tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115399482026-03-27T03:21:28.164-04:00Marly Youmans / The Palace at 2:00 a.m. / poems, stories, novelsSeek Giacometti’s “The Palace at 4 a.m.” Go back two hours. See towers and curtain walls of matchsticks, marble, marbles, light, cloud at stasis. Walk in. The beggar queen is dreaming on her throne of words… You have arrived at the web home of Marly Youmans, maker of novels, poems, and stories, as well as the occasional fantasy. D. G. Myers: "A writer who has more resolutely stood her ground against the tide of literary fashion would be difficult to name."Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.comBlogger1976125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-16906096704054247342025-12-07T22:23:00.001-05:002025-12-09T22:04:11.102-05:00Clive at the Castle, Marly at Brazen HeadCLIVEANThe images: "Clive Hicks-Jenkins and the Art of the Book" at Hay Castle, including art from Seren of the Wildwood (WisebloodBooks), Charis in the World of Wonders (IgnatiusPress), and Maze of Blood (Mercer University Press.) The Charis images shown here are on Sussex Lustreware's World of Wonders line.From Clive via Instagram:Hay Castle, Hay-on-WyeDec 5th 2025 - March 8th 2026Book covers Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-54220757242934865342025-10-14T18:23:00.054-04:002025-10-17T16:29:10.671-04:00Halloween at New Verse ReviewThe Halloween issue of New Verse Review is online... edited by founding editor Steven Knepper, and Zina Gomez-Liss. It begins with a poem by me and ends with one by Jared Carter, and in between are a great many curious and interesting poems. Jump-scares HERE. To attend the 8-9 p.m. Friday October 17 Zoom reading from the issue, go HERE for free tickets via Eventbrite.Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-22562034521909621342025-10-02T22:54:00.002-04:002025-10-14T21:53:49.152-04:00Surfacing with a few poemsApology-and-poemsI've neglected sending out poems and posting for a long time because of far-flung travels, a long stay in North Carolina after my mother's death, those peculiarly-named small but wicked demons Madame Plantar Faciitis and Sir Histamine Intolerance, and also the general oceanic chaos that is sometimes life. Luckily, I sent a few poems out and also received some welcome requests. SoMarly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-4263422381089266672024-12-16T10:35:00.000-05:002024-12-16T11:56:03.040-05:00Confetti, champagne, and singing petunias--Video of the presentation...Pleased to have won two of the four prizes in this rare international contest for formal poetry--and also tickled that Jesse won the big one. Winning poems can be read here. The full shortlist, which names two of my poems, can be found here. Many thanks to the English-Speaking Union (Victoria Branch), ESU President Robert Furlan, judging poet Stephen Edgar, and Lucas Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-56298389114309152532024-07-30T15:21:00.003-04:002024-07-30T15:21:35.798-04:00Whee! A book landing on the list...CURRENT's 100 Books of the 21st CenturyRead the intro and run your peepers down to no. 29!Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-74899282847151449592024-06-01T19:18:00.000-04:002024-06-01T19:18:31.192-04:00Birthday frolicsSigning books on the Village Library of Cooperstown lawn, 1-3 pm on Sunday, June 2. Including the newest books from Wiseblood Books and Ignatius Press.Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-46482064458176046532023-11-20T11:32:00.000-05:002023-11-20T11:32:16.408-05:00Kingdom Poets, Clive, Seren, Charis, more...Here's a sprinkling of recent poems and notices. I've become bad about adding things here because blogs are in abeyance, but these are a few things that have popped up recently.A glad thank you is due to D. S. Martin for a column in Kingdom Poets. He talks about and quotes from Seren of the Wildwood (Wiseblood Books, 2023) and then features my poem, "The Hand" (previous published in Artemis; Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-65570088841940711352023-04-19T10:46:00.002-04:002023-04-19T10:56:07.181-04:00Next reading and Hollins Critic review clipThe Village Library reading: 6 p.m., Tuesday April 25thFrom The Hollins Critic reviewSeren of the Wildwood is a magical book, a visionary journey through motherhood and the