Now in Kindle format!

• Submissions accepted only via on line form (added to this page later). 
• Submissions accepted from a former contributor or someone recommended by a former contributor.
• Only one submission per poet/writer.
• Poem may not exceed 38 lines (includes title author's name and a blank line prior to the poem) flash fiction should not exceed 325 words (bottom line is that the flash fiction must fit on a 5.5"x8.5" page with .5 top and bottom and .75 right and left margins)
• NOTE: Contributors may purchase the book at a reduced rate upon publication. 

• Author must have rights to the poem (previously published OK, but not in an OMP anthology). 
• Poem may not exceed 38 lines flash fiction may not exceed 325 words (this includes title, spaces, and author's name). 
• Poetry lines that  exceed 55 letters and spaces will wrap and count as two lines.
• Initially, only one poem/flash fiction per writer, so give it your best shot:-)
• Sample title and first line below

Title of Poem/Flash Fiction
Author's Name

Begin poem/flash fiction

CLOSED OUT
 

About the book

SAMPLE OF THE WORK:

Before Dinosaurs for Shelby Stephenson, who asked me…Why do you FEEL you do not like water?      Jenny Bates I After watching "Creature from the Black Lagoon" I never got deeper than my ankles in any lake or pond again. Though I loved the sea in Devon, it was because I could lean against the whole of England. I knew it had my back. I grew up surrounded by the Great Lakes. Went boating on Lake Avalon every summer. Now, my feet shudder if they are not on terra firma. I can’t ice-skate or ride escalators gracefully. I become Alice fighting the Jabberwock after an ice storm. I like to fly though. Must be my avian ancestors. I came from no ocean floor. My curiosity under waves became relegated to field guides. II I would move from pool to pool as the spirit prompted feed off dawn and dusk a water haunter, fooling around diving, rolling, racing—built to claw at mud. Not a creature of the sea Cambrian in my blood no Silurian for me. Everything was under before the dinosaurs. I need banks cradling, wild unfettered river-willful and insistent as the Otter — my evolution peaked. So to liberate my fear! let me be an Otter living between earthen boundaries — slide over ledges, slip between boulders. In night chilled air my breath sends up a long cloud of white vapor turning pink in the rays of the rising sun. JENNY BATES, North Carolina. Member of Winston-Salem Writers. NC Poetry Society, NC Writers Network. Published books include, Coyote with Coffee (Catbird on the Yadkin Press, NC 2014). Visitations (Hermit Feathers Press, NC 2019). Slip (Hermit Feathers Press, NC 2020). Known local animal whisperer to Donkeys, Coyotes and Crow Folk. Jenny currently resides in Stokes Co., NC adjacent to Hanging Rock State Park

Danish Combat Swimmers Course Tom Davis   WE HAD TWO British SAS sergeants going through the Danish Combat Swimmers Course with us. Everything you’ve heard about how tough these guys are, multiply it by five. We were preparing to hit the water to start the final 10K swim, and I could tell one of the SAS guys wasn’t quite himself. Brockelman told me that our SAS friend was coming down with pneumonia. He was wheezing and looked pale. I walked up to him and suggested that he sit this swim out. It would mean he’d not graduate, and he’d hear nothing of it.      Ron Brockelman, my Team Sergeant, and I were the Team’s two strongest swimmers, so we normally were swim buddies. But for that 6 mile swim, I hooked into the SAS guy. We started out fine, but after a couple of miles, he began to fade. We were lagging back well into the middle of the pack.      The Danes would pull up along side us in their rubber boat and ask if something was wrong. We’d wave them off. They knew about the pneumonia, but wouldn’t pull the guy out unless he asked. It eventually got to the point that he was of no help. In fact, he was barely able to kick enough to keep himself parallel to the surface. I finned on, determined to pull both of us through and not be the last ones in.      We finally made it to the end and crawled out of the water. All the SAS guy said to me was, "Sir, you know I’d have done the same for you." No "thank you" was offered, and none was expected. I’d always held the SAS in high regard, but never more so than at that moment.      The course ended, and after 3 month overseas we flew home to Ft. Devens, MA. Polly met me at the door of our duplex, Tee on her hip. I immediately reached out to him, but instead of holding out his little arms to me and smiling, he shrunk away, tucking his face into Polly’s neck. He didn’t recognize me. This moment is forever burned into my brain. Just like when I found out that Kennedy had been assassinated or when I heard on the radio that John Wayne had died. But I was home again. At least for a little while. TOM DAVIS’ publishing credits include Poets Forum, The Carolina Runner, Triathlon Today, Georgia Athlete, The Fayetteville Observer’s Saturday Extra, A Loving Voice Vol. I and II, Special Warfare., and Winston-Salem Writers’ POETRY IN PLAIN SIGHT program for 2013 and 2021. He has authored several books. Tom, A retired Special Forces soldier, has completed his memoir, The Most Fun I ever Had With My Clothes: On A March from Private to Colonel. He lives in Sylva, NC.

