Poetry and About Poetry

Thank you Magnolia Review for accepting 6 of my poems for Publication in Volume 5 Issue 2 (July 2019).

Thank you Magnolia Review for accepting 6 of my poems for Publication in Volume 5 Issue 2 (July 2019).

City of Rivers by Zubair Ahmed My rating: 4 of 5 stars Zubair Ahmed’s collection. “City of Rivers,” is a poetry of brutal realism mixed with the surreal nightmare, a gentleness of love amid the hard truths of living. Ahmed’s language is deceptively simple at times. Then he warps syntax and surprises. He writes of his family’s and Bangladesh’s history, of his own childhood there and his living in Texas now as he juxtaposes place and time, image and symbol to good and mournful effect because, in the end: The moon lights the ocean on fire. I watch the waves repeat themselves Until they become a house With soft lights and no furniture. I begin to sleep. My body is music. I will never have a home. It is worth spending time with this well-written collection. View all my reviews

City of Rivers by Zubair Ahmed My rating: 4 of 5 stars Zubair Ahmed's collection. "City of Rivers," is a poetry of brutal realism mixed with the surreal nightmare, a gentleness of love amid the hard truths of living. Ahmed's language is deceptively simple at times. Then he warps syntax and surprises. He writes of his family's and Bangladesh's history, of his own childhood there and his living in Texas now as he juxtaposes place and time, image and symbol to good and mournful effect because, in the end: The moon lights the ocean on fire. I watch the waves repeat themselves Until they become a house With soft lights and no furniture. I begin to sleep. My body is music. I will never have a home. It is worth spending time with this well-written collection. View all my reviews

My Poem “Frost Music” is included in Half Mystic Journal Issue VI: Interlude available in both hard copy and PDF here . Thank you Topaz Winters and the editorial team.

To Those Who Were Our First Gods by Nickole Brown My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nickole Brown’s “To Those Who Were Our First Gods” speaks through colloquial, even childlike voices desperately listening for the animal others to speak their pleas for “Mercy.” Even as she does so, we hear the fatalism of her deep humanity (animality?) in the examples she gives of our wasteful and callous misuse of our brothers and sisters in life. She still has enough faith (anger) to demand hope: Hope, you know by now, is not a thing you feel but something you do… She mourns the passing of each individual animal life as she “close[s] the extinguished/horizons of his eyes.” If only these fellow creatures could speak a word “mercy” we might hear and still our ravening hands. Read and care. View all my reviews

To Those Who Were Our First Gods by Nickole Brown My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nickole Brown's "To Those Who Were Our First Gods" speaks through colloquial, even childlike voices desperately listening for the animal others to speak their pleas for "Mercy." Even as she does so, we hear the fatalism of her deep humanity (animality?) in the examples she gives of our wasteful and callous misuse of our brothers and sisters in life. She still has enough faith (anger) to demand hope: Hope, you know by now, is not a thing you feel but something you do... She mourns the passing of each individual animal life as she "close[s] the extinguished/horizons of his eyes." If only these fellow creatures could speak a word "mercy" we might hear and still our ravening hands. Read and care. View all my reviews

You can view videos of Students from my Fall 2018 Creative Writing Class as they perform 10-minute Plays written by 2 of their classmates: The Doorbell Tolls for Thee The Cold of Winter

Purchase physical copies of The Magnolia Review, Volume 4, Issue 1, please click here to Purchase One, Two, Three, or Four Copies. Or send your payment to: The Magnolia Review Suzanna… — Read on themagnoliareview.com/purchase-copies/

North by Seamus Heaney My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another wonderful collection by Seamus Heaney. Part I uses the landscape of and in particular the bog as extended symbol and metonymy, as the past rises in corpses preserved by the peat to speak to and about the violence of the present. Part II questions the proper role of the poet when facing tyranny, political violence, or other moral outrages. Heaney’s musicality and eloquence sing, his diction somehow rich with echoes of the past and yet modern enough. There is a universality to Heaney that assures he will continue to be read, like Yeats, even though the political events have faded into the past. View all my reviews

