Red Dragonfly Press

03/31/2025

Busy spring! Jim (RDP board member and longtime friend of the press) is having a reading of his new title at Magers & Quinn TOMORROW

See you there!

03/30/2025

THE OLD DICTATOR RETURNS
~
The old dictator creaks and clanks off the plane,
gears grinding and pistons scraping under a loose,
secondary skin of bodyguards and doctors.
A riot baton for a cane, he rides the earthquake
of his legs down the red carpeted stairs, flashes a “V”
of open scissors for “Victory”.
His supporters and followers rush forward,
grunting with praise, on legs made of shovels
and spades caked with the earth of shallow graves.
They throw confetti shredded from the latest Constitution,
wave arms of cattle prods, machetes and gun barrels.
They scatter the delicate petals
of severed human ears at his feet.
And the objective Press is there to help fictionalize the event,
barking and drooling and wagging their di*******ry tails,
shaking the bells on their collars, pi***ng themselves
like puppies whining with joy. The old dictator lifts
his Roman profile against the sun and cameras click
like the slamming shut of jail cell doors.
The old dictator is sweetly touched in the tenderest part
of his poison metal heart Tommy-knocking against
the chassis of his chest. He feels that his life’s work
of promoting Business by any means necessary
has been vindicated. “They love me! They really love me!”
he whipcrack whispers to the sky, as he wipes away
a toxic tear that has escaped the prison of his eye.
He blows razor blade kisses to his fans.
“A word, a word!” the crowd urges, overcome
with ecstatic homicide and speaking in patriotic tongues.
The old dictator holds up the rake of his hand and a shot
cracks the future. There are screams and weeping, a visionary
whiff of s**t, and the sun rusts in its orbit. The congregation
applauds with other people’s hands: another brilliant speech!
It is the dawn of yesterday—and just in the nick of time!
The old dictator dips his quill pen into a forehead bullet hole,
signs autographs for the crowd.
He smiles like a wound.
~
--Robert Edwards
~
Originally published in Left of East and in the 2024 Collection, Amazements

03/25/2025

The press has been contacted with a request for contact information of Dave Etter's family. It is an offer to share some of Dave's letters to another poet.

Thanks! Leslie

03/09/2025

Many thanks to Michael Hettich for his interview of Red Dragonfly Press author Joe Paddock's book Infinity's Edge.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945063351

Michael's interview can be found on at
https://www.holeintheheadreview.com/post/michael-hettich-interviews-joe-paddock

“From one angle or another, I have been reciting the content of this book to myself, as it has evolved in me, for more than 50 years now. In large part it has had to do with an awakening to and acceptance of the guidance that is ever emerging from the unconscious by way of dreams, visions, synchr....

11/16/2024

Library and Book-store discounts are available for most Red Dragonfly Press titles, email [email protected] for details

Red Dragonfly Press is a small, literary non-profit, that has been publishing modern poetry and poetry in translation for twenty-five years. 

11/05/2024

Happy to announce the release of Joyce Sutphen's new title Home Words.

Home Words

10/31/2024

To my Red Dragonfly Press friends, I have a story and a request.

After Scott's passing, I collected the RDP board members and committed to working on the press through the dozen or so titles that had been accepted for publication.

It's been a serious learning experience for everyone involved. And no one will be surprised to learn it's a project best executed by a team.

My vision for the press is to continue what Scott started - provide an avenue for an incredible collection of work from diverse perspectives and writers.

My request is content for Facebook posts of RDP published works since 2021, we'll even send you a copy of the book.

Since the demise of Small Press Distribution, Facebook is our most effective method of spreading the word on both our new and earlier titles.

Sincerely, Leslie Taylor
President, Red Dragonfly Press

10/31/2024

https://www.amazon.com/Amazements-Robert-M-Edwards/dp/1945063564/

It's been a busy time here at Red Dragonfly Press.

Robert M Edwards' new title Amazements is available on Amazon - and also sold locally in beautiful downtown Soap Lake, WA!

Amazements

09/19/2024

RDP is pleased to announce the publication of a book of David Martinson's Collected Poems.

Rourke Art Gallery - Moorhead MN

03/30/2024

We've received the news about Small Press Distribution and are determining how this might impact RDP authors. I'll post updates as we hear more information.

A sad loss.

Small Press Distribution (SPD) is a non-profit literary arts organization located in Berkeley, California. As their name indicates, the core of their mission is to act as an umbrella distributor and marketer for hundreds of smaller literary publishers. SPD's primary mission is to get the books of th...