Monday, September 4, 2023

As of Labor Day, Total Number of Dire Series Events IS 340!

  Here is the series full count to date. We have a great schedule in the fall, opening 

with Marianne Leone who was the first feature on Virtual Dire on Zoom. 

Here is the NEXT 14! 


.
  LIVE                                                                                                                               TOTAL

February-March 2001 - First Tuesday reading at Cantab Underground                            2


June 2001-Aug 2002- First Friday, Out of the Blue Art Gallery                                       15
                                    168 Brookline St., Cambridge



Sept 2002-Oct 2011-First Friday, Out of the Blue Art Gallery                                         110
                                    106 Prospect St., Cambridge


Nov 4, 2011-                -First Friday, Yarrow                                                                        1
                                    106 Prospect St., Cambridge



Dec 2011-Sept 2014-First Friday, Out of the Blue Art Gallery                                          34
                                    106 Prospect St., Cambridge



Oct 2014-Nov 2017-First Friday, Out of the Blue Too                                                       38
                              541 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge 

Dec 2017-June 2018 First Saturday Afternoon, The Middle East Cafe
                               480 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge                                                    7

July 2018                   First Saturday Afternoon, Zuzu
                               480 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge                                                    1



Aug 2018-                Oct 2018 First Saturday Night, First Friday too
                                 Center for Arts at the Armory
                               191 Highland Ave., Somerville                                                             3

VIRTUAL DIRE

March 2020                Virtual Fridays Dire Literary Series  on Zoom                              119
 



January 5, 2023          Virtual Thursdays Dire Literary Series on Zoom                            11                     

through Sept, 1, 2023                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        __________
                                                                                                                                          340


Thursday, August 24, 2023

REPLAY CENTRAL, Spring, Summer 2023 (and the rest)....Virtual Thursdays Dire Literary Series

Due to Facebook and other technical difficulties not of my own, the readings by JD Debris and Frances Donovan were not recorded. Huge apologies to them.  

Another way to keep up with all of the recordings after the fact, subscribe to my YOUTUBE


5.4.23 Jane Roper 



6.1.23 Jon Wesick








6.22.23 John Fulton



6.29.23 Tricia Barker Barton



7.13.23 Cynthia Atkins



7.27.23 Katie Moulton



8.10.23 Yael Goldstein Love


8.24.23 Julia Lisella



The Rest of the Replay Centrals

Suzanne Frischkorn, Kim Addonizio, Thomas McNeely, Jenna Le, Sarah Bridgins, Lee Matthew Goldberg, Lise Hanes, Dr. Paula Perez, Michael Mark, Maya Williams, Hannah Sward, Caitlin Avery, Carla Swartz, Stacy TenHouton, Donna Spruijt-Metz, Morgan Baker

Jonathan Papernick, A.K. Small, Aaron Tillman, David Rockland, Kimberly Ann Priest, Sain Griffiths, Harris Gardner, Lisa Taylor, Michael Keith, Jim Shepard, Zach VandeZande, Rusty Barnes, Daniel Nester. Kurk Lovelace (reading from Annemarie O'Connell's book), and Nina Shope


Sara Lippmann, Robin McLean, Gregory Orr, Rich Murphy, Diane Suess, Ron Tanner, Aleathea Drehmer, Christina Adams, Sharon Applegate Greenwald, Lucas Scheelk, 
Joseph Milosch, Barbara Legere, Ellene Glenn Moore, Vincent Cellucci and Chris Shipman

Renuka Raghaven, Jessica Cuello, Jen Knox, Daniel Biegelson, Alison Stine, 
John Rosenthal, Peter Crowley, Maggie Doherty, Erin Khar, Elan Barnehama, 
Marguerite Guzman Bouvard


DeMisty Bellinger, Cheryl Pappas, Matt Bell, Michael Keith, Gloria Mindock, 
Molly Gaudry, CD Collins, Kevin Prufer, Beth Robinson/Chris Joseph, Alina Stefanuscu, Meg Smith, Gregory Wolos, Damian Dressic, Jason Wright, Blake Butler 