North by Seamus Heaney My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another wonderful collection by Seamus Heaney. Part I uses the landscape of and in particular the bog as extended symbol and metonymy, as the past rises in corpses preserved by the peat to speak to and about the violence of the present. Part II questions the proper role of the poet when facing tyranny, political violence, or other moral outrages. Heaney’s musicality and eloquence sing, his diction somehow rich with echoes of the past and yet modern enough. There is a universality to Heaney that assures he will continue to be read, like Yeats, even though the political events have faded into the past. View all my reviews

Weary Blues Magazine  will publish my poems “Apparition” and “Brilliant Victory” in their first issue this winter.

Weary Blues Magazine will publish my poems "Apparition" and "Brilliant Victory" in their first issue this winter.

Crosswinds Poetry Journal  will publish my poem “An Old Chaos (Sunday Morning)” in its Spring 2019 issue.

Crosswinds Poetry Journal will publish my poem "An Old Chaos (Sunday Morning)" in its Spring 2019 issue.

My poem “Khamsin” was shortlisted for The Pangolin Review Poetry Prize but did not win.  

My poem "Khamsin" was shortlisted for The Pangolin Review Poetry Prize  but did not win.

Thank you Orange County Library for making all of my poetry collections available to patrons, including my new chapbook, Final Inventory. You can check a copy out now.

Thank you Culpeper County Library for making all of my poetry collections available to patrons, including my new chapbook, Final Inventory . You can check it out now.

One of my creative writing students is in this play at Germanna Community College: “It’s a Wonderful Life” radio play It’s free November 15, 16 and 17 at 7pm.

I am proud of all the students in my Creative Writing class at Germanna Community College for stretching themselves in four genres! But I have to say I am especially proud of the eight who read during yesterday’s poetry reading at Germanna-Fredericksburg, cosponsored by the Poetry Society of Virginia. They did a great job and for many if not all it was their first time reading their own writing before a public audience. (from left to right: Deborah Gerhardt, Jessie Harper, Jonni Hower, Anthony Martinez, Brianna Colon, Gerard Puckerin, Harris PlesKovitch, Lecsi Pillar) And appreciation to Jordan Norris and Isaiah Cabino in joining their classmates in the audience and giving rousing support as each took the stage.

Hope to see you there. Two other Fredericksburg poets and I will be joined by about 6 Germanna Community College student poets reading today, starting at 4pm. There will be an open mic opportunity. The Poetry Society of Virginia. 766 likes. Poetry Virginia promotes poetry throughout the state. The Poetry Society of Virginia has been active since 1923. — Read on m.facebook.com/events/258085268176048

We are 18% Funded with 7 Days to Go! Thank you to all 31 backers. I appreciate your support. I approved the final proof from the printer for Volume 4, Issue 1. They are getting ready to print, and I will have them before the end of November. There is still time to donate, and… — Read on themagnoliareview.com/2018/10/25/18-funded-7-days-to-go/

My poem “Hear like a Stone” can be read on The Big Windows Review website and in Issue 12 of its hard copy journal. Thank you Big Windows.

My poem “Hear like a Stone” can be read on The Big Windows Review website and in Issue 12 of its hard copy journal. Thank you Big Windows.

My poem “Hear like a Stone” can be read on   The   Big   Windows   Review   website   and in Issue 12 of its hard copy journal. Thank you Big Windows.

I will be teaching Creative Writing again at Germanna Community College starting in January 2019. You can register for college credit or audit the class. You can register for classes here: https://www.germanna.edu/admissions/register/    

Suzanna Anderson is raising funds for The Magnolia Review: Volume 4 on Kickstarter! Publish physical copies of The Magnolia Review, an online literary magazine: Volume 4, Issue 1 and Volume 4, Issue 2. — Read on www.kickstarter.com/projects/magnoliareview/the-magnolia-review-volume-4/pledge/new

Congratulations President Janet Gullickson and thank you for giving me the honor of writing and reading a poem for you Inauguration.

