Halcyon Days: 2020

"As winter approaches - bringing cold weather and family drama - we crave page-turners, books made for long nights and tryptophan-induced sloth." ~Sarah MacLean

"I love the scents of winter! For me, it's all about the feeling you get when you smell pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread and spruce." ~Taylor Swift

Winter is the year's finale. It's a time of books and page-turners, snowflakes and fireplaces, gifts and Christmas sentiments. Whether you submit poetry, haiku, fiction, nonfiction, or recipes, show me the magic of winter. Insert the season's senses in your submission(s).

Friday, July 17, 2020

Calling for Autumn Submissions

Deadline: Sept 15, 20

I am searching for autumn word painters—writers who can calm someone with words. Writers who can soak the reader’s mind with tranquil thoughts. More than any other season, autumn colours instil calmness.

Check out http://www.words-to-use.com/words/fall/ for a helpful website with autumn keywords to get inspired.

If you are up to the challenge, please submit poems, brief stories, haiku, essays, studies, favourite autumn recipes, or any other form. It can relate to autumn or peaceful concepts.

I look forward to the colourful calm.

Friday, April 24, 2020

Calling for summer submissions

If you are a writer who can quiet someone with words, if you can soak the reader’s mind with tranquil thoughts, I am looking for you!

Please submit summer themed poems, quick stories, haiku, essays, your favorite summer recipes, or other forms. It can also be peaceful concepts.

I look forward to the calm.

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Callng for Spring Submissions

Warm your mind up from the polar vortex that has frozen the world and think spring, warmth, new beginnings... Let the reader smell the freshness of an April rain or inhale the intoxicating scent of lilacs. Any form of poetry, short story, essay or first-person manuscript is acceptable. Spring-related or conceptual content is acceptable like new beginnings, growth, inspiration, birth/rebirth and so on. I'm always on the lookout for haiku, photography, or favorite recipes connected with the spring, too. I look forward to your budding submissions!

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Reviews

In this world of rush, rush, Halcyon Days is an exquisite rest stop, a log inviting a reader to sit, take a breath, watch the sun set. It’s not just a magazine, it’s an essential part of life! Enchantment growing, evolving, expressing is Halcyon Days. Words couples with snapshots create powerful feelings of calm and serene, whether you're in a temple or reading it in the subway. It's an effective reminder to take life easy, getting through each moment at a time. We could all use a page each day, reread a poem, get lost in the stunning red flowers or golden orange leaves. This magazine is powerful in the way it offers some bliss as we move through chaotic days. We can always return to the bosom of Halcyon Days!

From Jerrice J. Baptiste

Contributor and Subscriber

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It is simply one of the most beautiful magazines anywhere. The pictures are always eye candy showstoppers. They instantly bring a feeling of peace, especially in this torn-apart world. Just looking at them reduces my stress level and makes me realize there still is beauty to be found and enjoyed. I love receiving it and immediately stop and look through it, even before I take time to read the poetry. Thank you for providing me with a tiny bit of much needed tranquility.

From Patricia Goodman

Contributor and Subscriber

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I first noticed a copy of "Halcyon Days" at a friend's home. I was struck by the stunning cover and couldn't wait to open the magazine. The images within were also exceptionally lovely and so appropriate to the poetry represented. The writing was varied in style and subject but one thing was certain. Examining and reading each page left me with a feeling of affirmation and wellness. I was hooked! I simply had to have my own subscription! In this time of fear and depressing news, any time a newspaper is opened or a device turned on, I am grateful for the sanctuary "Halcyon Days" provides.

From Gaiyle J. Connolly

Contributor and Subscriber

- Hamilton, ON area writer and artist

- Retired art teacher and consultant

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When you really, really like something, you have to be careful not to get carried away, or otherwise you risk 'overselling' it; but that my be a problem with my admiration for both Halcyon Days and Founder's Favourites.

First, and most important, is the quality of the writing: it is clear, accessible, poignant as it touches the heart and sometimes even rubs the soul--the antithesis to so much so called poetry today, so recondite and idiosyncratic that is is much like reading a concrete wall and looking for clues as to the meaning of life. But it is the 'basin', the physical magazine, that holds the poems and stories that amplifies their beauty many times over. And here the editor shows an almost uncanny ability to pick the most apropos image, as in the Sept 2020 issue of Founder's Favourites where my poem, 'A Passing Glance" is matched with an old man driving a car. It's mostly his arms on the steering wheel that show but I did a double take when I first saw it because they look like my arms! Long and then with wrinkled skin--for a split second I wondered, 'How did Monique get my photo? No wait, that's not my car, it's got a 5 speed.' Okay. Joking a bit here but you get the point.

Finally, kudos on the quality of the photos and their sheer beauty. It really is a pleasure for mind, eye and hand to hold these fine magazines.

From Nolo Segundo

Contributor

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Halcyon Days epitomizes its title: past, present and future. The poetry, glorious illustrations and the idealized layout transport the reader, ameliorating the most stressful times and transforming them into Halcyon Days.

From Bruce Levine

Contributor and Subscriber

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When you want to relax and retreat from daily turmoil, just pick up a copy of Halcyon Days. The poems, stories and graphics celebrate the joys of nature and human kindness. For a dose of gratitude, a measure of peace, a lesson in hope, open up the magazine and read.

From Ingrid Bruck

Contributor

Halcyon Days

Pages

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Hang On - video

Monday, December 7, 2020

Stamp a Halcyon Memory (multiple videos)

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Dec 3 - Take a Dip (video)

Monday, November 30, 2020

Nov 30 - Hang On (video)

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Nov 26 - Word Travelling (video)

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Nov 24 - Rock 'N Escape (Video)

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Reading a favourite submission looks like... (video)

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Nov 17 - Keep Calm (video)

Monday, November 16, 2020

Nov 16 - Rise Above the Chaos (video)

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Nov 15 - Let It Go (video)

Saturday, November 14, 2020

November 14 - video

Friday, October 9, 2020

Calling For Winter Submissions

Friday, July 17, 2020

Calling for Autumn Submissions

Friday, April 24, 2020

Calling for summer submissions

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Callng for Spring Submissions