Monday, November 02, 2026

Congratulations, Diane

Read recent Stone Soup Poetry feature Diane Sahms and her interview with Tom Waring of the Northeast Times in Philadelphia regarding her most recent poetry collection (also recently featured at Stone Soup)..

 

Pun Interlude

Here's a bit of wordplay to go into today's serious posts courtesy of Anne Skove.

Read "She Who Laughs Lasts" at Oddball Magazine. 


I've Been at This for Over a Year...

 

It's Later Now, Part Sixty: Set Sail. Read it on my Patreon. 

Not Dead Yet

Lynn White on Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit will kick off Monday.

Welcome to the week at Oddball Magazine.

Keep your head up, but don't forget to duck.


Scooby Snacked

Rest easy, D-Train.

 


Thanks in Advance for Voting

Stone Soup Poetry features Tzynya Pinchback this Wednesday for Midterm relief. 

Flyer: Stone Soup Pushes Into Cold November - Tzynya Pinchback kicks off a tumultuous November to help close out a tumultuous year.  - Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 7:00-9:00 P.M. ET - Open mic included! Donations appreciated!  - Visit https://stonesouppoetry.blogspot.com/ for the Zoom link

Wasted Energy?

This video taking the late Joe Matt to task strikes me as strange. I wrote about Joe Matt and his posthumously released Peepshow #15 where I pointed out that Joe Matt was uncancelable because he never got to any stature  he could have been cancelled from. Matt for his lonely path was shit on (however justified) by fellow creators and even his own publisher. It's important to talk about Matt and his recently released work, but trying to cancel Joe Matt is like trying to cancel GG Allin. Sure you start out with multiple salient points, but they're both dead and you're probably running around a lot for nothing.

 

 


Tanka 'bout Town

Bookstore schedules
Great Pumpkin for appearance,
then he just no-shows.
Oh, Great Pumpkin! You're going
to drive poor Linus crazy!


New National Anthem?

Haven’t done one of these in a while. 

 

Happy Birthday, Caroline Johnson

 

 


Happy Birthday, Sophia Kidd

 

 


Happy Birthday, Mary Bonina

 

 


Thanks, Marianne

A new month, a new sticker from Marianne Radnitzky found on Centre Street. I think I could post one a week for the rest of November. I am spoiled for choice this fall season.
 


This Week's Friendly Reminder

It's time to vote if you haven't already voted early. Here's a guideline if you live in the Boston area or Massachusetts in general. 

Flyer: Vote for Team Massachusetts: Ed Markey for US Senate - Maura Healey for Governor - Kim Driscoll for Lt. Governor - Andrea Campbell for Attorney General - Deb Goldberg for Treasurer - Ayanna Pressley for US Congress - And critical county and stae legislative races too ! - Vote early Oct. 17th-30th - Vote Tuesday, Nov. 3rd

My Monday Morning Music

Falling back on my partner's iPhone and the songs I might have never heard if she didn't purchase them. I don't listen to a lot of modern music these days, so I'm grateful for her keeping me somewhat plugged in.

 

 


Sunday, November 01, 2026

Goodbye Trick-or-Treaters

One last bit from last night.

 


In a Mood

Actually, Mr. Vanilla Ice, you've never solved any problem.

Even those alleged dope fiends were "solved" by the police, not you.

*sigh* 

Guilty of sampling without permission and false advertising. 


Opening a Late Night Treat Opening a Late Night Treat In Daylight

Yesterday evening, a haiku of mine made it in the Haikuniverse Halloween marathon. Thanks, Rick Lupert! You should read all the selections from the holiday.


A Prized Artifact

Feels appropriate to feature this item on this Day of the Dead. As I said before My girlfriend's late Dad was a tinkerer. This was something he came up with to help him see better while he worked. A giant magnifier on a makeshift stand complete with a makeshift place to put papers. It's pretty brilliant, and the optometrist I work with got quite a kick out of it. It's still on my desk at work, and I contemplate a day when this will become useful to me! Maybe I'll show the steampunk lamp on his birthday next year. 

 

Happy Birthday, Laura Grevel

 

 


Happy Birthday, Maggie McKenna

 

 


Happy Birthday, Crystal Karlberg

 Come back to Oddball when you can!

 

Your Weekly Dose of God

A selection of tarot cards and guidebooks from the store Zen and Company in Kennebunk, Maine. I have to admit, it's been a while since I've seen titles like Earth Warrior Oracle. Too many Christian stores, I guess. 