Congratulations President Janet Gullickson and thank you for giving me the honor of writing and reading a poem for your Inauguration.

Congratulations President Janet Gullickson and thank you for giving me the honor of writing and reading a poem for you Inauguration.

Congratulations to all the poets included: Prolific Press! Poetry Quarterly Summer 2018 – Poetry Quarterly showcases today’s finest poets! Summer 2018 features a stunning collection of hand-selected poetry by Edward Ahern, Duane Anderson, Jody Azzouni, Dean Baltesson, Stephen Behrendt, Robert Berry, Gary W. Bloom, Sydney Bowers, Marcus Benjamin Ray Bradley, Ronnie R. Brown, Sarah Cannavo, Len Carber, Mirana Comstock, Suzanne Cottrell, James Croal Jackson, Steve Denehan, Julie A. Dickson, Richard H. Durisen, John Elliott, Anjuli Fiedler, Keith Mark Gaboury, James F. Gaines, Daniel R. Gallie, Robert Hale, Jim Hanlen, Angie Hedman, Brian Horner, William Kofoed, Dorothy Kollat, Melissa Laussmann, Bruce Levine, Paul Lojeski, C. Q. March, Laura McGinnis, Lynda McKinney Lambert, Sydney McQuoid, Alan Meyrowitz, Andrew Alexander Mobbs, Barry Peters, Rebecca Poleto, Melissa R. Robinson, Livingston Rossmoor, Hannah Rousselot, Chanacee Ruth-Killgore, Howard Sage, David Anthony Sam, Ange...

Prolific Press Has Published Final Inventory by David Anthony Sam. Prolific Press Has Published Final Inventory by David Anthony Sam via their wildly successful International Chapbook Series that is quickly taking the publishing world by storm! Many poets are aspiring to be published by Prolific Press because the press.. – PR12733032 — Read on www.prlog.org/12733032-prolific-press-has-published-final-inventory-by-david-anthony-sam.html

My new chapbook, Final Inventory , NOW available at Prolific Press on their bookstore page HERE . I should also have copies for sale when I read my poetry at Germanna Community College in the Workforce and Tech Building (Sealy Auditorium) on October 25 beginning at 4pm.

My new chapbook, Final Inventory , NOW available from Prolific Press on their bookstore page HERE . I should also have copies for sale when I read my poetry at Germanna Community College in the Workforce and Tech Building (Sealy Auditorium) on October 25 beginning at 4pm.

Poetry Reading on October 25, 2018 – 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Germanna Community College – Fredericksburg Campus 10000 Germanna Point Drive, Fredericksburg, VA 22408 in The Workforce and Technology Building, Sealy Auditorium The Poetry Society of Virginia – Northern Region and Germanna Community College are cosponsoring a poetry reading open to the public as well as students, faculty and staff at Germanna. Fredericksburg area poets Madalin Bickel, Steve Pody, and David Anthony Sam will read their poetry from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and take questions from the audience. Beginning at 5 p.m., there will be an open mic reading with Germanna Community College students and faculty as well as other members of the audience having the opportunity to read their own poetry. The event is free and open to the public. On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/258085268176048/

Poetry Reading on October 25, 2018 – 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Germanna Community College – Fredericksburg Campus 10000 Germanna Point Drive, Fredericksburg, VA 22408 in The Workforce and Technology Building, Sealy Auditorium The Poetry Society of Virginia – Northern Region and Germanna Community College are cosponsoring a poetry reading open to the public as well as students, faculty and staff at Germanna. Fredericksburg area poets Madalin Bickel, Steve Pody, and David Anthony Sam will read their poetry from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and take questions from the audience. Beginning at 5 p.m., there will be an open mic reading with Germanna Community College students and faculty as well as other members of the audience having the opportunity to read their own poetry. The event is free and open to the public. On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/events/258085268176048/

My new chapbook, Final Inventory , NOW available at Prolific Press on their bookstore page HERE . I should also have copies for sale when I read my poetry at Germanna Community College in the Workforce and Tech Building (Sealy Auditorium) on October 25 beginning at 4pm.

