cooper and Ron Cooper, with a preface by Willy Braun of Reckless Kelly

Coming November 19, 2024

This anthology of poems and short stories is an homage to Texas singer/song-writer Robert Earl Keen, who stands in the songwriter/storyteller tradition of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, John Prine, and Keen’s contemporaries Lyle Lovett and James McMurtry. The poems and short stories here are each inspired by Keen’s songs, some expansions of themes of Keen’s songs, others move in creative directions suggested by the characters in his work. Keen’s songs are impressive for their literary sensibility (he was an English major at Texas A&M University) and have influenced many songwriters as well as authors of fiction and poetry.

Contributors:

  • Preface: Willy Braun
  • Poetry: Alan Birkelbach – Rick Campbell – Greg Clary – Andy Coat – Rupert Fike – Carl Freeman – Carol Kraus – karla k. morton – Jeff Newberry – Garrison M. Somers
  • Fiction: Heath Bowen – Michael Cody – Ron Cooper – Sandra Cooper – Patrick Michael Finn – Scott Gould – Donna Wojnar Dzurilla – Bobby Horecka – Patti Meredity
  • Memoir: Kim Davis­­
  • Screenplay: Janna Jones

South Carolina natives Sandra Johnson Cooper and Ron Cooper have lived in Florida since 1988 and have been fans of Robert Earl Keen for nearly as long. They both teach at the College of Central Florida where Sandra specializes in American literature, and Ron specializes in philosophy and world religions.

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By the Light of a Neon Moon

By the Light of a Neon Moon, edited by Janet Lowery

By the Light of a Neon Moon, edited by Janet LoweryOur first poetry anthology is at the printer!

If you’ve been following us for a while, you will have seen our calls for submissions to the Dancehall Poetry Anthology. We are happy to announce that it has gone to press, and we hope to have copies available at AWP! Editor Janet Lowery named the collection By the Light of a Neon Moon and Jacqui Davis created this eye-catching cover for it. We are humbled by the quality of the poetry we received, and we cannot wait to share it with everyone. The contributors are already discussing the fact that the launch party should include a dance. We aren’t sure how we’ll pull that off, but we love the idea!

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A sneak-peek at the Table of Contents:

We had several poets laureate contribute to the collection as well as many other award-winning poets from around the country. Have a look at the Table of Contents.

Contents

Introduction by Janet Lowery

I—Neon Light

Beloved, After These Things by Alan Birkelbach
Like People in Love by Kimberly Parish Davis
A Thing About Rhumba by Gianna Russo
Pretty Woman by Luanne Smith
Not That Sally by George Drew
Dear Will’s Pub by Pj Metz
Rose-Colored by Janet Lowery
Old Flame by Winston Derden
Music for Arms Like Ours by Mike Schneider
Oh, That Buckskin by Christine Cock
Dancing Fool by John Grey
Always Open by Karen Head
Words from My Father by karla k. morton
One Way Traffic by Alan Birkelbach
Dancing at Dirty Frank’s by Lisa Naomi Konigsberg

II—Neon Signs

The Bull Rider by Katherine Hoerth
The Archaeologist Dreams of Sleep by Kimberly Parish Davis
Chevy Pick-Up, Loaded by Ed Ruzicka
Integration 1964 by Dave Parsons
Dalliance by Ruth I. Healy
Triple-Two at the Dance by Janet Lowery
Prickly Pear by Katherine Hoerth
Partner by Sarah Cortez
You Ain’t the First Singed Hash Browns on My Plate by R. Gerry Fabian
Just Believe Her! by Alan Birkelbach
Rodeo Exchange by karla k. morton
Back by Juleigh Howard-Hobson
I May Not Be Drunk, But I’ll Get There by Herman Sutter
Your Dancing Lessons Didn’t Pay Off by J. J. Steinfeld
Little Heretic by Gerry LaFemina
Waiting for Resurrection by Leah Mueller
Always by Anusha VR
The Way We Danced Before I Became Another Ex in Texas by Laurie Kolp
Dancing with a Cue Stick by George Drew
Death at the Dancehall by Janet Lowery
Two Dogs Howling at the Moon by Dave Parsons
Resurrection Mary by Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda

III—Neon Hearts

Standing on the Edge of the Roadhouse Charybdis by Alan Birkelbach
Dancing Before by Lesley Clinton
Zydeco Shindig by Dolores Comeaux
Friday’s Dance by Mike Schneider
Road House on the Way to Cheyenne by Rick Campbell
Guitar and Mandolin by Gerry LaFemina
Dress Code at the Dance Hall by Alan Birkelbach
Here at Ransom’s Saloon by George Drew
Hard Wood by Jerry Bradley
Bootstrap by Winston Derden
6 a.m. Outside the Dance Hall by John Grey
Empties by Gerry LaFemina