Gerardo Mena

Publications
Poetry
"So I Was a Coffin" - Multimedia feature in Poets and Writers Magazine: http://www.pw.org/content/awardwinning_war_poem
"The Dangers of Time Travel" - Four Way Review, Issue 2:
http://fourwayreview.com/the-dangers-of-time-travel-by-gerardo-mena/
"Ode to the Enemy Sniper," and "The Spent." Ninth Letter, 2013: http://www.ninthletter.com/web_edition/issue/1/poetry.html
"The Spent." (online featured video) Ninth Letter blog, 2013:
http://www.ninthletter.com/where_were_at/edition/50/
"Cylindrical" - Raleigh Review, 2012:
http://www.raleighreview.org/Poetry_Audio_Archive.html
"The Nursing Home Boxer to a High School Volunteer" - 2nd Place, Gemini Magazine, 2012 Open Poetry Competition:
http://www.gemini-magazine.com/menanursing.html
"The Singer" - Diagram, Issue 11.2:
http://thediagram.com/11_2/mena.html
"The Writer" - Barely South Review:
http://barelysouthreview.digitalodu.com/all-issues/september-2011/the-writer/
"Paradise Song" - The22Magazine, 2013:
http://www.the22magazine.com/V3/Pages/GerardoMenaPoem.html
"The Kill Hole," "The Platoon Sergeant," "Zipper," "Lazy Days." The Medulla Review, Volume 2, Issue: http://www.themedullareview.com/Gerardo_Mena.html
"So I Was a Coffin" - 1st Place, Winningwriters, 2010 War Poetry Contest:
http://winningwriters.com/contests/war/2010/wa10_mena.php#.UfaW-RZxklI
"So I Was a Coffin" - Best New Poets 2011: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers, pg. 115
"Insurgent" - Cream City Review, Volume 36, Issue 2, pg. 13
"Eating Petals" - Iron Horse Literary Review, Volume 15.2 (2013) pg. 31
"Posthumous" - Cider Press Review, Volume 13, pg. 75
"Prelude in E Minor" - Poetry East, 2012, pg. 217
"War Haiku" - 1st Place, Seven Hills Review, 2011 Penumbra Haiku Contest, Volume 17, pg. 83
"The Marriage of Hand and Spear" - Louisiana Review, 2012, pg. 36.
"War Child" - Hawai'i Review, Fall 2011, Issue #75, pg. 11
"The Thousand-Yard Stare" - Permafrost, Winter 2012, pg. 84
"Ode to a Pineapple Grenade" - Steam Ticket, Volume XV, Spring 2012, pg. 69
"Cartography" - Paper Crow, 2012.
"The Painter," and ""Maps." New Mexico Poetry Review, Spring 2011 issue, pg. 28-29.
"The Last Bullet Has Sounded (And Still I War)." Spillway, Issue 17, Fall 2011, pg. 50.
San Pedro River Review, Spring 2011, pg. 60
The Medulla Review, Volume 2 Anthology, pg. 6
...and love..., Jacar Press Anthology, pg. 70
"Isthmus" - Zombies for a Cure Anthology
Non-Fiction
'The Enemy,' Through the Eyes of a Child," - The New York Times - At War:
"Writing Lessons," Ploughshares Blog:
http://blog.pshares.org/index.php/writing-lessons-gerardo-mena/
"Easy Steps to College Success," featured on the Veterans Association's guest blog:
http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/?p=3513
"A Much-Needed Treat and a Welcome Surprise," The New York Times:
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/a-much-needed-caramel-latte/
"Phalanx" - War, Literature & the Arts, Volume 24, 2012, pg. 185 (Creative Non-Fiction)
"I Was a Heisman Trophy" - Chautauqua Literary Journal, Issue 9, 2012, pg. 137: (Creative Non-Fiction) Labeled as a Chautauqua Spotlight as a new voice to watch.