Tales from the House of Vasquez by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland My rating: 5 of 5 stars In “Tales from the House of Vasquez,” Raquel Vasquez Gilliland melds autobiography with myth and fairy tale to create a feminist history of the women of her family and her personal crisis–and an archetype of the human. At times surreal, at times poignantly real, these poems dance with energy and hope in the face of death and the oppression of the male priests of the mundane and spiritless “real” world. In the end, the feminine wins by persisting in seeing with “all four eyes…opened like stars.” View all my reviews

Tales from the House of Vasquez by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland My rating: 5 of 5 stars In "Tales from the House of Vasquez," Raquel Vasquez Gilliland melds autobiography with myth and fairy tale to create a feminist history of the women of her family and her personal crisis--and an archetype of the human. At times surreal, at times poignantly real, these poems dance with energy and hope in the face of death and the oppression of the male priests of the mundane and spiritless "real" world. In the end, the feminine wins by persisting in seeing with "all four eyes...opened like stars." View all my reviews

Prolific Press will publish my chapbook, Final Inventory , a collection of poems about my mother, her death, and my mourning and remembering her. Thank you Glenn Lyvers and the staff at Prolific.

Prolific Press  will publish my chapbook,  Final Inventory , a collection of poems about my mother, her death, and my mourning and remembering her. Thank you Glenn Lyvers and the staff at Prolific.

Prolific Press will publish my chapbook, Final Inventory , a collection of poems about my mother, her death, and my mourning and remembering her. Thank you Glenn Lyvers and the staff at Prolific.

The use of humility words, like modesty, fell by 52 percent over the 20th century. Compassion words, like kindness, dropped by 56 percent. Gratitude words, like thankfulness, declined by 49 percent. And courage words, like bravery, plunged by 66 percent. — Read on theweek.com/articles/791795/death-sacred-speech

The good news is more younger people are reading poetry. Study finds fiction reading down, poetry up in US – Newspaper – DAWN.COM — Read on www.dawn.com/news/1432643

The Poetry Quarterly has accepted a second poem of mine for their next issue. “Sewing” is loosely based on a memory of my grandmother. In addition, two of my poems have been lister as contenders for PQ’s 2018 Rebecca Lard Award.

The Poetry Quarterly has accepted a second poem of mine for their next issue. "Sewing" is loosely based on a memory of my grandmother.  In addition, two of my poems have been lister as contenders for PQ's 2018 Rebecca Lard Award.

The Northern Region of the Poetry Society of Virginia is cohosting a poetry reading with Germanna Community College open to the public, October 25 4 to 6 p.m. I am one of the scheduled poets reading. After scheduled poets read, there will be an open mic opportunity. www.facebook.com/events/258085268176048/

Vine Leaves Literary Journal ’s coffee table collection including several of my poems is on sale at Amazon.

Vine Leaves Literary Journal ’s coffee table collection including several of my poems is on sale at Amazon.

My poem “ The Sky Ungainly ” is now published online at Plum Tree Tavern. You ca read it  HERE .

My poem " The Sky Ungainly " is now published online at Plum Tree Tavern. You ca read it HERE .

High Flight John Gillespie Magee, Jr Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, –and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of –Wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air… Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark or even eagle flew — And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

High Flight John Gillespie Magee, Jr Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air... Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark or even eagle flew -- And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Poetry Quarterly has accepted my poem “In a New Land” for publication later this year

Poetry Quarterly has accepted my poem "In a New Land" for publication later this year

Dove Descending: A Journey Into T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets by Thomas Howard My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thomas Howard apologizes regularly for the prosaism and reductiveness of his line-by-line reading of T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. And he is correct that the poetry is much better and much more than his analysis. Yet great poets need great readers, as Whitman maintained. And it is wonderful as one reader to be in the room listening to another, deeply appreciate and erudite reader as he lives with one of the great poems of the last 100 years. Howard clearly is of a mind with Eliot in terms of the religious assumptions and faith consistent with Anglo-Catholicism. That does not mean a reader of another faith, or no faith, cannot find power, meaning, and even solace in the poem or in Howard’s exegesis of it. I recommend Dove Descending, not as any sort of substitute for reading and rereading the Quartets themselves, but as a great resource in helping inform and reveal the po...

