The Gasconade Review Presents: Missouri Is a Ghost-Shaped Thing

Thrilled that 3 newer poems of mine appear in fine company in this new issue of the Gasconade Review edited by John Dorsey and Jason Ryberg pic.twitter.com/kCnZL6I6B6

— John Burroughs (@jesuscrisis) July 30, 2018

Contact riverdoglane89@gmail.com to procure your own copy of The Gasconade Review Presents: Missouri Is a Ghost-Shaped Thing. The book also features work by Justin Hamm, Scot Young, Jonie McIntire, Joel Lipman, Dianne Borsenik, Steve Henn, Margaret Crocker, Daniel Crocker, Shawn Pavey, Jim McGowin, Shawn Pavey, Jeanette Powers, Mike James, Kevin Peery, Stef Russell, Melvin Litton, Lori Brack, Roy Beckemeyer, Virginia Harold, Benji Kuzemka, Jason Vaughn, W.E. Leathem, Timothy Geiger, James Benger, Kerry Trautman, Paul Koniecki, Michael Hackney, Marybeth Niederkorn, Joseph Davis, Gary Lechliter, James Brubaker, Victor Clevenger, K.S. Wuertz, Alison Erazmus, Jeff Hogue, John Dorsey, Brett Underwood, Sean Arnold, Ken Brown, Annette Hope Billings, Jamie Rhodes and Josh Crow. My three included poems are "Unfounded," "Ataraxis," and "No Other."

Inkubator, Amherst, Athens, Chicago, Buffalo, Erie, Lakewood, Michigan, Akron, Maryland, Kansas City, Columbus and more coming up

Dianne Borsenik and I will have the pleasure of performing at the Athens Community Arts & Music Festival the afternoon of August 18th. And that's just one of the many great events I'm looking for forward to participating in during the next few months. Just my featured readings and book fairs include:

8/4 - 2018 Cleveland Inkubator Festival at Cleveland Public Library
8/11 - Arabica Coffee Bistro in Amherst, OH
8/18 - with Dianne at the Athens Community Arts & Music Festival
8/20 - W4TB at Uncharted Books in Chicago, IL
8/24 - Dog Ears Bookstore & Cafe in Buffalo, NY
8/28 - Calamari's Squid Row in Erie, PA
9/18 - Poetry+ at Art on Madison in Lakewood, OH
9/21 - International Beat Poetry Festival in Monroe, MI
9/28 - with Raymond McNiece at Nervous Dog Coffee Bar in Akron, OH
10/5-6 - 2018 Western Maryland Indie Lit Festival in Frostburg, MD
10/12-14 - Fountainverse: KC Small Press Poetry Fest in Kansas City
10/26 - with Anna Soter at Gramercy Books Bexley near Columbus, OH

...and more to be announced when either the events or my arrangements are nailed down.

I Misc You Again

Here are a few of the things I wanted to blog about in recent months but never did.

I have poems forthcoming in three places:
Pudding Magazine: The Journal of Applied Poetry #67
Missouri is a Ghost-Shaped Thing: Gasconade Review 2
BEAT-itude: National Beat Poetry Festival 10-Year Anthology

On April 2nd, Marcia Epstein interviewed me for her Talk with ME podcast.

In May, I was interviewed on video for Sundress Publications' CookBook project.

My poem "Unfounded" was a finalist (3rd place) in Goodreads' June 2018 poetry contest.

There are new reviews of my 2018 chapbook Loss and Foundering [Nightballet Press] here and here.

And Diane Kendig recently wrote a clerihew about me.

More soon, including a video clip from my performance at the National Beat Poetry Festival on June 2nd in New Hartford, Connecticut.  Stay tuned....

Student Loan Free

There are so many sad and bad things in the world today, but I have a bit of good news. For the first time since 1987, today I am student loan free! 31 years ago when I was a student at Lorain County Community College, I borrowed $2058. It took me paying a total of $9425 over more than three decades to finally rid myself of this albatross. I'm grateful that Pell Grants, a Dean's scholarship and a supportive mom prevented me from having to borrow more. But my obligation was a mere drop in the ocean compared to what many of my friends have had to borrow to pay for their educations. Student loan reform is essential. And free college or trade school for young Americans is as doable as free high school if we only want to make it a priority.

MAC Literary Night in Morgantown, West Virginia, 7/17

This Tuesday at 7 p.m. I will have the honor of reading in Morgantown with US Beat Poet Laureate William F. DeVault, Maryland Beat Poet Laureate Carlo Parcelli and West Virginia Beat Poet Laureate Daniel McTaggart. We'll also be celebrating the newly released book Stranger to Blue Water: A West Virginia Poetry Anthology.

Monongalia Arts Center

107 High Street
Morgantown, WV 26505

https://www.facebook.com/events/1879607268767342/

Video of Last Night's Inspiration Showcase in Canton, Ohio

Many thanks to Writing Knights for hosting us on July 13th at The Local. The evening began with a reading by Akron poet Paul Mangus. My reading (begins around the 17:30 mark on the video) was next, followed by Writing Knights' first ever "sWord Fight" (between JM Romig and Jamie Laubacher). Skylark Bruce served as emcee and Azriel Johnson ran tech. The poems I read were:

"Suite Melissa"
"Sibyl"
"From Genesis to Exodus"
"Inner Expedition"
"Tell Them I Am Sent You"
"Odd Missive"
"Unfounded"

Watch it all here: https://www.facebook.com/writingknights/videos/2252418084783421/

All of these poems I read came from my recent NightBallet Press book, Loss and Foundering, except three: "Odd Missive" (new and unpublished), "Inner Expedition" (from Beat Attitude, NightBallet, 2015) and "Tell Them I Am Sent You" (from Electric Company, 2011, Writing Knights).

Inspiration Showcase 7/13 in Canton

Thanks to everyone who came out to Visible Voice Books last night. Fine words and people! Smith was all that and more. If you missed it :( - or if you didn't but just want more :) - you can catch me at The Local in Canton this Friday the 13th, where Paul Mangus and I will be the featured performers, plus Writing Knights will host their first-ever "sWord fight" (between Josh Romig and Jamie Laubacher). They'll have an open mic as well. Take the Knight Off: Inspiration Showcase.