Tag: Poetry

First drafts of poetry, as well as commentary on poems, poets and poetry-related randomonia.

Our Bookshelves Are Over-Flowing With Books

On Wednesday night, I helped organize and participated in Digital Book World's second 7x20x21 event at the Bowery Poetry Club, and I had an amazing time! "Return of the Optimists" was co-hosted by the dynamic duo (and two of my publishing partners in crime), Ami Greko and Ryan Chapman, and the other 5 presenters -- … Continue reading Our Bookshelves Are Over-Flowing With Books →

Why Keep Blogging? and other SXSW Takeaways

It's clear that virtually no one earns a decent living off blogging, so revel in the liberty of being beholden only to your interests. And when that interest flags and you begin to repeat yourself, as Guy LeCharles Gonzalez forcefully argued, quit and move on to the next thing. At a conference like SXSWi, that … Continue reading Why Keep Blogging? and other SXSW Takeaways →

Dialect of a Skirt by Erica Miriam Fabri

Erica is a great poet, one whose work I’ve had the pleasure of publishing in Spindle; she’s also a friend, so take my recommendation (and criticism) with a grain of salt. Generally speaking, I prefer my poetry a la carte or in thematic anthologies; I’m not a fan of individual collections of poetry unless a … Continue reading Dialect of a Skirt by Erica Miriam Fabri →

Bury Me in the Leaning Rest (for Veteran’s Day)

Bury Me in the Leaning Rest C-130 rollin’ down the strip Airborne Daddy gonna take a little trip Mission Top Secret Destination Unknown He don’t know if he’s ever coming home… An old Army buddy emailed me out of the blue a while back. Found me on the Internet amongst too many "friends" I barely … Continue reading Bury Me in the Leaning Rest (for Veteran’s Day) →

Review: Crazy White Devil: Poems by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Review by: Lori Freshwater on Oct. 24, 2009 : (no rating) Guy LeCharles Gonzalez takes the gloves right off in this wonderful collection of poetry. We know immediately that this is going to be poetry that lives up to its promise, it is going to be poetry that speaks truth. We know that because the … Continue reading Review: Crazy White Devil: Poems by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez →

Burning Down the House: True Story

Arguably my "biggest" publishing credit is co-authoring Burning Down the House: Selected Poems from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe's National Poetry Slam Champions (Soft Skull Press, 2000), and while I am both proud of and eternally grateful for its publication, its existence has more to do with timing and opportunism than the quality of the work therein. Besides my own attempts at zines and chapbooks, it was my first real introduction to the world of publishing, and it left a permanent mark that partly explains my cynical passion and/or pragmatic idealism for the publishing industry.

Testing Smashwords with my Free eBook #wdc09

I had the pleasure of attending the first Writer's Digest Conference last weekend and had a blast. Great presenters; great insights; a fun time at the least pretentious poetry slam I've ever been part of that didn't involve teenagers. Work's been crazy the past couple of weeks with some exciting transition happening, but I do intend to … Continue reading Testing Smashwords with my Free eBook #wdc09 →

Three Rules for the National Poetry Slam

Eleven years ago next month, in Austin, TX, I took one of the most life-changing thrill rides ever when I attended my first National Poetry Slam, as a member of the 1998 team representing the Nuyorican Poets Café that would go on to become their first (and still only) team to win the Championship. The … Continue reading Three Rules for the National Poetry Slam →