JoAnna Arnold, an enthusiastic French and Spanish teacher, is a regular contributor to anthologies for Old Mountain Press. She earned a Master of French Studies from Auburn University and a Master of Education from UAB. She also holds certifications in Spanish, English, and ESOL. When not teaching, she prefers to nurture her insatiable love for travel throughout Europe and Latin America. Arnold lives in Americus, Georgia, with her husband Bob and their three children.

B

Joan Barasovska lives in Orange County, North Carolina. She co-hosted a poetry series at the independent bookstore Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill and serves on the Board of the North Carolina Poetry Society. In 2020 Joan was nominated for Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize. Joan is the author of Birthing Age (Finishing Line Press), Carrying Clare (Main Street Rag), and the forthcoming collection Orange Tulips (Redhawk Publications).

Jenny Bates, North Carolina. Member of Winston-Salem Writers. NC Poetry Society, NC Writers Network. Published books include, Coyote with Coffee (Catbird on the Yadkin Press, NC 2014). Visitations (Hermit Feathers Press, NC 2019). Slip (Hermit Feathers Press, NC 2020). Known local animal whisperer to Donkeys, Coyotes and Crow Folk. Jenny currently resides in Stokes Co., NC adjacent to Hanging Rock State Park.

Dorothy Barrow was born in Zebulon, NC and loved to write from an early age. She graduated from Wakelon high school at 16 and from Duke University at 20. She wrote her college senior paper, thoughtfully, about the strengths and weaknesses of Mormonism.

Glenda C. Beall is the author of the poetry book, Now Might as Well be Then, a family history book Profiles and Pedigrees, The Descendants of Thomas Charles Council (1858- 1911) co-author of Paws, Claws, Hooves, Feathers and Fins. Her creative nonfiction, short stories and poetry have appeared in magazines, anthologies, and journals. She lives in Hayesville, NC and serves as program coordinator for the NC Writers’ Network – West. Find her online at:

 www.glendacouncilbeall.com  and  www.profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com

Sandy Benson published her first book My Mother’s Keeper: One Family’s Journey Through Dementia in 2021. Her feature articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Norfolk Daily News, Clay County Progress, Midland News, Post Falls Tribune, Sawmill and Woodlot, Range, Nebraska Life, Countryside, Rural Property Bulletin, Greener Pastures Gazette, and Bicycling! She writes from her home in Warne, NC, where she is working on her next book, Girls Can’t Do That!

Kerri Habben Bosman is a writer living in Chapel Hill, NC. She graduated from North Carolina State University in 1996. Her articles, essays and poetry regularly appear in publications across the United States and Canada.

Harry Brown holds degrees in English from Davidson College, Appalachian State University, and Ohio University; and taught English at Eastern Kentucky University for over forty years. He has published six poetry collections and co-edited an anthology of KY writing. His two latest collections are Felt Along the Blood: New and Selected Poems and In Some Households the King Is Soul (Wind Publications). Harry lives with his wife Alice in Burlington, NC.

C

Annie Chambers was born into a poor family, but was given a chance by a blind neighbor lady. Annie was an average student until she found that she could express through writing. She moved up the business ladder from stock girl to marketing vice-president as her skills were discovered. She enjoys everyday and all her gentleman callers who bring her presents.

