October 26 on Zoom: Watching the Potomac Burn book launch

Next up - October 26th on Zoom - my friend Carolyn Srygley-Moore (a.k.a. C Leigh Srygley) is celebrating the launch of her new book, Watching the Potomac Burn, hosted by Dane Ince, and I'm happy to be one of the poets sharing work in support. We hope you'll join us!

Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1527480008379180.

[27 October update: I ended up reading four poems at this event: “When the Bat Signal Goes Dark,” “With Breath and Without,” “A Kiss for David Johansen,” and “Add My Tears to the Bodies of Water.”]

August 16th with Venetian Spider Press in Morgantown, West Virginia

Next up, on August 16th from 1 to 5 p.m., I'll have the privilege of reading and signing books with other Venetian Spider Press authors including award-winning poets William F. DeVault, Patricia Nwoko and Daniel McTaggart at the Barnes & Noble in Morgantown, West Virginia. 

Barnes & Noble
University Town Center
2814 University Town Center Drive
Morgantown, WV 26501
(304) 599-1294

[Click photo for more information]

Reading for the Bronx Book Fair August 13th

Next up, I'll have the privilege of sharing poetry with these fine folks on Saturday, August 13th as part of this year's Bronx Book Fair, happening on Zoom. Please send a message to Executive Director Lorraine Currelley at bronxbookfair@gmail.com to register.

4:00 PM

Marion Deutsche Cohen, Edward D. Currelley, Arlene Klein, Alison Koffler, Stephen Kuusisto, Prince A. McNally, Deedle Tomlinson, Tim Tomlinson, and Dayl Wise

4:45 PM

John Burroughs, William F. DeVault, Dane Ince, Patricia Ince (aka Tish The Writer), Debbie Tosun Kilday, Carlo Parcelli, Chryssa Velissariou, and Ron Whitehead

5:30 PM

Makeela B. Amani, Robert Anthony Gibbons, Bobby Gonzalez, Jesus Papoleto Melendez, Mutiu Olawuyi, Eva Lianou Petropoulou, Julia Stein, and Danielle Stelluto (aka Poetical Dee)

6:15 PM

Roxanne Hoffman, Pierre Joris, Michael Lally, Linda Lerner, Abiodun Oyewole, Nicole Peyrafitte, Zev Torres, Tony Towle, George Wallace, and Joseph Weil

Bronx Book Fair 2022 Theme: And Still We Rise!

2021 Bronx Book Fair

The annual Bronx Book Fair is happening virtually again this weekend (July 30th and 31st) and I'm thrilled to be part of it as a reader and facilitator, alongside some remarkable authors including fellow Beat Poets Laureate George Wallace, William F. DeVault and Carlo Parcelli. For more information on all the Fair's happenings, follow their Facebook page. The session I'm facilitating will happen on Saturday the 31st and is the second of two Literary Jam Sessions that will begin at 5 p.m Eastern. Tune in on Zoom.

Vaccinated, Beat and 4/22 Focus on Ferlinghetti

Hi, friends! It's been an eventful past week. On Wednesday the 14th I drove to Hartville to receive my second Covid-19 vaccine shot. I experienced a little soreness in my arm and a slight malaise the next day, but it was not as bad as it was after my first shot last month (and that wasn't so bad either).

On the 17th, I had the honor of reading online with several Beat Poets Laureate for National Poetry Month (hosted by the National Beat Poetry Foundation). I led off the event and shared four poems: "Will (or a Way of Heming)," "Flagging," "Disciples" and "Random Rules." Then poets David K. Leff, William F. DeVault, Tammi Truax, Leo Jarret, Virginia Shreve and Ernel Grant followed, all with strong performances. Thank you to all who attended! If you missed it (or want to watch again), the NBPF plans to post video on their YouTube page in the next week or so.

I'm still doing a lot fewer events than usual, due to the pandemic. But I have one more coming up this month. On Thursday 22 April at 8 p.m. Eastern, I will participate in Focus on Ferlinghetti, a tribute to the late great Lawrence, hosted by Joliet Junior College and Bill Yarrow. Besides Bill and me, the other writers who will share include Mike Hainzinger, Pam Miller, John Raffetto, Joani Reese, and Bud Smith. This is a free event. Click here to register.

