Sunday, November 08, 2026
Your Weekly Dose of God
Saw this paper last month. Universal News is apparently the newspaper for the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Apparently, according to the cover story, Obsessive Compulsion Disorder (OCD) is seen as a "red flag" and a sign of a spiritual attack. That in and of itself is a huge red flag for me.
Ten Years Ago
This is the day we voted Trump in.
Ten damn years ago.
I remember spending nearly all night looking at the electoral map.
I remember the day after more clearly.
I remember apologizing to Molly the morning after.
I remember going into work, and a colleague tried to comfort me.
Don't worry, they said.
This happens all the time in my country. It'll work itself out.
"Where are you from?" I asked.
Turkey.
Even with my limited geopolitical knowledge, I knew that answer didn't bode well.
Saturday, November 07, 2026
Laurel
My last recording of poet Laurel Lambert, who passed away on October 27. A very off the grid poet who was at so many open mics prior to the closing of the Out if The Blue Art Gallery in Cambridge and the pandemic.
Laurel Lambert (1969-2026)
 |
| From Laurel Lambert's feature, March 19, 2019 |
This tribute is in fragments, but that's appropriate. Even when writing about her life, Laurel wrote in brief fragments, desperate to get all meaning and feeling out in brief lines.
When I wrote my initial post about Laurel Lambert's passing, I mentioned she was a Stone Soup regular. That wasn't exactly the truth. She was more of an Out of The Blue regular, spending a good amount of time in the gallery, sometimes helping to clean for late Gallery owner Tom Tipton, often staying for Stone Soup Poetry, Tim Gager's Dire literary series and Deb Priestly's Saturday night Open Bark. She was a regular at what seems now to have been a lost golden age in the local poetry scene.
Poet Puts Down Pen
Poets pay attention. Stephen Redic is being maligned for shame-slapping a Charlie Kirk wannabe at Turning Point.
My Saturday Haiku for Bluesky, 11-7-26
First frost of autumn
mice crawl in your car searching
for a hint of soy.
Friday, November 06, 2026
My Friday Evening Music
If it wasn't for my girlfriend, I wouldn't have rediscovered this song. She keeps me curious.
The Last(ish) Word
The final word for this week is for Luis Lázaro Tijerina, touching on the recent Midterms.
Probably not the last word on the Midterms, but it will do for now.
Thank you for reading Oddball Magazine this week.
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.
Too Much
Janet Cormier pulls through with her latest Bamboozled No More! column.
Read it now at Oddball Magazine.
And welcome to Friday.
Wyn Cooper, Virtual Thursdays Dire Literary Series Plus Q and A with Timothy Gager, 11/5/26
Yesterday's Dire today. Hosted by Timothy Gager.
My Friday Morning Music
Another of my girlfriend's downloads on her phone. She watched a documentary about Die Antwoord and downloaded this song afterwards. This one makes me smile, and the video is crazy.
Leopards Eating Faces Update!
Haley Stevens is the latest of a long line of individuals plaguing our system. She's just another cell in a metastatic pathology.
She's doesn't want to take up a cause. She wants to latch onto a winning team and not let go.
Just like all the Winning Team Republicans who popped up after 9/11. Like every other joiner after her.
Like all of my peers jumping on the Trump bandwagon.
It doesn't even ensure their safety.
It just makes them feel safe. It makes them feel "good."
It makes them feel like whatever cult they've joined is going to take care of them.
It isn't.
Thursday, November 05, 2026
RIP Laurel Lambert
I just found out from Margaret Wesel that Laurel Lambert, a staple of Stone Soup Poetry's open mic from the days at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery in Cambridge, passed away on October 27.
There will be on November 21. More details are coming.
Holy Harmony
James Van Looy's latest poem column takes you abroad and shares a moment from the poet's worldly travels.
It's All One Thing is up now at Oddball Magazine.
Tzynya Pinchback Features at Stone Soup Poetry, 11-4-26
From this week's online gathering. A feature worthy of a historical week. Let's keep the good feelings going.
Hello, November
I think I'm going to enjoy November. Thanks to Tznya Pinchback for giving us a wonderful post-Midterms feature. We're just getting started. Come back next week when for special feature Julie Marie Hoey.
Wow
This morning I found out I’ve been nominated for both a Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize for the same poem..
I knew November would be better, but wow. No notes for the first five days.
Wednesday, November 04, 2026
The Day Is Done
Join me online tonight for Stone Soup Poetry.
Tznya Pinchback is our special feature.
I made the perfect choice for tonight.
Hope to see you there.
A Violent Cycle's Victim
I'm glad we have this piece by Beverly Cartwright to close out the day. Thanks to her, and thanks to Jennifer Matthews for the photography.
Thanks for stopping by Oddball Magazine on this post-Midterms Wednesday.
Breaking a Cycle of Violence
I hope I can make that the theme of the entire day.
For now, read a poem by Michael Green.
It includes artwork by Edward Michael Supranowicz.
Welcome to another post-election Wednesday at Oddball Magazine.
Unbottled
You can read Keith Tornheim's take on marine life in this week's Lyrical Somerville, up now at The Somerville Times.
A Moment of Comics
A moment of hope this morning as I post a page of Lex Luthor's fall from grace from being the President of the United States to another wanted criminal. From Superman/Batman #6 by writer Jeph Loeb with pencils by Ed McGuinness and ink by Dexter Vines.
American Haiku: Trump Reaches Back
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: Trump Reaches Back
I called you groomers,
then I called you terrorists,
I called you groomers,
then I called you terrorists,
New National Anthem!
Good morning! There will be a coup attempt in about three months, but let’s enjoy ourselves for now.
Your Wednesday Morning Poetry
In celebration of last night's victories, here is Ira Sadoff's poem "The McCarthy Hearings," found on the Maine Public page.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
Don't Bet Against the SPREAD
Just got my contributor/subscription copies of the November issue of SPREAD with my poem "Gambling Alone." Thanks to Chris Dusterhoff for my inclusion alongside Merritt Waldon, M.R. Nowan and others. Consider getting a one-year subscription for #20 by PayPaling spankstra@hotmail.com
Shattered World
Had fun with Peter F. Crowley's poem about a different kind of global farce now up at Oddball Magazine.
So Far
We have several roving poets returning from last week's Horrorthon because of this day of voting. Susan Isla Tepper is back as is photographer Glenn Bowie to start off 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.
 |
| Let's hope none of them vote. |
Depose
No glint of hope until
Überpumkin
crashes
on
ground,
Überpumkin
down,
stare
at
Überpumkin
until no hope of glint.
Monday, November 02, 2026
Very Open
The Open Press is, well, open to submissions. You can click here for guidelines and then submit via this link.
Another Returning Contributor
Martha Ellen returns from the Horrorton with commentary on recent walking atrocities on Oddball Magazine.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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