In accordance with Bram Stoker Award™ etiquette, I'd like to offer "The Book of Hours" to HWA members for consideration in the Poetry Collection Category. If you are a HWA member and would like a PDF copy, please DM me. The Book of Hours was published by Alien Buddha Press on Sept. 16, 2025.

Starting off the New Year right with a new poem! "Chopin" is now available in Star*Line Magazine's 49.1 (Winter 2026) issue. I'm proud of this little piece, a sort of homage to the great Polish composer. You can get it, and lots of other great speculative poems, here: sfpoetry.org/wp/starline/...

Come see me tonight at Elaine's in Alexandria, Virginia. I'll be doing a reading of my story "Turtles." More event details below. Hope you can make it!

It's here... My debut book, "The Book of Hours" is out today from @alienbuddhapress.bsky.social. It has 24 Dark Cosmic poems, one for every hour of the day. Get it here! www.amazon.com/dp/B0FMY3ZKB...

Tomorrow, "The Book of Hours" will be out in the world. Already, advance reviews are coming in: “The Book of Hours interlaces artistry with science to create a nuanced collection that you can feel in your chest. It’s utterly majestic.” - Mercedes Murdock Yardley, three-time Bram Stoker Award winner.

I had a GREAT time this afternoon in Baltimore with @nicolemwolverton.bsky.social and @douglasgwilym.bsky.social on this panel! Can't wait to be on stage with them again, it was so fun AND insightful...Also, a big thanks to M'Shai for keeping us on topic and asking some great questions. Good times!

Next Saturday in Baltimore...Come join me, @nicolemwolverton.bsky.social, @douglasgwilym.bsky.social, and M'Shai Dash for a great conversation on "How Horror Healed Me." We're on at 1 p.m. at the Peabody Heights Brewery on the @sfwa.bsky.social Stage at the Baltimore Book Festival. See you there!

It IS out of the bag... Coming to Baltimore soon (Sept. 13) to talk Horror, healing, and other visceral topics!

Been awhile since I posted here...But I have some big news: I am delighted to announce that my first book "The Book of Hours," will debut Sept. 16 with AlienBuddha Press. It contains 24 poems, one for every hour of the day. Looking forward to sharing it with all of you! It's got a lot of me in it.

I will appear on the panel “Cosmic Horror: Beyond Lovecraft” June 15 at 10 a.m. at StokerCon. Also appearing are: @horrormistress.bsky.social, @anndavilacardinal.bsky.social, and @johnlangan.bsky.social. @mothman13.bsky.social will moderate. So special to share the stage with such a talented group!

VERY pleased to announce that I will be doing a reading alongside the talented and inimitable writers @rachelharrison.bsky.social and @ryanmarie47.bsky.social at StokerCon! The reading will be June 14 at 9:00 a.m. More details on my StokerCon schedule here: dariusjoneswriter.com/appearances/

Digging into this WIP again... 2,500 words added to "TPD" today. This world-building section fits nicely between these two chapters of "plot." ...Feeling good about it!

Added 1,459 words to WIP "TPD" today. Also, got a short poem (98 words) called "The Silent Chord" down, from out of nowhere. Not too bad!

Today: Writing angry...AND getting the movie in my head down on the page...the only way to be! Added 1,703 words to my WIP "TPD." Not bad!

Added 1,387 words to my WIP today that I'm calling "TPD" for now. The running total is now 23,642 words. Also, wrote a poem (more on that later...).

There are those of us who still “believe” in science. If our world suffers from anything right now, it’s a lack of evidence-based decision making. Anyway, my latest story here is about a fanatic who feels differently—and is willing to do something about it: www.timberghostpress.com/blog/turtles...

Before another day passes by, a big congratulations to all of you who made the Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot! Lots of great names and great works on the list.

I added 1,903 words to my WIP "TPD" today. The work now stands at 22,206 words and the first chapter is now done. Onward!

I added 1,745 words to my WIP "TPD" today. The work now stands at 20,303 words. Getting over 20K is...good. Onwards!

Today, I finally pulled two poems “wet and wriggling” out of the darkness. “Osaka Angel” stands at 57 lines, 374 words. “Du Fu,” stands at 42 lines, 323 words. Both were very intense, emotional writing experiences written in my cubicle while listening to my headphones. Gotta let them sit now.

Despite all worldly obstacles, I added 2,428 words to my WIP called "TPD" today. The work now stands at 18,604 words. Down this dune and onto the barren flatlands, at last... Onward!

I will be participating in a Poetry Open Mic night this Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. At St. Elmo's Cafe in Alexandria on MOUNT VERNON Ave. I will debut 1 poem and there will be plenty of other poets reading, too. Come on down and (temporarily) leave all your your worries behind. www.stelmoscoffeepub.com

Want to support an up-and-coming writer? Someone who is wrapping up a Sci-Fi time travel series? Here's your chance! Head over to Kickstarter and pledge (what you can) to @mamcbeth.bsky.social's Sphere Saga, Book 4. Here's the link: www.kickstarter.com/projects/mam... And Congrats, Michelle!

Added 3,219 words to my WIP today called "TPD." The work now stands at 16,163 words. More rolling around in the whipping desert wind with these two...Good times! Onward!

Happy to announce my new poem "Celestial Worm" was accepted by Star*Line Magazine. It will appear there later this year. It will be my 3rd poem published by that publication. This one is about a earthworm "mirrored" by a worm in space... Always a good feeling to get another poem out in the world!

