Sep 12

Sep 12 Two New Poems in ARCH

ARCH is the poetry journal of SUNY Albany, the state university in my hometown in New York. They accepted two of my poems, and by chance one of them is titled “Clouds Over New York,” while the other is named after a small town just outside of San Antonio, TX, my other hometown. That one is “Killing Time in Bulverde” and it’s a sadder poem, about my grandmother’s passing. You can read both now in the Spring 2026 Issue of ARCH (yeah, I’m a little behind in promoting these).

You can also go directly to each here:

CLOUDS OVER NEW YORK

KILLING TIME IN BULVERDE

My thanks to the editors and readers over at ARCH and to all of you for taking a look at these poems.

Aug 14

Aug 14 New Issues, New Anthologies

James Duncan

News & Updates, Poetry

I’ve had some luck with poems lately, and you’ll find new ones in the following three publications…

Aug 4

Aug 4 Being On Submission: In the Backrooms of an Almost Debut Novel

James Duncan

News & Updates, Novels

Understand that even before I landed an agent this last spring, I’d heard how stressful it is to be “on submission” with a novel. Especially a debut. Sometimes it takes months, sometimes years, sometimes never, sometimes right after you give up when a random publisher decides to double-back and jump in with an offer. There are thousands of ways it can go down, and most of them involve an excruciating amount of waiting.

Jun 29

Jun 29 This Is Poetry, Volume 5

James Duncan

News & Updates, Poetry

I’m pretty pumped that I‘ll have four poems included in a new anthology called This Is Poetry Volume 5: Poets of the Northeast later this year alongside some incredible writers (and friends!) including Bud Smith, Ally Malinenko, John Grochalski, Puma Perl, Cheryl A. Rice, Rebecca Schumejda, and many others.

Mar 30

Mar 30 Officially Signed with Falkin Literary

James Duncan

News & Updates, Novels

This weekend I signed a representation deal with Mark Falkin of Falkin Literary after a great chat we had last week about a book I wrote, currently titled IT WON'T LEAVE. It's a horror novel set in Texas, about a cancer patient named JJ who moves back to San Antonio, into his father's new house. As his chemo treatments begin, he realizes a malignant presence is hiding within the bones of that house. Something that wants him out. Something that sees HIM as a cancer in need of eradication.

Mar 26

Mar 26 "Variations of Blue" Now Appears in Trampoline

James Duncan

News & Updates, Poetry

My poem “Variations of Blue” now appears online in a three-poet issue (#31.6) of Trampoline, alongside the works of Naa Asheley Ashitey and Sally Huggins Toner. The poem is from a small collection I wrote in (and about) the rugged and beautiful island nation of Iceland that I’m putting together, so you may hear more about that soon. But this is a great representation of what that collection is aiming for, so I hope you enjoy. My thanks to editor Justin Lacour for including this piece in his excellent online journal.

Mar 26

Mar 26 Roadside Assistance Anthology

James Duncan

News & Updates

Roadside Press has released a new anthology called Roadside Assistance, containing a sampler of poetry from books they’ve published over the last few years. Four of the poems within (“Transference,” “Pastoral,” “Wane,” “and Prophecy”) are from my book Cistern Latitudes, which is also still available from Roadside Press for $15. Digging into this anthology is a great way to see who else the press has published and experience a wide range of poetic styles in one place. In a world that increasingly glamorizes the shallow depths of AI “creativity”, buying from a press like this is a great way to support the authenticity of the indie underground.

Aug 13

Aug 13 Summer News and Autumn Goals

James Duncan

News & Updates

I haven’t posted a whole lot this year but it’s been a busy summer so far. A quick trip to Philadelphia, a cancelled camping expedition, baseball games, pool adventures, parades, and I moved in with Amelia and Henry at long last. I’m settling in and getting back into a writing groove after spending most of the spring packing. Beyond a busy summer personally, I’ve been busy publishing and writing too.