Raven Chiong began writing at age of five as a pen pal to her absent mother. She is a proud mama of four special needs rescue dogs who keep her grounded to what’s really real. After a long competitive running career, Raven now runs her pen across the pages of this life. She is a member of NC Writers’ Network and NC Poetry Society. Clay County is her physical home and base camp for inspiration.

Steve Cushman is the former Scoutmaster of Troop 118 in Greensboro. He also writes fiction and poetry when not chasing a bunch of Boy Scouts around the mountains and lakes of North Carolina.

D

Tom Davis’ publishing credits include Poets Forum, The Carolina Runner, Triathlon Today, Georgia Athlete, The Fayetteville Observer’s Saturday Extra, A Loving Voice Vol. I and II, Special Warfare., and Winston-Salem Writers’ POETRY IN PLAIN SIGHT program for 2013 and 2021. He has authored several books. Tom, A retired Special Forces soldier, has completed his memoir, The Most Fun I ever Had With My Clothes: On A March from Private to Colonel. He lives in Sylva, NC.

Suzanne Delaney is a Retired RN. She is originally from Australia, has lived in the Hawaiian Islands for 40 yrs and now lives in NC. Her poems are included in an Anthology, A Bridge to ALL Nations. Poems of Nature, Enchantment and Mystery. By Carol Mays and Suzanne Delaney. PS: It’s Poetry, and PS: It’s Still Poetry—An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry from Around the World Paperback on Amazon.

Bob Demaree is the author of four book-length collections of poems, published by Beech River Books. His poems have received first place in competitions sponsored by the Poetry Society of New Hampshire and the Burlington Writers Club. A retired educator, he lives in Burlington, NC, and Wolfeboro, NH.

Nancy Dillingham is associate editor of the online poetry journal, Speckled Trout Review, and is the coeditor of four anthologies of western North Carolina women writers. Her latest publications are Like Headlines: New and Selected Poems and chapbooks Revelation, I Can’t Breathe, and Vantages. Her forthcoming chapbook is entitled A Wild Shining. She lives in Asheville, NC.

David Dixon is a physician, poet, and musician who lives and practices in the foothills of North Carolina. His poetry has appeared in Rock & Sling, The Northern Virginia Review, Connecticut River Review, FlyingSouth, Volney Road Review, and elsewhere. His book of poetry The Scattering of Saints is forthcoming July 2022.

F

Dena M. Ferrari is a regular contributor to OMP, Dena’s poetry are featured in Westchester Community College of NY Phoenix (1975), Writers Alliance Poets World-Wide anthologies has many of her published works. Dena’s own books, Poems From the Hearth (2010) Come Closer My Dearies (2013), Charmed Times Three (2015), and her newest book Wyld Earth Magick (2018) shows diversified writing styles, leaving a Living Legacy for her grandchildren. She and her husband, Peter live in Vass, NC.

Joanne Kennedy Frazer is a retired peace and justice director and educator for faith-based organizations. She writes on issues of justice, the natural world and spirituality. Her poetry has appeared in many anthologies, journals, ezines and magazines. Five of her poems were placed into a song cycle, titled Resistance, by composer Steven Luksan, and performed in Seattle and Durham. Her chapbook, Being Kin, was published in 2019. Kelsay Books will publish her second chapbook Seasonings in late summer. Home is Durham, NC.

Peggy Dugan French is a California girl with Minnesota roots. She has been the editor of the small print zine Shemom since 1997. Her work has appeared in Lilliput, bear creek haiku, Shemom and Whispers. She has worn many hats over the years, but raising her children has been one of her greatest pleasures. Peggy lives in Cardiff, CA, with her husband, cat and wild garden and blogs at www.peggyduganfrench.com

 G

Michael Gaspeny’s novel A Postcard from the Delta is forthcoming from The Livingston Press. He’s the author of The Tyranny of Questions, a novella in verse (Unicorn Press) and the chapbooks Re-Write Men and Vocation. Gaspeny, who lives in Greensboro, NC, has won the Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition. For hospice service, he received the North Carolina Governor’s Award for Volunteer Excellence.

