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David Milley

@davidmilley.com
678 followers 1.7K following 126 posts

Long-time married, queer, gay man, retired developer and tech writer, enjoying time with hubby and writing seriously again, mostly verse and memoir. 🏳️‍🌈 No LGB, or any other letter, without the T: 🏳️‍⚧️

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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 29/09/2026
Last night, the editors at @CrayfishMag wrote to tell me that they've nominated my story "Golgotha" for the "Best of the Net" anthology! While the odds are long, I'm thrilled--and honored--to know that the editors liked my bit of memoir enough to put it forward. www.crayfishmag.com/david-milley...
Screen capture of the relevant page at @CrayfishMag. The olive-green page banner displays the journal title "CrayfishMag." The off-white page beneath carries the story title "Golgotha by David Milley," followed by the opening paragraphs of the story at https://www.crayfishmag.com/david-milley-golgotha.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 17/09/2026
This poem is also still available in a microchap at the Origami Poems Project: www.origamipoems.com/poets/585-da...
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 17/09/2026
This morning, The Ekphrastic Review republished "Tiny Taj," my poem about a porcelain figurine and monuments and love. www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrast... #poetry #poem #writing #gay #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #tajmahal #wadewhimsies
A screen capture of a web page at The Ekphrastic Review, featuring a photograph of a small porcelain reproduction of the Taj Mahal. The yellow-gray figurine stands in featureless field of white. Below the photograph appears the caption "Taj Mahal, Wade Whimsies (England) c.2020." Above the photograph appear the title "The Ekphrastic Review," the navigation menu for that web site, the title of the poem "Tiny Taj, by David Milley" and the date "9/17/2026."
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Ross Johnson @rosserford.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
We’re going to hear about how everyone loved Dolly, and that feels true. But it’s good to remember, and to her credit, that she was attacked for her AIDS activism, her vaccine advocacy, her LGBTQ+ support and even, more recently, for her reading initiatives. She ALWAYS stood firm when it mattered.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 24/08/2026
Congratulations!
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 22/08/2026
Finally got my much-overdue site update done. Added a post there with thirteen month's worth of pubs 🤪 and repaired broken links to a couple of journals that went bust. 😞 Next up: design tweaks. Now, back to writing verse I go! #queerwriters #WritingCommunity #lgbtqwriters
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 29/07/2026
The first issue of Coastlines Review has just been published, which includes my poem "In the Photograph by Moses Rice," along with a recording of me reading it: coastlinesreview.org/issues/one/i... #poetry #poem #writing #gay #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #whitman
Screen capture of part of the Coastlines Review home page, including detail of the journal's header photograph by Rachel Coyne. The words "coastline review/a journal of documentary poetics" appear in gray-green over a light yellow background. Below, cumulus clounds arise above gray-green breakers on their way to shore.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 29/07/2026
This new journal, dedicated to documentary poetics, contains 38 poems that tackle a wide variety of poems that provide witness to the events of history taking place around us. #poetry #poem #writing #gay #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #whitman #waltwhitman #peterdoyle
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 29/07/2026
Today, my prose/almost-poem piece "Apistry" appears in Hyacinth Review: hyacinthreview.org/david-milley... This piece shows Warren caring for his honeybees through the four seasons. It's brief and readable. #prose #writing #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #apiary #honeybees #seasons
Detail of the painting "Beekeeper," by Ivan Kramskoy, 1872. A white-haired, white-bearded man in a rustic, off-white shirt holds a staff while he sits in a field of wildflowers gone to seed.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 26/07/2026
This week's Former Flame Fridays at troublemaker firestarter features my poem "Poseidon," which appeared in Volume 10. Follow the link to read this whole poem full of queer joy! open.substack.com/pub/troublem... #poetry #writing #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #poseidon
Screen capture of partial web page displaying the title "Former Flame Fridays - David Milley," followed by the date, 7/24/26, the pink flame troublemaker firestarter avatar and the publisher's name, Davi, all in white print on a black background. In black type in a white display box appear the first five lines of the poem "Poseidon" by David Milley: "You stride from surf onto the beach. /The waves wash your thighs. Aphrodite, /but hairy, you rise from the sea. You dash, /to join me where a wait by our car.//Hitting hard sand, your feet sink, ... "
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 25/07/2026
