Annoying Thought of the Day

Long story short: I have less than four days to turn my year around.

I can’t screw this up.

Happy Birthday Gawaine Ross

Coming in March

I've been accepted in the upcoming issue of Molecule, coming in March.

More and more to look forward to in 2020.

Your Weekly Dose of God

Again, in South Boston. I never picked this up, so I don't know the four steps. You'll have to go elsewhere else for spoilers.

The doses have been bland lately. I hope to spice them up after this coming week.

Edit: Aaaaaand I posted the same damn thing I posted last Sunday. Just goes to show you how out of it I’ve been since last week. I did have something new. I’ve just been brain dead. New stuff Next week.  

Break Over

I had to take all of yesterday off from posting anything.

Now I have to get myself ready for the week ahead.

No job. Hopefully more writing.

This Sunday We Did It For You! Women's Journey Through History

Information courtesy of Thea Iberall.

Comics & Coronavirus, Along With Other Combos

It's Wise Words with Bruce Wise! Up now at Oddball Magazine. Thanks for joining us again! See you next week.

Still Life After Breakfast, Part 110

A taste of the still life from Boston proper. 

Try Not to Fight on Valentine's Day

Here's Janet Cormier's Bamboozled No More! to start us off today at Oddball Magazine.

Stone Soup Croutons, 2-12-20, While We Wait to Be Replaced

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions picked 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.

Many thanks to Damon for Wednesday's feature. I also thank him for his copious video taking of the night. It helped with my recapping of the night. The poem this week evokes Black History month as well as the online rage that came up when Joker didn't win Best Picture Oscar. A weird mixture served up just for you. Thanks for reading.


While We Wait to Be Replaced

All it takes is to say the words
out loud, Black History Month,

and some white man goes off
on one more half-researched rant

Me and the Three

A few weeks ago, Jason Wright was nice enough to give me some of the new Oddball Magazine merchandise he's now selling. Now he's asking me to send photos of me wearing some of it for promotional purposes.

Because if there's one thing that I can do, it's sell fashion.

Oddball Magazine. Making me wear clothing that would have gotten me beat up in high school since 2020.

Best Valentine's Day Story Ever

I know it's the best Valentine's story I can tell because it isn't mine.

This is a story I overheard while riding on the Green Line a few Februarys back.

A young lady who ended almost every sentence in a question mark was on her cellphone telling her friend about these kids she worked with (she was maybe a teacher maybe, a para, a daycare worker, I'll never know). This is what she said to the best of my recollection.

So we had our Valentine's Day party? 

And this one kid? He had asked me the day before what he should wear?

And I told him he just had to dress up? And he thought that meant wear a costume?

So he came in dressed as Squirtle from Pokemon? 

It. Was. AWESOME!

He just walked around handing out Valentine's? And signing them Squirtle? It was so great!

Still the best Valentine's story I've ever heard.

T.G.I.F.

Once again, the mother of all recaps.

First, DL Polonsky created this banner.

Art by DL Polonsky

Then he made another.

 Art by DL Polonsky

Then Trump actually got impeached. DL didn't want to do a "Trump Got Impeached Finally" banner, so I made one for myself.

 Art by DL Polonsky, butchered by me.

Now that Trump has been acquitted, I think we need a "Trump Get Impeached Forever" banner. I should try to get D.L. on that. Hopefully, I can.

Blessed Freedom

The Underground Garden by Liza Zayas is up now at Oddball Magazine.

Another Month, Another Labyrinth Poem

Jame Van Looy goes into the maze one more time. It's All One Thing is up now at Oddball Magazine.

Happy Birthday Silent E

Reunion

Many thanks to Damon for a brave and excellent feature at last night's Stone Soup, which was coupled with a reunion of old friends, as see here with Damon, Skoot and Black Byrd.

Wrapping Up Over Here

I'm all pumped up to see Damon's feature tonight at Stone Soup Poetry. Special thanks to Skoot for recommending him to our venue. I'm excited.

The Poetry Comes At Last

Another excerpt from Jacques Fleury's new book, with new art by  Mary Lou Springstead. Thank you for stopping by on this very special Wednesday at Oddball Magazine.

I Had Issues! My Thirteenth Comic Book Haiku

The last comic book haiku for the website-that-won't-be-named-directly was also the last thing I ever did for them. The fact that it was number thirteen should have been some kind of warning sign. So I've finally wrapped this archive series up. I might do an epilogue next week, but I won't make a big deal of it. I appreciate everyone reading, and I hope you check out my Medium articles for more comics work. Originally published October 10, 2013.

