Separated at Stillbirth?

Below, a segment from "Rough Beast Born," my erasure poem based on Donald Trump's "speech" at a 2020 rally (published by Headline Poetry & Press).

Your Wednesday Morning Poetry

Published in Headline Poetry & Press back in 2020, here is Megha Sood's #RoeVWade poem, "You rubbed me the wrong way." 

R.I.P.

Headline Poetry and Press ceased publication altogether a month ago, and I'm the last one to find out. 

Nearly all of my crazy blackout poems from last year appeared on that website. I will always be grateful to Hokis for her hard work. 

You should visit the site. It's still up. It's a great time capsule of the last couple of years. Maybe it will come back some day. 

Things I'm Thankful for in 2020: Rev

That's my secret. No joke, 

Rev is an amazing site and the best source of transcripts for all of Trump's speeches and press conferences.  

I depended on Rev for nearly every blackout/erasure poem I attempted for Headline Poetry and Press. 

I still have to-be-used printouts of so much, from the ridiculous COVID-19 press conferences to his final campaign speeches.

So much, and I'm only scratching the surface.

It will likely be up to some other lucky poet to put this site to more use and utilize its full potential.

Until then, well, I still have time.

People I'm Grateful for in 2020: Zachary Bos

Zachary Bos spent a lot of time in 2019 and 2020 helping me get my act together. In 2019, he was an early supporter of Stone Soup Poetry's new era, This year, he recommended Headline Poetry & Press and sat down with me and Jason Wright to consult with us about Oddball Magazine's future. I appreciated all of his advice, even it seems sometimes like I didn't listen to any of it.

Things I'm Thankful for in 2020: Headline Poetry and Press

It was during a vacation in February down in Florida(!) that I decided to try my first attempt at a blackout/erasure poem based on Trump's rambling speeches. Thanks to a friend's recommendation (I'll get to them later), I submitted my first piece, "Story of the Rest" (based on Trump's post-impeachment speech) in February to Headline Poetry & Press. Editor Hokis not only gave me inspiration to write many more but also made me an official contributor.

The graphic above is from "The End is Just the Beginning of the Middle Part," but the one I'm proudest of is "Rough Beast Born," based on his last public speech on February 28 before COVID-19 really took off.

Hokis told me she might be stepping away from political work. For the sake of poetry in general, I hope she reconsiders.

 

And Finally for Friday

"Dearth of a Nation" is my final erasure poem for this week over at Headline Poetry & Press. Thanks to Editor Hokis for this opportunity.

Second Published Piece

"Triumph of the Nil" was published yesterday at Headline Poetry & Press. Read that and "Strokes of Genius" from Monday. One more poem coming tomorrow.

Another Day, Another Whoops! (Also: It's Good to be Regular)

A lot of stanzas were left out of my poem put for today at Headline Poetry & Press. You can see the full version now.

Also nice to not that I'm listed as an official "Regular Contributor" on the site as of this past weekend. Thanks to Hokus for making it official.

New Poem Up

"Strokes of Genius" is my latest entry in Headline Poetry and Press' Erasure the Occupant series. Read it now. Much thanks to Editor Hokis, as always.

New Erasure Poem

"The End is Just the Beginning of the Middle Part" is up now at Headline Poetry & Press.
As always, I'm grateful to Editor Hokis. Hope to have more work up soon.

Timely as it Comes

On the eve of Trump's Tulsa rally, here's my latest erasure poem for Headline Poetry & Press, "Slaughterhouse Forty-Five," based on Trump's phone conference with the governors encouraging them to use the military on protestors. Thank you once again Hokis for making me a regular contributor.

New Work Up

Here's my latest for Headline Poetry & Press, "Tapped," with thanks to Editor Hokis for the opportunity.

My Mega Poem is Up

"Rough Beast Born," my epic-sized erasure poem, is based on Donald's Trump's infamous near-ninety minute speech at his South Carolina rally in February. After all my work editing his words, it's still a beast of a poem. It is finally up at Headline Poetry & Press. My thanks to Editor Hokis  for her endless support.

Something Super Happy Fun

Here's the Boston Herald article that inspired my poem up at Headline Poetry & Press.

Breaking News Poem

"Over With," my erasure poem based on Boston's recent shutdown protests, is up at Headline Poetry & Press. Special thanks to Editor Hokis for such a quick turnaround.

Erasing the Occupant (one poem at a time)

"Next to God, America, Me" is my latest erasure poem for Headline Poetry & Press.

Always Working

​My erasure poem "Post-Atkinson" is now up at Headline Poetry & Press.

More Work

My erasure poem, "Forlorn Doctor's Note," is now up at Headline Poetry & Press.

It's seems to be part of both their Erasure the Occupant and Poets of the Pandemic series. Special thanks to Hokis for being so receptive to my work.

Erasing Trump

My erasure poem "Story of the Rest" is up at Headline Poetry & Press as part of their Erasure the Occupant series. This poem took forever to bring to fruition. I want to thank Editor Hokis for nurturing this piece in its final stages and giving it a home.