Yearly Archives: 2020

On Reading Max Turns Yellow by Martha King

When I look back on my life as a reader, there are particular books I remember with pleasure because they drew me in as soon as I started them. Tom Sawyer was one, and Wuthering Heights—much to my surprise—was … Continue reading →

Francine Witte reads some Charley Poems

27 Dec ’20

I’ve heard Francine Witte read her Charley poems on several occasions, and I’ve always enjoyed them, so it had been on my mind to ask her to read them for the blog. Charley is a man (the many men) … Continue reading →

Hound Dog

27 Dec ’20

Hound Dog, a twelve-bar blues by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was first recorded by Willie Mae Thornton on August 13, 1952 in Los Angeles. I, whose birthday was on August 15, would have been turning three at the … Continue reading →

Sparrow reads from Small Happiness and Other Epiphanies

9 Dec ’20

It’s the little things, the good word, the bon mot that come down to us. “Festina lente,” the Emperor August used to say: “Hurry slowly.” Words I try to live by. Other words to try to live by can … Continue reading →

The 17th Annual Brevitas Reading

29 Nov ’20

It has been several years now since Tom Savage asked me to become a member of Brevitas, an online poetry group that posts fourteen line poems, or shorter, twice a month, on the first and the fifteenth. It is … Continue reading →

The Water’s Work Song

16 Nov ’20

I wrote the words to this song when I was twenty-three; it came in a burst of writing three other songs as well, just the words, not any music. Over the years as I learned to play the guitar (always … Continue reading →

Rosemary Cappello reads from Wonderful Disaster

15 Nov ’20

In Philadelphia, Rosemary Cappello—since the 1970s—has edited magazines, organized readings, and published books by Philadelphia poets, helping the poetry scene to thrive there. When she sent me a copy of her book, Wonderful Disaster, I was moved by her memories … Continue reading →

Ron Kolm reads from Swimming in the Shallow End

1 Nov ’20

Ron Kolm gives a lot of energy to the current poetry scene in NYC. He adds to his archives at the NYU Library, continues to publish others at The Unbearables, and collaborates with artists and writers, too, recently editing Brevitas … Continue reading →

Lynne Sachs reads from Year By Year Poems

31 Oct ’20

I heard Lynne Sachs read for the KGB Monday Night Poetry Series on Zoom a few weeks ago. She read from her new book, Year By Year Poems (2019), which is a beautifully put together publication by Tender Buttons … Continue reading →

Twelve Postcards

27 Oct ’20

I like making things, and since my husband Akram’s drawings often fit my poems perfectly, I’ve made postcards out of them. In the time of an inundating Internet and a pandemic, postcards are something physical that a friend has … Continue reading →

Nine Poems by Lewis Warsh

26 Oct ’20

In a box looking for something else, I found a stapled mimeographed magazine called UNITED ARTISTS FIVE that was edited and published by Lewis Warsh and Bernadette Mayer in 1978 when they worked together as United Artists living in … Continue reading →

John McCullough reads from Reckless Paper Birds

24 Oct ’20

Reckless Paper Birds, wow, when I saw that title, it immediately appealed to me, coming out of the ether as it did one day on the Internet. Even in a pandemic, we communicate. I got in touch with the … Continue reading →