Happy Birthday, Julia Carlson

I still wonder where you are. 

Happy Birthday, Julia Carlson

Been a while. 

Happy Birthday, Julia Carlson

We need more of your work.

Happy Birthday, Julia Carlson

Hopefully, we'll talk soon.

Happy Birthday, Julia Carlson

Where have you been? 

Happy Birthday Julia Carlson

Buy her book!

Tonight

The First and Last Word Poetry Series in Somerville. Julia Carlson, Anne Elizabeth Pluto and Kirk Etherton.

Happy Birthday Julia Carlson

Get Julia Carlson's book from Oddball Publishing now.

May 21: The First and Last Word Poetry Series

Information courtesy of Kirk Etherton. Good luck next Tuesday, Kirk!

Tomorrow Night: The First and Last Word Poetry Series

Information courtesy of co-hosts Harris Gardner and Gloria Mindock.

Stone Soup Croutons, 5-31-18, Scandalous

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.

Last night was the long-awaited double feature of Julia Carlson and Lee Varon. There were many depictions of criminal behavior on the open mic, old and new, from Al Capone to Donald Trump. It definitely helped spin this poem into something unexpected. Thanks, everyone. Hope to see all of you and more at St. Paul's next week.

Scandalous

The path of rights and wrongs
are paved with claims of credit
from everyone else, blame for you.

To walk it takes love
greater than your health.
When you're no longer young,

See You Tonight

I'm looking forward to tonight. We have Lee Varon and Julia Carlson tonight at Stone Soup. I hope you come too.

The Flyer for This Thursday

Be With Us This Thursday for Stone Soup with Julia Carlson and Lee Varon

As previously announced, Stone Soup will meet every Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 starting this week. We close out our anniversary month with Julia Carlson and Lee Varon. Both are Stone Soup regulars. Both have new collections out. Please stop by and bring enough money to buy both books: Affairs Run In The Family and Prayer for the Misbegotten.

Julia Carlson's Book Reviewed

Read Lee Varon's take on Julia's new book Prayer For the Misbegotten. It's up on Doug Holder's blog. 

“Prayer For The Misbegotten” by Julia Carlson

Winter’s coming, and you’re ready because you don’t have a choice. There is no quaint New England in these poems. No pretty fall colors, no kids laughing on a summer beach. They bespeak the dead of winter. You’ll hear the cracking of ice, slush on the harbor, arctic channels. The prayed-for misbegotten are all of us, including the animals (sparrows, a turtle, a cow, guinea pigs, various species of birds). Verse that is bracing, inclement, severe and 100% natural. It is the man-made disasters for which she reserves judgement: the plight of the homeless man in a Boston winter, a train platform in France from which 50,000 Jews had been shipped camp-ward, abuse of animals, coal mine explosions… “Acts of God I can forgive, but not the acts of men.” 

--Dawn Oberg, Songwriter

Order it now from Oddball Publishing via Amazon.

Stone Soup Croutons, 8-7-17, Take Off

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions butchered 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 on because it's Tuesday morning.

Another Monday, another all-open mic. We had a lot of good voices tonight. Special thanks to Julia Carlson reading the work of recently departed poet Denis Johnson and Andrew J. Padilla, who read a poem by Ross Gay on the death of Eric Garner. My poem won't do the night justice, but that's why you should come and see for yourself.


Take Off

Swear yourself to sleep,
counting expletives until

Stone Soup Croutons, 5-15-17, Fine Whine

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions butchered 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. I'm slowly approaching the end of year two!

Last night was supposed to be an open mic and workshop, but I sent the info out too late. There was a a short open mic instead. Julia Carlson was celebrating her birthday yesterday. I recently celebrated one as well, so that effected the overall poem, which is below. Kudos to Julia for the jump-start.


Fine Whine

You are as old and full of worth
s a comic back issue
from the last century
missing a front cover.

Happy Birthday, Julia Carlson

Still going strong, reading at Stone Soup and having a book in the works. Keep on keeping on, Julia!

Wilderness House Literary Review

Volume 10, Issue 3 of Wilderness House Literary Review is out. You can read my poem "Slide" as well as many other pieces of poetry and prose from Julia Carlson, Dennis Daly,  Shannon O'Connor and many others by clicking here.