James Gibson, private pilot, scuba diver, and retired corporate manager, writes from Northville, Michigan. His first five novels featured Native American culture in the epic “Anasazi Quest” series. His eighth novel, To Live or Die in Taiwan was published in 2018, and a sequel, To Live or Die in Panama is drafted. Review all his published books at www.PentacleSPresS.com . Anasazi Princess and Anasazi Journey are now available as E-Books on Amazon.com.

Marian Gowan is a regular contributor to Old Mountain Press anthologies. Her work has also appeared in several southern regional publications. She retired to the NC mountains from western NY in 2001,but returned to NY in 2017 to be near family.

Farley Granger thinks more than he writes, and he writes more than he sees other people. He grew up in a depressed country town and understands the struggles of poor, heartland folks. But he has a lot of hope. Farley lives in La Grange, NC.

Anne Gruner is a former career CIA analyst and attorney who now writes for pleasure. Her fiction and creative non-fiction have appeared in Constellations: A Journal of Poetry and Fiction (Pushcart-nominated short story); Silver Blade Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Dogs, Avalon Literary Review, Hippocampus Magazine, War on the Rocks, The Intelligencer: Journal of US Intelligence Studies, and Stories from Langley. For more information, see, https://www.annegruner.com .

H

Karen Hammond has been experimenting with writing since her children were small. She often wrote short stories for them. This submission is an excerpt from the book she hopes to publish soon, Birdie Told Me. Karen lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her husband David.

Cordelia Hanemann, writer and artist, currently co-hosts Summer Poets, a poetry critique group in Raleigh, NC. She has published in Atlanta Review, Southwestern Review, and California Review; in best-selling Poems for the Ukraine and her chapbook. Her poems have won awards and been nominated for Pushcarts. She is now working on a novel.

Gloria Harrington has been a member of both the Georgia Poetry Association and John’s Creek Poetry Group for over ten years. Her poems have been published seven times in the yearly anthology: “Reach of Song”. Also, she placed 3rd in a national poetry contest several years ago. She lives in Tucker, Georgia, and is a retired teacher.

Bass “Jim” Hyatt is a fourth generation Brasstown resident living on the farm bought by his family soon after the Civil War. A graduate of N.C. State, retired from the USDA, Bass and wife Sandra produce grass-fed Angus beef on the hillsides and bottoms of this farm. Bass is a longtime member of the Board of Directors of the Cherokee Country Historical Museum. He enjoys local history and studying relics of the Indians and pioneers.

K

K. D. Kennedy, Jr. has published Eight Books (8) books of poetry, short stories, and essays: Our Place On Time, Waiting Out In The Yard, For Rhyme Or Reason, Progenitors: A Kennedy Genealogy, The Works Of K. D. Kennedy, Jr., Poems Worth Remembering, Family... Forever’s Lovesong, and Truth Instead. He has also published works in over forty anthologies and periodicals.

L

Patsy Kennedy Lain resides in Hubert, North Carolina and has two self-published books: BACKROADS, 2021, and FLASHBACKS, 2022. She continues to work on future books and paints weekly. Patsy has published works in multiple anthologies, several magazines and local papers. She has won many honors for her works in local Senior games. Patsy is always inspired by her past, present as well as her surroundings and life in general.

Cindy Larson is a native of Fargo, ND. She and her husband, Jerry, lived in Connecticut for 33 years. In 2000 they built their retirement home on Glassy Mountain, SC and after 17 years moved to The Woodlands, a senior living facility on the edge of beautiful Furman University, Greenville, SC. In 2021 they moved once again, now in Ann Arbor, MI. Family proximity won over winter weather.

Brenda Kay Ledford lives and writes in Clay County, NC. Her work has appeared in all the Old Mountain Press anthologies and other journals. She received the 2021 Children’s Book Award from North Carolina Society of Historians for The Singing Convention. She blogs at http://blueridgepoet.blogspot.com .

K. A. Lewis graduated from the Corcoran School of Art in 1986. Her work experience includes cake decorating, jewelry sales, a hypnosis certification, being robbed at gunpoint, and 32 years as a custom picture framer. She writes fantasy and SF, and since 2014, her poetry, flash fiction, and genre fiction have been published in twenty anthologies. Katy and her husband live with four demanding cats in a small book-stuffed house in Falls Church, VA.