rebellious, unwieldy life-force of the universe. It includes equally magical cover art and interior illustrations by Clive Hicks-Jenkins, who frequently illustrates Youmans's books. The publisher's web page says that "Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-87431649669713665702023-04-10T20:12:00.003-04:002023-04-10T21:01:01.436-04:00More review clips for Seren of the WildwoodArt by Clive Hicks-JenkinsSETH WRIGHT at FRONT PORCH REPUBLICYoumans’ gift for creating primordial archetypal images that stir the gut and fascinate the eye of the mind places her among the best of the poets. If you’re a connoisseur, even a lapsed or dilatory one, of narrative poetry, buy Seren of the Wildwood and read it today...What is particularly impressive about Youmans’ weaving is her Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-20060900244154785192023-03-28T09:11:00.001-04:002023-04-10T19:37:50.299-04:00Two novelists on SerenBeth Garst of Howl'n Dog Designsreads Seren on a Virginia porch swing...AMANDA COCKRELLI was given a review copy of Seren and couldn’t put it down. It’s lyrical and magical and offers a glimpse of the places usually seen only from the corner of the eye. --novelist Amanda Cockrell(Amanda Cockrell assigned a review for The Hollins Critic: out soon!)* * *GLYNN YOUNG...The reader is struck by two Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-82942449803617201372023-03-22T20:54:00.006-04:002023-03-22T20:54:41.947-04:00A writer and an artist respond to SerenSeren, by Clive Hicks-Jenkinsfrom Seren of the Wildwood(Wiseblood Books, 2023, hc/pb)ANDREW FRISARDIMarly Youmans’s verse-narrative Seren of the Wildwood is a bildungsroman or coming-of-age tale about a young girl named Seren, told in the archetypal-dream language of a fairy tale. Seren experiences the universal realities of the loss of innocence through trauma and betrayal, of the self Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-63498018926191450742023-03-17T15:59:00.006-04:002023-03-17T15:59:58.011-04:00Seren of the Wildwood March readings--Saturday, March 18 3:00Reading with Sally ThomasCity Lights Bookstore 3 East Jackson St.Sylva, North Carolina828-586-9499Thursday, March 23 7:00 p.m.Reading with Sally ThomasGoldberry Books12 Union St. SouthConcord, North Carolina(980) 439-5050Friday, March 10Launch Party near D. C.The Washington Review: "Charles and Tessa Carman will host novelist and poet Marly Youmans [“the Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-91981903558912021582023-03-06T12:01:00.004-05:002023-03-06T12:01:47.549-05:00Launch Day, March 6Seren at the home of poet and writerDavid Russell Mosley(Wiseblood Books)Launch Day review from poet/translator/writer Jonathan Geltner at the Slant Books blog. Wiseblood Books notes that it "situates the poem within the world of fantasy & showcases a few beautiful excerpts." To read, fly HERE.I'm celebrating having survived Covid and reached Launch Day with some ginger tea... sitting here Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-72397691367375442772023-02-23T07:00:00.001-05:002023-02-23T08:05:58.732-05:00Seren: video, newsletter, review, more... CLICK ME, says Alice's video, though rather shyly.VISUAL ARTon this page and the pages of Seren of the Wildwood is the splendid handiwork of Clive Hicks-Jenkins.WISEBLOOD NEWSLETTER&Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-48875148444343513522023-02-06T10:56:00.000-05:002023-02-06T10:56:06.346-05:00The Rollipoke, 23: Cover reveal! Pre-order links! More!in-process detail, jacket/cover imageby Clive Hicks-Jenkinsfor Seren of the WildwoodMy TinyLetter newsletter, The Rollipoke, went out to subscribers early this morning. This time I'm opening it up to the public, as it is the first announcement for Seren of the Wildwood (Wiseblood Books, March 6, 2023.)Here's the full address, which you are welcome to share: https://tinyletter.com/Marly_Youmans/Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-16685621453374117142022-12-29T22:09:00.007-05:002023-01-10T07:26:56.454-05:00Wiseblood, Seren, poems1,From the Wiseblood Books End-of-2022 newsletter:Seren of the Wildwood, a long fantasy story in verse by Marly Youmans, forthcoming in March of 2023. Youmans is an award-winning author of over fifteen books, including, most recently, Charis in the World of Wonders. Appreciating the way in which Seren "whispers to our fractured souls," Makoto Fujimura calls the poem "an Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-46413185092446390732022-11-02T17:51:00.001-04:002022-11-02T17:51:37.100-04:00Matters of BeautyI'm on a panel talking about the short(ish) film, "Why Beauty Matters," in Delhi's lovely old public library on the 13th. at 2:30... Regional friends, come see the movie and discuss!