The “Spotlight” column will be back soon. Right now, I am taking some time to research different video platforms, editing software, and other aspects to present a better poet / author interview month-to-month. This may take some time, so thank you in advance for your patience.
The “Poet’s Place” this month will feature Barbara Anna Gaiardoni as the “Umbrella Poetry” columnist. Welcome to Creative Inspirations, Barbara, and thank you. Please stop by and show Barbara some support with your thoughts and comments. In addition to Barbara's "Umbrella Poetry" poem, there are additional poems by Celine R. Mariotti (an Easter poem), Allan Ball, and an additional poem by Barbara. Please note: this will be the last month that additional poems will be published at the website until further notice; however, the ""Umbrella Poetry" poem will still be featured when available.
In this month’s “Poetic Discussions” Haiku poet extraordinaire, Neena Singh, continues sharing with us her well-written articles on Haiku. These articles are thorough, insightful, and very good reads for anyone new to Haiku, and even those experienced with the genre. Neena’s Haiku articles will be in addition to a regular “Poetic Discussions” post, so those that are interested in penning a “Poetic Discussion,” please let me know. Also, if you have any thoughts and comments regarding the articles by Neena, please share them in the comments.
In this month’s “Expressions” Blog, we will look at the second part to editing poems. I hope you will check out the post(s) and consider participating in the exercise offered with this Blog.
The following are some ways to get involved with and support Creative Inspirations. I hope you will consider any of these opportunities:
Umbrell Poetry – consider putting together a poem from scattered words
Poetic Discussions – write a piece on a topic on a subject that I choose, or talk to me about a subject that you have in mind
Be a Spotlight poet
Participate in the thoughts and activities in the Expressions Blog posts
Advertise your books, publications, business, or other literary material at this website (I will share advertise during LiveStream at the first of each month)
Consider purchasing some Creative Inspirations items: holiday greeting cards/ and postcards, “Thinking of You” cards (further down this page)
~Poetry Submission Guidelines~ (A Bi-Monthly Email Poetry Publication Open To Everyone 12 Years & Up)
(Deadline is the 5th of the preceding month. Ex: If submitting for the publication month of March/April, then your submission should be in by the 5th of February)
Poems are accepted free of charge for this publication. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide complimentary print copies or any other compensation at this time. The Email version of the publication is Free. Individual print copies are $5.00. Individual contributor print copies are $4.00, both domestic prices. International pricing info further down page. Also, because the yearly email subscription is sent via email attachment in PDF, your computer must be able to download, open, and view PDF files. We are seeking poems 20 lines or less and should either be spiritual in context (including lifting up the name of Jesus) or be of a positive nature or both. Other poetry genres accepted are as follows: haiku, Tanka, nature, children’s, love, short verse, family, and the like. Submit no more than 2 regular poems per issue unless prior permission has been given. For Tanka and haiku, you can submit up to 3. Previously published poems are accepted. The editor reserves the right to reject any poem deemed unsuitable for this publication. We also reserve the right to correct simple grammatical errors. Any other changes needed, the author will be contacted for approval. Author (creator of the poem) retains all rights to his / her work, while Creative Inspirations will receive first rights to publish the poem. *If the poem is created by more than one author, each author must sign it. If sending by postal mail, please include a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) with each and every submission. Also, a SASE ensures a response. E-MAIL Submissions are preferred via attachment in Microsoft Word format or within the body of the text.
Please make check or money order out to: Creative Inspirations and send to the address above, or you can pay by using one of the available payment methods displayed further down the page.
Subscriber and Contributor Thoughts & Comments:
Good evening, Maurice, I was looking forward to the January/February issue and for the website and I am to glad to receive the good news in my inbox. Thank you for publishing my poem. I enjoyed reading the issue. Congratulations for the new website! It is well structured and organized. I like the design. I think you worked a lot on it and it's a nice start to a new year! Kind regards, Steliana Voicu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi Maurice, Many thanks to Diana Rubin in the Jan-Feb issue for her imaginative words about hope as a “silver horse…leaping over dreadful doubt.” She makes me want to be a lover of horses. -Rick Subber ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Maurice, Happy New Year to you and your family. Have a creative 2024. Thank you so very much for your efforts and support for the writing community. Indeed, we're blessed by your immense enthusiasm and dedication. I'm so happy you have finally found the website through several trials, and it's beautiful. I love the winter and sunset photos you took. They look like heaven on earth. I'm honoured to have two of my works gracing this issue. I will share widely. My warmest regards, Christina ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Rev. Maurice, Greetings! Congratulations on another beautiful issue of Creative Inspirations and the news about the launch of new website. Grateful for the inclusion of my poem and I am happy to see many haijin friends participating here. I look forward to more opportunities and more friends joining in the creative endeavor with you. Wish you and all loved ones a blessed 2024. Warm regards, Neena ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maurice, The new website is just magnificent, congratulations and kudos, the dedicated valiant efforts truly paid off wonderfully!! Thank you again for generous opportunity to chat I had such a great time, family and friends and across social media have been so impressed