Gorilla Love Plus Writing Ops

During the 1950’s my dad headed us all towards St. Louis for a family vacation. This was an excursion in those days. The St. Louis Zoo was a chief attraction, but I remember none of it except the gorilla that I fell in love with there. My mother thought he was a nasty creature as he lured folks to the bars and then urinated on them! I thought it was hilarious; I have been a gorilla fan ever since. I was lucky enough to go to a college where the team mascot was Gus the Gorilla, and he was as enchanting as the real thing.



Last week when the two year old’s preschool went to the Cincinnati Zoo, we went along. Ah, zoo was a good descriptive word for the trip as the attention span of a two year old is nearly as long as a mosquito’s bite. My son asked me if there was any one thing I REALLY wanted to see, and of course, it was the ape section. I met Jo Jo there and found him fascinating. Look at this gorilla’s face and telling me is not THINKING. Even the signs said to stay alert as sometimes the gorilla’s tended to throw things. Well, why not? The real apes were on the other side hooting, scratching and mocking these creatures.

I know I posted pictures last week of the zoo trip and the historic sites we saw during our trip, but I just have to post this guy again. Isn’t he handsome? Is this gorilla love?

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2011 Thomas A. Wilhelmus

Editor’s Fiction Chapbook Prize
RopeWalk Press will award a prize of $1000 and 25 complimentary copies
for the best fiction chapbook submitted under the following guidelines.
Complete Guidelines:
• Postmark deadline: June 15, 2011.
• Page limit: 45 manuscript pages (double-spaced) per each
individual submission. These pages may be comprised of a single short
story, multiple short stories, novellas, or stand-alone novel excerpts.
• Entry fee: $20 ($5 for each additional manuscript
submitted). This fee is non-refundable. Make check or money order
payable to RopeWalk Press or pay with credit card with online
submission (http://www.usi.edu/ropewalk/RopeWalk_Press.asp).
• Manuscript specifics: Author’s name, address, email, and
phone should appear on the first page of the manuscript; title and page
number on all subsequent pages. If the manuscript includes more than
one short story, include a table of contents. Include an
acknowledgments page listing previous publication of included works, if
applicable. Your manuscript must be available for exclusive
book-length publication by RopeWalk Press. Stories, novellas, or
stand-alone excerpts published individually in journals or magazines
may be submitted, but the writer must hold copyright. Previously
self-published chapbooks and translations are not eligible.
• All submissions will be considered for publication. All
themes and/or subject matters are eligible. All rights revert to the
writer upon publication.
• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but if the
manuscript is published/accepted by another press while under
consideration, the author must promptly notify RWP in writing to
withdraw the entry.
• All manuscripts will be recycled.
• Include a #10 SASE for announcement of contest results.
• Results will also be posted on the RWP website by September
15, 2011.
Send all entries to:
Nicole Louise Reid, Editor
RopeWalk Press
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Boulevard
Evansville, IN 47712
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To honor Madonna Robinton, past president of the Poetry Society of New


Hampshire. One winner will receive the $100 prize (sponsored by

Madonna’s sister, Barb Simpson), and the winning poem will be published

in The Poets’ Touchstone. Poems must be no longer than 40 lines and

written in free verse. No poems will be returned. One poem entry per

poet, please. Postmark deadline June 1st, 2011. Send two copies of your

poem, one with all your contact info, the other with no contact info,

to:

Coordinator

The Madonna Robinton Free Verse Contest

31 Reservoir Road

Farmington, NH 03835

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