Dove Descending: A Journey Into T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets by Thomas Howard My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thomas Howard apologizes regularly for the prosaism and reductiveness of his line-by-line reading of T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets. And he is correct that the poetry is much better and much more than his analysis. Yet great poets need great readers, as Whitman maintained. And it is wonderful as one reader to be in the room listening to another, deeply appreciate and erudite reader as he lives with one of the great poems of the last 100 years. Howard clearly is of a mind with Eliot in terms of the religious assumptions and faith consistent with Anglo-Catholicism. That does not mean a reader of another faith, or no faith, cannot find power, meaning, and even solace in the poem or in Howard's exegesis of it. I recommend Dove Descending, not as any sort of substitute for reading and rereading the Quartets themselves, but as a great resource in helping inform and reveal the ...

Three of my poems are now spotlighted online at the Mystic Blue Review: “Morlocks” “A Murder” after Rimbaud’s “Les corbeaux“ “Wind Becomes Eland” They are also included in Issue #5 available HERE . Note: The stanza breaks are not showing correctly in these poems. “Morlocks” and “A Murder” have 6 line stanzas, while Eland” has 5 line ones. Thank you Editor, Alexa Findlay, for spotlighting these poems.

Three of my poems are now spotlighted online at the Mystic Blue Review: "Morlocks" "A Murder" after Rimbaud's "Les corbeaux“ "Wind Becomes Eland" They are also included in Issue #5 available HERE . Note: The stanza breaks are not showing correctly in these poems. "Morlocks" and "A Murder" have 6 line stanzas, while Eland" has 5 line ones. Thank you Editor, Alexa Findlay, for spotlighting these poems.

  Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have read and reread Eliot’s Four Quartets during 6 of my nearly 7 decades thus far, and still find them the best poetry he wrote and among the best of the 20th Century. It does not matter that I am not an Anglo-Catholic or even a Christian. I still find a solace here. His overt faith in Redemption doesn’t preclude him from facing the dark living to die we all face. He is merciless in his mercy. The words are dense and beautiful. The imagery powerful. There is a Buddhist quality to his Christianity, though for him the End is Eternal Life. I will reread again as I near the end of all my beginnings. View all my reviews

Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have read and reread Eliot’s Four Quartets during 6 of my nearly 7 decades thus far, and still find them the best poetry he wrote and among the best of the 20th Century.  It does not matter that I am not an Anglo-Catholic or even a Christian. I still find a solace here. His overt faith in Redemption doesn’t preclude him from facing the dark living to die we all face. He is merciless in his mercy. The words are dense and beautiful. The imagery powerful. There is a Buddhist quality to his Christianity, though for him the End is Eternal Life. I will reread again as I near the end of all my beginnings. View all my reviews

Issue 5 of The Mystic Blue Review is now available online, including 3 of my poems. Thank you Editor-in-Chief Alexa Findlay.

Issue 5 of The Mystic Blue Review is now available online, including 3 of my poems. Thank you Editor-in-Chief Alexa Findlay. 

Classes start next week:

Classes start next week:

She was one of the most celebrated and influential singers in the history of American vernacular song, a defining interpreter through song of black pride and women’s liberation. — Read on www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/aretha-franklin-musics-queen-of-soul-dies-at-76/2018/08/16/c35de4b8-9e9f-11e8-83d2-70203b8d7b44_story.html

The  Mystic Blue Review  will publish 3 of my poems in their 5th Issue.

The Mystic Blue Review will publish 3 of my poems in their 5th Issue.

My poem “Brittle Adoration” is available for reading online at The Flexible Persona. This is from an unpublished collection of poems inspired by Rimbaud.

My poem " Brittle Adoration " is available for reading online at The Flexible Persona. This is from an unpublished collection of poems inspired by Rimbaud.

“So here I am, in the middle way, having had twenty years- Twenty years largely wasted, the years of l’entre deux guerres – Trying to use words, and every attempt Is a wholy new start, and a different kind of failure Because one has only learnt to get the better of words For the thing one no longer has to say, or the way in which One is no longer disposed to say it. And so each venture Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate, With shabby equipment always deteriorating In the general mess of imprecision of feeling, Undisciplined squads of emotion. And what there is to conquer By strength and submission, has already been discovered Once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope To emulate – but there is no competition – There is only the fight to recover what has been lost And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss. For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not ou...

“So here I am, in the middle way, having had twenty years- Twenty years largely wasted, the years of l'entre deux guerres - Trying to use words, and every attempt Is a wholy new start, and a different kind of failure Because one has only learnt to get the better of words For the thing one no longer has to say, or the way in which One is no longer disposed to say it. And so each venture Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate, With shabby equipment always deteriorating In the general mess of imprecision of feeling, Undisciplined squads of emotion. And what there is to conquer By strength and submission, has already been discovered Once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope To emulate - but there is no competition - There is only the fight to recover what has been lost And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss. For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.” T. ...

”…it was just that really, really good work makes me want to go to work.” John Kander

”...it was just that really, really good work makes me want to go to work.” John Kander

My poem “ Hypotonia ” has gone live at The Voices Project. This is one of the poems I wrote dealing with the loss of my mother.

My poem " Hypotonia " has gone live at The Voices Project. This is one of the poems I wrote dealing with the loss of my mother.

Plum Tree Tavern  has accepted my poem “The Sky Ungainly” for online publication.

Plum Tree Tavern  has accepted my poem "The Sky Ungainly" for online publication.

https://www.gocomics.com/wumo/2018/7/13

Thank you  Magnolia Review  for accepting  6 of my poems for publication in Volume 5 Issue 1 early in 2019.

Thank you  Magnolia Review for accepting  6 of my poems for publication in Volume 5 Issue 1 early in 2019.

Those of us descended from past generations of “wretched refuse” must not totally close the harbor to thos3 who seek refuge today.   The New Colossus Emma Lazarus , 1849 – 1887 Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall standA mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her nameMother of Exiles. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandThe air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries sheWith silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” This poem is in the public domain.

https://www.gocomics.com/bignate/2018/7/11

Issue 4.2 of the  Magnolia Review  is out including 3 of my poems. The theme was “comics.” “Superhero at Work” is a parody based loosely on my life wearing a suit. (p. 29) Plus 2 collage poems: “It’s a Stupid Game, Isn’t It?” melds lines from the great Calvin and Hobbes comic to continue its critique of war. (p. 42) ‘Chain-Smoked Monkeys” assembles some of the greatest lines from The Simpsons into a surreal poem. (p. 98)

Issue 4.2 of the Magnolia Review is out including 3 of my poems. The theme was "comics." "Superhero at Work" is a parody based loosely on my life wearing a suit. (p. 29) Plus 2 collage poems: "It's a Stupid Game, Isn't It?" melds lines from the great Calvin and Hobbes comic to continue its critique of war. (p. 42) 'Chain-Smoked Monkeys" assembles some of the greatest lines from The Simpsons into a surreal poem. (p. 98)

Two of my poems have been published online by Dual Coast Magazine: “ Tanka – A Long Path ” “ A Posture of Sitting ” You can also purchase a print copy  HERE .

Two of my poems have been published online by Dual Coast Magazine: " Tanka - A Long Path " " A Posture of Sitting " You can also purchase a print copy HERE .