An excellent week! One poem about my gay youth accepted for publication, completed another about learning to touch-type, and also this reprint from troublemakerfire.bsky.social: troublemakerfirestarter.substack.com/p/former-fla... #queerwriters #poetry
troublemakerfirestarter.substack.com
Former Flame Fridays - David Milley
7/24/26
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 14/07/2026
Today, my author's copy of RFD Magazine Issue #206, "Nature," arrived in the mail. This issue includes "Elephant Walk," a piece of memoir about how Warren taught me to be deliberate in my movement. www.rfdmag.org/online-issue... #poem #poetry #writing #nature #woods #queerwriters #lgbtq
Cover of RFD Magazine #206, Summer 2026, "Nature" issue. Detail of "Loutre, Uffita & Coco" my Miscanthus. Three nude, bearded men share an embrace while reclining in a field of grass beside a green woods.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 23/06/2026
This story, another about my experiences as a kid in Orangeburg in the early 1960s, was painful to write, but I'm glad I stuck with it. In those days, I lived in the shadow of tumultuous events from which my parents, fully involved, tried to shield me.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 23/06/2026
Yesterday, @CrayfishMag Issue Number 3 went live! This issue includes my bit of memoir, "Golgotha:" www.crayfishmag.com/david-milley... #memoir #writing #crayfishmag #orangeburg #jimcrow #queerwriters #lgbtq
The logo of CrayfishMag, a line drawing of a crayfish with the letters forming the magazine's name wrap around it, appears centered on a light yellow-gray background. The lower half of the background is overlaid with pink stripes in a gentle wave pattern.
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Silly Goose Press @sillygoosepress.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
🪿PRIDE OUT LOUD 🌈 POETRY🪿 Such a sweet and beautiful poem for you today by @davidmilley.com Take a gander: sillygoosepress.com/pride-out-lo...
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 12/06/2026
June 12, 2016. Ten years. Remember.
The logo for Pulse Nightclub in black and white on a black background, with a white remembrance ribbon floating over it to the upper right. The six colors of the rainbow are arranged as bars beneath the logo.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 11/06/2026
It's a quick read and it even includes a short recording of yours truly reading the poem. Check it out! And peruse the other pieces in this issue! sillygoosepress.com/pride-out-lo...
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 11/06/2026
This morning, Silly Goose Press published their "Pride Out Loud" issue, including my poem "Gawayne Ever After," in which Warren does green stuff. #poem #poetry #writing #gay #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #green #pride @sillygoosepress.bsky.social
Screen capture of the banner at the Silly Goose Press web site. The words "Pride Out Loud" appear in white against a rainbow background. Below, the words "Letter from the Editor" and "PDF" appear n white against a purple background.
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Silly Goose Press @sillygoosepress.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
PRIDE OUT LOUD IS OUT NOW! This is a special one, flockers, and we're so honored to share this incredible mini issue with you 🪿🌈✨ Spend some time with our amazing contributors (and listen to their audio recordings, too!) by visiting sillygoosepress.com/pride-out-loud
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Theo Transcendragons @theodoresnapdragon.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
30 Days of Pride: Day 3, lesbian! Check out my 30 Days of Pride graphic for the Pride flags to come, and feel free to post your own art! What a beautiful flag, I have so much art themed to it #lesbianflag #lesbiancolors #prideart #30daysofpride #queerartist #transartist #pridemonth #happypridemonth
 a small dragon-creature floats in a jar on the sea, watching the sunrise over to the left half out of frame. The horizon is white with clouds and light. The Sunrise turns the water shades of pink and purple and turns the sky shades of light orange to red. Beans of lights go over the sky, getting darker further up and to the right. The water gets darker as it gets deeper and further from the bright white sun, and is gently textured with water movement. The jar is lit bright oranges and pinks in the light of the sunrise and shows clearly a small dragon creature within. The creature is red-pink with cured back horns and deer-like ears, with big eyes that have light orange irises. The creature has a long sloping neck and, just visible with the bottle the creature is in partially submerged, a curling tail. The creature has four limbs and is standing on her hind limbs, her front limbs reaching out and pressed against the jar. The creature’s neck slopes out of the short, thin neck of the bottle to reach her head forward and look out toward dawn. The colors are themed to the dark purple, pink, light pink, white, light orange, orange, and red of the sunset lesbian pride flag.Digital art of a sunset over the ocean themed to the lesbian pride flag. The sunset is reflected in the water, with the orange sky turning the water pink.a 3-by-3 moodboard with the five stripe lesbian flag in the middle. The top row left to right shows a dolphin snow globe backlit by orange light,  red fall forest reflected on the water, and rainbow glass. The middle row right to left as pale pink-white flowers, the flag itself, and a white open wave cresting up against light pink sand. The bottom row left to right has vibrant pink-orange snap dragons, a close up on a dark pink flower misted by rain, and close up on a vibrant pink flower.Digital art of an orange dragon with pink claws claws and ridges with the sunset lesbian pride flag down her back. She's walking over snowy ground under a snowing pink sky. Where her feet touch the ground pink flowers bloom and she looks down to cry tears that cause a glowing pink flower to sprout from the snowy ground.
