I'm Not in the Best of Places Right Now

I'm still having Stone Soup tonight.

Meg Smith is featuring.

I hope you're there.

We can all take our minds off of things.

 

That One Light Before the Next Tunnel

The Chad Parenteau's Lost Causes newsletter for May 20 is up now at Substack.

Breathing Out

Young Abigail Cain closes us out with photography by Edward S. Gault. Thank you for reading Oddball Magazine this Wednesday. Hope you come back. 

New Additions

Who's running ICE? Video from Poets of the Resistance I. A reprint of "America" by James Monroe Whitfield. All this up now at North of Oxford for May.

A Drop of New Blood

Welcome exciting new poet Devon Riddick with returning artist Thomas Riesner for Wednesday at Oddball Magazine. Glad you stopped by.

A Winter Poem? Okay!

 

Valerie Quercia cools us down with less heated times. Check out her work in Doug Holder's Lyrical Somerville over at The Somerville Times.

It's Happening

Stone Soup Poetry features Meg Smith this evening.

 

 

An Awesome Moment of Comics

Check out Hans Rickheit on YouTube with his new characters Prong and Preen. 

This Is Different

I haven't seen this take yet. Does this mean I'm going to see memes of Trump kissing Epstein throughout Pride Month?

A Moment of Comics

Thinking of someone I know who was always a bit of a chameleon like the character in Daniel Clowes' short story "Gynecology." A shell of a human being assuming identities and discarding them when it suits him, leaving a trail of hurt people in his wake. Last I checked, he attempted being an AI guru, shedding the family man role he assumed for two decades. What role is he wandering to now? Enjoy the final page to the short story below from Eightball #17, later collected in the collection Caricature. 

American Haiku: Satire Choking on Blood

When I started my Sarcastic Haiku series, I wrote my first American Haiku. An American Haiku doesn't care about tradition, formality or history. it takes as long as it wants to make its point because America. You can read others I've written since by clicking here and scrolling down. 

 

American Haiku: Satire Choking on Blood

Justice serves itself!
Trump innocent forever!
Everything's legal! Everything's legal!

Happy Birthday, Donald Vincent

 

 

Your Wednesday Morning Poetry

William J. Barnum passed away in 2019. I miss his existence in our world. Sadly, this is another poet whose work isn't online very much. In fact, nearly all his work online is because of me. Some of his work is on the old Stone Soup online journal Spoonful, Some of it is on my YouTube. Today, I'm focusing on this excerpt from his poem “Pierrot, The Wanderer,” courtesy of Oddball Magazine, which I also edit.

This Thursday: Wayne-Daniel Berard at the Virtual Dire Literary Series

Hosted by Timothy Gager. Click here to join the group and get information on how to join the call.

Hard Reset

Jason Wright's Jagged Thoughts poem column is up now at Oddball Magazine. 

 

Getting Back in Form

Finding My Worse Self, Part Five: Before It Kills Me. Read it on my Patreon.

Throwing Things Together

Self-proclaimed new Poet Eliza Hansen is paired up with artwork from Edward Michael Supranowicz this Tuesday at Oddball Magazine. 

This Week's Most Distinguished Network Name

It's amazing what people will name their online networks. I'm always trying to hijack Wi-Fi when I'm commuting, so I often come across a number of interesting names. Every Tuesday, I post the most impressive and/or cringe-inducing names.

*Sniff* These Pixar kids grow up so fast!

Gen X Haiku

First I asked myself what would happen if I heard it in the Stop & Shop, then it happened. 

 

Happy Birthday, Eric Wasileski

 

Comics Spotlight: Alex Soriano

Thank you for reading Oddball Magazine this Monday.

Help

I need to escape.

For Ron

Thanks to Jen Kohl for letting me pair one of my photographs to go with her tribute to Ron Goba. Take a look now at Oddball Magazine. 

Annoying Thought of the Day

The last thing young people learn to read is a room.

Teach Your Own Numbers

Anne Skove makes math fun for the first time ever in this week's comic. Read "She Who Laughs Lasts" now over at Oddball Magazine. 

 

Escalating

 

It's Later Now, Part Thirty-Seven: Summer Fool. Read it on my Patreon.

Sales Savvy Squirrels?

Mike Mesterton-Gibbons on a new British marketing campaign kicks off the week at Oddball Magazine. Be safe this week!

Two More Days

Meg Smith Features at Stone Soup Poetry this Wednesday. 

 

 

I Wonder

Is Snopes going to try and "debunk" those photos of Trump's hair from last week?