M

Valerie Macon has written five books of poetry: Shelf Life, Sleeping Rough, A String of Black Pearls, The Shape of Today, and most recently, Page Turner. Currently she is writing for Suburban Living Magazine. She lives in Fuquay-Varina, NC.

Preston Martin teaches at Duke’s Continuing Education OLLI program. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in New Ohio Review, Iodine, Tar River Poetry, Chaffin Journal, Kakalak, Broad River Review, Appalachian Review, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, “I Thought I Heard a Cardinal Sing” Ohio’s Appalachian Voices, and other anthologies and journals including Every River on Earth: writings from Appalachian Ohio (Ohio University Press). He lives in Chapel Hill, NC.

Celia Hooper Miles is a native of Jackson County and now lives, writes, and travels from Asheville, NC. She taught at Brevard College and retired from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. She has published eleven novels, including four cozy grist mill mysteries, all set in western North Carolina, the last of which is The Secret at the Little Lost Mill. website: www.celiamiles.com

Mona Miracle, retired from both teaching and SCUBA diving, has lived in Asheville since 1989. She was a featured presenter at South Florida Poetry Society, and a four-category winner in Florida Freelance Writers Annual Competition. Amazon lists her ebook and print formats including the novel Wesley’s Gift, whose main character deals with racism, 21 cats, technophobia, and a wife pressing for equality. www.Monaraemiracle.com 

O

Linda O’Donnell lives with her dog and four horses on a farm in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She is active in a group called The Writing Hour and writes almost daily as a part of that group

Bev Ohler writes in many forms. She has published five books, magazine articles and stories, college and church publications and many anthologies including this one. She is a designer, with theater and teaching her primary career, mostly at Warren Wilson College. Grown up in the Northeast, Western NC has long been her home.

Karen O’Leary is a writer and editor from West Fargo, ND. She has published poetry, short stories, and articles in a variety of venues including, Frogpond, Setu, bear creek haiku, Shemom, Atlas Poetica and NeverEnding Story. Karen edited an international online journal called Whispers www.whispersinthewind333.blogspot.com  for 5 ½ years. She has work published in several Old Mountain Press Anthologies. Karen enjoys sharing the gift of words.

Martha O’Quinn is a longtime contributor to OMP Anthologies.  She is a true southerner, having lived in five different southern states.  Her writing consists of non-fiction and poetry taken from real life experiences.  After retirement, she and her husband spent twenty-two years in Hendersonville, NC.  Four years ago they moved back to Georgia to be near their daughter.

P

David W. Plunkett is the author of two novels Chessboard and Poisoned Pawn and his poetry has been published in Cataloochee Bridge and the scrivener, which also published his short story Evidence. In addition to fiction and poetry, he has published numerous articles on legal matters in professional journals and has received a number of awards for his news, sports, and feature writing from the Alabama Press Association. David lives in Young Harris, GA.

David E. Poston lives in Gastonia, NC. His poetry, fiction, and reviews have appeared in Atlanta Review, North Carolina Literary Review, Pedestal Magazine, Reedy Branch Review, and other journals and anthologies. He is the author of three poetry collections, most recently Slow of Study, and a co-editor of Kakalak.

Michael Potts is the author of three novels, a short story collection, and three volumes of poetry. He is Professor of Philosophy at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He lives with his wife, Karen, and their six cats in Coats, North Carolina.

R

Mary Ricketson lives in Murphy NC, works as a mental health counselor and a blueberry farmer. Her poems often reflect the healing power of nature, surrounding mountains as midwife for her words. Her published collections are I Hear the River Call My Name, Hanging Dog Creek, Shade and Shelter, Mississippi: The Story of Luke and Marian, Keeping in Place, and Lira, Poems of a Woodland Woman.

Dwight Roth is a retired elementary school teacher of 29 years, who grew up in the mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania. He enjoys writing poetry, painting, and music. His work appears in several OMP anthologies. He has self-published four memoirs and several books of poetry, as well as children’s books. Nine books or booklets are published on Amazon Kindle. Dwight and his wife Ruth live near Monroe, NC. He writes daily on his blog: https://rothpoetry.wordpress.com  .

