Reality Detonates
Popped Off Like a Firecracker
“It’s like being lost in magic memories, and then—pow! reality detonates and rudely brings me back to the present.” That’s what I said last December while talking with my morning writing group about a love poem I was working on.
The group brightened. “Reality detonates—I love that phrase!”
And just like that, the fuse was lit.
First Sparks, First Poems
I threw out a challenge: “Each of us should write a poem with the phrase ‘reality detonates’ in the body and bring it back in a week.”
They were all in. A week later, we read our poems aloud and were stunned—every piece took the phrase somewhere new. Different forms, subjects, tones. One phrase, endless explosions.
The Fuse Gets Hotter
Then I had a smoking idea. What if there were an anthology where every poem carried that phrase—reality detonates—like a live wire running through it?
I pitched it to the group. Their enthusiasm was a delight.
Perfect Timing, Perfect Team
Two members of our circle happened to be publishing powerhouses:
Johanna Haas, owner of Cicada Song Press
Mona Mehas, Editor-in-Chief of Cicada Song Press
Johanna said she wanted this anthology to be her company’s Winter 2026 release—and she wanted me as editor.
After a few days of mulling whether to run it solo, I handed the idea to Cicada Song Press. It was a great decision: the blast was even bigger than I imagined.
Countdown to Detonation
On September 1st, Cicada Song Press announced the book on their website with full submission requirements.
Submissions open: October 1, 2025
Submissions close: October 31, 2025
Target launch date: January 30, 2026
Details are at cicadasongpress.com/submissions
Your Turn to Strike the Match
Reality doesn’t bend—it blows apart!
Now it’s your turn:
Write the poem only you can write.
Make it flare. Make it roar. Make it linger like smoke.
Reality Detonates. Ignite. Submit. Blow our minds.
—Faith Canright
First appeared on faithcanright.com on September 12, 2025: