Boston Poetry Marathon: Last Day Haiku

Poetry at end,
rain on windowsill reminds
the world is waiting. 

And Now for Our Wednesday Finisher

longtime contributor Keith Nunes provides both poetry and photography to close out Wednesday at Oddball Magazine. Thanks for checking us out on my favorite poetry day.

I Had Issues! My Old Review o Seeds by Ross Mackintosh

A small piece on a comics creator I should look up later to see what he did after this book. I hope I find more books from him. Originally published September 2, 2011. Reposted here with minor edits.

Wednesday Poetry Perseveres

Today we have two poems by Alyssa Trivett with photography you Glenn Bowie. Let's get this Wednesday started at Oddball Magazine.

Counting Down

Flemmings Beaubrun counts down to the end of summer. Read this week's Epic Autism Report, up now at Oddball Magazine.

Next Piece a Stone's Throw Away

Jason Wright's next Jagged Thought is up now at Oddball Magazine.

Waiting a Little Longer Before We Get to the Poetry

Jonathan Ferrini comes back to our site, as does Bill Wolak. Welcome to Tuesday at Oddball Magazine.

Funeral for a Birth: My Boston Marathon Pastiche Poem

Carol Weston holding court for less than eight minutes.

I do a weekly series on my blog called Stone Soup Croutons, where I take half-heard lines and impressions of images from poems read on the Stone Soup Poetry open mic. This past Sunday, I decided to do a similar poem on the last day of this year's Boston Poetry Marathon.

I got to Outpost 186 Sunday afternoon, just in time for Carol Weston. She was followed by almost twenty other poets I either knew, knew of, or was introduced to that day. I listened to everyone's work, took notes as quickly as I could and came up with the poem below. I finished it yesterday and waited to post it today, when we're likely out our glorious post-hundred-plus poet stupor (personally, I hope mine lasts until next Wednesday).

Is your name listed at the end? If so can you see anything from your set list in my final poem? After a while, I often can't remember what I got from who. Maybe you recognize your work and see what I wrote as the exact opposite of your themes. That's not deliberate, that's just me writing fast. I hope you enjoy it regardless. Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone else who read at the event. 


Funeral for a Birth

The poodles poked your tiny palm
feeling sorry for another small thing,

another sad thing born with a fear
of much larger feet, a predilection

I'm a Little Worried

No word from Geoffrey Fallon yet. Hopefully, I'll have news soon. For now, please enjoy the archive of his comic strip "The Secrets of Skinny People" at Oddball Magazine.

Are Both Humans AND Robots Doomed?

Find out in Bill Harvey's latest comic strip. It's "The Odds," up now at Oddball Magazine.

Still Life After Breakfast, Part 52

My first one in this series taken in Cambridge, also this past Saturday.

Still Life After Breakfast, Part 51

I never thought I would continue this series after 50, but I couldn't resist after seeing this in Southie during my rain-soaked Saturday morning.

Call for Submissions: The Poets of New England

From the Underground Writers Association. You have until August 15 to submit. Their Submittable link is here (fee included).

This Week's Sad Reminder

Remember Spion and the amazing sticker art they did a while back?

This Week's Friendly Reminder

Spion again.

Another Successful Boston Poetry Marathon

Suzanne and Bridget during the halfway mark of the marathon

Thanks to Bridget Eileen, Suzanne Mercury and Darren Black for putting on an amazing three days of poetry. I'm still posting photos from the weekend. You can see them on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

Early Memories

Before the Boston Poetry Marathon was the Boston Poetry Marathon we know today, it was whatever event founder Jim Behrle wanted to call it.

My first participation in the event was back in May 2003, when it was called the Boston Poetry Massacre.It was held at Wordsworth Books, where Jim Behrle was working at the time.

It was my first reading since 1996 and first chapbook was released just a few months prior.

I remember doing better than I could have hoped. Got laughs. Kept my cool. Felt great. Still one of my top five moments.

I remember mingling with  poets afterwars, and was introduced to one of the poets by a mutual friend. It turns out he had seen me before.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "You're the guy who's always wearing green at poetry readings."

Memories like this help  me realize that I need to wear anything but green today.

The Final Boston Poetry Marathon Schecule

The Oddball Show with Lewis M (Vol 2)

Lewis M, the illustrious poet, producer, and emcee, returns to the Oddball Show to discuss his new album, Alive, now available on Bandcamp.  We discuss the duality of being behind both the mic and the boards, and the very personal journey detailed through the album. Tune into the Oddball Show, located at the corner of Poetry and Hip Hop.

