David Milley

@davidmilley

Long-time married, queer, gay man, retired developer and tech writer, enjoying time with hubby and writing seriously again, mostly verse and memoir. 🏳️‍🌈 No LGB, or any other letter, without the T: 🏳️‍⚧️

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David Milley@davidmilley· 15d

The first issue of Coastlines Review has just been published, which includes my poem "In the Photograph by Moses Rice," along with a recording of me reading it: coastlinesreview.org/issues/one/i... #poetry #poem #writing #gay #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #whitman

Screen capture of part of the Coastlines Review home page, including detail of the journal's header photograph by Rachel Coyne. The words "coastline review/a journal of documentary poetics" appear in gray-green over a light yellow background. Below, cumulus clounds arise above gray-green breakers on their way to shore.

David Milley@davidmilley· 15d

Today, my prose/almost-poem piece "Apistry" appears in Hyacinth Review: hyacinthreview.org/david-milley... This piece shows Warren caring for his honeybees through the four seasons. It's brief and readable. #prose #writing #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #apiary #honeybees #seasons

Detail of the painting "Beekeeper," by Ivan Kramskoy, 1872. A white-haired, white-bearded man in a rustic, off-white shirt holds a staff while he sits in a field of wildflowers gone to seed.

David Milley@davidmilley· 18d

This week's Former Flame Fridays at troublemaker firestarter features my poem "Poseidon," which appeared in Volume 10. Follow the link to read this whole poem full of queer joy! open.substack.com/pub/troublem... #poetry #writing #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #poseidon

David Milley@davidmilley· Jul 14

Today, my author's copy of RFD Magazine Issue #206, "Nature," arrived in the mail. This issue includes "Elephant Walk," a piece of memoir about how Warren taught me to be deliberate in my movement. www.rfdmag.org/online-issue... #poem #poetry #writing #nature #woods #queerwriters #lgbtq

Cover of RFD Magazine #206, Summer 2026, "Nature" issue. Detail of "Loutre, Uffita & Coco" my Miscanthus. Three nude, bearded men share an embrace while reclining in a field of grass beside a green woods.

David Milley@davidmilley· Jun 23

Yesterday, @CrayfishMag Issue Number 3 went live! This issue includes my bit of memoir, "Golgotha:" www.crayfishmag.com/david-milley... #memoir #writing #crayfishmag #orangeburg #jimcrow #queerwriters #lgbtq

David Milley@davidmilley· Jun 12

June 12, 2016. Ten years. Remember.

David Milley@davidmilley· Jun 11

This morning, Silly Goose Press published their "Pride Out Loud" issue, including my poem "Gawayne Ever After," in which Warren does green stuff. #poem #poetry #writing #gay #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq #green #pride @sillygoosepress.bsky.social

Screen capture of the banner at the Silly Goose Press web site. The words "Pride Out Loud" appear in white against a rainbow background. Below, the words "Letter from the Editor" and "PDF" appear n white against a purple background.

David Milley@davidmilley· May 29

Last Sunday, in a celebration conducted over Zoom, October Project announced the winners of their annual poetry contest. I'm thrilled to say that my poem "Trefoil," snagged an honorable mention. #poem #poetry #writing #nature #religion #OctoberProject #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq

Image of a printed certificate with the words, "The 8th Annual October Project Poetry Contest 2026, Honorable Mention, David Milley, for the poem "Trefoil." Laurel branches flank the words. The web site name "octoberproject.com" appears at the bottom of the certificate.

David Milley@davidmilley· May 27

Last week, Moonstone Arts Center held their celebration of poets who were featured readers at the Fergie's Pub series in Philadelphia. This included two readings, one online, the other at the Free Library in Philadelphia. #poem #poetry #writing #philadelphia #queer #queerwriters #lgbtq

A cartoon of a person in a vest and sportcoat, with a third-quarter moon for a head. The reader stands at a microphone on a small stage, reading from a book. Curtains are tied back on either side of the stage and a high stool is set to the side, unused. The name "Fergie'" appears in a banner above the reader and the words "Featured Poets 2025" appear below.

