Lightning & Water

I am happy to report I have a new publication available for your reading (and listening) pleasure. My friends at Words Dance have posted my poem "Lightning in a Bottle, Water in a Net," along with a sound file of my reading of it. Check it out and then explore the entire site. It is one of the best online publications I've been associated with (and not just because they have published me a few times). The marriage of visual art, poetry, and sound is always of the highest quality.

Readings

We had a great turnout on Thursday September 18 at the inaugural reading in this season's Third Thursday series in Takoma Park. Thanks to all who attended and kudos to my fellow three readers, Tony Mancus, Bonnie Naradzay, and Luc Phinney. If you missed it but would like to experience it, Takoma Park City TV has the entire reading posted. Click the Poetry tab and then the Third Thursday Poetry-September 18, 2014 link. The program actually begins at about 4:15. If you want to see just my portion, I put it on YouTube.

October's reading promises to be equally good. It will feature Naomi Thiers, Rocky Delaplaine, Garrett Phelan, and Jonathan Katz. Details on Takoma Park's poetry page. Hope to see you there!

September Poetry News

I am very happy to have a couple of items of poetic interest to post.

• My Lovely Friend and very talented poet Naomi Thiers has a new chapbook coming out from Finishing Line Press, publishers of her previous book In Yolo County and my own Drinking Weather. It's titled She Was a Cathedral and contains poems honoring women, some famous, some the author's friends and family, some observed with the poet's keen eye. It can be pre-ordered here: Finishing Line Press. Please order by October 10 if you can so Naomi can get sufficient pre-orders to assure the largest possible press run. The book should ship in late November.

• Naomi will no doubt be reading some of the poems from the new book, along with old favorites, when she joins me and two other poets TBA at the opening reading of the 2014-2015 Third Thursday Series in Takoma Park, MD, on Thursday September 18 at 7:30 p.m. Hit the link for details and a map. This is my second time reading in the series, her first, and our first time as featured readers on the same bill. We hope those of you in or near the DC area will join us.

UPDATE 09-04-14: Unfortunately, the Takoma Park folks have rescheduled Naomi's reading to Thursday October 16. Time and place are the same as mine and I hope those of you who can will come to both readings.

Delphic Interview

I recently had the pleasure and privilege of being interviewed about my poetry and related issues by none other than my Lovely Friend Naomi Thiers, on behalf of Delphi Quarterly, an excellent online journal that specializes in interviews with writers. (I blogged about it not long ago when Naomi was featured.) The result, deftly edited and wonderfully introduced by Delphi's editor Ramola D., is now online. Read it, then check out the rest of this fine site.

Awarded!

I am very pleased to report that on Friday May 9, 2014, I was awarded the 2014 Larry Neal Writers' Award for adult poetry. These awards, now in their 31st year, are given by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and honor the great African-American writer and activist who served as the first chairman of the Commission. It is therefore a special honor and pleasure for me to be recognized by and in the city that I have called home for almost 34 years. My thanks to the many of followers of this blog who have been my readers and supporters!

Poetry Month

It is April and that means warmer weather (I hope!) and that the flood of poetry in honor of National Poetry Month is beginning. Here's a fine poem by one of our best poets, Yusef Komunyakaa: Daytime Begins with a Line by Anna Akhmatova.

Closer to home, I am delighted to report that my poem "Poem beginning with a found line," recently published in Broadkill Review, will be on display outside the New Deal Café in Greenbelt, MD, as part of their Poetry Moment Project. In connection with this, I will be reading during a National Poetry Month reading and reception on Sunday April 6 at the Café from 2-4 p.m. If you are in the DC area, please attend. The link has information about the Café, including address, phone number, and directions.

Add some poetry to your day every day in April...and always!

New Year News

Welcome to 2014! I have two items of interest to poetry lovers.

§ The 2014 Split This Rock Festival, presenting and celebrating poems of provocation and witness, is coming soon. Running from March 27-30, this event offers workshops, panel discussions, socializing, opportunities for activism, and readings featuring a stellar lineup of writers. The organizers particularly want the public to know that readings by the festival's featured poets are free and open to all and they would love to have large numbers attend, especially residents of the Washington, DC metro area. This festival is a long-running tradition and, to my knowledge, there is nothing like anywhere else. It deserves the strong support and participation of DC-area poets, literary folks of all kinds, and activists. For more information and to register, visit the Split This Rock website.

§ On a more personal note, I want to point my readers a newly posted interview with my dear friend, companion, and comrade-in-poetry Naomi, whose wonderful book, In Yolo County, I have written about before, has an excellent interview at Delphi Quarterly, an online journal featuring interviews with writers of all kind, in which she discusses the genesis of the book and gives some fascinating insights into her process of writing it. It's touching and informative and a good reminder that if you haven't bought the book, now is a good time to do so. Links to ordering it are in the article.

Happy New Year and may it be productive and poetic!