Tuesday, September 22, 2026

September 24-26: 20th Annual Indie Lit Festival in Frostburg, Maryland

I am looking forward to being part of the Western Maryland Independent Literature Festival in beautiful Frostburg, Maryland, this week. I'll be representing Crisis Chronicles Press in the bookfair Saturday and we hope to have copies of John Dorsey's brand-new book, Trump Stamp, available, as well as our 2026 revised edition of my own The Wrest of the Worthwhile and other favorite CCP titles.

Besides the book fair, the festival also includes an SMPA/CLA Poetry Slam on Thursday, a kickoff reading featuring Stephen Haven on Friday, and an array of readings, workshops, and panels followed by an open mic and a punk show by The Downstrokes with the Subtastics on Saturday. For more details, please follow the Frostburg State University Center for Literary Arts on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/174701457615.



Tuesday, September 8, 2026

You've Been Poemed! anthology from Sheila-Na-Gig Editions

Find a galaxy of poets in this wondrous new anthology, edited by Sandra Feen and Dianne Borsenik and forthcoming from Sheila-Na-Gig Editions. A poem of mine ("Faithwalking") appears in it as well. 

Pre-order now and get $5 off at https://sheilanagigblog.com/shop-sheila-na-gig-editions/feen_poemed.

Saturday, September 5, 2026

September 19: Join us for Open Poetry on Baber Mountain in West Virginia

Join us Saturday, September 19th near Richwood, West Virginia, for wild and wonderful poetry hosted by Bob Henry Baber, author of Pure Orange Sunshine. All are welcome. 

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

September 4 & 5: National Beat Poetry Foundation Honors and Virtual Festival Open Mic


I am grateful to be among those being honored by the National Beat Poetry Foundation this weekend. Hearty congratulations to all the other honorees. 

This year's award recipients:

Donovan: New Generation Beat Poet Laureate (2026-Lifetime)

John Burroughs: New Generation Beat Poet Laureate (2026-Lifetime)

Richard Modiano: New Generation Beat Poet Laureate (2026-Lifetime)

Ma Yongbo: New Generation Beat Poet Laureate (2026-Lifetime)

Belinda Subraman: New Generation Beat Poet Laureate (2026-Lifetime)

Joe Kidd: New Generation Beat Poet Laureate (2026-Lifetime)

Ian J. McKenzie: International Beat Poet Laureate (2026-2027)

Nancy Mercado: New Generation Beat Poet Laureate (2026-Lifetime)

Fadil Bajraj: New Generation Beat Poet Laureate (2026-Lifetime)

Prince A. McNally: State of New York Beat Poet Laureate (2026-2028)

Jared Morningstar: State of Michigan Beat Poet Laureate (2026-2028)

P.W. Covington: U.S. National Beat Poet Laureate (2026-2027)

Please email Debbie Tosun Kilday at NBPF15@gmail.com if you're interested in participating in the Saturday open mic.

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Friday, August 28, 2026

Video: The All American Poetry Parade features my "Random Rules"

Thanks so much to Scot Young and Rusty Truck for including my poem "Random Rules" in their All American Poetry Parade alongside some mighty fine poets! 

Read my poem at https://rustytruck.wordpress.com/2026/08/28/john-burroughs-2/.

Watch a video of me reading it at https://substack.com/profile/116085178-scot-young/note/c-324606921.

View the entire parade by clicking the image below.



Tuesday, August 25, 2026

My "Random Rules" Appears in Free OPA Digital Anthology


My David Berman-inspired poem "Random Rules" appears in Our Poems to America, a new digital collection published by the Ohio Poetry Association and viewable and downloadable on their website.

https://www.ohiopoetryassn.org/poetryforamerica250

Other contributors include Doc Janning, Linda Brown, Alexis ThePoet Jackson, Michelle Tackla Wallace, Harry S. Stoughton, Cathryn Essinger, Holly Brians Ragusa, Benjamin Baughman, David Lee Garrison, and Justice Hill.

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Video: Geoff Anderson of diVERSES Poetry interviews John Burroughs

It was good to chat about meaningful things recently with Geoff Anderson of diVERSES Poetry. Though I love the Ohio Poetry Association, I recently stepped away from my vice president role to focus more on some other priorities. At this stage of my life, I find I have more questions than answers. And some stories need a whole book (or library) to tell. This is a short promo clip. If you want to hear our entire hourlong conversation, it is now available at https://youtu.be/oMbKUSaFONM


Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Awash Returns Ashore!

[August UPDATE: These are now all sold out. Thank you so much to everyone who picked up a copy or two! The original post follows.]

My most recent chapbook, AWASH, was published in July 2025 in a very limited edition by Evansville's Pure Sleeze Press (alongside chaps by John Dorsey, Jason Ryberg, Scott Laudati, and Tony Brewer). AWASH has been out of print since that original run almost immediately sold out.

However.... 

I have just found (among things that I never fully unpacked from last year's road trip to the U.S. Southwest) FIFTEEN unread author copies of AWASH. I'm numbering them 1 through 15, signing them, and selling them on a first come, first serve basis to help fund my forthcoming revised and expanded edition of The Wrest of the Worthwhile.

While they last, if you want a copy (shipped to you free), send me $10 US via Venmo (@jesuscrisis), CashApp ($crisischronicles), PayPal (jc@crisischronicles.com), or cash/check to John Burroughs, 535 Parkside Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio 44143 USA.


Reviews of AWASH:

"John's poems make me think and stop for a second and see things in a different way. Good writers do that."

     —Scot Young, author of Brautigan Meets BukowskiAll Around Cowboy, and more

In reading (and rereading) AWASH, I have only found more to admire in Burroughs' concision, precision, dexterity, and vulnerability. These are beautiful, tenderly-rendered poems.

     —Jennifer Browne, author of American CrowThe Salt of the Geologic World, and more

Throughout AWASH (Pure Sleeze Press, 2024), John Burroughs condenses the big stuff of life into fistfuls of resonant words like the strange debris that comes awash upon the shores of everyday consciousness. 

"Each step into abyss leads to
where feet become ungrounded,
hearts astounded."
(stanza 3, "Faithwalking")

"Potential Energy" from this beautifully produced poetry chapbook will be reprinted in the second volume of Stormwash: Environmental Poems (Seaker Press, August 2025).

     —Hiromi Yoshida, author of Umami, Icarus in Crete, Icarus Superstar, and more


Poems in Awash:

Faithwalking
Darshan
Shaktipat
Bilateral Heart Moon Resolution
Aura
Beacon
Hunger
A Wait, A Final Fall
Deluge
Critical Condition
A Superior Stimulant
But for Now
Potential Energy
Selkie

ISBN: 979-8-88596-400-5. 

Finally, deepest thanks to Jonathan S Baker, K Arizona, and Antoine Ball of Pure Sleeze for seeing this work into print in the first place.

Sunday, July 26, 2026

July 28 on Zoom: Time to Arrive Open Mic features John Burroughs

I look forward to joining recent California Beat Poet Laureate Dane Ince and the Time to Arrive Open Mic community as their featured artist this Tuesday, July 28th at 9 p.m. Eastern (that's 6 p.m. Pacific and cetera). Find the Zoom link at eyepublishewe.com or click the photo below.