S

Barbara Tate Sayre, award winning artist and writer, is a long time contributor to the Old Mountain Press Anthology series. She’s a member of the British Haiku Society, the Haiku Society of America, the Tanka Society and the Australian Haiku Society. Barbara’s last two books FAR MORE THAN I EVER WAS & DARKNESS IN A NOONDAY NIGHT were published last year. She’s currently working on a book of haibun & tanka. Barbara & her husband Randolph currently divide their time between Winchester, TN & Akron, Ohio.

Rishan Singh is widely published in South African and Indian poetry. He has studied almost every genre of writing from modern to classical literature to contemporary literature. He is multilingual, and as a professional author, he has attained success as a composer, editor and linguist. He has built an impeccable, unmatched, record of publications over the years. He won top 5 placement for the eThekwini Municipality Library Award in 2014.

Paul Sherman lives in Burnsville, North Carolina on the north side of Mt. Mitchell. He’s used the pseudonym, F.I. Sherman, for many an unpublished poem. His coat of arms was a great blue heron standing on one leg in the brook, rainbow clutched in beak. On shore a crooked sign reads: No Fishing.

David Snyder is the director of the dental clinic at the Asheville VA. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Davidson College. He earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree and completed his Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He authored an action adventure novel, The Price of Innocence, and has a manuscript in circulation. He lives in Asheville, NC, with his wife, Linda.

Shelby Stephenson’s recent book is Country. He lives near McGee’s Crossroads, NC, where he was born

Lois Greene Stone, writer and poet, has been syndicated worldwide. Poetry and personal essays have been included in hard & soft-cover book anthologies. Collections of her personal items/ photos/memorabilia are in major museums including twelve different divisions of The Smithsonian. The National Museum of American History’s “Girlhood” exhibit selected her photo, skirt, and costume designs to represent all teens from the 1950’s. She lives in Pittsford, NY.

T

Carroll S. Taylor is the author of two young adult novels, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer: On the Other Side, as well as a children’s book, Feannag the Crow. She is also a poet and playwright. Her writing reflects her deep love for nature. A retired educator, Carroll and her husband live in Hiawassee, Georgia.

Rebekah Timms resides in Greenwood, SC fifteen miles from where she was born. She has always enjoyed writing and began publishing her work in her retirement years, which include a memoir, Effie, Her Life, Her Love, HerLegacy, a collection of poems, My Daily Walk and a collection of poems & creative non-fiction, Life Stories, Sunny & Pleasant with Scattered Clouds.

Carolyn Tripp, of Travelers Rest, SC, is fascinated by nature. As a youngster, she used a homemade butterfly net to capture specimens for her collection. Her days as a Campfire Girl and summer camp attendee heightened her interest in exploring the outdoors. While out hiking, she enjoys observing the quirky details in her surroundings and making up little stories based on those experiences.

W

Patti M. Walsh, a storyteller since her first fib and an adventure-seeker since her first runaway, is an award-winning author whose first novel, Ghost Girl, will be published in 2022. Learn more at www.PattiMWalsh.com .

Elizabeth B. Watson (aka Betty) appreciates the “OOPS” theme for this OMP edition. There’s no end of exasperating memories to share. Tales about pets appeal to readers, which made the Basset Hound experience the perfect subject. For fifteen years Brigitte kept the family entertained as they moved from Massachusetts to Connecticut, Georgia and North Carolina back to Massachusetts. Today it’s just the two of them—Betty and Doug—living at the Woodlands in Greenville, SC. No pets, but still many more stories to write in retirement.

Vicky Whedbee’s work has appeared in the publication Cataloochie Bridge: A poetry and Prose Anthology. She has authored the following books: Things He Hadn’t Told Her, Sarah’s Song, and Sarah’s Home. Vicky lives in San Mateo, Florida.

Barbara Ledford Wright resides in the foothills of NC. She was reared in the Blue Ridge Mountains and has never forgotten her roots. She writes about her memories and those people she loved. She’s a retired teacher, and has been published in many journals and anthologies.