Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Longer Than Jesus?

Poet Linda M. Crate returns with new artist Destiny Hankerson to close out another pride Wednesday at Oddball Magazine. Thank you for reading us today.

Rising

Poet Stephen Kingsnorth returns along with photographer Jennifer Matthews to kick off another prideful Wednesday at Oddball Magazine. Glad you made it. 

June Bloom

Poetry, reviews and a focus on author and co-editor Diane Sahms. Check out the June issue of North of Oxford by Sahms and g emil reutter.


Putting On my Best Tie

 

My father's birthday month also marks the anniversary of my first published full-length book. Here's my poem "Knots" from Patron Emeritus being featured in Doug Holder's Lyrical Somerville column over at The Somerville Times. Thanks to Doug for the opportunity.

Yep, They Ripped It

That didn't take long at all.

 


A Moment of Comics

Actually grabbed a physical copy of DC Pride 2022 over the weekend. Grabbed it for the Kevin Conroy story, but I enjoyed the Connor Hawke Green arrow tale "Think of Me." Making Connor Hawke asexual actually fits with his backstory and previously published stories so well. Words and pictures by Ro Stein and Ted Brandt. 


Happy Birthday, John Bonanni

 

 


Happy Birthday, Eileen Cleary

 

 


American Haiku: They Spin Everything

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: They Spin Everything
 
Hooray for sportsball!
MAGA remembers Game 3!
Boo-S.A. Boo-S.A.


Happy Belated Birthday, Felipe Victor Martinez


Happy Belated Birthday, Del Ray Cross

 

 


Your Wednesday Morning Poetry

To continue Pride Month, here's Walt Whitman's "I Sing the Body Electric" at the Poetry Foundation website. Here's hoping Trump quotes him during the 250 festival or whatever is going on next month.


Tuesday, June 09, 2026

New Piece

Something I whipped up on a whim. Read "Creation Hurts" on Medium.


Tired

Finding My Worse Self, Part Eight: Just This. Read it on my Patreon.


Coming Undone

Poet Sandra Wyllie and artist Tinamarie Cox return for 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.

Network Name: Debonair Tuesday
No Tuesday has ever been debonair. Ever.

Practice Haiku

Now it's official
Twenty-fourth Tuesday is the
worst Tuesday ever.


Editor Aggravations

A while back, I came across a writer's work and published it. They wrote me to say thank you and to let me know I misspelled their name. 

Fast forward a bit. The writer submitted again. I looked at their bio to find out the author had misspelled their own name. 

I know it's not intentional, but I  still can't help but feel like someone's gaslighting me.

Monday, June 08, 2026

Oddball Stories with Ken Malatesta

Thank you for reading Oddball Magazine this Monday.

It's Easy(?)!

Finally a comic strip my overplanning girlfriend can relate to! Read Anne Skove's "She Who Laughs Lasts" now over at Oddball Magazine.


Going Down Slow

 

It's Later Now, Part Forty: Sop. Read it on my Patreon.

Hot Sh-t!

Mike Mesterton-Gibbons shows  rock and roll and scatology might mix without GG Allin on a very special Monday at Oddball Magazine. Happy Monday, if you can!

Not Feeling Great

The Stone Soup workshop will be coming back this Wednesday.

I'll be posting the info later tonight. 


My Brief Cartooning Stint

Found this remnant from brief attempt at cartooning back in 2019. This did not last long. I'll leave it up to others to analyze the size of my head and shape of my hairline as depicted here. 


Happy Birthday, Krysten Hill

 

 


Hmmm...

Not sure if the message or sarcasm is clear.

Sticker: Vote for Your Overlords - Vote for AIPAC

This Week's Friendly Reminder

 

Best/only anti-ICE printout I've seen in a while. 

 

My Monday Morning Music

Not sure what to do this week. I'll see how many older music artists have3 new songs out. Today it's Billy Idol with Alison Mosshart. 

 

 


Sunday, June 07, 2026

F--k FaceSpace

Last week, Facebook was chiding me that I posted less. 

This week and eight videos later, Facebook isn't saying anything. 

They're especially not pointing out that my videos received next to no views.

Unalive the algorithm. 

 

Happy Birthday, Mbizo Chirasha

 

 


Your Weekly Dose of God

Lighting candles at Saint Blaise, my childhood church, yesterday afternoon.


Friday, June 05, 2026

Checking In

What's going to happen to them if the New Kids ever perform for Trump?

 


My Friday Evening Music

Turns out I am a Cracker fan? I kept thinking about this song with the lyric "What the world needs now is another folk singer like I need a hole in my head." I had no idea that was made by Cracker! Consider me corrected. Go, Cracker. That's two songs that have stuck in my head forever. But why isn't this song played at least as much as "Low" is?


 


Video Version of my City Haiku


 


City Haiku


MAGAmerica
hates all abortions unless
they're made of metal. 


Tonight: First Fridays Youth Open Mic with Kold Kwan

Held at the First Baptist Church on 633 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain. Doors open at 7:00. Click here for more info. 


On Goes the Wisdom

Wise Words by Bruce Wise closes out Oddball Magazine for the week. 

Thanks for reading us. 

News from the Front, 6-5-26

Phoning in a quick one. 

 


On Track

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

City Haiku

Too hot to stay out
on city corners, homeless 
will stay...somewhere else.

Happy Birthday, Robert Verdon

Keep writing.


Happy Birthday, Emily Rudofsky

I remember this!

 

Next Bloom

Since the surprise blueberry sprout last summer, every time I see a fresh bloom outside our home, I ask myself if it was here last year. 


My Friday Morning Music

Haven't heard this on the radio since my twenties. Never been a huge fan of Cracker, but I like this better than "Low."

 

 


Leopards Eating Faces Update!

 

Here's a list of everyone Trump is attacking. 

Some are Democrats. 

Some are people who worked for him. 

Loyalty isn't the point anymore. 

The persecution is. 

 Persecution is the only outcome for opposing Trump.

 Persecution is the only outcome for docile.

Persecution is the only outcome for being loyal.

It doesn't matter where you stand anymore.


Thursday, June 04, 2026

New Essay Out


"Trump: America's Idol" is my latest essay for Substack. Thanks to John “Hoss” Taylor Jr. for the illustration. 


This Insult Kills Fascists?

News to me. 


Tonight: Jessica Keener 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.

 

Insanely Good

 

Simeon Berry mixes poetry and drink (as poets often do) in this week's feature at The Arts Fuse.


WAYTA, 6-3-26

If the press isn't going to ask it, I will.

 


Modern Madman

James Van Looy is here for you with this week's poem column. 

Read It's All One Thing now at Oddball Magazine. 


Happy Birthday, Will Weir

 Read the poem here. 




Happy Birthday, Amanda Torres

 


Stone Soup Poetry All Open Mic, 6-3-26

From this week's online gathering. Year fifty-five continues for Stone Soup Poetry. More features announced. More poetry, because why not?


 


Oh, Hi June

May is gone. June is here. I'm still recovering. Thanks to everyone who made it to Stone Soup last night. iI promise more news for June is coming.