Natalie Brobin Bonfig, John Domini, Anna VQ Ross, Rachel Yoder


Sandra Simonds, George Wallace, Caroline Levitt, Charles Coe, Susan Henderson, 
Major Jackson, Kara Vernor, Meredith Goldstein, Kimberly Ann Priest, Joanna Rakoff


Rick Moody , Laurette Folk, Mark Saba, Sarah Anne Johnson, 
Josh Barkan/ Jennifer Haigh, Keetje Kuipers, January O'Neil,  Elle Nash, 
Danielle Zaccagnino, Marty Beckerman, Nathan Graziano , Steven Cramer


Carly Israel, Daphne Kalotay, Ryan Ridge, Marge Piercy, Kerry Beth Neville, 
Yuyutsu Sharma, Chris Joseph, Elizabeth Gordon McKim, Diana Spechler, 
Jonathan Escoffrey, Dewitt Henry, Brian Sonia-Wallace, Rebecca Fishow,
 Marguerite Bouvard, Pamela Painter, Kim Chinquee, Jessica Keener, Amy King

 

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Happy to be included in Ibbetson Street #53

 


I've lost count of the incredible amount of times I've been blessed to have appeared in Ibbetson Street. Somewhere in the blog I've listed it, but today I'm just going to express gratitude to Doug Holder and Harris Gardner who fill up journal twice annually. 



In this issue Michael Ansara, Richard Hoffman, Kathleen Aguero, Denise Provost, Ted Kooser, Jennifer Barber, Marge Piercy, Laura Cherry, Chad Parenteau, David Miller, Lawrence Kessenich, Danielle Legros George,Carla Schwartz, Zvi Sesling, Dennis Daley and more ...

                  * * *

The published poem is titled, "Recipe Stupid Men Use to Capture Women." I've made it no secret that I disapprove up the tricks men use in regards to other men and in regards to women in order to court them.  I believe I've used the word "hate" often.  So to the person I observed doing everything I wrote in this poem...fuck that guy.  



Please support the jouranl by considering a purchase. It is beautiful, and the Media Mail costs alone can put any journal in the red.


Fuck that guy too.  






Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Why are my books so cheap on Amazon? Go buy some, most less than $6 NEW


Mixed answer. 

1) They have a lot in stock in warehouse. 

2) They can do whatever the F they want. Prices will be changed at some point because Amazon can do whatever the F they want.

                        a) Mixed information on "is the reduced price eaten on publisher/writer royalties, or does Amazon take that hit?"


Either way.....here are some deals. 

$4.77










$5.95















$10.47


















 

Saturday, August 5, 2023

2023 BOSTON POETRY MARATHON LINEUP....(I'm in for Saturday Night)

 


I'm reading here on Saturday Night, August 5th, but go ANYTIME....check out the list below, underneath the Bay City Rollers. This event is always fun. 