* * *Small new poem: Old Women on the Churchyard Wall at Better than Starbucks. I've been stretched thin this year and haven't sent much out. Maybe by the end of the year...Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-79375950034051360642022-08-12T10:09:00.001-04:002022-12-29T22:13:21.077-05:00WordishlyMy beautiful child!FAVORITE LINE AT THE COUNTY FAIR"The Beautiful Child Contest is now underway at the Cow and Sheep Barn." Last night I went to the Schoharie County Fair with my husband and youngest--Demo Derby! Royal Hannaford Circus! Gaudy rides! Crazy carnival eats! And all the joys of beribboned rabbits and hares, cows and sheep and friendly goats.CHARIS IN THE WORLD OF WONDERS, Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-33916005723474933262022-06-18T15:43:00.000-04:002022-06-18T15:43:47.191-04:00NCLR: Night-blooming Cereus, Spring Tree Egg, AliceFrom a recent North Carolina Literary Review zoom reading: three of my poems from a wild-and-free sequence influenced by the paralIelism of Hebrew poetry (via the lovely rhythms of the King James Bible) and a Yoruban form. Yep, a real Silk Road set of poems... And not formal in the way you may associate with my poems.I never watch myself, so I can't make any promises...Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-42404773403473654152022-06-06T21:57:00.002-04:002022-06-06T21:57:27.993-04:00Otherworlds Amethyst ReviewNew Writing Engaging with the SacredFly to "Otherworlds"Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-7286964483459803952022-06-02T09:11:00.004-04:002022-06-02T09:23:51.133-04:00Sharing the Wiseblood newsletterForthcoming from Wiseblood BooksDear Readers,Our horizon of forthcoming publications is afire with good things — so many, in fact, that I can't help sharing a few highlights:1. Seren of the Wildwood, a long fantasy story in verse by Marly Youmans, with cover and interior illustrations by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Youmans is an award-winning author of over fifteen books, including, most Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-84443966855923108622022-05-16T22:00:00.001-04:002022-05-16T22:00:42.672-04:00Queen AliceHere's a little postscript to the prior post! * * *That is, here's another poem, my first in Light, edited by poet Melissa Balmain..."The Wish for Queen Alice" * * *Read the whole amusing issue: Winter/Spring 2022 ISSUE: Table of Contents  Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-7903392091522972022-05-14T13:43:00.000-04:002022-05-14T13:43:50.118-04:00Poems and a tiny thank youI'm pleased that Michael Fitzpatrick, who wrote a lovely, recent review of Charis in the World of Wonders, included one of my poems at the close of his latest Eighth Day column: The Dreamer as Architect," which I wrote for novelist Midori Snyder and was originally published in First Things. Thank you to him!The second issue of Pulsebeat is out, thanks to editor David Stephenson. And there you mayMarly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-89885196307176587562022-05-06T09:12:00.002-04:002022-05-06T09:12:29.042-04:00On being asked for my politicsRoderick Robinson1:27 AM, May 06, 2022You've said you're not interested in politics; I'm not sure how you manage this given politics infects every human enterprise but I hope I know you well enough to say I respect this stance. But at the moment in the USA, politics - in the widest sense and with worldwide implications - is impossible to avoid. Even for an old male fuddy-duddy like me. Do you Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-41842599135102247332022-04-26T15:55:00.002-04:002022-04-26T15:55:39.036-04:00TONIGHT, reading with NCLRTONIGHT: reading "She-Who-Changed," "Night-blooming Cereus," "Spring Tree Egg," and "Alice" with @NCLitReview "North Carolina Literary Review"... at 7:00. (Just realized. Eep! So please share...) https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82425514581Marly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.com2