Tom Daley and Labor Day

A winning combination, to be sure. It's turned into a bit of a tradition to have Tom Daley on the Monday after Labor Day weekend because that's one of very few Mondays he has off from teaching. Therefore, this is not a night to be missed. It says so on this page all about the event, for Pete's sake!

Before The Weekend Starts, Think About Going Here

Sometimes I Try to Get All "Facebooky" and Invent "Wise Sayings" to Justify My Life

At the end of the week, if you haven't done at least one thing you've regretted, you didn't try hard enough doing anything.

Poets! Tonight!

Highway...Poets!

Highway...Poets!

Tell them I said hi.

I'm Off

I'll be up in the air when you read this.

I'll see if any writing or posting can be done when I get to where I'm going.

If I Was Around This Weekend, I'd Go Here On Saturday

Workshops led by Tom Daley beginning in September and October of 2010

Workshops led by Tom Daley beginning in September and October of 2010

Workshop for Creative Writers
Four Wednesdays in September 2010
at Au Bon Pain in Central Square
684 Massachusetts Ave. (Near Central Square T Station), Cambridge 02139
5:30-7 pm
Dates: September 8, 15, 22, 29
cost: $100
To register and for information contact Tom Daley at tom.daley2@verizon.net


Poetry writing workshop, Boston Center for Adult Education
122 Arlington Street (near Arlington stop on the Green Line)
Boston, MA
Tuesdays, 5:45 PM - 7:45 PM;
7 sessions starting September 14, 2010, ending October 26, 2010
Cost: $195.00 To register online, contact the BCAE at http://www.bcae.org/ or call 617-267-4430


Poetry writing workshop, Lexington Community Education
Eight Wednesdays 6:15-8:15 pm
Dates: October 6, 13, 20, (skip October 27), November 3, 10, 17 (skip November 24), December 1, and December 8, 2010
cost: $110 (approx.)
workshop held at Lexington High School, 251 Waltham Street, Lexington, MA
To register call 781-862-8043 or go online http://lexingtoncommunityed.org/


Poetry writing workshop
at the Nourish Restaurant
1727 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA, 02420 (downtown Lexington)
Eight Thursdays 2:30-4:30 pm
Dates: September 9, 16, 23, and 30, and October 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2010.
Cost $200
To register and for information contact Tom Daley at tom.daley2@verizon.net


Memoir writing workshop, Lexington Community Education
Eight Wednesdays 4-6 pm
Dates: October 6, 13, 20, (skip October 27), November 3, 10, 17 (skip November 24), December 1, and December 8, 2010
cost: $140 (approx.)
workshop held at Lexington High School, 251 Waltham Street, Lexington, MA
To register call 781-862-8043 or go online http://lexingtoncommunityed.org/


Learning from Emily Dickinson:
An engagement with Dickinson's poems and letters
An eight week online workshop led by Tom Daley
at the Online School of Poetry
http://onlineschoolofpoetry.org/TomDaley.html


Beginning September 12, 2010
Cost : $350 (includes a ten dollar registration fee).

Shall I take thee, the Poet said
To the propounded word?
Be stationed with the Candidates
Till I have finer tried —

The Poet searched Philology
And when about to ring
For the suspended Candidate
There came unsummoned in —

That portion of the Vision
The Word applied to fill
Not unto nomination
The Cherubim reveal —

As Emily Dickinson points out in this poem, both craft and inspiration play an important part in the writing of poetry. In this workshop, weekly (and mandatory) assignments will help you to develop your writing skills and prepare the ground for inspiration (no cherubim provided!). You will learn to compose in some of the forms Dickinson worked in, including the common meter. You will also practice the art of the epistolary poem, create aphorisms à la Dickinson, and write poems to her or about her work, her life, and her themes. In addition, you will write one thoroughgoing revision of one of the poems generated by the assignments.

The enhancement of the art of critical thinking and writing is an important component of this workshop. In addition to composing a poem that results from the weekly exercise, each participant must write and post critiques of two poems by other participants every week.

Please send three poems in the text of an e-mail to the instructor at tom@onlineschoolofpoetry.org to be considered for the workshop. Please do not send attachments.

In addition to his post at the Online School of Poetry (http://onlineschoolofpoetry.org/), Tom Daley serves on the tutorial faculty of Walnut Hill School for the Arts and has lectured on ekphrastic writing at Brown University and teaches writing at Boston area community education venues.


Tom’s poetry has been published or is forthcoming in numerous journals, including Harvard Review, Fence, Prairie Schooner, Barrow Street, Del Sol Review, Diagram, 32 Poems, Salamander, Perihelion, and Hacks: The Grub Street Anthology. His manuscript, Shim, was a finalist for the Emily Dickinson First Book Prize and the Brittingham and Pollak Poetry Prizes. His poetry was nominated for inclusion in the anthology, The Best New Poets 2007. He is a recipient of the Charles and Fanny Fay Wood Academy of American Poets Prize.


PS--Save the date! Tom Daley will be performing his play about Emily Dickinson and her Irish servants, "Every Broom and Bridget," as a one-man show in a benefit for the Concord Poetry Center, Sunday, November 7th, 2010, 3 pm, at the Emerson Umbrella For The Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA 01742 (second floor--elevator in rear of building). Tickets are ten dollars, and only available at the door the day of the show. Additional donations are appreciated. Hope you can make it.

Words I Can't Put In my Facebook Status

Dear God. Shut up. Just shut up. In the name of all that's holy, shut up...

Kind Words

First off, a positive review of the recent Endicott Review by Zvi A. Sesling, where he includes my name among the authors he liked in this issue.

Next, January Gill O'Neil sends love to Stone Soup, raving about her recent reading there.

Thanks to both.

