Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Poem, "When I Think Of My Childhood" published in Ibbetson 39



     This is what the poem is about, me at about the age of 16, 140 pounds. When I posted it on Facebook, some of the comments were,"Got ribs? Eat a cheeseburger!!! hahahahaha and oh, the skinny shaming. Of course I still think about this when I view my current stomach distention. 
     Here's the real deal: Thanks to Doug Holder, Harris Gardner, Lawrence Kessenich my poem is published along with these other great poets, found below, in Ibbetson 39. Upon acceptance, Harris wrote, ""When I Think Of My Childhood" is a poignant collection of childhood bruises, physical and psychological that create a lot of "scar tissue" for the man-child. When life hands you lemons... We can't always slake our thirst with lemonade. Nor can we always satisfy the hunger of emotional needs and self-esteem. "When I Think Of My Childhood" is a very vivid narrative; although very personal, almost painfully so, it has a certain universality in its appeal. Well-written, not a wasted word!" 

You can purchase it here for the inexpensive $10


The issue features:
Kathleen Spivak 
Jennifer Barber 
Kathleen Lentz 
Judy Katz-Levine DREAM 
Beatriz Alba Del Rio
Triona McMorrow 
Philip E. Burnham, Jr.
Triona McMorrow 
Rene Schwiesow 
Lyn Lifshin 
Danielle Legros-George 
Marge Piercy
Tim Kinsella 
Ted Kooser 
David Blair 
Fred Marchant 
Molly Mattfield Bennett 
William Harney
Timothy Gager
Bridget Seley-Galway
Richard Hoffman 
X. J. Kennedy 
Richard J. Fein 
Paul Hostovsky 
Tomas O’Leary 
Teisha Dawn Twomey 
Lawrence Kessenich 
Michael Brosnan 
Gary Rainford 
Alfred Nicol 
Simrin Tamhane 
Ed Meek
Lucy Holstedt
Brendan Galvin
Llyn Clague
Lainie Senechal
Daniel A. Harris
Susan Nisenbaum Becker
Richard J. Fein
INTERVIEW WITH PULITZER-PRIZE-WINNING NOVELIST PAUL HARDING.
Interviewed by Nicole Cadro
George Kalogeris
Tom Laughlin
Ruth Chad
Sandra Thaxter
Babara Claire Kasselmann
Harris Gardner
Zvi Sesling
Kirk Etherton
David Miller
Denise Provost
Ruth Smullin
Nina Rubenstein Alonso
Peter Fulton
Wendell Smith
Mary Buchinger
T. Michael Sullivan
Robert K. Johnson
Lisa D. Kaufman
Susan LaFortune
Joyce Wilson




Wednesday, June 1, 2016

My poem, "The Filth and The Fury", published today on Oddball





This poem features a dead relationship and accountability. Sometimes we have one, zero or both of these. "The Filth and The Fury" (as always, follow that link) If viewing on your phone, use the wide view as the lines are long and the normal view messes up the breaks

It's sort of like this, as described by William Faulkner in his wonderful book, which is where this poem's title comes from (alas sometimes we are too close to have a clue, not able to see the bigger picture):

Mr. Compson has a vague notion of family honor—something he passes on to Quentin—but is mired in his alcoholism and maintains a fatalistic belief that he cannot control the events that befall his family. Mrs. Compson is just as self-absorbed, wallowing in hypochondria and self-pity and remaining emotionally distant from her children. 



Thanks to Chad Parenteau and Jason Wright for accepting my poem into Oddball and the talented Glenn Bowie for his photograph.