David Milley@davidmilley· May 17

Today, SugarSugarSalt Lit Magazine re-published my bit of memoir, "Hospitality," a recollection of a family meal at a newly integrated Howard Johnson's in the early 1960s. sugarsugarsaltlit.substack.com/p/hospitalit.... #memoir #nonfiction #writing #sugarsugarsaltlit #jimcrow #southcarolina

Screen capture of a section of text from the memoir story, "Hospitality," by David Milley:

"Hospitality

"Rounding the curve on Route 301, the road leading from Orangeburg to Columbia, I spied the Howard Johnson’s as it appeared from behind a stand of pine trees. In 1964, Howard Johnson’s was one of the largest chains of restaurants in the world, dotting more or less every highway in the country.

"Dad pulled our huge black Mercury into the paved lot and the five of us trooped inside, Dad leading, then, by age, John Ross, Jane, and me. Mom followed close. A little blonde waitress, smiling, met us near the door and led the way inside.

"A tall man I thought I’d seen before shared a booth by the window in front with a pretty woman. She wore a dark blue dress with little pink flowers all over it, and a little gold hat; the man wore a brown suit. I made to wave as the hostess led us past them to the counter, but Mom grabbed my hand. “David, don’t,” she hissed. “Do you want to get them killed?”

"Mom rarely hissed. It was her signal that we were under threat. I put down my hand.

"I gravely watched the couple in the front booth as we passed. Paying me no mind, they kept on with their quiet chat. I thought I saw Dad give a slight nod in their direction, and the man’s hand may have waved a tiny bit in the middle of a gesture to his companion."

David Milley@davidmilley· Apr 26

It's been quite a week! To top it off, my copies of Shadowplay, Issue 4, arrived! The editors at Shadowplay have provided a good home for my memoir piece, "Penn's Landing." #poem #poetry #writing #winter #philadelphia #heroism #homophobia #queer #lgbtq

Detail of a public domain LandSat image from U.S. Geologial survey, taken from orbit. It shows the eastern Kamchatka Peninsula extending into the Pacific Ocean. At this resolution the land and ocean appear as abstract swirls of blue and red. The word "Shadowplay" in white lettering appears in the upper part of the image.

David Milley@davidmilley· Apr 25

Another poem published today! Kreatif Magazine has given my poem, "The Man You Feared," a home. You can read it here: kreatifzine.com/writers/writ... #poem #poetry #writing #family #homophobia #queer #lgbtq

Detail of Kreatif Magazine cover image by Hermann Josef Hack. Rough sketches of people and humanoid beings, rendered in pen, pencil, and charcoal styles on a crumpled and uncrumpled sheet of papar, exhibit varying expressions of struggle and rage. A large, blue, fur-covered figure wielding a whip dominates the center of the illustration. Disembodied heads and a red stain cover its torso. More disembodied heads as well as more complete figures fill the surrounding area. One figure appears to wield a pistol. Another, in the foreground, wears a mask. Above the illustration appear the words "Kreatif, Spring 2026."

David Milley@davidmilley· Apr 22

Today's a two-fer day! This afternoon, the Spring 2026 issue of Remington Review went live. My poem about Maya Angelou is on page 6: heyzine.com/flip-book/0c... Next month will be twelve years since her passing. We need her voice more than ever today, every day. #poem #poetry #writing #angelou

Cover art by Natalia Loginove for the Spring 2026 issue of Remington Review. Red and blue flowers carpet the foreground; a field of wheat fills the background. Above the wheat butterflies flit. Birds soar among light clouds in the distant sky.

David Milley@davidmilley· Apr 22

This morning, the Origami Poems Project published another set of my little poems about Wade Whimsies, "Aquarium Set," as a foldable microchap. You can download the .pdf file for free: www.origamipoems.com/.../David_Mi.... #poem #poetry #writing #aquarium #sealife #WadeWhimsies #Tea #RedRose #lgbtq

Photograph of a small booklet of poems folded from a sheet of typewriter paper, resting on an unfolded sheet of paper on which the booklet also been printed. The booklet cover is illustrated with a photograph of five small ceramic figures: a fish, a mermaid, a treasure chest, a ship's helm, a manatee, and a seahorse. Above the cover photo, the booklet is titled "Aquarium Set, The Wade Whimsies." The author's name, David Milley, appears beneath the photo.

