Twelve books I've read in January 2015

Vending Machine: Poetry for Change, Volume 5 [2014, The Poet's Haven Press]
Double Life by Heather McNaugher [2014, NightBallet Press]
When I Pick Up My Wings from the Dry Cleaner by Lisa Cihlar [2014, Blue Light Press]
Where You Are by Jason Irwin [2014, NightBallet Press]
Unscathed by Jennifer Hambrick [2014, NightBallet Press]
Sister, Blood and Bone by Paula Cary [2013, Blood Pudding Press]
oh yes, this was earned: blood poems for non-violent lovers by Kate Sopko [2005, self published]
They Talk About Death by Alessandra Bava [2014, Blood Pudding Press]
Be Closer for My Burn by Robin Wyatt Dunn [2015, Crisis Chronicles Pres]
Men and Their Whims by Laura Madeline Wiseman [2013, Writing Knights Press]
Blink-Ink #18 edited by Doug Mathewson [2015, Blink Ink Print]
Rotations by Jake St. John [2015, NightBallet Press]

https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/2067883

NineSense series and Robin Wyatt Dunn's chapbook Be Closer for My Burn launched by Crisis Chronicles Press

Cover photo by Steven B. Smith

Crisis Chronicles Press is pleased to announce the publication of Robin Wyatt Dunn's Be Closer for My Burn in January 2015.  It is the first release in our new NineSense series of loaded nine poem chapbooks by authors whose work you should know, if you don't already.

Choose U.S. or International

US Orders $4.99 USD International $6.99 USD

Available for only $4.99 from Crisis Chronicles Press, 3344 W. 105th Street #4, Cleveland, Ohio 44111 USA.

Be Closer for My Burn is 8.5 x 5.5", hand bound and saddle stapled.  Print run: 99 copies.  ISBN: 978-1-940996-15-8.

Robin Wyatt Dunn writes and teaches in Los Angeles. This is his fourth chapbook, and the first with an actual print run.

Snoetry 2015 Write-Up in the Erie Times-News

Thanks to Dave Richards!  Click here to read his preview of this year's Snoetry: A Winter Wordfest in Saturday's Erie Times-News.  With a headline that begins "Poets Blow," one never knows what to expect.

See more about January 24th's Snoetry, including a full schedule of featured poets, on my previous blog entry.

Snoetry 2015 happening January 24 at the Avalon Hotel in Erie, Pennsylvania!

The Lix and Kix Poetry Extravaganza, in association with the Erie County Poet Laureate Initiative and members of Poet's Hall are pleased to present the fifth annual Snoetry: A Winter Wordfest on January 24th 2015 from 1 to 11 p.m. at the Avalon Hotel in the Erie, Pennsylvania. Featured poets from several states will perform!

Here's how the schedule stands so far:

1-5 pm will be family friendly (PG-13) 
1:10 Opening poems by John Burroughs and Dianne Borsenik
1:20 Jess Scutella
1:30 Fred Whitehead
1:40 Christina Reily Brown
1:50 Charlene Cotton-Atchison
2:00 Thasia Anne
2:10 Paul Eisert
2:20 Greg Brown
2:30 Julie Marchand
2:40 Joan Papalia-Eisert
2:50 Kim Noyes
3:00 Christina Brooks
3:10 Charles Cicirella
3:20 Break
3:30 George Guida
3:40 10,000
3:50 Team Finks
4:00 Berwyn Moore
4:10 Ben Brendise
4:20 Break
4:30 Chuck Joy
4:40 Kathy Smith
4:50 Lennart Lundh
5:00 Juliet Cook
5:10 Wendy Shaffer
5:20 Steven Smith
5:30 Krystal Sierra
5:40 Bradley Meyer
5:50 Josh Romig
6:00 Nick Givechi
6:10 Shawn King
6:20 Break
6:30 Keith Moses
6:40 Veronica Hopkins
6:50 Luchetta Manus
7:00 Marisa Moks-Unger
7:10 Shelley Chernin
7:20 Tessa Kay
7:30 Brandon Williamson
7:40 John Swain
7:50 Christine Stroud
8:00 Lazyrus
8:10 Bree
8:20 Lev Burykin
8:30 Cas
8:40 Peachez
8:50 Mike Bush
9:00 Michael Bennett
9:10 Lynn Alexander
9:20 Break
9:30 Sean Thomas Dougherty
9:40 Dan Maynard
9:50 Luke Kuzmish
10:00 Poet Joe Gallagher
10:10 Sarah Shotland
10:20 Bigg Wash
10:30 Malikah Shabazz
10:40 Ellis Crockett
10:50 Closing poems by John, Dianne, and Cee Williams

www.snoetry.com
www.facebook.com/Snoetry2015

Snoetry: A Winter Wordfest is brought to you this year with generous support on multiple levels from the Erie County Poet Laureate Initiative.  We are most grateful!

