ON PUBLISHING ZOMBIES

Just when I thought I'd achieved EVERYTHING I could ever do in one's life, the Danes save me from Moi's hubris.

To wit, this week I received two copies of a book that I thought were sent as ill-suited review copies for Galatea Resurrects. I put them on the book stack for donations to the local library as I couldn't figure out why I would be receiving books with a book cover like this (definitely click on the images to enlarge!):

I know: que horror! Then, the slow gears in moi brain finally slipped forward another step and I realized, hey, they're published and sent from Denmark! Now, what is my relationship with Denmark? Oh yeah! There was a Danish publishing company who'd requested permission to reprint two Tom Beckett poems! Since I'd earlier published one of Tom's books, UNPROTECTED TEXTS. Sure enough, I flipped through the Danish book and on Page 38 saw two of Tom's Zombie poems:

And this is when I realize there is so much more to achieve in life. I mean, as a publisher, I hadn't realized that my goal was to publish poems that also would fit into an anthology like Conrad Kisch's HORROR! After all, look at some of the company:

This horrific book, though, is actually an educational text. It's used to facilitate creativity by middle-school aged students ... and of course at that age many such kiddos are into horror. Hence, the book also has pop culture representations, like Michael Jackson:

And guess who is a contributor, too? I bet, Mr. Tom Beckett, you never thought that as a poet you'd be in a book in the company of Stephenie Meyer! Who?, you ask? Actually, that was my first response, too. Well, that Meyer concocted the billion-dollar empire of the TWILIGHT movies!!

Ta-dah. I'm so amused at your company I'm going to emphasize it with a second shot -- and it's pure coincidence in moi choice that this second shot contains hunks ... as befits, of course, werewolves:

Oh, Edgar Allen Poe is also represented, but that's just clichetic at this point compared with the above company. I then shall leave you with the Study Questions for the children as a result of Tom Beckett's Zombie poems. Study Questions. I am so amused. Here they are:

--Why do you think zombies don't go to churches, synagogues, or mosques?

--Why don't zombies read scripture (religious texts), poetry, or pornography?

--Why does Tom Beckett say that zombies read telephone directories?

--Why do zombies eat cold pizza and warm beer?

--Why do zombies smell disturbingly sweet?

All great questions to facilitate the creativity of small people. Congratulations, Tom! An astounding, worthy result for some of your poems!