I was really happy to receive a contributor copy of the beautiful 2017 issue of RHINO today. I have a poem called "The Mosquito Bite" that I'm really proud of in this issue. And I'm thrilled to be published alongside a roster of really excellent artists, including my fellow Floridian Lola Haskins, who I saw read at the Betsy Hotel on South Beach recently as part of the excellent SWWIM Poetry Series.

I've been totally slacking on updating this blog for about two years now--basically since our son was born. My production has slowed considerably since I became a parent, but I think the quality may have improved. I certainly have to manage my time better. In the intervening years since the baby was born, I've published infrequently, but I've been honored to be among the finalists for the 2016 Sonora Review poetry contest and a semi-finalist for Nimrod International Journal's 2016 Pablo Neruda Prize. Why haven't I mentioned any of this? Mainly because I go to bed at 8:30 every night.

I'm very happy to share that "The Mosquito Bite" is a finalist for the 2017 RHINO Founders' Prize. It's about Zika and climate change and parenting-related anxiety--topics very much at front-of-mind-these days, since I trucked my little family down to my South Florida hometown. I hope you enjoy it.