Crisis Chronicles Press publishes Fragile by Brandon Johnson

Crisis Chronicles Press is happy to announce the publication of Fragile, the debut collection of poetry by Ohio's own Brandon Johnson.

 

"Brandon Johnson’s poems explore emotional and physical pain—and the beauty that can be found in the midst of such pain. From bone fractures to dura mater, from grief and loneliness to love and dreams, Johnson reminds readers that hope is always within reach. Held together through clips of time, these poems move us forward and backward and forward again toward healing, toward light."
—Nicole Robinson, author of Without a Field Guide

 

Fragile is a 74-page, 5.5" x 8.5", perfect bound paperback with cover art by the author.  Shipping on 25 September 2023. ISBN 979-8-88596-997-0. Available for $10 from Crisis Chronicles Press, 535 Parkside Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44143 USA. 

 

You may also order via Venmo (@jesuscrisis) or CashApp ($crisischronicles). Please add three dollars for shipping.

Brandon was born in 1995 in Cleveland, Ohio. At the age of two, he was adopted by the amazing Johnson family. He has always been fascinated by the fantastical world of comic books and mythology. Growing up, he often felt alone even though he was always around a caregiver or an adult. Through reading comics and other works of fiction, he was able to escape the confines of his physical body and let his imagination liberate his soul. He had a hard time accepting his disability and his physical appearance, leading to depression and self-isolation. Over the years, through writing and the creative arts, Brandon has learned to embrace his oddities. His poem "My Soul" has been featured in the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University's Traveling Stanzas.

Work in Four New Anthologies

Voices: Dahlias, Gods & Mermaids, edited by Dave Boles [2023, Cold River Press].

Eleven of my poems—"Bearing Her," "Darshan," "Selkie," "Shaktipat," "Beat," "Beacon," "Deluge," "Crossover," "Killer," "A Wait, A Final Fall," and "Yearning to Combine"— appear in this volume, alongside work by Dave Boles, D.R. Wagner, S.A. Griffin, Charles Plymell, Karl Kempton, A.D. Winans, Belinda Subraman, Sharon Gariepy Frye, Joe Kidd, Sheila Burke, Deborah C. Segal, and many more.

Available from https://www.coldriverpress.com/HTML/VOICES/voices.htm.

 

Spoken Word in the Woods: an anthology celebrating the Word Stage at the North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival, edited by Paul Richmond [2023, Human Error Publishing].

Four of my poems—"Sprouting Onion," "Pedigree," "Dog Day," and "Dog Day Too"— appear in this volume, alongside work by Paul Richmond, Abiodun Oyewole, Doug Anderson, Deborah Tosun Kilday, Amy Laprade, Angel Martinez, Carlos Raul Dufflar, Lee Desrosiers, Karen Warinsky, Richard Wayne Horton, Robert Eugene Perry, Sharon Harmon, Tommy Twilite, Tony Vacca, Ernest Brute + Object Echo, and many more.

Available from https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143996106.

 

Hope Springs Eternal: An Anthology of Hopeful Poetry, edited by JR Simons [2023, Simple Simons Press].

Three of my poems—"Snoetry Invocation," "Gatha," and "In the Wake"— appear in this volume, alongside work by J.R. Simons, Amanda Hayden, Joseph Balaz, Jessica Weyer-Bentley, Christen Lee, Ashley Pacholewski, Barbara Sabol, A. Garnet Weiss, Sandra Gill, Joel Lipman, Tom Barden, LaVern Spencer McCarthy, Emily Jane Vandenbos Style, J.V. Sadler, and Julie Marie Hoey.

Available from https://www.simple-simons-press.com/simple-simons-press-poetry.

 

Poem for Cleveland anthology, edited by Ray McNiece, design by Tim Lachina [2023, Red Giant Books]

My poem "Divided We Fall Together" appears in this volume, alongside work by Ray McNiece, Terry Provost, Maj Ragain, Daniel Thompson, Dianne Borsenik, Siaara Freeman, Shelley Chernin, Kisha Nicole Foster, Michael Salinger, Phil Terman, Larry Smith, Christine Howey, Michael Gill, Diane Vogel Ferri, Diana Lueptow, Toni Thayer, Byron Hoot, Jennifer Browne, Miles Budimir, Geoffrey Landis, Gillian Johns, Steven B. Smith, Lee Chilcote, Elana Pitts, Mary Weems, Russ Vidrick, Mimi Plevin-Foust, Geoff Polk, Michael Loderstadt, Jill Lange, Conor Bracken, Raja Belle Freeman, Bob Coughlin, Tim Richards, Doc Janning, Cora McCann Liderbach, Bonnie Jacobson, Charlene Fix, Alex Gildzen, Gail Bellamy, Stephen Bellamy, Nicole Hennessy, Tim Joyce, Linda Goodman Robiner, Leonard Trawick, Vladimir Swirynsky, Adrian Schnall, Nina Freedlander Gibans, Haley Schwenk, Cathy Barber, Robert Miltner, Amy Sparks, Laurie Kincer, Mary A. Turzillo, Elijah Perseus Blumov, Diane Kendig, John Donoghue, Steve Thomas, Mark Kuhar, Karen Schubert, Sara Holbrook, Philip Metres, Vince Robinson, Katie Daley, John Stickney, Joe Gizmo, Jim Szudy, Russell Atkins, Michelle R. Smith, RC Wilson, Darlene Montonaro, Steve Goldberg, Claire McMahon, Kathy Smith, Ben Gulyas, S. Renay Sanders, Bill Newby, Marilyn Oliveras de Ortiz, Laura Grace Weldon, George Bilgere, and many more.

Western Maryland Independent Literature Festival: Sept. 28-30 in Frostburg, MD

 

28 thru 30 September 2023 in Frostburg, Maryland
The Frostburg State University Center for Literary Arts presents their 18th annual Western Maryland Independent Literature Festival.

• 9/28: Savage Mountain Punk Arts poetry slam featuring John Burroughs, 7:30 pm, at Clatter, 15 S. Broadway, 21532.
  
  
• 9/29: Featured reading by Joseph Bathanti at Clatter, 15 S. Broadway, 21532.
  
  
• 9/29: This Close to Vertigo Release Party at the Deep End, 16 W. Main Street, 21532.
  
  
• 9/30: Indie Lit book fair (including Crisis Chronicles Press, Venetian Spider Press and many more), 11 am to 4 pm at City Place, 14 S. Water Street, 21532.
  
  
• 9/30: Readings/workshops/panels from 11 am to 4 pm, including a 3 pm reading by Rolling Stock poets William F. DeVault, John Burroughs, Carlo Parcelli and Daniel McTaggart at City Place, 14 S. Water Street, 21532.
  
  

Special thanks to Jennifer Browne, Savage Mountain Punk Arts, Gerry LaFemina, Mercedes Hettich, and the Frostburg State University Center for Literary Arts.

What's up with Crisis Chronicles Press in Fall 2023?

Apparently, the rumors of our demise are slightly exaggerated. Although we are not accepting submissions at this time (because someone always asks), Crisis Chronicles Press will have a busy Fall: releasing a long-awaited book by Brandon Johnson this month, plotting the production of Oct Tongue 3, and participating in book fairs at the Western Maryland Independent Literature Festival and Lit Youngstown's 7th annual Fall Literary Festival.

If you feel inclined to buy a book or otherwise donate to the cause, please visit us at http://ccpress.blogspot.com/p/crisis-chronicles-press-catalog.html.