The Latest

This Wednesday, were doing something different and featuring an essay entitled Race in America: How We Got Here and How We Move Forward." It's an excerpt from Jacques Fleury's latest book, Chain Letter to America: The One Thing You Can Do to End Racism. It features cover art by Mary Lou Springstead, the same art used in Jacques and Mary's first collaboration in 2018. Read it now at Oddball Magazine.

Happy Birthday Zeke Russell

To read the poem, click here.

Happy Birthday Frank Reardon

Just Occurred to Me

I'm sitting on a buss stop bench precariously balancing a laptop on my bag resting on my legs. I'm editing and finalizing an essay to be published on Oddball about three hours from now. In the
 back of my head, I'm cooking up the final parts of a poem to send out today.

I think I'm living the dream.

Ahhhhh

It's good to know there may be one more annoying writer I never have to work with again.

Flyer for Next Week's All-Open Mic with Black Byrd

This takes place while I'm away next week.

Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins

Jason has another book review this week. Catch the latest Jagged Thought over at Oddball Magazine.

February 19: Black Bird Will Lead the Way for Stone Soup

This week, I'll be away from Stone Soup. You needn't worry, because I've left the mic in good hands. Black Byrd has been a presence at Stone Soup and too many other places to keep track of in one paragraph. On February 19, she will take hold of the mic, then she will pass it on to whoever is present and wants to be heard. I hope you are one of those people there with her. I thank Black Byrd for doing this forhelping to ensure Stone Soup doesn't have any sudden schedule stops in 2020.

Warm Welcome Tuesday (not good alliteration)

Poet Patricia Walsh comes back to us all the way from Ireland. Thanks, internet! She is joined by  contibuting artist Luis Lázaro Tijerina. Thanks for joining us today at Oddball Magazine.

Happy Birthday Stevie Subrizi

New Feature?

Sent questions to a certain individual. Hopefully, the results will be this week. If not, before the end of the month for sure.

An Additional Friendly Reminder Addendum

Remember yesterday's Friendly Reminder? And the followup about how the masking tape messenger went big after getting their last masking tape message torn down?

He's gone bigger since then. Check this out, Just saw it this morning. 

Way to go.

Step Up

Saw this on the way home from work. Never saw a blank label before.

 If I were an artist, I'd take that as a challenge.

Step up. Create your own art.

Saturday, Feb. 15 The Brockton Library Poetry Series: Everyone Has a Voice

Information courtesy of Tim Reed.

Feature student poet Lola Bennett, Feature poet Nancy Brady Cunningham, hosted by Amy Brioso.

For the Rest of Us Who Lost on Oscar Night

Here's Geoffrey Fallon with his comic "The Secrets of Skinny People" at Oddball Magazine.

Wow

I think I just got my first fan mail.

To elaborate, I received an email from someone I never met telling me he liked my recent poem in Résonance.

I think that's exciting.

From Picture to Page: Tantrum

Haven't written a lot of poems or done much photography for the past week. Took this photo yesterday while on errands. Running on deadline-induced adrenaline today.

Tantrum

Who left broken carriage
in the middle of the street,
not even folded to rest.

Maybe guy downstairs
who wanted to kick it
to other side of street,

Bill Harvey Digs Up This Punchline

Bill Harvey's "The Odds" is up now to start another week at Oddball Magazine.

Flyer for John Lane's Feature

This Wednesday

Damon Features at Stone Soup Poetry.

Still Life After Breakfast, Part 109

Found outside one of the Southie yuppie bars. Shaken, disturbed.

Still Life After Breakfast, Part 108

Playing with angles. Trying to keep each photo in this series interesting.

This Week's Friendly Reminder: An Addendum

The additional lesson of this week's? Always go big. This new masking tape message was up shortly after the last one went down.

This Week's Friendly Reminder

After everything last week, it's good to show a reminder that terrible things, like child internment camps, are still going on in spite of (or perhaps because of) the ongoing White House spectacle.

I've posted about these masked tape messages before. I love them all. Sadly, the one flaw is how easily it is to remove them. This one got ripped not long after I took the picture.

New Day, New Work Up

"Resistance Tankas, Reel 11" is up for February 7 at What Rough Beast. With gratitude to Michael Broder.

February 26: John Lane's Overdue Feature at Stone Soup

John Lane was one of the new people I met through Stone Soup's last home at St. Paul's Cathedral. The open mic gained a new friend, and I looked forward to seeing him get published more. Now he has a new collection from No Fixed Address Press and a feature with us on February 26. This is a big occasion for me, and I hope you show up for it.

Your Weekly Dose of God

Is it me or are there a lot more religious tracks lying around the streets lately?

Makes my job easier, but it's weird.