April 17th: My 1st Poetry Reading Since October

This is just a reminder that my first reading since October will occur via Zoom on Saturday April 17th at 1 p.m. Eastern. I will have the privilege of reading with several Beat Poets Laureate, hosted by the National Beat Poetry Foundation, Inc. Please join us on Zoom. [4/25 UPDATE: A recording of the event is now available on YouTube.]

Readers (in order of appearance):

John B. Burroughs - Ohio Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2021)
David K. Leff - Lifetime Beat Poet Laureate, New England (2018-Present)
William F. DeVault - US National Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2018)
Ron Whitehead - Kentucky Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2021)
Tammi Truax - Maine Beat Poet Laureate (2018-2020)
Leo Jarret - Michigan Beat Poet Laureate (2020-2022)
Barry Graham - Michigan Beat Poet Laureate (2018-2020)
Rich Ferguson - California Beat Poet Laureate (2020-2022)
Virginia Shreve - Connecticut Beat Poet Laureate (2020-2022)
Ernel Grant - Connecticut Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019)

Follow the National Beat Poetry Foundation:
https://nationalbeatpoetryfoundation.org
Facebook / Twitter / YouTube 

The Beat Goes On at the Bronx Book Fair on October 5th

Very much looking forward to reading with these fine folk as part of this year's virtual Bronx Book Fair on October 5th 2020 at 5 p.m. Eastern. Many thanks to Executive Director Lorraine Currelley!

Click here to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscuGurj8uH9ftls0kVzjc1vQkQuIP4ZRZ.

Featured poets: John Burroughs, William F. DeVault, Igor Goldkind, Deborah Tosun Kilday, Tammi Truax, Chryssa Velissariou.

 

 

The 2020 Bronx Book Fair runs from October 2nd through 5th. For more info and updates, please visit https://www.facebook.com/BronxBookFair/.

2020 National Beat Poetry Festival - September 4/5/6 - Online - Day One Schedule

I am thrilled to be part of the National Beat Poetry Festival again this year. It happens every Labor Day weekend and features poets from around the world, usually all meeting in person in Connecticut. But this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival is happening online.

The legendary Anne Waldman and David Amram will be this year's special guests.

Our hosts will be Debbie Tosun Kilday and Shaw Israel Izikson.

Watch on the National Beat Poetry Foundation's YouTube channel and Facebook.

Here's just the first day's tentative schedule (I'll share the schedules for days two and three in a future post):

Day One - Friday 4 September 2020 - 1 to 4 pm Eastern
featuring 27 Past Awarded NBPF Beat Poets Laureate

1:00-1:05pm EST
• Debbie Tosun Kilday introduces the start of the festival
• Host Shaw Israel Izikson

1:05-1:10pm EST
• George Wallace, Long Island, 1st US National Beat Poet Laureate (2015-2016)

1:10-1:15pm EST
• Chryssa Velissariou, Greece Beat Poet Laureate (2019-Lifetime)
1st International Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2018) - Greece

1:15-1:20pm EST
• Bengt O. Björklund, Sweden Beat Poet Laureate (2018-Lifetime)

1:20-1:25pm EST
• Aprilia Zank, Germany Beat Poet Laureate (2018 - Lifetime)

1:25-1:30pm EST
• Daniela Voicu, Romania Beat Poet Laureate (2018-Lifetime)

1:30-1:35pm EST
• David K. Leff, New England Beat Poet Laureate (2018-Lifetime)

1:40-1:45pm EST
• Kate Lamberg, Long Island, NY Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2021)

1:45-1:50pm EST
• William F. DeVault, US National Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2018)

1:50-1:55pm EST
• Chris Vannoy, US National Beat Poet Laureate (2018-2019)
San Diego, California Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019)

1:55-2:00pm EST
• Paul Richmond, US National Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2020)
Massachusetts Beat Poet Laureate - 2017-2019

2:00-2:05 EST
• Donna Anne Allard, Canada, International Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2020)

2:05-2:10 EST
• Ernel Grant, Connecticut Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019)

2:10-2:15pm EST
• Carlo Parcelli, Maryland Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019)

2:15-2:20pm EST
• Daniel McTaggart, West Virginia Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019)

Intermission (5 Minutes)

2:25-2:30pm EST
• Debbie Tosun Kilday welcoming attendees to the 2nd half of the program.

