False equivalency and calling lies the truth. Apparently that’s the neighborhood where we live. Several people have emailed to ask if the wompus is still in business, so I felt compelled to answer: We are alive and kicking.

But posting blogs is another matter. Sometimes events simply steal the breath, never mind the words. I know you know what I’m talking about.

I wish I remembered who said this: Your religion is whatever you believe in enough to get out of bed in the morning. The wompus is still an indie literary small press, still intent on publishing passion projects without genre boundaries. And the publisher, that’s me, still gets up in the morning for a couple of things.

One of course is love, because that old saw about fear and love being the only real choices turns out to be pretty sound, and I am lucky to love a lot of creatures. Some of them are even people. The other reason I drag myself up to that first cuppa joe, y’all who know me know what’s coming here: art. Specifically, literary art. Because it gets us through some of the darker nights. Because it is the closest we can come, sometimes, to the deeper truths we wrestle.

Kattywompus has two full length poetry collections, by Deb Schwartz and Kelly Fordon, that we are excited to bring into the world in early 2019, as well as a number of chapbooks in the pipeline. Another high note: The Cornelius Eady Trio just completed a recording session at renowned Sun Studio, in Memphis, recording home to Elvis and Johnny Cash, among others. You’ll be hearing that music sometime in 2019 too, and meantime we still have copies of their current chap/CD, All the American Poets Have Titled Their New Books The End.

So that’s what I turn back to, when daily life feels like a full blown dystopian novel and the general level of public discourse is about equivalent to three heavy metal bands blasting separately and simultaneously in the public square. We can still love one another. We can still be kind every day. And we can still seek meaning in art, still make art, still support one another’s artwork.

with love, sammy

p.s. Submissions are currently closed, until we can catch up. We’ll probably reopen subs in early 2019, but if you have a special project you can query us at the contact address.