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.

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.

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. 

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.

What I did for The Sealey Challenge this year

For this year's Sealey Challenge, I nearly finished reading Ghost City Press' 2017 Summer Series of digital chapbooks.

You can download and read them all for free at https://ghostcitypress.com/2017-summer-microchap-series/2017-summer-series-the-complete-collection-1.