"How to Build a War Hero," Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 2, SEMO University Press, 2013, pg. 26
"The Lack of Weight" - Red, White, and True: The American Military Story from WWII to the Present. University of Nebraska Press, 2014, pg. 85
Music
Song, "Breaking Hallelujahs," featured in the Spring 2011 issue of the Nashville Review:
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/english/nashvillereview/archives/3910
Song and music video, "I Felt the Earth Spin Today," featured in the Spring 2011 issue of the Nashville Review:
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/english/nashvillereview/archives/3875
Song, "Holding Maps," featured in the Spring 2011 issue of the Blue Lotus Review: http://www.bluelotusreview.com/tony_mena.html
Other
Multimedia highlight video of wrestler J'den Cox, made by Gerardo Mena, featured on the Columbia Tribune Newspaper sports blog:
Upcoming Events
March 4th, 2011 - Breakout speaker during the "Write to Learn" Conference at the Tan-Tar-A resort, Osage Beach, MO.
March 11th, 2011 - Speaker during "The Art of Writing" Middle School Writing Conference, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
March 17th, 2011 - Guest speaker for Rockbridge High School's "Advanced Investigations and Seminars" class taught by Kathryn Fishman-Weaver about his military experience and his road to becoming a published war poet. Columbia, MO.
April 11th, 2011 - Panel speaker for veterans issue, Rhonda Pratt's Journalism Class. Journalism School, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
April 27th, 2011 - Full band playing music on the University of Missouri campus for "Veterans Giving Back" day. Columbia, MO.
April 30th, 2011 - Guest speaker for the Care Package Project Luncheon.
12:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Courtyard Marriott
3301 Lemone Industrial Boulevard
Columbia, MO 65201
May 2nd, 2011 - Guest lecturer for the University of Missouri's English 2100 section 2, "Speak Exile and the War Story" class taught by John A. Nieves. Columbia, MO.
May 7th, 2011 - Full band playing at the Blue Fugue. Missouri Student Veterans pub crawl. Columbia, MO.
September 27th and 29th, 2011 - Guest Speaker for the University of Missouri's Intermediate Poetry class. Will be lecturing and then co-facilitating a publishing workshop.
November 5th, 2011 - Guest Speaker for the "Mid-Missouri Author's Gala" at Village Books, 1810 Paris Road, Columbia, MO, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
February 28th, 2012 - Poetry reading, Hearing Voices series, Orr Street Studios, Columbia, MO, 7 p.m.
November 3rd, 2012 - Guest of Honor and featured speaker at the University of Missouri ROTC's Marine Corps Ball. Columbia, MO.
May 8th, 2013 - IAC building, 550 West 18th St., Manhattan, NYC. Poetry Reading for the Headstrong Project, Words of War, opening poet, will be followed by the actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
June 6th, 2013 - Honored by the Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball Team as the "Walk Off Hero" for his military service/post-service accomplishments.
July 21st, 2013 - Writing Workshop: Rockstar 101: The Importance of Social Media in Today's Writer's Market, Port Townsend, WA, Goddard M.F.A. Workshop.
July 25th, 2013 - Veteran Writing Workshop: Surrealism: When Not Making Sense Makes Sense. Springfield - Greene County Library, Springfield, MO, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
August 14th, 2013 - Congressional briefing with the Missouri Humanities Council on the importance of funding for the NEH and MHC to keep art relevant.
September 28th, 2013 - Wordfest, speaker panel - Springfield, MO.
February 21st, 2014 - Book Launch - Cape Girardeau, MO, Southeast Missouri State campus, Glenn Auditorium in Dempster Hall. 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
March 13th, 2014 - Proud to Be: Anthology Launch - Featured Reader - University of Missouri - Columbia Campus, Stotler Lounge. 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
May 24th, 2014 - Workshop: The Multi-Media Experience - St. Louis Public Library - St. Louis, MO. 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
June 7th, 2014 - Veteran's Exhibit - Featured Speaker - Mid-America Arts Alliance - 2018 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64108.
October 1st, 2014 - Words Of War - Featured Poet - Reading work with Jake Gyllenhaal, Anthony Edwards, Lili Taylor, David Strathairn for the Headstrong Project's Fundraiser. 360 Tribeca, New York, NY. 7 p.m.
October 18th, 2014 - Breakout Speaker - The Write Direction Conference by the Missouri Writer's Guild. Workshop 1 - 10 a.m., Workshop 2 - 2 p.m.
November 10th, 2014 - Veteran's Day Speaker - Park Hill South High School, Kansas City, MO.
November 15th, 2014 - Multi-Media Workshop Part 2 - 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. - St. Louis Public Library, St. Louis, MO.