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Theo Transcendragons @theodoresnapdragon.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
30 Days of Pride! Day 2: Genderqueer Feel free to post your own art themed to the genderqueer flag! Tomorrow will be lesbian flag art. #genderqueer #genderqueerflag #genderqueerpride #genderqueerart #genderqueerartist #transartist #queerartist #pridemonth #pride2026 #happypridemonth #30DaysofPride
A digital portrait looking from above at a close up of a pond. There’s a lily pad with two small flowers sitting on top of the pond and the entire scene is lit from the top, highlighting in the purple water threads of white and green. The entire scene is themed to the green, white, and purple of the genderqueer flag.A 3x3 moodboard of original photography themed to the purple, white, and green of the genderqueer flag. The first row features a blue and purple photo of the sky at sunset and two close to photos of purple flowers. The middle row features a photo of a sea shining white in sunlight and a tree with white-ish green leaves around an image of the flag itself. The final row features Photos of greenery, including a bulb of a plant, a green tree, and a green plant with purple flowers.Digital art of a chubby purple dragon laying in thick green grass. The dragon has a white belly and white feet as well as green horns, green eyes, and a green-tipped tail. White light shines down from a purple sky over the tall green grass. Digital art of the same purple dragon themed to the purple, white, and green of the genderqueer pride flag, but without the background
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Theo Transcendragons @theodoresnapdragon.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
30 Days of Pride! I’ve decided to make posts of my Pride art themed to different flags every day this month, feel free to join me! Day 1: Intersex #intersexflag #intersexart #intersexmoodboard #30DaysofPride #prideflag #intersex #prideflagart #prideart #originalart #artsky #BSkyArtists #pridemonth
Digital art where a round spot of golden sand rises out of a purple sea. Yellow fish with purple spots circle and a bit of grass grows out of the round sandbank. It’s themed to the colors of the intersex flag. A 3x3 moodboard with photos themed to the intersex flag purple and yellow colors. The first row features a photo of a tree backlit by yellow sunlight, a yellow seashell, and yellow flowers. The second row features close up photos of purple flowers around the image of the intersex flag itself, a yellow square with a purple circle in it. The final row features two photos of a yellow sky over backlit landscapes around a photo of bright yellow flowers. Digital wolf with fur in the yellow and purple colors of the intersex flag. The wolf turns to look at the art viewer, and has a predominantly yellow body with a mostly purple face. The wolf walks over a thick tree trunk over a shallow sandy pond with a sunrise of yellow and purple sending light up to the sky in the background.Digital art of the same wolf, but without the background. The wolf's tail is down and has a purple tip. The wolf has the front left paw up and turns to look directly at the viewer with large ears and yellow eyes.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 30/05/2026
Site, needs updating, but with plenty of links to poems and memoir: davidmilley.com First book of verse, "Tiller and Shears," scheduled to publish in late autumn of this year. #QueerWriters #writesky #writers #QueerWritersChat
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 30/05/2026
(smile) I can relate to the multitude of works-in-progress. My "drafts" folder now holds hundreds of started, unfinished pieces. Every so often, I'll fish one of 'em out and complete it. Most of them languish, awaiting their turn, while I chase shinier, newer poems.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 30/05/2026
Spending less time managing the results of my writing gives me more time and headspace to write. Long walks help, too. #QueerWriters #writesky #writers
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 30/05/2026
Making checklists and then working through them buys me time to step back from composing long enough for the font to refill. #QueerWriters #writesky #writers
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 30/05/2026
I can tell I'm burnt out when I have trouble keeping up with my obligations and start working through checklists. Sure sign I need to step back for a bit. #QueerWriters #writesky #writers
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 30/05/2026