by your interview skills and tech savviness, can't wait to see who you speak to next so many intriguing and gifted poets the community would be thrilled to get to know better and learn more about in this issue... Wow was this one of your neatest prompt activities yet too, amazing concept executed beautifully in so many unique and valuable ways! The favorite flower challenge is wonderful too, very excited to see how contributors respond, and what their personal preferences are... (I know several are great knowledgeable aficionados in the subject too, and also take excellent photos of flora interestingly! ^^) -Jerome ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi Maurice, I just received your email and thank you for including my address. The new web site is great. What a job it must have been/and still must be for you. I have not looked it over extremely well, but started with your first live interview. It was so good to see you. To put features with a name and words we exchange from time to time is a pleasure. I send strong support your way for not only Creative Inspirations, but this new year with its challenges both personally and professionally. -Jane Lang ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maurice, Thank you so much! Wonderful!! Happy New Year! Thanks for all your labors of love! You're a gift from above! :) -Cindy E. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Good Afternoon Rev. Reynolds, Happy New Year and I pray this year will be your best ever. 2023 had a lot of challenges for me and I'm praying this year will bring out God's blessings for us all. -Glenda ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear MJ, Thank you for yet another amazing edition of Creative Inspirations. It is a fountain that keeps giving. I know the incredibly detailed and painstaking work involved, and you are standing and delivering for God, for "the Muse" and for all of us, your readers. What I also love about CI and also the site is how absolutely encouraging you are to writers and poets from all walks of life. I love how CI is international. I love how you allow your poets to give voice to the pain as well as glory for our Loving God. -Nila ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello Maurice, Thank you both for your email and the January/February issue, which reached me in good order. I am doing a second read and I must say that it contains some awesome poems. I wish you good luck with the website and the coming issues of Creative Inspirations. Stay safe and kind regards, Kim ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello Maurice, Thank you for the recent issue of Creative Inspirations and for publishing my poetry once again. I enjoyed reading all the "Hope" New Year Baby poems. I also liked the poems of Richard C. Subber, Celine Rose Mariotti, Ellen M. Nesbitt, Dr. Mona Bedi, John C. Mastor, Vipanjeet Kaur and Cindy Evans. -Diana ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Maurice, I read Creative Inspirations and was impressed with its high standards of good Poetry and Imaging. Loved those beautiful photos. -Yvonne ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Greetings, Maurice, You have done a masterful job with the website and your first issue with your approach and choices of topics. Very creative, indeed. Thank you for the honor of being part of this first issue, a gift I shall always treasure. The variety and patterns of thought make very interesting reading. What a beautiful beginning! Continued Blessings to you. -Ellen Nesbitt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Creative Inspirations Products
1. "Thinking of You Cards" - these are beautiful cards on Avery Card Stock; they come with an envelope. these are personalized cards with a beautiful message for anyone that has been on your mind and heart: family, loved ones, fellow Believers, friends, etc., letting them know that you have been 'thinking about them.' / = $6.99 per card U.S. and Canada) - $8.99 (foreign) - prices include shipping and handling.
2. "Personalized Christmas Postcards" - personalized with a family photo of your choice; Avery Card Stock / 12 pack for $20.95 (U.S. and Canada) - $22.95 (foreign) - prices include shipping and handling.
3. "Regular Christmas Postcards" - printed with your family name (instead of a photo); Avery Card Stock / 12 pack for $13.95 (U.S. and Canada) - $15.99 (foreign) - prices include shipping and handling.
4. "Christmas Cards" - printed on Avery Card Stock and comes with envelope; printed with a family photo, or your family name in place of the photo / $5.00 per card (U.S. and Canada) - $7.00 (foreign) - prices include shipping and handling.
5. "Advertisement" - your book, publication, product discussed with Creative Inspirations contributors, subscribers, and others that tune in to the LiveStream at the first of each month - only 1 advertised product per person, per month - books, publications, products can be postal mailed (preferred) or emailed to me at the email address below - deadline for material sent to me is the 5th of each month to be advertised the following month; ex: if you would like something advertised for the month of March, I need it by February 5 - lastly, because I am running late this month, I will extend the deadline for February advertisement to January 15 - please act fast, because I will not advertise more than 5 items per month / $15.00
*Please note that due to photo-uploading problems with this webhosting company, I have not uploaded photos of the above products, but I can absolutely email you samples and templates of any of the above. *Photos must be sent in an acceptable file format (GIF, JPEG, PNG, JPG, etc) and attached to the email. I am not able to accept photos inside Word Documents, photos inside the body of the email, or photos sent via postal mail.
**Payment Methods** (please indicate which product(s) you are ordering)
1. Check or Money Order made out to: Creative Inspirations (mail payment to: Creative Inspirations P.O. Box 19051 Kalamazoo, MI 49019)
2. CashApp: $mjreynolds01
3. PayPal: www.PayPal.Me/cipoetrypublication (click on this link, or paste it in a new web browser, and it will take you to the Creative Inspirations PayPal account; you will need to login, so you will need to have a PayPal account - or create one - and then you will be able to submit payment.
Thank you all for your support, love, and prayers of Creative Inspirations! God bless you!