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Chad Parenteau: Poet For Hire
The Blog
Saturday, May 02, 2026
Friday, May 01, 2026
My Friday Evening Music
Bikowski with Akira the Don with Tom Waits. Have a good evening. Looks like Monday's selected piece was also done with Akira The Don. I've corrected it.
Tonight: First Fridays Youth Open Mic with Kapatid Kud
Held at the First Baptist Church on 633 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain. Doors open at 7:00. Click here for more info.
NaPoWriMo Epilogue
National/Global Poetry Writing Month is over. How did I do? Click here and let me know.
It was harder to keep up due to health issues, both mine and other people in my life.
I didn't experiment as much with form. Just no time for it after I caught up.
For the past few years, I feel I learn nothing after this exercise is done.
I might write more about it elsewhere.
Leopards Eating Faces Update!
This week it's Laura Loomer. Lost a court case against the one person who would have slept with her several surgeries. Unfortunately, she's too old and over the hill for him now. She probably wanted the coveted position Ann Coulter had in the early two thousands, but she doesn't even get that. If we're lucky, she'll be most known for her father divulging her sexual history for all the world to wince at.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
Helps to Get It Out
James Van Looy is back with his poem column.
Read It's All One Thing at Oddball Magazine.
Happy Thursday.
Stone Soup Poetry All Open Mic, 4-29-26
From this week's online gathering. National Poetry Month is over, but the poetry continues as Stone Soup enters its fifty fifth anniversary. Stay tuned.
Goodbye, April
April is done for Stone Soup. National Poetry Month is done for Stone Soup. May is upon us and so is Stone Soup Poetry's fifty-fifth anniversary. Be with us next week for Harris Gardner's feature and stay tuned for more Stone Soup news.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Now The Day Dies Its Blood-Choked Death
Let it go.
We need to move on.
Follow me online tonight for Stone Soup Poetry.
We end April off with another all-open mic.
Hope to see you.
Feeling Small (in a good way) Again
Playing That Music
Oddball Magazine completes Wednesday's writer/artist focus with contributor John Engstrom. Thanks for joining us during National Poetry Month. More good things to come in May.
Naked Words
Our writer/artist focus continues with a focus on erotic artist and frequent contributor Bill Wolak. It's a very different Wednesday over at Oddball Magazine. Hope you stay around.
Take a Drink
Totem Remnant
Almost three years later, the Visitor/Void pole that collected all the sticker badges patients had to wear during the height of COVID-19 has been reduced to only what you see here. It makes me sad. That pole was an odd memorial to that period of time when we were actively trying to stop the spread. Not that I want so see another pole like that in my time. Then again, we don't have that choice, do we? Or maybe we do, and that's the tragedy.
A Moment of Comics
Decided to end National Poetry Month with an example of visual poetry from Charles Schultz's "Peanuts." One of my favorite strips.
American Haiku: Trump Says No No More Anymore
No more Mister Nice
Guy Who Drops Bombs! Now I'll be
Mr. Not Nice Guy Who Also Drops Bombs!
Your Wednesday Morning Poetry
For the last Wednesday of National Poetry Month, I'm featuring Jennifer Martelli, another recently lost local poet. Read her poem, "To Be Stevie Nicks Cool" over at New Ohio Review.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
An Early Moment of Comics
Gerry Conway passed away a couple of days ago. I saw his work sporadically in the eighties (a few issues of Firestorm), likely seeing more of his work via television and cinema. I didn't pay much to writers for a long time. The first time I ever noticed his name was in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #8, where he closed the chapter on Gwen Stacy via a supposed clone.
I See Now
Recap
This Week's Most Distinguished Network Name
Monday, April 27, 2026
Poem from a Rose
Poet Rita 'Rusty' Rose gives us a tribute to John F. McMullen, a recently fallen poet and promoter of the arts. Read it now over at Oddball Magazine.
Tonight: The Contro-Verse Open Mic at Urban Media Arts in Malden with Shannon O'Connor
From 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM. At Urban Media Arts on 145 Pleasant Street in Malden, MA. Hosted by Anna Geoffroy and Ethan Mackler. Click here for more information.
Memoirs of a Door Dasher
Anne Skove's comic can help you be a better door dashee. Read "She Who Laughs Lasts" at Oddball Magazine.
Yep, the Poem's About What It Sounds Like
April 29: One More Time on the Open Mic Merry-Go-Round
Closing out April with a mere open mic on April 29, but I'll be announcing the rest of Stone Soup's features for May very soon. I hope you all enjoyed our National Poetry Month features.
Join us on Wednesday, April 29, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM ET by clicking this link.
The meeting ID is 862 7581 2885
Password: stonesoup
May 6: Harris Gardner Helps Celebrate Fifty Five Years of Stone Soup
I'm making an effort this year to welcome old friends of Stone Soup in 2026, so I'm very pleased to be welcoming Harris Gardner to our virtual podium on May 6.
Even if you haven't stopped by in a while, I hope you join us as we welcome back more Stone Soup alum from my early days of hosting.
Join us on Wednesday, May 6, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM ET by clicking this link.
The meeting ID is 842 4574 9317Password: stonesoup
My Monday Morning Music
Surprised I haven't featured Charles Bukowski. One more focus on spoken word for National Poetry Month.
Sunday, April 26, 2026
There's More of Ron to Share
This artwork titled Butter Moon was created by Ron Goba's granddaughter Sayla and used for a chapbook collection that debuted as part of his feature on May 11, 2013. With the permission of Ron's family, I would love to have this and at least one other collection available as a downloadable PDF on my website this May. I also hope to share other Goba related media in the coming weeks. Announcements will be made.
You Know Who's New Look!
“I just want you to know that I’m fine. I’m healing. I have a healing factor like Deadpool. Not wolverine. Wolverines a loser. He died his last solo film. Sad.”



























