Home Stretch

Seen in South Boston

I found these cans on side street in South Boston a couple of weeks back near a snowed-in car.  I won't give the exact street anyway, but if you live in South Boston and have zero taste in alcohol, know that somewhere you are loved.

This Week's WCW Riff

So much depends

upon

a two-toned

blue dress

mixed with black

laces…?

Or gold and white…?

Fuckit!

Admidst The Blizzard, a Plea for Mercy

"I just bought this car.  I will get a parking sticker tomorrow."

It's been a while since I've seen evidence of a Southie resident throwing themselves at their neighborhood's mercy.  Usually, they're just throwing old furniture in the streets to protect their vehicles, but this was a special case.  And it was on a road police cars drive down often.  The person was taking a risk doing this.  The streets are so packed with snow, no one might have noticed if not for this not right in the middle of the driver side window.

I regret not being able to see if the car was left alone.  Maybe I'll find out tonight.  Maybe there will be a follow-up not tonight.

Submit to Incessant Pipe

Incessant Pipe is the latest brainchild of Clay Ventre (with a friend or two).  It started a few weeks ago and already has great stuff up from M.P. Carver, Emily Rudofsky and others. 

I'm submitting tonight.  You should do the same.

A Bit of Stone Soup History in Oddball Magazine

A tale of Allen Ginsberg at a Stone Soup Poetry event as told by James Van Looy in this week's poem column It's All One Thing.

I've Told You Seven Times Before, I'll Tell You Seven Times Again

Seven Times, the poem column by Andrew Borne, is up again at Oddball Magazine. 

Consider Donating to James Caroline's "Moving Day" Fundraiser

I’ve been here, at the Rehab hospital learning how to live independently since becoming paralyzed from a blood infection. I've been in Hospitals since August of 2013. I had to give up my home and have been waiting for disabled housing to open and it has. Now i have an apt but i need my things- all of which were taken to Indiana and put in storage when i had to give up my old apartment- my clothes, books, desk, furniture, everything. If you can donate to help cover the cost of movers- it would really, really mean a lot. 

James Caroline is a poet I've known for over a decade and have featured at Stone Soup a couple of times.  I've been an admirer of both the man and his work.  His Indiegogo Life fundraiser has already met and exceeded it's goal. Still, with twelve days left, I'd like to do more for James. Consider donating to help him move in to his new home so his new life can start.

Please click here and give if you can.

Timothy Gager is Back in Oddball Magazine

Read his flash fiction piece, "The Prominent Father," up at Oddball right now.

Much thanks to Tim and to contributing photographer Allison Goldin.

Speaking of Ira Joel Haber...

His work graces the poetry of Frances Donovan this week at Oddball Magazine.

Happy Belated Birthday, Ira Joel Haber

Thanks for all you do for literary types such as myself and the people of Oddball Magazine.

Still Time to Submit to This

The deadline is this Sunday.

 

Yikes

Dreamed about waiting tables again at my old job.  My ultimate stress dream.  Hasn't happened in a while.

Glad things are slowing down a little bit today.

Don't Forget This Week's Jagged Thought

This week's poem column, "e.e in lowercase" in Oddball Magazine.

I Like This Juxtaposition Today in Oddball Magazine

Jean-Michel A. Hatton with photography by TJ Edson. 

Lest I Forget (one more day)

I wanted to feature the poetry of Bruce Wise (and one of his many, er, co-authors) in the pages of Monday's Oddball Magazine.

New Chapbook by Hannah Brown from Freak Machine Press

Apparently I do this sort of thing now.  Release other people's chapbooks through my poor man's publishing imprint.  Hannah Brown's feature was rescheduled amidst January's blizzard madness.  I told her I wanted to try and put out a chapbook to help drum up the excitement up for the rescheduled date.  I didn't announce it ahead of time because I wasn't sure I could pull it off.  I couldn't make Microsoft Publisher work for me, so at the last minute I worked with Microsoft word and just put out a 8 1/2 x 11 chapbook much like Stone's Throw.  The chapbook, I Don't Know What to Say to You But Here's a Poem, with wonderful cover art by TJ Edson, sold out most of its print run last night, but there are still several copies left in Hannah's possession.  In the distant future, I may--may--put the whole book online as part of the whole Freak Machine Press Ouevre.  Until then, I recommend you contact Hannah herself and negotiate a price.

In Case You're Still Not Convinced to See Hannah Brown Tonight at Stone Soup Poetry

Check out her poem from Friday's Stone Soup Servings column in Oddball Magazine.

BILiNE Volume 2 Features Three Poets from Oddball Magazine

I am thrilled that I can start making announcements regarding Volume 2 of Best Indie Lit New England (BILiNE), which will hopefully be coming out by April.  I'mm proud to say that I played a small part in this upcoming collection.

Jason Wright and I were selected for the volume's editorial board late last year, serving alongside several other editors of both online and print journals around New England.  Not only did we lend support to some strong work that will be appearing in the book, but three poets that were first published in Oddball Magazine were selected by Jason and me and accepted by the rest of the group for inclusion in the book. 

You can click here for links to the selected poems by Toni Bee, José Gouveia and Chris Warner.  I especially want to thank the late José Gouveia's wife, Josy for permitting us to reprint what was likely the last poem to be published by her husband in a literary journal before he passed away.

Thanks again to Thomas Dodson and Victor D. Infante for the opportunity.  This was an exciting new step for both Jason and myself.   It's also encouraging me to finally Oddball involved with the Pushcart Prize people. 

Happy Belated Birthday, DiDi Delgado

I write "Belated" above, but I did in fact help celebrate her birthday the other night in a timely fashion. Not online but in person at her big shindig. Of all the pics I took the night of her party, she said the one below was her favorite.

Happy Birthday, LUCCI

Hope the day was memorable.