Stone Soup Croutons, 12-6-18, It's Up to Your Knees

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions picked up from poems overheard from Stone Soup'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. To paraphrase Lorne Michaels, this poem doesn't go up because it's ready, it goes up because it's Friday morning.

We had a great night of poetry with Gordon Marshall, who presented the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize to Jan Rowe and James Van Looy. This week's poem started with reference to a certain controversial holiday song, but hearing Gordon's stream of consciousness poetry really helped me write in a similar vein, which gave me some lines I couldn't have thought up otherwise. I appreciate when that happens. Thanks for reading.


It's Up to Your Knees

Ray Charles and Betty Carter
have thoughts about #metoo.
It's just too cold out here
for them to rise.

I'm Off!

See you at Gordon's feature. Congratulations again to Jan Rowe and James Van Looy, winners of the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize.

Jan Rowe and James Van Looy to Receive the 2018 Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize

The Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize was created in 2009 by Gordon Marshall in conjunction with Jack Powers and Margaret Nairn.

For 2018 we have selected Jan Roe and James Van Looy, without whom Stone Soup may have been further delayed (if not indefinitely) in finding a new home. We are grateful for their ongoing contributions.

We hope you will be able to attend the full night of celebration at Stone Soup this Thursday on December 6, when they'll be presented their prize by Gordon Marshall, who is also that night's featured poet.

December 6: Gordon Marshall and the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize

Gordon Marshall joins us on December 6. In addition to being a prolific poet, Gordon is also founder of the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize. Named after Stone Soup's founder, this is an award given to a poet on Stone Soup's open mic who has made themselves distinguished over the last year. Gordon will be presenting the award prior to his feature. The winner (or winners) will be announced this Monday December 3. Join me in this wonderful reading and the opportunity to shine a light on the people who make up Stone Soup's weekly open mic.

Happy Birthday Gordon Marshall

Congratulations Lee Varon!

One of my regrets from 2017 is not being able to give out the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize before the year ended.

Today, I announce the winner for 2017 as Lee Varon, and we'll be giving out the award before Melissa Castillo-Garsow's feature this Thursday night. That means Gordon Marshall will be on hand to present the award.

I hope you are able to make it for all the festivities on the eighteenth. I hope every week following this Thursday will be just as action packed to the benefit of everyone who starts coming weekly again.

Happy Birthday Gordon Marshall

Given that Bill Barnum has been in poor health as of late, I wanted to include this tribute to Bill by Gordon.
 

Happy Birthday, Gordon Marshall

People I Want to See Tonight at Stone Soup

Gordon Marshall

We last saw Gordon last month when he presented the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize. He said he wanted to start coming back to Stone Soup. I hope he makes good on it soon.

Dexter Garcia

I haven't heard her read since her book release this past summer. Hopefully, she'll stop by again before the  snow blocks off any north shore invaders. 

Stone Soup Croutons, 9-19-16, Debris

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions picked up from poems overheard from Stone Soup's open mic readers and features. I figure out a title (and sometimes the rest of the poem) later. To paraphrase Lorne Michaels, the poem doesn't go up because it's good; it goes up because it's Tuesday morning. I've done fifty of them now, and you can access them all here.
Read and comment on them before I go catatonic trying to get to poem one-hundred.

Yesterday, Gordon Marshall  presented the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize to Jonathan J. Joseph. As if that wasn't enough, Beatriz Alba Del Rio dropped in to show off an original sculpture by the late Jack Powers. It was one of many pieces he constructed from found items in the street, signing the under the moniker "Jack Debris."

Continuing the Tradition with Jonathan J. Joseph

Yesterday Jonathan J. Joseph became the fifth person to win the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize, presented by last night's feature Gordon Marshall, the award's founder.

Thanks also to David Agee for providing the photo of Jack Powers we'll continue to use for the ongoing yearly event.

See You Soon!

Gordon Marshall! Jonathan J. Joseph! Prize giving! Tonight!
 

Gordon Marshall is Featuring this Monday at Stone Soup Poetry

Read his poem in today's Stone Soup Servings column over at Oddball Magazine. Then be in the audience on September 19 not only to hear him read but to find out who will be the next recipient of the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize.

September 19: Gordon Marshall and Stone Soup Say Happy Birthday to Jack Powers

 
September is the birthday month of Stone Soup's founder, Jack Powers. It's also the month that we award the annual Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize. Who better to both feature and help present the award than the prize's founder, Gordon Marshall, who is well on his way to his thirty-fourth book of poetry. Hopefully, he'll bring some excerpts from that sure-to-be forthcoming tome. Better yet, I hope all of you come to see who the fifth recipient of the Savor Poetry Prize is. We're not saying who it is until that night. Last year, DiDi Delgado was the winner. Who do you think it will be this coming Monday? Come and find out.

Stone Soup Croutons, 9-14-15, Naming the Nameless in the Room

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions picked up from poems overheard from Stone Soup's open mic readers and features. I figure out a title the next morning. 

Last night was Gordon Marshall's feature. It was also the night DiDi won the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize. During the open mic, DiDi read an amazing piece documenting her journey through poetry that would have been tough to borrow from, let alone match.

So why do I mostly talk about Cthulhu?

Well, it turned out that a nephew of Jack Powers stopped in to read a poem that invoked a lot of the Lovecraft mythos. Add to the fact that I've been reading work inspired by Lovecraft as of late, and I couldn't stop myself. I really couldn't. Insert facepalm here.


Update: Naming The Nameless" was featured as part of my profile as Massachusetts Poet in the Spotlight for November 2015. Please read it here.

Toni Bee didn't read, but she wanted to send her love.

Special thanks to Adam Sorgman, Mary Ann Honaker, Deborah Priestly, Navah The Buddaphliii,, Martha Boss, DiDi Delgado, Chirs Fitzgerald, Ras Takura, Jonathan J. Joseph, Elizabeth Kanze, Erik Nelson, Gordon Marshall and Carol Weston.

Congratulations, DiDi Delgado

Yesterday DiDi Delgado became the fourth person to win the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize, presented by last night's feature Gordon Marshall, who created the award in 2009.

Photo by Toni Bee

We are all very proud, DiDi.

Tonight is The Night at Stone Soup

Gordon Marshall is featuring in over an hour or so. Before that, we give the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize to DiDi Delgado.

A Blast from The Past

Laurel Lambert receiving the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize from Gordon Marshal (tonight's feature) six years ago.

Gordon Marshall is Featuring at Stone Soup Today

Read his poem in the latest Stone Soup Servings column in Oddball Magazine, then be in the audience tonight.

September 14: Stone Soup and Gordon Marshall Present...

Thanks once again to DiDi Delgado for hosting a wonderful slam next week. We have another great night in store this Monday at Stone Soup Poetry. Gordon Marshall, who was our first feature when the Out of The Blue Art Galley moved to its current location, returns to feature once again. There will be at least one surprise that night, and we hope you will be present at the event to see it.