Naoko Fujimoto

2011/06/01 § 3 Comments

Japanese poet Naoko Fujimoto on lipstick and when we two parted.

TOKYO SUMMER, 1993
for y.h.

– on When We Two Parted

There is a bathtub in the parking lot.

I’m falling in love with an abstract
painting, you tell me. Your body

hisses in an August rain. We collect
dead cicadas in the bathtub

and sketch them for hours. This is a Tokyo
summer, 1993. A dandelion’s white seed softly

lands on the balcony. The cat
slashes open the window screen.

There is your head hanging by a curtain rod.

I don’t know how to live,
your mouth opens wide.

Dark and beaded rain
falls into the bathtub. I want to chop

off the cat’s legs and hollow
out its eyes. I’m craving

your warm body. Cicadas sing their silver song.

MOTHER’S LIPS
after the tsunami in Japan

-on lipstick

You have no father,
my mother said & wiped
my neck with a long
towel; I smelled the lavender
soap: bubbles on her
cheeks: the outline of her
lipstick: dark
purple around her lips;
they were unlike mine; I wanted
hers; I hated the garden
scent; no
lavenders please, I said;
just muddy
bodies
on blue vinyl sheets
at the flower
shop; sand & pebbles filled
my mother’s mouth; I bit
my lip: tasted blood.

Author Biography

Naoko Fujimoto was born in Nagoya, Japan. A recent poem of hers is forthcoming in Hotel Amerika. She is currently working on poems about the Tohoku Earthquake, tsunami, and the ensuing nuclear crisis. Her spirit is always with the people in Japan.

A Letter from the Editor

2012/06/23 § Leave a comment

Happy Anniversary.

Born in June 2011, this is the fifth issue of Unshod Quills.

We are privileged to infect you with even more contagious art and literature. Don’t wash up after looking at this issue; touch everything you can and spread it like the filthy little contagion it is. Please see the front page for a list of contributors to this issue.

A year? A year.

Over the past year, we have published hundreds of poems, stories, essays and images. We took part in producing the Shanghai Tunnels Project and next year will branch out to words on paper. Print. Yes.

We are holding a modest fundraising effort toward the beginning of this end. Please follow this link for more information or to give. Donate.

You’ll help us continue to do what we do, featuring such contributors as Maria Garcia Teutsch, Helen Vitoria, Donald Dunbar, Shanna Germain, Gregory Sherl, Tim Tomlinson, Ginger wRong Chen, Renee Reynolds, Meg Tuite, Kevin Sampsell, Sean H. Doyle, Jamie Iredell, Zachary Schomburg, Riley Michael Parker, Gregory Crosby, Naoko Fujimoto, Chloe Caldwell, Emily Kendall Frey, Dayvid Jann Figler, Mary Ann Sullivan, Frank Reardon, James H. Duncan, Eva Steil, John “Sugahtank” Roubanis, Bjorn Wahlstrom, A. Molotkov, Jamie Gusman, Raudiel Sanudo, Jeff Pike, Tammy Stoner, Catherine Platt, Jason Mashak, Cooper Lee Bombadier and too many additional fine artists and authors to name. We pride ourselves in publishing both emerging and established artists and writers.

We are happy you are here with us.

Here’s to another year.

Yours in gratitude,

Dena, Wendy, Donald, Holly and Brian

Unshod Quills
Portland, Oregon
Intercourse, Pennsylvania
Las Vegas, Nevada

Submit to UQ

2011/06/10 Comments Off on Submit to UQ

UNSHOD QUILLS IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS.
IT WAS A GOOD RUN. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
WE ARE GRATITUDE.

Themes for Issue Eight:

Envy–Epitaph–Bras–Sugar–Comic Book–Life Cycle

Unshod Quills seeks submissions of poetry, photography and video poetry based on themes assigned by the editors. Adherence to our themes is totally open to the interpretation of the artist or writer, but each submission must be linked by the contributor to one of the themes.

Past contributors have included Tammy Stoner, W.M. Butler, Catherine Platt, Helen Vitoria, Stephen Caratzas, Mike Meraz, Meg Tuite, Kevin Sampsell, Sean H. Doyle, Jamie Iredell, Zachary Schomburg, Riley Michael Parker, Gregory Crosby, Timothy Gager, Naoko Fujimoto, Chloe Caldwell, Renee Reynolds, Ginger wRong Chen, Emily Kendall Frey, Dayvid Jann Figler, Mary Ann Sullivan, Penina Finger, James H. Duncan, Eva Steil, John “Sugahtank” Roubanis, Bjorn Wahlstrom, A. Molotkov, Jamie Gusman, Jeff Pike, Jason Mashak, Cooper Lee Bombardier and too many additional fine artists and authors to name. We pride ourselves in publication of both emerging and established artists and writers. Please submit.

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Unshod Quills