David Milley@davidmilley· Apr 14

Back in 2020, Hawk and Whippoorwill published my poem, "Deer Season," about Warren, some hunters, and deer in the South Jersey woods. "Deer Season" can still be read at www.penandanvil.com/hw/10/milley/ #poetry #poem #writing #hawkandwhippoorwil #deer #nature #ecology #lgbtq

Photograph of Hawk and Whippoorwill magazine, Volume 5, Number 2, Winter 2020. The cover illustration shows seedlings and their root systems in cross section. The magazine stands on a table top in a greenhouse, with a large, round cactus and a Christmas cactus in clay pots behind it.

David Milley@davidmilley· Apr 8

Last evening, Issue 205 of RFD Magazine arrived. This issue's theme is "Heartbreak." It includes my poem "Losing Superboy," about what institutionalized homophobia can do to a child's gifts. #poetry #poem #writing #rfdmagazine #heartbreak #homophobia #florida #lgbtq

Photograph of RFD Magazine's magazine cover for Spring 2026. In Jan Ziegler's illustration "maybe everything was different," in somber tones of blue and ping, a dark-haired man facing the viewer wipes tears from his left eye. In the upper left corner appear the letters "RFD" in large, white type, with "Number 205/Spring 2026/$11.95" immediately underneath. The word "Heartbreak" is printed in white across the man's right shoulder in the bottom left corner of the painting.

David Milley@davidmilley· Mar 28

No Kings, Philadelphia!

On a cold, sunny day in Philadephia, a white-bearded man wearing sunglasses and a tan baseball cap holds a flagpole from which an American flag and a Progress Pride flag drape around him.

David Milley@davidmilley· Mar 24

Today's mail brought my contributor's copy of Issue 55 of Berkeley Poetry Review. This issue includes my poem, "The Good Neighbor." This magazine can be found at www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~bpr/ #poetry #poem #writing #berkeleypoetryreview #neighbors #neighborhood #aging #lgbtq

Front cover of Berkeley Poetry Review issue 55, featuring art by Sophie Yi, composed of abstracted natural images in shades of brown and beige.

David Milley@davidmilley· Mar 15

My copy of The Loch Raven Review—Twenty-One arrived today, containing my poem, "To the Thrift," which they published on their web site last year. It can be read at: thelochravenreview.net/david-milleys

Partial image of a book cover for the literary magazine Loch Raven Review, which features a painting by Ruth Leavitt Fallon of two women standing near each other on a beach on a clear day. The woman on the right holds an infant against her chest in a gray cloth sling. The woman on the left holds another child within a sling fashioned from a long, wide, white shawl with its head turned away from the observer, in the direction of the shoreline. The words "Loch Raven Review" appear above the painting.

David Milley@davidmilley· Dec 29

My author's copy of Snowflake Magazine, Anthology IV arrived today! The editors have marked my poem, "Decimal," as Editor's Pick for this issue! I'm thrilled that the team at @snowflakemag.bsky.social have given my poem second life, and that they've rated it so highly!

Photograph of the top portion of the cover for Snowflake Magazine, Anthology IV, containing the magazine title, the ISSN number 2754-5903 and Volume 4 Issue 4. The text appears over a lavender background of flowers, designed and laid out by Mairnan Barton and Matt David.

David Milley@davidmilley· Oct 27

This morning the Origami Poems Project published my little set of poems about Wade Whimsies. It's a "microchap," which means, when it's folded, it forms a tiny booklet. You can download it for free here: www.origamipoems.com/poets/recent... #poem #poetry #writing #WadeWhimsies #Tea #RedRose #lgbtq

The cover of a micro-chapbook entitled "Figurines Pulled from Boxes of Tea" by David Milley. A photograph of seven small figurines takes up the center of the image: two gray geese, a white ram, a red crab, a brown raccoon, a green turtle, and, in back a model of the Taj Mahal in yellow. The figurines appear against a blue cloth backdrop and the grouping is reflected below the photograph.

David Milley@davidmilley· Oct 12

Ink and Ember Magazine's Fall issue is now freely available online (and for hard-copy purchase) at www.inkandember.org This issue includes three of my poems: "Basket," "The Jersey Devil," and "The Queer Outreach Concert." #poem #poetry #writing #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #lgbtq #inkandember

An owl with one eye closed stares intently at the cameral. It's yellow, open eye provides the only color in an otherwise grayscale photograph. Above the owl's head appear the words "Ink & Ember Magazine."