2:30-2:35pm EST
• Annie Petrie Sauter, Colorado Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019)

2:35-2:40pm EST
• Viviana Duncan, New York City, NY Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019)

2:40-2:45pm EST
• Ngoma Hill, New York State Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019)

2:45-2:50pm EST
• Darlene Fernandez, (Dee TruePoetry) Connecticut Beat Poet Laureate (2018-2020)

2:50-2:55pm EST
• Tammi Truax, Maine Beat Poet Laureate (2018-2020)

2:55-3:00pm EST
• Richard Wayne Horton, Massachusetts Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2021)

3:00-3:05pm EST
• Lori Desrosiers, US National Beat Poet Laureate (2016-2017)

3:05-3:10pm EST
• Ron Whitehead, Kentucky Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2021)

3:10-3:15pm EST
• John Burroughs, Ohio Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2021)

3:15-3:20pm EST
• Nordette N. Adams, Louisiana Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2021)

3:20-3:25pm EST
• William David Sovern, Indiana Beat Poet Laureate (2019-2021)

3:25-3:30pm EST
• Barry Graham, Michigan Beat Poet Laureate (2018-2020)

3:30-3:35pm EST
• Larry Jaffe, Florida Beat Poet Laureate (2018-2020)

More: http://nationalbeatpoetryfoundation.org

Next appearances: 8/16 in Cleveland and 8/17 in Monroe, Michigan

8/16 in Cleveland, Ohio
The Power of Word featuring Dianne Borsenik and John Burroughs at SAYMO Collective + Gallery, 16205 Lorain Avenue, hosted by Georgia Reash.

8/17 in Monroe, Michigan
Madhouse & Firefly present: HEAT featuring William F. DeVault, John Burroughs Leo Todd Jarret, Dan Denton, Michelle Williams, Melvin Douglas Johnson, Damon Aker, AE Audamatic Harris, Leo Jarret, Gwen Jerris, Rebel Jones, Chris Curan, Jesse Eagle, live painting by Erik Steiger and musical guest Lucian Townes at Serendipitous Vintage, 403 E. Front Street.

.

moCa, CLE Urban, SAYMO and Serendipitous in the next two weeks

People have asked where else I'll be poeticizing in the next couple of weeks, but I usually don't have my calendar with me and can't remember the exact dates to tell them. So while I have it with me, here they are.

8/10, 2pm at Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland moCa in the John Cage Musicircus, part of SaturStravaganza - moCa 50th Community Celebration.

8/13 at CLE Urban Winery with Sara Minges and others, part of CLE Uncorked: Performers Showcase, hosted by Jason Meyers.

8/16 at SAYMO Collective + Gallery with Dianne Borsenik, part of The Power of Word, hosted by Georgia Reash.

8/17 in Monroe, Michigan at Serendipitous Vintage with William F. DeVault, Leo Todd Jarret, Dan Denton, Michelle Williams, Melvin Douglas Johnson and more, part of Madhouse & Firefly present: HEAT.

I'll be doing totally different stuff at each of these events. So come to them all!

Thank You and Next Up

Sandra Feen, Jodie Summers & me in Monroe

What a great reading the other night (9/21) at Serendipitous Vintage in Monroe, Michigan. Super grateful to Leo Todd Jarret for inviting me. I loved performing with him, Dan Denton, William F. DeVault, Gary Bond, Sandra Feen, Barry Graham, Dave Caruso, Mackenzie Swanson, Bob Phillips, Jodie L Summers, Arnold Koester and more. A poetry event that lasted till nearly 2 a.m. has rarely felt so good.


My next gig is September 28th at Nervous Dog Coffee Bar in Akron with assorted kick-ass word artists including Kisha Nicole Foster and Raymond McNiece, hosted by Michael DeBenedictis. For more info on this event, please see: https://www.facebook.com/events/374767589725398/.