Next Monday: The Highway Poets

Peddlar. Gypsypashn. Marc Goldfinger. The Highway Poets are back! It sucks that I'll be away, but thankfully Lynne Sticklor is hosting in my place.

Scenes From The March 8th Open Mike

This night was a doozy. Two features and two celebrations. I'll get to the open mike first.


First, Da Butcha 'shoppe!





and "Pisces," A Poem by Joanna Nealon





The latter was done for Bill Perrault, in honor of his birthday. That's one celebration. The other? Well, I'll get to that soon...

Monday's Stone Soup

The news was out late, but get in line early for Brian Young tonight.

Stone Soup Celebrates Biker Poetry Month

Highway!!! Poets!!! Highway!!! Poets!!!

A New Image of Motivation

My tribute to the Cape Cod snail that could.

Cady Vishniac, aka Boston Statue Lady, in Provincetown

A scene from my vacation in August, 2010. An unedited shot from my new camera.

New Side Job: Comics Pundit

Years ago, I used to do comics reviews, interviews, and commentary for the small presses. It granted me my first (and perhaps only) truly wide range exposure as a writer, and I've missed doing it for some time now. Thanks to friend and fellow comics fan Paul Davis Lyons, I once again have an outlet. "We Got Issues" is the (still tentative) title for a new comics talk show I am part of as a guest speaker. After a goofy promo (i.e. a promo where I got to act goofy) for a couple of weeks, the first episode is now up. Click above to view it. The second episode is being filmed very soon, and I hope to return for the third show. If you have a YouTube account, please give us Likes and comments, or just let me know if you'd like to be featured and/or interviewed for the show. I have even put out the word for certain poets who have tackled comic book themes to be on the show. I will make more announcements when things become finalized.

High Speed Smokey

Last Christmas, I made a DVD of Smokey videos for my sister so she could see them more easily in a larger format. This was what I wanted to put in the background of the menu, but it was too cluttered. Still, I liked it too much to just throw away.

Yes, Boston, There Is A Stone Soup Feature This Monday

Only did a minimum of posting and work while being away on vacation. Sorry this is coming out so late. I hope that doesn't stop you from coming to see Brian Young this Monday, the 16th. I've seen his work, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Stone Soup Presents MoJo!

From the February 22 feature celebrating the online magazine MoJo! Visit MoJo! here.


"Back and Forth," by Bridgit Brown





"Dreams And Death," A Poem by by Coleen T. Houlihan with music by Seth J. Itzkan





"1979," by Joyce Angela Jellison





And two from MoJo! founder, Mignon Ariel King.


"When a Man Has Long Hair"





and "Precious Friends, 1973"




Apologies to Lolita Paiewonsky, whose set was too long for me to capture. Hopefully, I can capture it from Bill Perrault's DVD in the future.

Stone Soup Presents Dawn Gabriel

From the poet's feature on February 15, 2010.


"Dancing Bear Pantoum"





and "Bar Fight"





Apologies to Sam Cha, who co-featured this same night with Dawn. I just couldn't get any good footage with my camera. Someday, I'll go back to Bill Perrault's DVD of the night and get footage that way.

Sometimes I Don't Want to Shut Up

Part of me wishes I had the guts to leave my little "reply" underneath the original quote I found at a location I shall keep secret.

Tonight Stone Soup, Tomorrow Vacation

I'll be out of work starting tomorrow. The mini-vacation will kick off right after I finish introducing January Gill O'Neil at Stone Soup tonight.

Stone Soup Presents Eric Howes

From the poet's feature on February 8, 2010. In two parts.

Stone Soup Presents Deborah Priestly (and friends)

This was a lively night. I'm glad I caught such a great deal of it. First the open mike.

"On Your Way," by Samantha Milowsky





And now, Deb Priestly


"Thinking About Her"





"No More Fear"





And "Macaroons" (written for deceased Stone Souper Simon Schattner)





And the rest of the open mike:


John Sturm reciting Lincolns' Gettysburg Address



and James Van Looy with "Howard Zinn" (in tribute to the author/activist).





A lot more videos are recently loaded up or are forthcoming. You can either see them on my Youtube page now or see them get put here over the next few days while I'm on vacaton (gotta give my readers some reason to keep coming back here).

August 9th: January Gill O'Neil

At first, I heard stories, her name spoken only in whispers...Then she got that big feature story in Poets and Writers, so it was kind of silly to speak of her in whispers after that. That magazine listed January Gill O'neil is a poet on the rise, and the local scene seems to agree unanimously. See for your self this coming Monday at Stone Soup as she features there for the first time. And if you agree too, pick up a copy of her debut book, Underlife.

Tonight: Samantha Milowsky and Lynne Sticklor

Sorry to post this late (though the news has been making the rounds elsewhere for weeks.). Hopefully, it's not too late to catch Samantha and Lynne at Jamicaway Books & Gifts tonight! Also, partly because this promises to be such a well-intended event, I've been asked to host the ongoing event again in December. More news as things get finalized.

Snapshot Taken Outside My Neighbor's Apartment

Taken a while back. Too good to keep to myself.

I love notes you can read and say, "Well I'm sure the writer didn't mean to be cryptic, but..."

Tonight: Stone Soup Brings It

Appropriately posted on the eleventh hour of the day. Tonight, Frank and Erin Reardon. It's on!!!

It's Time To Celebrate Again

Smokey turns four this month. And he gets a bigger party from the Parenteau family than I do. Tough I'll admit, I choose to not have big parties, whereas Smokey has no choice at all but to be celebrated and made into a photo-op spectacle.

I'm not sure when it will happen (last year's was so late I think it happened on labor day weekend), but when it happens, Smokey will don the silly hat, and I'll turn the camera on. Oh yes, there will be film.