Found out today that I was published last month in The Rye Whiskey Review. Read my poem "Break."
Friday, March 31, 2023
My Friday Evening Music
A forgotten song from the 90's you never hear anymore. Listened to this with my girlfriend all the time. You arguably could have called this "our" song.
Thought I was going to poking more fun at my selections. The joke's on me.
NaPoWriMo Is Almost Upon Us
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| NaPoWriMo graphic by Maureen Thorson. |
NaPoWriMo starts tomorrow on Saturday, April 1st.
Don't forget to join my private Stone Soup Poetry group if you want to try and write thirty poems in thirty days.
Also, check out the NaPoWriMo website, and submit your blog or website if you're using one to share your poems.
And, of course, keep an eye on this link to see every poem I post for April.
What's Valued
Janet Cormier's latest poem column is up. Settle into Friday with Bamboozled No More! at Oddball Magazine.
Stone Soup Croutons, 3-29-23: Single Life
Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions selected from Stone Soup Poetry's open mic readers and features. I figure out a title (and sometimes the rest of the poem) later. You can read the other ones I've done since 2015 here.
I also have a book collecting the best of my first year of poems. Click here to purchase it.
This poem took a weird turn and became kind of a flashback poem, relating to a time that no longer exists for me. I credit the poetry of Frances for evoking things from a past life I hadn't considered for a long time.
Once again, the poem feels completely detached from the reading, which I hope you watch if you weren't in the audience.
Interesting to get this out before the National Poetry Writing Month challenge.
Thanks for reading.
Pie on face long enough
Single Life
becomes face. You pray:
Someone brilliant please
insert your salvation,
My Friday Morning Music
It's such a hit or miss thing to name a song after yourself. Daddy Freddy did just that with his 1991 single "Daddy Freddy's In Town." This might have been his attempt to break into popular radio. It didn't work, but I doubt he cared. He's having too good a time playing around with genres.
You would think a song that takes it's chorus from Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" would have more infamy. Instead, it's barely a blip on his Wiki page. Probably because Daddy Freddy is actually very accomplished in the music industry. Still, I know I saw this performed on nighttime TV at least once.
I thought I was going to be making fun of these songs. The exact opposite is happening. Now I want to learn more about Raggamuffin music.
Thursday, March 30, 2023
Remembering Rick Berube
Rick Berube, Jason Wright's father-in-law, passed away recently. Read Jason's tribute, up now at Oddball Magazine.
Too Much
James Van Looy comes back with another poem column. It's all One Thing is up now at Oddball Magazine.
Janet's Latest Art Tour
"Hey all."
"Above is photo of my modern hutch with a mix of my art and assorted collectibles."
Frances Donovan Features at Stone Soup Poetry, 3-29-23
From this week's online gathering. Thanks to Frances for a wonderful feature. Support them by donating. Their Venmo is @fdonovanpoet and their PayPal link is here. Also consider buying their new book.
The Ultimate Wave!
Much gratitude to everyone who came to Stone Soup last night and a special thanks to Frances Donovan for a perfect feature to close out March and segue into National Poetry Month. Please support poet by donating either through their Venmo at @fdonovanpoet or her PayPal here. And of course consider by buying their new collection, Abboretum in a Jar. Keep watching for Stone Soup announcements for April as well as Stone Soup's fifty-second anniversary in May.
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
One More Bad Day
I finish up the whole One Bad Day series with my Comic Book Haiku on Batman: One Bad Day — Ra’s al Ghul #1 It's up now at The Ugly Monster.
Going Home
Frances Donovan is featuring online tonight. I hope you can make it. Let's all get pumped for National Poetry Month.
Welcome Home
Emma Wells has appeared in our magazine quite a bit since 2023 started. I normally avoid such back-to-back returns from non-columnists (artists and writers of our current event pieces being reluctant exceptions), but this poem was too good to not pair up with artwork from new contributing artist John Engstrom.
Enjoy them both, and thank you all for reading us this Wednesday at Oddball Magazine. We'll see you in April.
Getting My TikTok Face On, 3-29-23
Let's see what I can put up on my TikTok before my lunch break is over. Or before the app is banned. Whichever comes first.
Lightening Up
We're starting off with levity today. Partly because we could use some and partly because it's close enough to April Fool's Day. Here's poet Emily Hawkins with photography by Edward S. Gault to kick off the last Wednesday of March at Oddball Magazine.
What the Hell, Apple Watch?
Last night I went to bed and forgot to take off my Apple Watch. I woke up at three in the morning only to find that I was starting the day with sixteen exercise minutes.
I do not how they got there. All the other times I have fallen asleep with the watch on, I have neither burned calories nor gained exercise minutes.
Given all the other times I've struggled to close my rings only for the watch to give me nothing, I'll consider this payback.
I just hope I'm not sleepwalking.
A Moment of Comics
In solidarity with trans lives, let's reprint that scene from Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century where Mary Poppins is about to turn Harry Potter into a puddle.
American Haiku: Justice Stays on Hold for Trump
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: Justice Stays on Hold for Trump
Sure I'll wait while nation burns.