Practice Haiku

Welcome to Monday!
Now get in line to receive 
your morning beating!

About Time

I've been waiting for this bush outside our home to finally sprout up. Sadly, this will all be gone once it gets really hot. 

Happy Birthday, Zoe Cacavas

 

 

Happy Birthday, Colleen Michaels

 

 

Happy Birthday, Tanima Kumari

 

 

Happy Birthday, Gillian Devereux

 

 

Happy Birthday, Geoffrey Fallon

Hope TSOSP returns someday.

Had to Check

I saw this newer sticker of Marianne Radnitzky's bundled up character. Given how cold it was for most of April, I'm not surprised. Maybe one of her more more springy characters will pop up soon.

This Week's Friendly Reminder

These are dark times. No time for subtlety. 

Saw this David Hasselhoff cover of Echo and the Bunnymen and decided I would cover obscure covers by celebrities. Not everything can be a cover of "Common People" by William Shatner. 

 

 

My Response to These Stupid YouTube Motivational Videos

I want my clipped Bobcat Goldthwait to be the next Willhelm scream.

 

Next Week: Magic Time

Meg Smith features this coming week at Stone Soup Poetry.

 

 

More Ron from a Moron

As far as I can tell, this is also from the Goba Salon in December 2009. Regardless, it's a photo I like of Ron and Laura Kiesel, who has a new book out. I hope to share more photos of Ron along with a tribute poem or two in Oddball Magazine this Monday. I wanted to post more of Ron on his birthday week, but the week got away from me. Apologies.

 

Happy Birthday, Lynn White

 

 

Happy Birthday, Ian Thal

 

 

Your Weekly Dose of God

Saw another painted "Jesus Saves" cross on a Mattapan side street. 

New Growth

"Hey Buds" was published in the latest Four Feathers Press online anthology Flower. Thanks to Don Kingfisher Campbell for all his hard work. 

 

Thoughts While Walking, 5-15-26: More About Music

Filmed yesterday  What have I done?

My Saturday Haiku for Bluesky, 5-16-26

On road to bad news,
traffic parts along with clouds

to speed your way there.

Happy Birthday, Daniel Edward Moore

 

 

Happy Birthday, Adam Meora

 

 

My Friday Evening Music

The last of the new music for this week. Nice to know some older rockers can be relied on to show their faces in a video and prove they are not AI. Enjoy the weekend. 

 

 

Moor Wisdom

Wise Words by Bruce Wise closes out Oddball Magazine this week. 

Thanks for reading us again. 

A Measured Response

I thought this was very fair. 

 

Play It Again

Janet Cormier's Bamboozled No More! is up now at Oddball Magazine. 

A Hope, A Prayer

It's probably our last chance of schadenfreude in this lifetime.

 

Happy Birthday, Krysia Jopek

Check out her website. 

Happy Birthday, Raymond McNiece

 

Happy Birthday, Dave Somerset

Write more. 

Happy Birthday, Janet Cormier

 

 

To Me

 

 

When I had that day earlier this week, no one at work knew. Just what I wanted. Until my boss remembered. Thankfully, he kept it low key, only placing this seltzer drink on my desk while I was in another room. Even better, someone else had a birthday, so there was cake in the break room after all. I got to have my cake and my autonomy at the same time.

My Friday Morning Music

Still not sure if certain songs are AI or not. Relatively sure this isn't but I make mistakes sometimes. Bear with me. 

 

 

Leopards Eating Faces Update!

 

Tucker Carlson proves that loyalty to fascism gives you nothing in return. You're either an enemy from the start or a future enemy. There is no safe option.

 

Danielle Remembered

 

Read Dorian Kotsiopoulos' touching tribute to the late Danielle Legros Georges in this week's edition of The Arts Fuse. 

Before Everything Was Virtual

James Van Looy reminds of what came before with this week's poem column. Read It's All One Thing, up now at Oddball Magazine. 

 

Happy Birthday, Mark Walsh

 

Steve Glines Features at Stone Soup Poetry, 5-13-26

From this week's online gathering. Thanks to Steve Glines for hanging with us for a fun night. Remember when poetry could be fun? I do. Kinda. Come back next week for more.

 

 

Don't Know What My Face is Doing Here, but Okay

Thanks to Steve Glines for a wonderful reading to help continue Stone Soup's fifty-fifth anniversary celebration. Thanks to everyone who came out to be part of it. We're keeping on. Come back next week for Meg Smith's feature.