Beyond the Sky’s Limits

"Beyond the Sky’s Limits" is my eulogy on Patrick Stewart. Read it now at The Ugly Monster. Thanks to Oscar for getting this out on the Day of the Dead.


Saturday, October 31, 2026

Glow Stick Rave!

 Look for Halogen Girls 3000 music and add it to your Halloween playlist.


Halloween Blues

Is Harvey Keitel becoming my spirit animal? 


The Finish

Nick Matass comes back to finish the Horrorthon with one more fiction piece. Thanks to him and Robert Fleming for the banner art, and thanks to you all for reading Oddball Magazine this week.


Still Going

Glad to have a recent photo of mine go with Lynne White's contribution to the Horrothon over at Oddball Magazine. 


Just In

My copy of American Graveyard, calls to end gun violence, Volume 2 came in them ail yesterday. Thanks to Marissa Prada for including my work. You can order your copy here.


Halloween Proper

We're thrilled to continue the Horrorthon on Halloween. Here's poet Martha Ellen under Robert Fleming's banner to start off Oddball Magazine today.


Happy Halloween Dance!

Footage from my sister’s dog Smokey in 2012. I put out a video of this a few years ago, but I was new to TikTok and got the size wrong. I decided to put up a correct version while thinking of a little guy.
 


Choice Quote

"My Halloween costume is a Celtics player going Pilates."

--My Girlfriend

 

My Saturday Haiku for Bluesky, 10-21-26


Our daily monsters,
Halloween mask over mask,
go undiscovered. 


Happy Birthday, Tim Sneider

 

 


Happy Birthday, Alex S. Johnson

 

 


Happy Birthday, Don Kingfisher Campbell

 

 


Happy Halloween!

Here are two of the better pumpkins I've seen. I call them Evil Cop and Eviler Cop.


Friday, October 30, 2026

My Friday Evening Music

Here's your big Halloween jam for this weekend. Enjoy!

 

 


Ending Darkly

We end the Friday Horrorthon with fiction from Cole Purdy with the return of Robert Fleming's artwork. Thank you for reading Oddball Magazine this Friday. We'll be back tomorrow. 

 

Begone, Evil!

Keeping it Halloweeny. 

 

 

We're Not Done

The Horrorthon continues with flash fiction by Sasha Harding and photography by Nick Matsas at Oddball Magazine. 

 

Next Friday: First Fridays Youth Open Mic with Harissa Feltington and Zara Barryte

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


Blind Wisdom

Here's Bruce Wise with Wise Words at Oddball Magazine.


Little Deaths of Childhood, Part Thirty-Two

Sad little hat.


Scott Withiam, Virtual Thursdays Dire Literary Series Plus Q and A with Timothy Gager, 10/29/26

Yesterday's Dire today. Hosted by Timothy Gager. 

 

 


Yep!

Janet Cormier takes on another kind of horror for this week.

Read Bamboozled No More! now over at Oddball Magazine. 


Lit Me Up for the Holiday Weekend

My poem "Comeback" is Halloweeny enough for Friday's edition of Lit Up. Thanks to Pecular Julia and the team for accepting my work.

 

Oh Come On!

Both sides of the War on Christmas should call this a violation of the ceasefire.

 


Happy Birthday, Julie Batten

 

 


Happy Birthday, Gloria Monaghan

 

 


My Friday Morning Music

More Halogen Girls for your Halloween listening pleasure. You want to add this to your playlist for tomorrow, right?

 

 


Leopards Eating Faces Update!

 

You know that win or lose, Darline Graham is going to be used up and discarded like all the other Republican women 


Thursday, October 29, 2026

Forever

Robert Fleming's artwork is back for John Stickney's contribution to the Horrorthon at Oddball Magazine. 


Tonight: Scott Withiam with Artist George Cochran 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.


One Foot in the Ditch Mitch

Patricia Carragon has some haiku for us to go with artwork by Hoss for this Thursday portion of the Horrorthon at Oddball Magazine. 


The Stages of Instruction for Writing

"Write what you know."

 (Hundreds of pages later...)

"No, no, no. Write what we know." 

(A few hundred more pages later...) 

"Oh, so you think you know everything, huh?" 

 

Not the Don Bluth Version

 

Mark Lamoureux takes on Russian royalty as this week's poet for The Arts Fuse.


