Please Help Jennifer Matthews

From Ibbetson Street Press founder Doug Holder:

"Jennifer is suffering from a severe auto-immune disease and is out of work and out of luck.

"She is an Ibbetson Street Poet of many years, contributing poetry and photography, contributing her wonderful music to our readings,

"I sent my donation. I hope you will too."

Visit Jennifer's YouCaring page to donate.

On John McCain

When I think of John McCain, I think of this moment, the sole shining moment in what looked like a cantankerous crank's campaign.



Given how much hate has brewed in this country over the last eight years, it seems arguable that this video pinpoints the exact point where he lost the election, refusing to cater to the worst common denominator, the angry and afraid masses looking for an easy target, the people who Trump would later lap up.

I wonder if he ever looks and Trump and thinks, that could have been me if only I gave in to the bile. It'd be enough to give me a tumor.

If he leaves his position (which seems very likely), I'll miss hearing him on the news, as an imperfect figure but also the voice of reason for a party that barely gives lip service to it.

Liza Zayas Bounces Back

Here's Liza's latest piece for The Underground Garden at Oddball Magazine.

Short but Sweet

James Van Looy is back with another poem column. It's All One Thing is back at Oddball Magazine.

The Ultimate Anti-Trump Comic You'll Read This Week

Cartoonist, animator and filmmaker Pete Jacquay came up with this anti-Trump cartoon. Very NSFW. You've been warned. Read it here.

Happy Birthday, Paul Davis Outlaw-Lyons

Long live Kronos' Speakeasy.

The Latest Between the Headlines is Up Now

"One-Hundred Plus Days of Alternate News" is the latest found poem up now at Medium. It's the second piece I've done using (ahem) alternative news sources. I liked putting together "Kill Hill" so much, I wanted to do another piece right away. Having cleared all the 2016 headlines that inexplicably appeared in my inbox, I gathered up all the headlines I've accumulated since January for today's Trump-related missive.

New Found Poem Coming...

Putting the final edits on it. Should be up before nine o'clock.

Can't Stop Getting the Work Out

Sent out my manuscript to another author friend. Hopefully the responses will keep positive.

Hoping to send my work out to at least one other journal.

Finally, Zachary Bos was nice enough to let me know about an opportunity to get out another chapbook collection  of more recent poems.

Things are brewing.

From The Bathroom at Out of The Blue

Continuing a series of random scenes of one of the overlooked but more active creative outlets at Out of The Blue.

Sometimes you have to respect the classics, even if they're not good.

Work Getting Done

Submitted poetry for the first time in a while.

And I may have a new column ready for tomorrow.

I love it when real work gets done.

Strong to the Finish

Welcome poet Donna Dallas and returning poet Edward S. Gault to the pages of Oddball Magazine. Thanks for reading our original poetry every Wednesday.

Wednesday Poetry

James Croal Jackson combines his words with the art of Alex Duensing to kick off our big day of poetry at Oddball Magazine.

Happy Belated Birthday Navah the Buddaphliii

The Boston Poetry Marathon Website is Up

More info to come.

Game of Thrones Talk

Flemmings Beaubrun is up this with his take on the season opener in today's Epic Autism Report at Oddball Magazine.

The Day to Day Can Get to You

"Y.O.M.O." is the latest Jagged Thought poem column from Jason Wright. Have a laugh over at Oddball Magazine.

Poetry Yes!

James Joseph is up today with photography by Glenn Bowie. Thanks for kicking off poetry with us at Oddball Magazine.

Stone Soup Croutons, 7-17-17, A Chore Wheel for One

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions butchered 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 on because it's Tuesday morning.

Thanks to Russell Bennetts and Zachary Bos for an excellent feature last night. Here's the poem that came from such a wonderful cross section of voices.


A Chore Wheel for One

You lover's chemistry set
is dusty with your lack  of education.

The beakers almost drape like the pants
you've never shaped back down into.

Holly Hell

I am so exhausted from last night, but what a night.

It's nice to have features at Stone Soup again.

Now I have to get to work.

Come back here later.

Off to Stone Soup Tonight

Russell Bennetts and Zacharay Boss will be featuring tonight. Hope you can make it.