565 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116 Second Floor


Saturday DayCommunity Church of Boston, Copley Square, doors at 10:30am
1100Emily Dickinson*
1107Parmit Crassa
1114Mattie Deed
1121Thomas DeFreitas
1128Willie Wideman Pleasants
1135Dan Y-El
1142Mary Buchinger
1200Anna Ross
1207Alex Aimee Kist
1214KH van berkum
1221Steven Karl
1228Karen Henry
1235Punky D
1242Adam Grabowski
100jojo Lazar
107Dorian Kotsiopoulos
114Gail Slater
121Ariella Ruth
128Jason Wright
135Julia Story
142U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo
200Evan Dalton Smith
207Elizabeth Guthrie
214Dan Wuenschel
221Tom Daley
228Aaron Kiely
235Gale Batchelder
242Joey Gould
300Chad Parenteau
307Ruth Lepson
314Suzanne Mercury
321Trace Peterson
328Heather Hughes
335Carol Weston
342Jenny Grassl
400Elisabeth Weiss
407Gloria Monaghan
414David Miller
421Jeff Taylor
428Jennifer Markell
435Simeon Berry
442Ruby Poltorak
Dinner Breakvenue locked at c5:15pm
Saturday NightDoors at c6:45pm
700Joe Elliot
707Uche Nduka
714Hannah Larrabee
721Maria Damon
728Michael Steffen
735Cheryl Clark Vermeulen
742Annie Won
800Jim Dunn
807Jean Dany Joachim
814Mitch Highfill
821Andrew K. Peterson
828Christopher Hughes
835David Blair
842Timothy Gager
900Peter F. Crowley
907Sam Cha
914Christina Strong
921Michael Gottlieb
928Jonathan Bennett Bonilla
935Pedro Poitevin
942Joshua Nguyen
Sunday DayCommunity Church of Boston, Copley Square, doors at 12:30pm
1100Clarise Annette Brooks
1107Susanna Kittredge
1114Pampi
1121Kali Lightfoot
1128Greg Lawless
1135Pam Matz
1142Darren Black
1200Jordan Davis
1207Jack Miller
1214Mark Lipman
1221Petaluma Vale
1228Steven Riel
1235Anthony Cueller
1242Bridget Eileen
100Sarah Pearlstein
107Carla Schwartz
114Philip Hasouris
121Emma Malbon
128Ellen Steinbaum
135Jon Woodward
142Meg Tyler
200Keith Jones
207Marcia Karp
214Samanthe Sheffer
221Christina Liu
228Judson Evans
235Colleen Michaels
242Mary Elizabeth Birnbaum
300January O’Neil
307Jennifer Jean
314Kenning JP Garcia
321Lloyd Schwartz
328Lucille Clifton*
335Angelo D’Amato
342March Penn
400Clay Ventre
407Kevin Carey
414Hamdi Mohamed
421Stevie Subrizi
428Elizabeth Marie Young
435J.D. Scrimgeour
442Heather Treseler
FINISH LINE

Friday, July 28, 2023

Publishers Weekly's review arm Booklife gives Joe the Salamander high marks

 



About a year late but it's a great review which will also be printed in Publishers Weekly in August.  Go to the link to check it out. If you are too lazy to click that, or if the video just doesn't hold on the review long enough, here it is below. 


Joe The Salamander

 


                                      Reviews
This immersive, insightful novel from Gager surveys neurodiversity from both inside and outside, charting over the last years of the 20th century the development of a boy named Joe, who stands out from the pack at birth—the first week of his life, Joe never once cries, until a nurse is tasked with the harrowing duty of forcing him to, to be sure that he can. To please her, Joe bawls. Joe’s notably bright, an early reader obsessed with Superman, but the stimuli of the world overwhelms him, as do the rules governing basic social interactions. To make life easier, to please the people whose expectations he can’t quite understand, young Joe decides that his first word—“yes”—will mostly be his only word, as only his mother ever hears him saying anything else.

That might sound fanciful, like the start of a fabulist novel, but Gager’s thoughtful, episodic narrative is committed to life as it’s lived, in striking, persuasive, and occasionally exhaustive detail. While scenes of young Joe’s public embarrassments (a disaster at the grocery store) and surprise triumphs (his spell as a school mascot involves some inspired prop comedy) compel, the storytelling tends toward the explanatory rather than the dramatic, as Gager lays out in clear, vivid prose the family and relationship histories of Joe’s parents, the aspirations and tumultuous romantic life of that friendly nurse who once had to make Joe cry.

Gager reveals Joe’s drift of mind with acute sensitivity and a welcome lack of linguistic theatrics, dipping readers into his head (for inspired thoughts on Superman, say, or his spiraling worries that the popular couple at school who protects him from bullies might break up) while also depicting Joe’s mother’s urgent drive to help him develop independence. A sense of looming tragedy gives the coming-of-age narrative added cohesion, one that readers will feel coming but the characters don’t. The conclusion, though, is both hopeful and surprising.

Takeaway: Deftly handled novel of neurodiversity and coming of age.

Comparable Titles: Katherine May’s The Electricity of Every Living Thing, Hilary Rey’s Kids Like Us.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-