Guitarist Steve Rapson to feature at Expresso Yourself Coffeehouse August 25

Information courtesy of Thea Iberall.

AUGUST 25, 2018
THEME: I Can't Be Serious

TIME: 7:00 - 9:00 PM
LOCATION: First Parish UU
26 North Street, Medfield, MA
Suggested donation: $10 ($5 open mic participants, $3 students)

Cramming Even More Poetry In

Wise Words with Bruce Wise is finally up at Oddball Magazine.

Damn

No Bamboozled No More! this week. You can check out Janet Cormier's past columns and catch up over at Oddball Magazine. 

Call for Poets:Voices of Diversity, Voices of America

Excited

A weekend of poetry is coming my way. Check out the Boston Poetry Marathon, starting tonight.

Stone Soup Croutons, 8-9-18, When First is Just First

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions picked up from poems overheard from Stone Soup's open mic readers and features. I figure out a title (and sometimes the rest of the poem) later. You can read the other ones I've done since 2015 here. To paraphrase Lorne Michaels, this poem doesn't go up because it's ready, it goes up because it's Friday morning.

Stone Soup is growing back again. New people every month. Happy about that. Today's poem came easier, with Michael Igoe joking about being the reluctant "first" on the open mic (the first three spots are generally shunned on open mics). I just went from there. Thanks for reading. 


When First is Just First

Lips pursed, poised
to whistle arrival
when no one waits.

No song ever survived
to be heard on the tracks
you walk over.

T.G.I.F.

Even with the Boston Poetry Marathon happening this weekend, this would still be the most poetic thing to happen if it did.

Art by DL Polonsky

Stone Soup Tonight

For week's I'd been making a habit out of heading to my Jamaica Plain apartment to pick up supplies before heading to Stone Soup.

The fact that I no longer do this still feels very strange.

Any way, I'm heading to the open mic now. Hope to see you there.

Letting It Grow

Liza Zayas comes at us with another pick from her Underground Garden. Read it now at Oddball Magazine.

We Could Use Another Labyrinth Poem

James Van Looy's poem column treats us again. It's All One Thing is up now at Oddball Magazine.

Today's #TBT

Last month I moved, which meant I had to throw a lot stuff out, including at my Mom's house, where I had to make room for stuff that won't fit in my new place. So the next couple of #TBT's are going to be not throwback photos but photos of throwback items before I got rid of them. What you see here are all the belts I ever earned during my karate school days (up to brown). Fred Villari's was just one of the schools I was part of (one school changed their name and sensei three times). Later, I'll scan my karate certificates documenting which belt I "graduated" to before they too go in the trash.

Happy Birthday Emilio Phoenicio

Read the poem here.

Happy Birthday Boni Joi

Strong Start

Poet Dave Somerset returns, as does artist Judson Evans. Welcome to Wednesday at Oddball Magazine.

Quiet Finish

Returning poet Rie Sheridan Rose closes us out with some beautiful artwork by Sally Deskins. Thank you for reading Oddball Magazine.

I Had Issues! My Old Review of Flashpoint #4

Oh, this is when the fun began as a comics reviewer. I hate event comics, but I jumped into the whole Flashpoint and New 52 deluge with wild abandon. These were the reviews I had the most fun writing. Another "By-The-Numbers" style review, which were even more fun to do (and helpful when I was on deadline). Originally published August 30, 2011. Edited for grammar and clarification.

August 10-12: The 2018 Boston Poetry Marathon is On

Special thanks to Bridget Eileen (who designed the logo here) and everyone else behind this year's event. I'm happy to be joining over a hundred other poets to read over this coming weekend. Please visit their website and read their schedule to see who is reading and when (I go on this Saturday at 1:32 PM). Each poet has eight minutes, and I plan to make the best of my time slot. As always, I'm the least of the reasons you should stop by this event at some point this weekends. There are poets to recommend for any time of any day you decide to come down.

Stone Soup on August 9: The Calm Before the Marathon

Not only do I hope to have a good turn out for this week's open mic on August 9, but I also hope that anyone who is coming into Boston for this weekend's 2018 Poetry Marathon will stop in and read a few poems and help add a couple of unofficial hours to this already 21 hour extravaganza coming this weekend. I'll still be giving away books and selling copies of my own book at a reduced price to help raise money to keep Stone Soup going.

So I Died and Went to Work

Actually my favorite is the line about "trying to pass riddles as poetry."