I've got time...I've got time...
Your Wednesday Morning Poetry
Continuing to focus on trans authors in light of the tragedy of the Nashville shooting and the horrific backlash that sadly warrants as much attention as much as the lost lives. Here is a poem by H. Melt published in The Chicago Reader. Read "At the Chicago Marathon."
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
This Thursday: Monica Brashears at the Virtual Dire Literary Series
Is It April Yet?
Jason Wright is ready for the new month. Read his latest Jagged Thought now at Oddball Magazine.
NaPoWriMo 2023 Is Upon Us Again!
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| NaPoWriMo graphic by Maureen Thorson. |
Saturday April 1st marks the beginning of National Poetry Writing Month (also Global Poetry Writing Month). I'll be participating as I've done nearly every year since 2005. Everyone taking part has the month of April to write thirty poems.
Last year, I started a private Stone Soup Poetry group where members can post their progress for the month of April. I'll welcome anyone who wants to join up and take the challenge.
If you're sharing your work on a public website or blog, I highly recommend you submit it to the NaPoWriMo website, which will also be providing writing prompts throughout the month.
Keep an eye on this link to see every poem I post for April.
Good luck. Hope none of you have to break the Emergency Haiku glass.
(Not) Science!
Poet Joe DeBritz and artist Edward Michael Supranowicz kick off Tuesday at Oddball Magazine.
Heh
Taking a broken Boston Herald newspaper box and filling it with copies of Vision Times is hilariously appropriate.
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.
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| Sadly, I don't think any such place truly exists anymore. |
Monday, March 27, 2023
Mike Mesterton-Gibbons
Mike Mesterton-Gibbons returns with photography by brand new contributor Nicholas Eugene Tonzola III. Let's see who cleans up after this segment, up now at Oddballl Magazine.
Dear Framingham State
The poster's layout for The Miriam Levine Reading just made me think Miriam Levine was reading, not the author who is making an appearance.
Maybe you can put the guest author's name in a slightly larger font?
It Was Acceptable at the Time
Anne Skove loves the eighties but treads carefully in this week's comic. Read "She Who Laughs Lasts" at Oddball Magazine.
Last One for March
Part Thirty-Two of my Tuesday Poem series is up now on my Patreon. Consider joining it and contributing to my upcoming projects.
No Boxing
When will this end?!? Only the cartoonist knows for sure. Keep reading "The Secrets of Skinny People." The newest strip is up now. Welcome to Oddball Magazine for a brand new week.
Helen Heineman Lives!
Dr. Helen Heineman was an English professor when I attended Framingham State University (then Framingham State College). She later became President of the school. I never had her for a teacher, but I did interview her in 1994 her for a Gatepost feature story about her annual live reading of A Christmas Carol (which I also attended and enjoyed). This past Saturday, she was in attendance at the 90th birthday celebration celebration of The Gatepost. She sat at the nineties table with me and other friends. Many of us didn't recognize her until she was invited to speak. She was as attentive and as sharp as she was almost three decades ago.
Gatepost Sausage Party
No women editors from the nineties crew came to the Gatepost 90th Birthday celebration. Here are all the men who were in attendance.
Above we have John Bulens, John Cox, me, Steve Katsos, Jason Portanova, Joe Murphy, Advisor Emeritus Desmond McCarthy and Bret Kerr,
All of us old AF.
My Saturday Back in Framingham
Framingham State University's The Gatepost turned ninety in March. This past weekend, we had the celebration. I was excited to visit the campus again. I could have parked in one of the commuter parking lots closer to the college center. I opted for the Maple lot at the bottom of Street Street so I could make the climb up the hill.
Took me back to days of heading to May Hall, where most of my classes were.
Go, Froggy Go!
Froggy has not only come out with a new sticker, but they've gone way beyond their initial comfort zone. I've seen several of these stickers all over Centre Street. We now also have a name to the image. Kero Kero Amura. I hope I learn more.
My Monday Morning Music
Because this week is leading into April Fool's Day, I'm going to be less serious and feature songs that are least likely to end up on a nineties nostalgia playlist. Dino started in the late eighties started out with hits "I Like It" and "Sunsine" before peaking with "Romeo." It's goofy as hell, especially with the rap lyrics added in (a surefire way to the top 20 in the late eighites/early nineties) but it is catchy.Maybe he was cursed with having to open for New Kids on the Block.
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Uh-Oh
Mom sent this photo of Twig in his bunny outfit with the no-so ambiguous message: "Bath time!" I didn't know the embarrassment suit doubled as a bathrobe.
Your Weekly Dose of God
From last week's Saint Patrick's Day Parade. One of the many attempts to put the "Saint" back in Saint Patrick's Day.
Among the Fleas Again
While I was offline yesterday, Roberta Beach Jacobson included one of my haiku in the latest edition of Five Fleas (Itchy Poetry).
Saturday, March 25, 2023
Moving at Less than Super Speeds
Issues #1 and #2 of the new Superman comic get the Comic Book Haiku treatment today at The Ugly Monster.
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