Tomorrow Night

The First and Last Word Poetry Series continues!

July 24: The Stone Soup Poetry Workshop Continues

The workshop is coming back to Stone Soup. I'm very glad to have it return. I hope we can have good attendance, since I'll be giving out little presents for all participants that night. The open mic will still be happening, so I urge you to come out for that at least.

Psych!

Another week of Bill Harvey's "The Odds" at Oddball Magazine. 

 

More Interviewing

A while back Somerville's poetry laureate Gloria Mindock sat down for Doug Holder's Poet to Poet, Writer to Writer.

More on Carla Schwartz

Last week I blogged about Carla Schwartz's upcoming book. Now you check out this interview with her on the Mass Poetry site. 

This Week's Friendly Reminder

A little more controversial today. Found this on a bench in Andrew Station of all places.

Speaking of Submissions...

Muddy River Poetry Review is accepting submissions until September 1.

Announcement?

I was trying to book a special Stone Soup feature for the end of the month. I haven't gotten an answer yet. Hopefully I will today. 

Submissions

Hoping to send something out before I start work today. If you're looking for places to try sending your work, I recommend North of Oxford, brought to you by the publishers of the late, lamented Fox Chase Review.

Hmmmm...

Think my next issue of Stone's Throw may be coming together quicker than I hoped.

Looking for Submissions to Oddball Magazine

In these summer weeks, we will finally be catching up with submissions. We're in as good a position as we can be to send out a friendly reminder that we are always accepting submissions for our five day a week schedule. Artwork and photography is a plus!

We unfortunately do not pay for work at this time, and contributors retain their copyrights. Click the link here for the rest of what you need to know. 

Happy Birthday, Julie Stone

Thanks for being Stone Soup's eye for so many years.

Young Dan Shanahan in early Stone Soup days.

Happy Birthday, Jake St. John

Keep creating.

Tom Daley!

Forgot to post his poem in What Rough Best yesterday. Here it is now.

Happy Birthday David R. Surette

Bring on the Wiseness

Wise Words with Bruce Wise (and friends!) is back for another round at Oddball Magazine.

July 17: Russell Bennetts and Zachary Bos Feature at Stone Soup

Stone Soup has an unexpected feature this Monday. In fact, it's a double feature of poet/editor Russell Bennetts and returning feature Zachary Bos. I thank them both for volunteering their talents. Summer is in progress, and I hope there will be more surprises in the weeks to come.

Getting Crazy

Here's Janet Cormier's Bamboozled No More! at Oddball Magazine.

Coming Out This Fall: New Poetry Collection by Carla Schwartz

Intimacy Wtih The Wind by Carla Schwartz is being published in the fall by Finishing Line Press. This a good year for Massachusetts poets.

“Living on a solar-powered houseboat as it moves up and down Lake Champlain is bound to make one intimate with the wind — its vagaries, energies, and comforts alike. But in Carla Schwartz‘s new collection of poems, there are also the winds that pass over and through the inner landscapes. There are, for instance, the winds that bring us together in love, and the winds that draw us apart in grief. Also, there is the chill wind of the harm that some may do to others, and there are the winds of determined resilience, the kind that carry the survivor to the shore. These finely crafted poems give us this poet’s vivid sense of being in the world, as if we are with her breathing in what life has to offer, a good wind overhead, like a blessing.”

–Fred Marchant, author of Said Not Said (Graywolf Press, 2017).

Sunday is the last day to preorder  the book. 

The Next Stone's Throw is Coming Together

If you were thinking of submitting to Stone's Throw, I think I'm going to get it out just in time for the Boston Poetry Marathon.

I've already gotten submissions. One is from Ron Goba, who if I have my way will be a Stone's Throw regular from this point forward.

If that isn't enough to get you to join in on the fun, I don't know what else to do.

Day Off

Taking time to get things done.

I work more on do-called "vacation days."

Happy Birthday, Dan Provost

Heal & Release Boston 2017

Read all about it in this week's Underground Garden by Liza Zayas, only at Oddball Magazine.

Need to Read

The latest It's All One Thing poem column is up by James Van Looy over at Oddball Magazine.