2020 Poems is a #1 Best Seller on Day One of it's pre-release!

 I have a Number 1 best-seller on Amazon! So grateful!

My book was released in Kindle form to my Advanced Reader Team and pre-orders put it The Number 1 best-seller on Amazon in four categories for

New releases,

1) Poems About Death,

2) Poems About Nature..

2) Aging Parents/Elder Care,

4) Death,Grief/loss and

Thank you!! Awesome to be on lists with Mary Oliver, Rupi Kaur, Emily Dickenson, Margaret Atwood, and Edgar Allen Poe

Paperback is out next week, and Kindle will go up to regular price then too, but I'm super excited.

For two days you can still get it at 99 cents!

#1 New Releases in

Podcast Appearance: The Writers Voice with Linda McHenry

 Fun times being on Linda McHenry's podcast The Writer's Word today, recorded last week. I talk about writing in different genres, and disciplines. Also, my new, soon to be released any second book, Poems of 2020

To listen click this link. Don't click the play arrow in the picture as it won't do diddly.

Questionnaire for Dry January

If you are doing this, congratulations! Dry January made me reflect on my use before recovery, so here are some questions which I use to be able to answer yes to nearly all of them--well, yes, I wrote this..

1. Did you STOP reading this post because you saw the image, you don’t want to deal with questions about alcohol and how they relate to you? SKIP TO THE BOTTOM THEN

2. Did you resolve to give up drinking or using for Dry January or as a New Year’s Resolution and already feel you have blown it?

3. Are you juggling or not paying bills/eating less/using fewer utilities (turning heat barely on)/ having worrisome debt, but your spending on alcohol remains untouched?

4. Is alcohol or drugs your coping mechanism, but somehow it’s still hard to cope?

5. Are you really, really, really looking forward to February 1 or have you considered dry January to be an impossible task?

6. Are you relieved when you drive past a police officer, who doesn’t pull you over, after a typical day/night of use?

7. Are you tired every morning or have a hangover because of your typical usage?

8. Are your best plans of productivity diminished after your first drink?

9. Do you have a medical condition which would be better if you didn’t drink or use but still drink and use?

10. Do you wait all day for work to end so you can drink asap?

11. Do you wait until the kids are in bed or your spouse/significant other/family is in bed or occupied with something to drink how you want?

12. Are you choosing new friends with one of the variables being whether they drink or not?

13. Are you choosing new romantic relationships with one of the variables being whether they drink or not?

14. Does your use make you dislike yourself?

15. Are you ending up in situations solely because your judgment has been changed?

16. Do you feel any strong emotion about running out or not having alcohol in your home?

17. Do you think people in recovery or either “under the bridge” type low-lifes or “just too damn happy”? aka-You are not “like” them?

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There is no “if you answered yes to a number (usually 1 or more) of these in this you might be…..” It’s meant for folks to take a look at if what they do represents normal drinking. Thirty days of dryness can start any time, not just January 1, and if you want to and can’t there is help to get you there. If you go 30 days and you are finding it was difficult most days to do so, there is help as well. If you don’t feel better after 30 days, no problem…I’m not telling you what to do. If you’ve read this and think you can do better with your use, you deserve that----nearly everyone I know in recovery now has a better life---even if life is still difficult, the handling of it is not as much so. They are the best people I know, and they are or were just like you.

New book, "2020 Poems" to be released by Big Table Publishing, in 2021--blurbs by Nick Flynn, Jennifer Martelli, Yuyutsu Sharma

 

“Tell me where to go,” one poem plaintively asks, in this collection written in the midst of a pandemic. Timothy Gager manages to capture the chaos, the confusion, the despair, and the existential strangeness of those (of these) days. By the time this book reaches you, I pray we will be on the other side. If not, then these poems will bring you comfort. If so, then these poems will be a document from a time that will not be believed.

--Nick Flynn, American Poet, Memoirist and Playwright

Timothy Gager’s 2020 is a harsh ride through the dark tunnels of our turbulent times when even the leaves are threatening and the poet stands alone witnessing the tree of his life… an exquisite 2021 New Year treat one can treasure to master misery in more difficult years of the Pandemic ahead.

--Yuyutsu Sharma, Himalayan Poet, Author of Annapurna Poems and A Blizzard in my Bones: New York Poems

I love that Timothy Gager opens 2020 with a gratitude list. This time-proven Alcoholics Anonymous tool for when “life is difficult” begins a collection of poems that navigates a world damaged by pandemic, cruel politics, ailing and dying parents. Isolation can be lethal for the alcoholic and loneliness is “the handcuff.” As a person in recovery and poet, I was struck by the explosive truths in these poems that confront all of us. 2020 is a collection I’ll return to again and again to be reminded of the strength of words, of love, and to “kiss the ground I once fell on.”

--Jennifer Martelli, author of The Uncanny Valley and My Tarantella

This will be out on Big Table Publishing (Robin Stratton). The cover was created by Matt Siditsky and additional and necessary editing done by Sarah Gordon.