Chiming in late! David Milley here, I write verse and memoir. Currently working up a series of duplexes about honeybees and another series of little poems about Wade Whimsies. First poetry collection, "Tiller and Shears," now sheduled for publication this fall. #QueerWriters #writesky #writers
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 29/05/2026
The judges for this competition were Sam Aureli, Richard Blanco, Mark Boyle, Kirsty Manning, Chiwenite Onyekwelu, and Tom Toce. I'm honored that they gave my work this recognition. Marina Belica, Julie Flanders, and Emil Adler are the members October Project. Many thanks to them!
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 29/05/2026
Last Sunday, in a celebration conducted over Zoom, October Project announced the winners of their annual poetry contest. I'm thrilled to say that my poem "Trefoil," snagged an honorable mention. #poem #poetry #writing #nature #religion #OctoberProject #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq
Image of a printed certificate with the words, "The 8th Annual October Project Poetry Contest 2026, Honorable Mention, David Milley, for the poem "Trefoil." Laurel branches flank the words. The web site name "octoberproject.com" appears at the bottom of the certificate.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 29/05/2026
My thanks to Remington Review for highlighting my poem "Tonight" on this anniversary of Maya Angelou's passing.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 27/05/2026
Work from the featured readers has been collected into an anthology, available on their web site: moonstone-arts-center.square.site/product/feat.... My poem, "Sunrise at Night," appears on page 37.
moonstone-arts-center.square.site
Featured Poets 2025 | Moonstone Arts Center
Moonstone presents over 100 poetry readings a year, creates a book with some of the presenters poems, and has a live and virtual reading. This is it.Featured PoetsNathalie Anderson           Peter Bar...
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 27/05/2026
Last week, Moonstone Arts Center held their celebration of poets who were featured readers at the Fergie's Pub series in Philadelphia. This included two readings, one online, the other at the Free Library in Philadelphia. #poem #poetry #writing #philadelphia #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq
A cartoon of a person in a vest and sportcoat, with a third-quarter moon for a head. The reader stands at a microphone on a small stage, reading from a book. Curtains are tied back on either side of the stage and a high stool is set to the side, unused. The name "Fergie'" appears in a banner above the reader and the words "Featured Poets 2025" appear below.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 23/05/2026
Yep, I'm working my through the posts, checking out the individuals and their messages as I go. Will be adding follows next. My first time encountering this event, so it feels like a flood. Thanks!
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 23/05/2026
Okay, this is nifty! I've marked my calendar to keep an eye out for this thread on Friday nights.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 23/05/2026
#QueerWritersChat Ah! Good question! Except for the occasional real villain, I think/hope most of the people I write about, including my narrator, are pretty good at healing themselves or making themselves whole. There's sorrow and regret in my writing, but there's resolve and resolution, too.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 23/05/2026
#QueerWritersChat Not specifically.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 23/05/2026
#QueerWritersChat David Milley here, gay/queer New Jersey writer, putting the final touches on my first poetry collection manuscript before shipping it off to the publisher for production. Currently writing duplexes about honeybees.
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Theo Transcendragons @theodoresnapdragon.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Welcome to #QueerWritersChat! Let’s start by settling in! Introduce yourself and tell us what you're working on! No links, please! We’re saving those for the end. Next question at :15! @amaralynn.bsky.social #QueerWriters #writesky #writers #writingcommunity #lgbtqwriters
#QueerWritersChat  
Question One: Introduce yourself and your current project!
Hosts:  @amaralynn and @theodoresnapdragon  
Every Friday 8pm EST All LGBTQIAP writers and allies welcome  
Background: gray wood with multicolor art supplies around the border.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 23/05/2026
#QueerWritersChat In the short term, not necessarily--just happy that I can write. Long term? Definitely! My writing helps me re-assemble things that have never fit together, even from decades ago.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 17/05/2026
"Hospitality" first appeared in moonShine review Journal, Volume 20, Issue 2, 2024. Paper copies of this issue containing this piece are available--and on sale!--at moonshinereview.com/bookstore/mr....
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 17/05/2026
Today, SugarSugarSalt Lit Magazine re-published my bit of memoir, "Hospitality," a recollection of a family meal at a newly integrated Howard Johnson's in the early 1960s. sugarsugarsaltlit.substack.com/p/hospitalit.... #memoir #nonfiction #writing #sugarsugarsaltlit #jimcrow #southcarolina
Screen capture of a section of text from the memoir story, "Hospitality," by David Milley: 