Local Extinctions by Mary Quade My rating:4 out of 5 stars Mary Quade’s “Local Extinctions” melds the ecological awareness of our destruction of nature through the example of the passenger pigeon with subtle social commentary and personal biography. She has the careful eye of a naturalist with a whimsical sense of comarision as she describes the mole: Its tined fin-like forelegs for diving, surfacing–land’s inconsiderable whale And she looks at her own childhood without maudlin nostalgia but a gratitude for its “Small Hurts” as she gives homage to the rough playground of her youth in comparison with the too-safe plastic and rubber mulched present: You allowed us all to break our bones, to see beneath our blank skin– persecuted knees, ephemeral teeth, the sanguine world of gravity…” There is something of Maxine Kumin in Quade’s work and something all her own.”Local Extinctions” is a joy to read even as it squa...

Local Extinctions by Mary Quade My rating: 4  out of 5 stars Mary Quade's "Local Extinctions" melds the ecological awareness of our destruction of nature through the example of the passenger pigeon with subtle social commentary and personal biography. She has the careful eye of a naturalist with a whimsical sense of comarision as she describes the mole: Its tined fin-like forelegs for diving, surfacing--land's inconsiderable whale And she looks at her own childhood without maudlin nostalgia but a gratitude for its "Small Hurts" as she gives homage to the rough playground of her youth in comparison with the too-safe plastic and rubber mulched present: You allowed us all to break our bones, to see beneath our blank skin-- persecuted knees, ephemeral teeth, the sanguine world of gravity..." There is something of Maxine Kumin in Quade's work and something all her own."Local Extinctions" is a joy to read even as it squarely fa...

Donald Hall on poetry: “There is no other purpose than the beauty of it. And that is reason enough to be.”

Donald Hall on poetry: "There is no other purpose than the beauty of it. And that is reason enough to be."

Two of my poems have been published online at Dual Coast Magazine. The printed issue will follow later this year. “ A Posture of Sitting ” “ Tanka: A Long Path ” Both of these poems are influenced by my readngs of Japansese and Chinese poetry in translation. “A Posture” detves from a hot I took while hiking near St. Joseph, FL.

Two of my poems have been published online at Dual Coast Magazine. The printed issue will follow later this year. “ A Posture of Sitting ” “ Tanka: A Long Path ” Both of these poems are influenced by my readngs of Japansese and Chinese poetry in translation. “A Posture” detves from a hot I took while hiking near St. Joseph, FL.

The Voices Project will publish my poem “Hypotonia” online on August 2, 2018. This poem is another dealing with the time when my mother was dying and the great debt I owe her.

The Voices Project  will publish my poem “Hypotonia” online on August 2, 2018. This poem is another dealing with the time when my mother was dying and the great debt I owe her.

The Voices Project will publish my poem "Hypotonia" online on August 2, 2018. This poem is another dealing with the time when my mother was dying and the great debt I owe her.

The Summer 2018 issue of Fredericksburg Literary and Arts Review including 3 of my poems is available live through Issuu now. 

The Summer 2018 issue of Fredericksburg Literary and Arts Review including 3 of my poems is available live through Issuu now.

Two Cities Review   has accepted my poem “Vertigo” for future publication on its Featured Works Blog. As my mother lay dying, half-aware, she feared being turned from side to side in the hospital bed as staff did to reduce chances of bed sores. This poem comes from the experience of being there with her.

Two Cities Review   has accepted my poem "Vertigo" for future publication on its Featured Works Blog. As my mother lay dying, half-aware, she feared being turned from side to side in the hospital bed as staff did to reduce chances of bed sores. This poem comes from the experience of being there with her.

My poem, “The Stone Bird Cannot Migrate,” has been published online by The Pangolin Review . This poem is from my unpublished collection Outcast Winter .

My poem, "The Stone Bird Cannot Migrate," has been published online by The Pangolin Review . This poem is from my unpublished collection Outcast Winter .