Winter Issue of Wilderness House Literary Review, and here's the fiction

 

The fiction in the Wilderness House Literary Review were difficult to make decisions about. We had so many of them. Check them out, and congratulate Steve Glines for their 60th issue.  As always the full issue can be found HERE. 

Happy Winter

For all our fiction 2016 to present, check THIS out

• A.M. Gwynn - Shelter
• Annmarie McQueen - Cleansing flames
• Claire Massey - A Formula for Entropy
• Dominique Pierce - THEOLOGY
• Emma Deimling - “London 3AM”
• Jennifer Lorene Ritenour - Under the Friendship Bell
• Mara Fein - Dreaming
• Nicholas C. King - The Old Man
• Phillip Temples - What Goes Around, Floats Around
• Tom Sheehan - The Old Man Who Walked with a Broken Crutch
• Tyrel Kessinger - My Friend, The Demon
• King Weatherspoon - Before I Go

Oddball Magazine Publishes their final podcast of 2020: One I recorded with them in August

This fun podcast, recorded in August with Oddball Foundation's Jason Wright.was a great time and full of timeless references. Honored that this was saved for their final podcast of the year, 12/25/20. We go off the cuff, and off the rails often.

 

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Most Viewed Blog Posts 2020---Pandemically Viewed more

So here is the annual list (with links in red), with notes in purple about why people went there. It's not as good as the Top 10 Horror Films, but 2020 was indeed a horror. Of note, the Top 1 about Virtual Dire was second most viewed blog post EVER, going back to 2010. The #3 about my piece in Ink in Thirds, from 2018, made the list that year, and in 2019---and is now 8th most viewed all time because of Joe Pesci!

In this year's Top 10 there are

30% about actual published work of mine, 20% about Virtual Fridays Dire,  and 10% each on: a) a cancelled event that people are googling to see if it was cancelled, b) My sobriety,  c) stories in Wilderness House, d) a memorial post. and e) Joe Pesci saying, "Do I amuse you?" 

 On with the countdown

1) Feeling Cooped Up With No Where to Go? Special Dire Series is going on Zoom, EVERY FRIDAY with a great feature and open mic

UPDATE 4/23 -Features will read 10-15 at either 7 PM or 8 PM, their preference. To see these events go to Virtual Fridays Dire Literary ...

NOTE: This got viewed because it's a good event and the schedule is on it! Virtual Dire made people have something to look forward to every Friday. 

2) On 11/06/10, my life started, and why I am grateful for 2020

         Ten--a big round number for my sobriety.     When my journey started, I didn’t think I could go a day, a week, a month and certai...

NOTE: I like that people like to read about my sobriety. I try hard to make this post meaningful, and I try hard so there will be another one of these the following year.

3) I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to f***in' amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

Here's an example of a great acceptance letter via Ink in Thirds, (their new issue out today):   Hi Timothy! Thank you for subm...

NOTE: Joe Pesci and movie quote by Joe Pesci

4) Kleptoparasitic published in Boston Literary Magazine, and the story behind the story (poem).

 I am happy to announce my poem, Kleptoparasitc was published in Boston Literary Magazine To hear the poem, look further down this post...

NOTE: Published piece that got momentum because it appear in BLM, a Robin Stratton of Big Table Production

5) Flash Piece, "Ambien Beatle," published in Oddball Magazine

     I'm grateful that my friends at Oddball published my story (click link >>>>), " Ambien Beatle , " but I want...

NOTE: Flash piece using Beatles lyrics. YEP. 

6) THE BOSTON NATIONAL POETRY MONTH FESTIVAL April 10 and 11th, 2010--I'm reading Saturday at 12:30

THE BOSTON NATIONAL POETRY MONTH FESTIVAL April 10 and 11th, 2010 CO-SPONSORS: Tapestry of Voices & Kaji Aso Studio in partnership w...

NOTE: This post from 2010 is about an annual event, which was cancelled in 2020. Please google tell me if it's going to not get cancelled by COVID-19 precautions. 

7) It should always end in "I love you"

       Of all the posts and remembrances that people have posted about Nadine Darling, the one that most rang true was, "The last words...

NOTE: Will be missed and always loved by many

8) Fall Issue of Wilderness House Literary Review is out. The link to full issue is in the blog

     Ah, the Wilderness..It's great to get away, with everything happening in the World.       I'm proud to show you fiction I selec...

NOTE: Such good fiction in this issue. Also, pandemically speaking the number of submissions here have been overwhelming. Isolations creates time to write, time to submit. 

9) Interview up on MassPoetry regarding the Virtual Fridays Dire Literary Series, to benefit Independent Bookstores

UPDATE 5/4: I'm no longer accepting queries for being a feature.  Apologies in advance. Today there is an interview up about Virtual ...

NOTE: Good interview, and there was a lot of interest in Virtual Dire Literary Series, just starting in April. In this interview it is said, "Well, maybe I'll have features."