"Hospitality

"Rounding the curve on Route 301, the road leading from Orangeburg to Columbia, I spied the Howard Johnson’s as it appeared from behind a stand of pine trees. In 1964, Howard Johnson’s was one of the largest chains of restaurants in the world, dotting more or less every highway in the country.

"Dad pulled our huge black Mercury into the paved lot and the five of us trooped inside, Dad leading, then, by age, John Ross, Jane, and me. Mom followed close. A little blonde waitress, smiling, met us near the door and led the way inside.

"A tall man I thought I’d seen before shared a booth by the window in front with a pretty woman. She wore a dark blue dress with little pink flowers all over it, and a little gold hat; the man wore a brown suit. I made to wave as the hostess led us past them to the counter, but Mom grabbed my hand. “David, don’t,” she hissed. “Do you want to get them killed?”

"Mom rarely hissed. It was her signal that we were under threat. I put down my hand.

"I gravely watched the couple in the front booth as we passed. Paying me no mind, they kept on with their quiet chat. I thought I saw Dad give a slight nod in their direction, and the man’s hand may have waved a tiny bit in the middle of a gesture to his companion."
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 26/04/2026
This issue of Shadowplay resides at shadowplaylit.blogspot.com/p/issue-4.html. My story isn't one of the free samples, though, so if you want to read it, it's available (for only nine bucks!) from Amazon: www.amazon.com/Shadowplay-U...
shadowplaylit.blogspot.com
Issue 4
Purchase POETRY SIHAM KARAMI Resurrection Comes Around DEBORAH H. DOOLITTLE Alan Dugan Replants Astilbe EVELYN GRIFFITH Agnus Dei , Say ...
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 26/04/2026
"Penn's Landing," is a story about a long wintertime walk fifty years ago that took a dramatic turn. I'm especially proud of this piece! I feel like I've really captured Warren's voice. I can even hear him talking when I read it. Of course, that could because Warren's next to me, still talking.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 26/04/2026
It's been quite a week! To top it off, my copies of Shadowplay, Issue 4, arrived! The editors at Shadowplay have provided a good home for my memoir piece, "Penn's Landing." #poem #poetry #writing #winter #philadelphia #heroism #homophobia #queer #lgbtq
Detail of a public domain LandSat image from U.S. Geologial survey, taken from orbit. It shows the eastern Kamchatka Peninsula extending into the Pacific Ocean. At this resolution the land and ocean appear as abstract swirls of blue and red. The word "Shadowplay" in white lettering appears in the upper part of the image.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 25/04/2026
In the printed version of Kreatif magazine, the editors have paired my little poem with a stunning set of photographs of Joe Dal Pra's "Anger," "Disgust," and "Bliss" installations, with in a full two-page spread. These images can be viewed on their own at kreatifzine.com/artists/arti...
kreatifzine.com
Joe Dal Pra USA | Kreatif
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 25/04/2026
Another poem published today! Kreatif Magazine has given my poem, "The Man You Feared," a home. You can read it here: kreatifzine.com/writers/writ... #poem #poetry #writing #family #homophobia #queer #lgbtq
Detail of Kreatif Magazine cover image by Hermann Josef Hack. Rough sketches of people and humanoid beings, rendered in pen, pencil, and charcoal styles on a crumpled and uncrumpled sheet of papar, exhibit varying expressions of struggle and rage. A large, blue, fur-covered figure wielding a whip dominates the center of the illustration. Disembodied heads and a red stain cover its torso. More disembodied heads as well as more complete figures fill the surrounding area. One figure appears to wield a pistol. Another, in the foreground, wears a mask. Above the illustration appear the words "Kreatif, Spring 2026."
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 22/04/2026
Today's a two-fer day! This afternoon, the Spring 2026 issue of Remington Review went live. My poem about Maya Angelou is on page 6: heyzine.com/flip-book/0c... Next month will be twelve years since her passing. We need her voice more than ever today, every day. #poem #poetry #writing #angelou
Cover art by Natalia Loginove for the Spring 2026 issue of Remington Review. Red and blue flowers carpet the foreground; a field of wheat fills the background. Above the wheat butterflies flit. Birds soar among light clouds in the distant sky.
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 22/04/2026
Here's how the folding works: www.origamipoems.com/who.../foldi... When you print it out, you need to take care with the printer settings. The final result, though, is a neat little booklet.
origamipoems.com
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David Milley @davidmilley.com · 22/04/2026
This morning, the Origami Poems Project published another set of my little poems about Wade Whimsies, "Aquarium Set," as a foldable microchap. You can download the .pdf file for free: www.origamipoems.com/.../David_Mi.... #poem #poetry #writing #aquarium #sealife #WadeWhimsies #Tea #RedRose #lgbtq
Photograph of a small booklet of poems folded from a sheet of typewriter paper, resting on an unfolded sheet of paper on which the booklet also been printed. The booklet cover is illustrated with a photograph of five small ceramic figures: a fish, a mermaid, a treasure chest, a ship's helm, a manatee, and a seahorse. Above the cover photo, the booklet is titled "Aquarium Set, The Wade Whimsies." The author's name, David Milley, appears beneath the photo.
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