Terrifying Tower

James Van Looy's latest poem column is appropriate for this week of horror.

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


Speaking of Diane Sahms

Check out her new homepage. 

 

Happy Birthday, Diane Sahms

 

 


David Fulcher Features at Stone Soup Poetry, 10-28-26

From this week's online gathering. A Halloween themed feature is just what we needed. Be sure to pick up his latest book from Old Scratch Press, The Pumpkin King and Other Tales of Terror.


 


Goodbye, October

 
Thanks to David Fulcher for being Stone Soup's closing feature for October. Be sure to pick up his latest book from Old Scratch Press, The Pumpkin King and Other Tales of Terror. Join us next week as we open up November with special feature Tznya Pinchback. 


Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Day of the Dead Came Early Too

I'm hopefully halfway home by the time you read this. 

Stone Soup is tonight. 

David Fulcher is giving us a special Halloween themed reading.

I hope to see you there. 


I Am Now Leaving October

The Chad Parenteau's Lost Causes newsletter for October 28 is up now at Substack.  


Twin Terrors

Two horrors depicted thanks to the poetry of Mark States and the artwork of Bob McNeil. Thanks for visiting Oddball Magazine this Wednesday. Come back tomorrow as the Horrorthon continues!


Bonus Graphic

Robert Fleming offered a larger, taller graphic for the Horrorthon. A little too big, but I'm so appreciative of everything Robert has done for the magazine. 

Horrorthon Graphic: Mia Farrow gasping in horror as she observes a crib holding a baby with a birthmark in the shape of the word "MAGA"

Keeping The Horror Real

Wednesday's portion of the Horrorthon starts with words and images by Marjorie Pezzoli. Oddball Magazine welcomes you to the fright fest that looks like the real world because it is.


The Things You Learn

 

Lyrical Somerville concludes the month with a poem  by Bridget Brown. Read it now over at The Somerville Times. 


Halloween Comes Early

David Fulcher gives Stone Soup Poetry a horror-themed reading tonight.

Flyer: Watch Stone Soup Get All Halloweeney - David Fulcher closes out Stone Soup Poetry for October with a horror-tinged feature. - Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 7:00-9:00 P.M. ET - Open mic included! Donations appreciated! - Visit https://stonesouppoetry.blogspot.com/ for the Zoom link

I Know, I Know

Someone out there is trying to give me advice. I want them to know I'm really trying to follow it, but it's hard, okay?

Sign in yard with smiley face: Stay Hopeful

Some More Legal Graffiti

I love that this chalkboard sign has a ghost pun but is showing what looks to be a tentacled eldritch horror. I guess you don't want to exclude any type of horror fan from your establishment.

Chalk sign: Hot Ghouls Shop Local

A Moment of Comics

Damn this first issue of Midnight Spider-Man slaps hard. Big Absolute Batman vibes about this new series and line from Marvel. Perfect for Halloween week. Enjoy this non-spolier page from Midnight Spider-Man #1, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with artwork by Scietronc.
 


American Haiku: Midterm Message

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: Midterm Message

All the polls are wrong.
Our supporters are dead too poor silent.

Happy Birthday, Allison Grayhurst

 

 


Happy Birthday, Len Germinara

 

 


Lately

I've seen a lot of police around the Forest Hills T stop lately over the last couple of weeks. Both morning and evening. I wonder what's been happening there?


Your Wednesday Morning Poetry

I wanted to do something different for Halloween week. Here is Ishmael Reed with a poem more than fit to be alongside  this week's Oddball Horrorthon. Read his poem "Black Cock" via the Poetry Foundation site.


Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Play It One More Time

A ghost story by Shannon O'Connor (who also provides photography) keeps the Horrorthon going at Oddball Magazine. 

 

This Thursday: Scott Withiam with Artist George Cochran 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.


Play Ball

Jason Wright's Jagged Thought is back for Halloween Horrorthon week.

Read it now at Oddball Magazine. 


Better Work This Week


Never Say, Part Seven: Your Move. Read it on my Patreon.


We Can Do It!

The Horrorthon continues with flash fiction by Susan Isla Tepper. She and banner artist Robert Fleming start our 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. 

I know what this guy's dressing up as on Saturday.

Happy Birthday, Tanishia Lee

 

 


Happy Birthday, Duncan Wilder Johnson

 

 


F**k October 2026

I'm going to enjoy Halloween on Saturday, but the sooner I finish with this week and get to November 2nd, the better.