Features I'm Grateful for in 2025: Melissa Castillo-Garsow

One of the highlights from the early post Out of the Blue days. It was great to have her back and make her part of our online archive. We have to do it again soon..

Stone Soup Croutons, 5-7-25: On Weekends, We Rehearse Emergency Migration

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.

 

Melissa Castillo-Garsow kicked off our anniversary month. I was so sick last week, I couldn't even pick up a pen last Friday. You can see me fading in the video, most likely. Thankfully, I lasted the whole feature.

Thought of May Day, the current political climate. The bravery of people like Melissa speaking out in any capacity. The people talking about the "hate" towards Trump when reacting to any number of his absurd actions. This poem came out of it.

Thanks for reading.

On Weekends, We Rehearse Emergency Migration

 

Day off, we see 

who died. You're

this weekend's

Jesus. It will go

as well as the 

original messiah,

Melissa Castillo-Garsow Features at Stone Soup Poetry, 5-7-25

From this week's online gathering. It was great to have the virtual return of Dr. Melissa Castillo-Garsow. Support her by buying her books!

 

 

First Fifty-Forth Anniversary Wave

Thanks to those who attended Melissa Castillo-Garsow's feature this past Wednesday. I haven't been feeling well, so it's taken me forever to post anything. The video will hopefully go up later today if I can stay away long enough. Stay tuned for next week's feature, Doug Holder!

 

For Me, The Wait Was Forever...

Now I can finally get home and prep for Dr. Melissa Castillo-Garsow's feature Stone Soup Poetry feature tonight. I hope you join us for this tonight. Happy Anniversary, Stone Soupers!

 

Didn't Have to Wait Too Long, Right?

Dr. Melissa Castillo-Garsow will Stone Soup's first anniversary month feature!

Are You Ready?

Dr. Melissa Castillo-Garsow is featuring in less than three days.

This Coming Week, Stone Soup Poetry Celebrates!

Dr. Melissa Castillo-Garsow is Stone Soup's first special feature for May.

May 7: Melissa Castillo-Garsow Kicks off Year Fifty-Four at Stone Soup

May first marked fifty Four years of Stone Soup Poetry. That's nineteen anniversaries I've overseen as Stone Soup Poetry's host.

I am thrilled to kick off the landmark month with a feature by Dr. Melissa Castillo-Garsow, who was an amazing presence at Stone Soup during her time in Boston and Cambridge. I am excited to document her words in our online forum.

Join us on May 7 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM ET by clicking this link.

The meeting ID is 894 8978 6353

Password: stonesoup

Happy Birthday Melissa Castillo Planas

Stone Soup Croutons, 2-29-18, The Gasp of Old News

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 up because it's Friday morning afternoon evening  Saturday morning afternoon DAMMIT!

On Thursday, the Stone Soup Stagecoach made a stop at Harvard University thanks to Melissa Castillo-Garsow, Robinson Hall was a little off the beaten bath, but we were joined by Michael Igo and at least had a round robin between the three of us, including Melissa reading from There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce by Morgan Parker, which made me think of "The Breathing, The Endless News" by Rita Dove. Mix, shake, make stuff up (i.e. I know nothing about chameleons and didn't look them up), and you have the poem for yesterday today DAMMIT!

.
The Gasp of Old News

Poets and chameleon's need air
and space to change and learn.

Tonight: The Stone Soup Stagecoach Stops at Harvard

With the help of Melissa Castillo-Garsow, I'll be holding Stone Soup at  Harvard University in Robinson Hall. I am spreading the word. I'm doing the best I can. I hope Melissa and I will see some of you there.

The State of Stone Soup, 3-26-18

While I am waiting and hopeful that the Brew on the Grid will find a new home in Cambridge, I have not been idle.

Breaking Bread: My Poem from The Latinx Poetry Series

On Friday, as a part of Stone Soup Stagecoach, I attended the Latinx Poetry Series at Harvard University, which has been organized by Melissa Castillo-Garsow, who is spending a very productive year in Massachusetts at the college. Carmen Bardeguez-Brown was the guest speaker, instructor and feature poet at this event, which was attended by a diverse group of participants and onlookers, myself included.

Stone Soup Croutons, 1-18-18, Holy Mess

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 up because it's Friday morning.

Last night, Melissa Castillo-Garsow ushered in Stone Soup's new era at Cambridge's Brew on The Grid. Toni Bee, who helped us find our new home, appropriately kicked off the open mic poetry from a devoted audience who was glad to be back. It was a fantastic night and the perfect way for Stone Soup to begin again.

The Stone Soup Croutons also begins again on a new day. I hope I can keep doing this the morning after. This morning was especially tough, given all the lifting and moving I've been doing for the last two days to get Stone Soup ready. Still, I owe a poem to everyone who showed last night. Hard to find a common thread with so many different styles on display last night. To be honest, I feel the poem does a 180 in the middle of it. All that helped me come up with the title.

Enjoy. It's good to be back.


Holy Mess

And the moment in time
will be marked with a breath
on the nightstand glass,
a tapped beat on the table.

Less Than Ten...

I'm so nervous.

Here We Go

Don't Forget tonight!

Share the event!

The Podium Made It!

Last night I dropped off the Stone Soup podium (painted by Deb Priestly so many years ago) at Brew on the Grid.

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.