LadySings

Through blue headache
my words come hard
Colt 45 to my lips
I pull its trigger
feel the spill
down my throat

Her words and hers
come easier
taste better
give greater relief
inspire envy in
Billy Dee Williams

2015 Crisis Chronicles Press Publication Schedule

Those who know me best know I am always (at least since 2009) behind in my Crisis Chronicles Press commitments.  There are a number of reasons for this.  One minor one is that I've traditionally had difficulty saying no to a project I love, even if I have a lot on my plate already.  Though "we" are pretty much a one-person operation, some of the best writing I've ever encountered has made it into my inbox and I just had to say yes to publishing it.  However, I'm doing better at setting limits for myself.  Actually, I committed to doing better around a year ago, though I'm still working on making my better even better and catching up.  Being so far behind is simply unacceptable. 

With that in mind, I've put together an ambitious 2015 publishing schedule that I believe I can stick to (albeit somewhat flexibly).  Bear in mind that this schedule is inexact.  Some of the publications will be perfect bound and require me to pay a printer, while others will be hand-bound with materials I already have on hand.  Sometimes, if funds are short, I may skip ahead and do a less expensive book out of order.  Also, some of these books have firmer deadlines than others, either because they were submitted and accepted for publication earlier than others or because they already have immutable launch events scheduled for them.  And you'll notice I've frontloaded the schedule a bit, so it looks like Crisis Chronicles has less on tap for the second half of the year.  That'll give us some catch up time if we need it.  But no matter what, all these books will be published in 2015. 

And what fine books they are!  I am thrilled to have the privilege of publishing such excellent work by some of the world's best living writers.  I'm pretty sure you're gonna love these books as well.

Reminder: this schedule is only a rough guideline.  A few titles may get moved around depending on how things go, but hopefully not too much. 

[Last updated 3//2015.]


January 2015:

#ThisISCLE: An Anthology of the 2014 Best Cleveland Poem Competition by various authors (edited by Dianne Borsenik)

Be Closer for My Burn by Robin Wyatt Dunn

February 2015:

Poems for Explosion by John G. Hall

March 2015:

Cutting the Möbius by Jonathan Thorn

Thunderclap Amen by Dianne Borsenik

Ohio Triangle by Alex Gildzen

Balefire by Susan A. Sheppard

Bookmobile by David S. Pointer

Contents Under Pressure by Kevin Ridgeway

When You Don't Know Who You Are by Alinda Dickinson Wasner


April 2015:

Oct Tongue 2 by Eric Anderson, Margaret Bashaar, Dianne Borsenik, Kathleen Cerveny, Juliet Cook, Mark Sebastian Jordan, Lyn Lifshin, and George Wallace

Special Watch by Richard M. O'Donnell

May 2015:

god save your mad parade by Austen Roye

Matilda's Battle Waltz by Tracie Morell

June 2015:

Fractured Fairy Tales by William Merricle

Ship of Theseus by Christopher Willard

July 2015:

Of Friends & Liars & Intelligent Crows by Carolyn Srygley-Moore

Inquiry into Loneliness by Meg Harris

August 2015:

Desire Doesn't Work Here by Lisa Cihlar

Field Notes by Heather Ann Schmidt

September 2015:

Turnstile Burlesque by John Greiner

This Frankenstein Union by Esteban Colon

October 2015:

The Gravity of Chainsaws by Azriel Johnson

Malformed Confetti by Juliet Cook

PLUS (months yet to be determined for these - could be in November, December or earlier depending on time and when the manuscripts are finalized):

Works by Christopher Franke, Catherine Criswell, John Dorsey, Helen Shepard, Steven B. Smith, and ?


That's more than two dozen publications.  So if there was ever a year to purchase a year's subscription to Crisis Chronicles Press, this is it.  Thank you for your amazing support and patience and poetry.

Peace, love and all of the above,
John

The 61 books I read in 2014

56 were poetry or mostly poetry.
Most were under 100 pages and published by small presses.
12 were books I published via Crisis Chronicles Press.

Click here to see the full list at Goodreads.

I'm aiming to read 100 in 2015.

Gratitude

Many thanks to everyone who made last night's edition of the Monday at Mahall's Poetry and Prose Series so remarkably beautiful. I'm having difficulty mustering adequate words, but my heart is full. I especially want to thank the evening's featured poet Jeffrey Bowen; the other "Best Cleveland Poem" anthology contributors who read (Renay Sanders, JP Armstrong, Ray McNiece, Anita Herczog [accompanied by Ryann Anderson], Steven Smith [who also provided the cover art], and Dianne Borsenik [who also served as project editor]; and the twenty or so incredible (wow!) folk who shared during the open mic. It was also very cool to see and talk with friends old and new (though there's never enough time). And I wanna give a shout out to Tim Misny, who sponsors the competition. My brain is a blur this week, but true poetry lives! It is heart, pain, laughter, protest, memory and soul. Thanks to you, life is rich.  This is Cleveland.

Hope to see you next month!