A HUGE Congrats to @pedroiniguez.bsky.social and his poetry collection "Mexicans on the Moon" making the preliminary ballot for the Stokers this year. I've been following his writing for some time now and it's gratifying to see this next step in his journey. Good luck, Pedro!

Added 3,879 words to my WIP today called "TPD." Work now stands at a total of 12,947 words. It was good to pass the 10K milestone and get down a solid fight scene (with swords). Onward!

A little good news: I got a poetry acceptance today for one of my shorter pieces. More soon!

Congratulations to EVERYONE on the Preliminary Ballot for the 2024 Stoker Awards! I feel the Horror genre is breaking new ground every day, shedding its old skin to become something shiny and new and these writers are leading the charge... CONGRATS!!! bramstokerawards.horror.org/front-page/t...

Today was spent: Adding 1,931 words to my WIP, "TPD." It now stands at 9,022 total words. And things are about to get intense! ...

A wave of poetry came in this morning...So, I rode it to the end...I got 3 new poems down. For now, I'm labeling them: "The Dreamer," "Transcriber," and "Nuts." They're of varying quality and all short. I was really feeling it. Now, must let them rest, then edit, before seeing if they're any good.

I've been remiss! But now, my first literary submissions of the year are off. It's a little story called "The 17th Street Anomaly" which I'm quite (and quietly) proud of. #amsubmitting

Today was spent: Adding 2,114 words to my WIP, "TPD." Now, it stands at 7,091 total words. Proud of the world-building today (even created a new Holiday!). Going to keep it up, cross the desert.

Just a reminder for tomorrow: The Poetry Open Mic at St. Elmo's Cafe in Alexandria, VA is ON for Jan. 10, 7-9pm. The featured poet will still be C. Alexandria-Bernard Thomas. I plan to debut two new poems. Hope to see you there!

Was feeling it today... So, I banged out a new poem. The first draft of "The Sidereal Messenger" is now here at 27 lines, 146 words...Thanks, Galileo!!

Alright! Back at it in the New Year!!! ...Added 2,110 words to the WIP (Work in Progress) today. It's called "TPD" for now. I am placing total trust in the story's two leads (S & A) to get me home across the desert. It now stands at a total of 4,977 words.

The (poetry) Open Mic scheduled for tonight (Jan. 3) at 7 p.m. at St. Elmo's Cafe in Alexandria, VA has been POSTPONED due to bad weather... Please join us on Friday, January 10, 7-9pm, instead. The featured poet will still be C. Alexandria-Bernard Thomas. See you there!

Cast my first vote of the year! -- For President of the SFPA (Science Fiction Poetry Association). If you're a member, please vote. ... And good luck to all three candidates!

I will be appearing at a (poetry) Open Mic this Friday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. at St. Elmo's Cafe in Alexandria, VA. Headlining will be C. Alexandria-Bernard Thomas, who will share the stage with local poets. I plan to debut 2 new poems. Come out for warm drinks and (sharp?) words. Hope you can make it!

Alright! OK!!! ... Starting this new piece in earnest now. Got down 2,867 words to get it started today. I'm calling this one "TPD." Time to journey across the desert... Hope I make it to the other side!

Today was spent: Getting all these ideas swimming around my head onto the page. Captured 1,898 words of pre-writing, plotting, and dialogue for my next work today...Which is actually an expansion of my previous work. Calling it "TPD" for now. More on it soon.

Contract signed! ...Happy to announce that my poem "Sentio," about the subtle connections between all life on our planet, will be appearing in Space and Time magazine (Issue 148) to be released in Spring/Summer 2025. Oh yeah!

...Who knows? Your words might just be the only thing that ends up saving us from oblivion. So, write on, Friends. Please.

It can be so again. And I believe it will. So, stay strong and write on through the darkness. I know I plan to…Here’s someone who put it much better than I, a number of years ago: Ursula K. Le Guin. The dark times may continue, but so do we. So do we. www.ursulakleguin.com/nbf-medal

I may be biased, but I think that’s particularly true of writers. In the past, when things were bleakest and all hope was lost it was often writers, and scribes, and storytellers that people turned to. And the people heard their words—and remembered what they had forgot...

Third, if you’re a writer, a musician, an artist, or anyone who creates stuff, here’s my wish: That you take all that you’re feeling now…All of that hurt, all that anger, all that grief you feel and turn into something lasting and beautiful. Something powerful and earth-shaking.

2nd, I believe the only way to truly strengthen our republic is ensuring everyone’s rights. That means if you’re a man or woman; White or Black; Straight, Gay, Trans; or anything else, you have a right to exist and pursue happiness as you see fit—not as others define it for you.

Where do we go from here? Well. I don’t know about you, but here’s a little glimpse of my plan… First, don’t give up. The battle is not for the day or the hour, but all of life.

2,180 words down today to finish off this new Horror story. "Taboo" is now complete at 6,194 words! It's inspiration was an anime video on a boat in Japan titled: "Come On, Everybody! Let's Follow the Rules!" and me wondering what would happen if I didn't.

Here I am in the local paper (first time ever!) with a little about how I got into poetry and got my first poem published (waayyyyy back in the pandemic). It also has four new poems: "Ragamuffin," "Clouds," "Wiser," and "The Ash Sutra of the Sixth Matriarch." greetmag.com/locations/de...