Getting Beat on 9/21 in Monroe, Michigan

This Friday in Monroe, Michigan (roughly midway between Detroit and Toledo), I will have the honor and pleasure of performing at International Beat Poetry Festival presented by Madhouse and Firefly. Other poets and musicians performing will include Gary L. Bond, Leo Jarret, Mackenzie Swanson, Angel Reyes, Dan Denton, Bob Phillips, Sandra Feen, Dave Caruso, Ohio Beat Poet Laureate Barry Graham, and recent U.S. Beat Poet Laureate William F. DeVault. Join us for fire and madness!

Beat and Blessed

2 Sept 2018 at the National Beat Poetry Festival
Beekley Community Library, New Hartford, CT
[photo by Gertrude Nilsson Björklund]

I almost didn't go to the National Beat Poetry Festival over Labor Day weekend in Connecticut. I was spent from trips to Athens, Chicago, Buffalo and Erie as well as putting out two Crisis Chronicles Press books and so much more just in August. I had a lot more work to do that I am way behind on. I missed my doggy. I've been nervous about my upcoming EGD procedure (which is tomorrow). And I knew I'd have to miss the first day of three even if I did go to the festival. But I went and I am so glad I did. I saw old friends, met new ones, heard great music and a wide array of killer poetry by writers from Sweden, Dominican Republic and across the United States. There was much-needed beauty woven through it all. And though Facebook won't let me tag everyone here - and I'll surely miss someone great anyway - I wanna give special shouts out to organizers Debbie T Kilday and Colin Haskins, as well as to Tony Vacca, Donna Gentile (happy birthday!), Bengt O Björklund, Gertrude Nilsson Björklund, Jael Uribe, Chris Vannoy, William F. DeVault, Prince A McNally, Sandra Feen, Paul Richmond, Carlo Parcelli, Rosalie Gancie, Ngoma Hill, Lori Desrosiers, Viviana Duncan, Jessica Brooke Miller, Tchalla Williams, James Paul Wagner, Darlene Asmarah Fernandez, Shaw Israel Izikson, David K. Leff, John Emmons, Jon Wesick, Mike L Kilday, Rayn Roberts, Richard Wayne Horton and more (in some unnamed cases I can see your faces and hear your poems in my head but names are getting mixed up) - and to Local Gems Press for publishing the Festival's 10-year anniversary anthology (and including me in it) - and last but certainly not least to James and Dianne Borsenik for taking care of Leda while I was away. Now I have a lot of catching up to do. :) My next reading is September 18th, the day after my birthday, at Art on Madison in Lakewood, Ohio: Poetry Plus Featuring John Burroughs. Cheers and deep gratitude!

National Beat Poetry Festival this weekend in Connecticut

I'm thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to read on days two (9/1) and three (9/2) of this year's National Beat Poetry Festival at The Licia & Mason Beekley Community Library, 10 Central Avenue, New Hartford, Connecticut 06057. I wish I could attend the day one (8/31) festivities, too, but I'll be traveling.

We will also celebrate the release of BEAT-itude: National Beat Poetry Festival 10 Year Anthology from Local Gems Press this weekend. I'm happy to be one of many writers included in that.

Just some of the featured poets on the days I'll be there (besides me) include William F DeVault, Lori Desrosiers, George Wallace, Marci Payne, Chris Vannoy, Jael Uribe, Chryssa Velissariou, James Paul Wagner, Carlo Parcelli, Daniel McTaggart, Viviana Duncan, Ngoma Hill, Paul Richmond, Annie Petrie, Ernel Grant, Krysia Jopek, Sandra Feen, Jessica Brooke, Rayn Roberts, Richard Wayne Horton, Prince A McNally, Elizabeth Fontaine, John Landry, Tchalla Williams, Derick Windrick (The Cosmic Poet), Bengt O Björklund, Barry Graham, Larry Jaffe and Evelyn Augusto. Plus, we'll be treated to featured music by Tony Vacca and Donna Gentile. Debbie Tosun Kilday and Colin Haskins will be our hosts.

Please follow the National Beat Poetry Foundation, Inc. on Facebook for updates and more information about this weekend's festival and the many other events the Foundation puts on all year long: https://www.facebook.com/nationalbeatpoetryfoundation.

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/