David Milley@davidmilley· Sep 8

Over the weekend, my copies of Querencia's Summer 2025 anthology were delivered. This print volume contains a reissue of my story, "Bats," about a vivid memory of Warren in his garden on a summer night many years ago. #poem #poetry #writing #querencia #bats #garden #seasons #lgbtq

Summer peaches in vivid tones of red and orange pack in rows across the photographic magazine cover. The title "Querencia Press" appears in an ornate font aligned perpendicular to the page. To the right of the title, the issue name, "Summer 2025" appears, and below it, "Edited by Emily Perkovich."

David Milley@davidmilley· Sep 1

Santa Fe Literary Review's 2025 issue has arrived! This beautifully designed and edited volume includes my short poem, "Brewis," in which my parents' legacy informs my life with Warren: www.sfcc.edu/santa-fe-lit.... #poem #poetry #writing #brewis #Newfoundland #Canada #codfish #tea

Three people of African extraction, calmly, intently--one is smiling--tie ropes into the shape of a spiderweb, with help from other people outside this detail of a larger illustration. The words "Santa Fe Literary Review, Volume 20, 2025" overlay the picture.

David Milley@davidmilley· Jun 30

Moss Piglet's June issue, "Gardens," includes my poem, "Tulips," in which Warren hijacks me into digging yet another tulip bed. It's a love poem, with sweat and (internal) swearing. #poem #poetry #tulips #garden #poetrycommunity #writing #mosspiglet #krazines

Detail of the cover of Moss Piglet Magazine's June 2025 issue, a painting by Marc Simmons, "Bob in the Garden," of a flower garden in full bloom. A man in blue pants and a light blue floral shirt sits on a stone, holding a white cat with both hands. A turtle swims in a rock-lined pool nearby. The pool is fed by a small green statue of two figures embracing. An empty yellow flowerpot stands on the left edge of the pool. In the foreground are small clumps of various flowers. Behind the pool, a rabbit sits on green lawn. In the background, espaliered trees flower against a wooden fence.

David Milley@davidmilley· Jun 19

Graphic of red, orange, and green paint stripes over a black rhomboid on a dark blue background, bearing the date 19 June 2025" and the words "Juneteenth Freedom Day."

David Milley@davidmilley· Jun 14

Philadelphia turned out in huge numbers on Saturday, June 14, 2025 for the "No Kings" march and rally on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. #NoKings

Photo of crowd at Philadelphia's "No Kings" rally, highighting six large flags held in a line by participants: "Resist," bisexual pride, inclusive LGBTQ+ pride, transgender pride, the 1960s peace symbol, and the American flag.

Two handmade signs at the Philadelphia "No Kings" march on June 14, 2025. One sign, white lettering on an orange background, reads, "Fuck Trump Fuck Ice" and the other sign, blue and gray letters on a white background, reads "86 47."

An elderly man holds up a sign that reads "Thus Ever to Tyrants" next to the General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Monument on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway during Philadelphia's "No Kings" march on June 14, 2025.

David Milley, a white-bearded man with thinning brown hair laughs in a selfie taken in front of an inflated, angry-looking, gold-colored bull clad in a blue suit jacket and an oversized red tie. A stylized coiffure of pale yellow hair perches uncomfortably between the bull's horns, unmistakably reminiscent of a certain chief executive's hairdo.

David Milley@davidmilley· May 12

The May issue of Moss Piglet, Krazines' musical instruments issue, arrived in the mail last week, and it's lovely. Not just because it contains my poem, "Concertina Song," about waiting for an outdoor concert to begin, back in the day. #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #Writing

Detail of the cover of the May 2025 issue of Moss Piglet magazine. The detail shows an illustration of a woman's head, her face thrown back in joy, eye closed, as she sings.

David Milley@davidmilley· Mar 16

Gray-bearded man wearing a straw hat with a bee veil, a bandana under his hat around his forehead, peers around a small beehive with a cluster of honeybees at the entrance. He raises his bare arm and hand into the air to coax the many bees still flying to join the others in claiming the hive.

David Milley@davidmilley· Feb 24

Publishing next week, The Amphibian Literary and Art Journal, Issue 8, contains my two of my poems. Here's one of them. The Amphibian is a beautiful magazine, filled with impressive writing and illustration. I'm thrilled my work has found its way there: theamphibianlit.wordpress.com #poetry #poem