10) How to find my latest published piece, "It's a New Year," in Right Hand Pointing #140

 I've decided to start submitting again, so I picked an old favorite Right Hand Pointing  who has gratefully published me ten times in ...

NOTE: A flash piece out this summer about a New Years Eve relationship in conversation. Perfect for an end of the year blog. 

Now, happy New Year all. It's 2021 soon.  Do the right thing and let's get some of our lives back this year.. 

 

2020: My Year in Publishing, without anything else having to do with 2020

 So, hey Mr. Tally man, I'll tally you all my bananas, right here! We won't mention Election Fraud, (see ya' later, Donnie), Covid-19 (hope to never see you), or life's often challenging lifey-moments (see them somewhere in this blog) 

   

Besides all of that in 2020 was, my tallies were 3 Flash Fictions, 7 Poems, 1 Essay and 3 Podcasts. Slow, consistent, and pandemic friendly. I acted as Fiction Editor for Wilderness House Literary Review for their four seasons of issues. 

     I also hosted 33 Virtual Friday Dire Literary Series events on Zoom. The line-ups are HERE  and from Sept. on the videos of the features can be viewed HERE

Flash Fictions

"The New Coach" , October 26, 2020 Boog City, #137, Baseball Issue

"It's a New Year" , September 1, 2020 Right Hand Pointing, #140, scroll to the bottom

'"Ambien Beatle" January 29, 2020 Oddball Magazine

Poetry

"New York Confession"
December 11, 2020 Live Nude Poems

“When You Have This Connection”
“How Lucia Joyce Was Treated”
“Midwinter Aficionado”
“Thinking In Long Distant Relations”
"Canticle"
April 27, 2020, Muddy River Poetry Review

"Kleptoparasitic"
April, 2020 Boston Literary Magazine

Non-Fiction/Essays

June 2, 2020, WorkIt Health
"Being Of Service in the Age of Corona"

Podcasts

December 25, 2020, Oddball Show with Jason Wright
"The Oddball Podcast"

July 10, 2020, Assiduous Dust with Joshua Corwin

"Assiduous Dust #8"

May 20, 2020, Poetry in the Bar, with Helen Bloom
"Poetry In the Bar"

Autumn 2020: Featured at Virtual Fridays Dire Literary Series (and a few bonus videos)

 This blog starts in 5...4...3...2...1. 

Okay. That is how I count out most of the beginnings of these videos. Virtual Fridays Dire Literary Series started in April, but I didn't start recording until July---enough to have all the Fall line-up to captured below. 

Things had not been fool-proof production wise as Jessica Keener's reading was caught on video after she started, and I didn't have a decent microphone until October.  

Also if you want to look ahead. Here is the Winter Schedule

To see more videos of Dire features in the future, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel. The zoom recordings may look small, but the live stream on the Facebook platform gets 300 views, plus the YouTube videos get another few hundred. That's quite a crowd for a reading!

9/11, Carley Israel 

9/18, Daphne Kalotay

9/25, Ryan Ridge

10/2, Marge Piercy

10/9, Kerry Beth Neville

10/16, Yuyutsu Sharma

10/23, Chris Joseph

10/30, Elizabeth Gordon McKim

11/6, Diana Spechler

11/13, Jonathan Escoffrey

11/20, Dewitt Henry

11/27, Brian Sonia-Wallace

12/4, Rebecca Fishow

12/11, Marguerite Bouvard

12/18, Pamela Painter

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Here are a few from the summer, when I first started recording these. 

7/31, Kim Chinquee

8/7, Jessica Keener

8/21, Amy King

2021 Winter Schedule for Virtual Fridays Dire Literary Series

     Features will read 10 minutes at either 7 PM or 8 PM, their preference. To see these events on live stream join Virtual Fridays Dire Literary Series Group on Facebook or message me for information. All feature segments get uploaded to YouTube, and you have the option to subscribe.  Our  features are followed or preceded by the best open mic in the world, so bring your best stuff. For previous features see HERE

Note: I no longer accept queries for features. 

Gate crash Prevention

Because of pranks, perversion, and racism which will not be tolerated, here are some guidelines I will be using some of the following at various times.

1) People will be Automatically muted when entering, only host can unmute you, at any time

2) Eliminate Chat

3) Eliminate screen share

4) Lock Dire at 715 so even if you get booted out by mistake, you may not be able to re-enter--sorry.

5) Block camera ability for any interlopers that are frustrated by all of the above.

6) Not post the event on Twitter

7) Not publicly post Dire link to zoom

7) Immediately remove offending animal. 

January 

8 Rick Moody 

15 Laurette Folk

22 Mark Saba

29 Sarah Anne Johnson

February 

5 Jennifer Haigh

12 Keetje Kuipers

   19 January O'Neil

26 Elle Nash

March

5 Danielle Zaccagnino

12 Marty Beckerman

19 Nathan Graziano

26 Steven Cramer

Watch out for April!

9 The all-open mic One Year Anniversary Event

16 Sandra Simonds