Author Archives: Don Yorty

Aliah Rosenthal reads from Kiss My Assteroid

… Aliah Rosenthal, the son of poets, grew up in the East Village with the Poetry Project at Saint Mark’s Church a few blocks away. Contrary to what may be a popular opinion, being the child of a poet is … Continue reading →

Morgan Võ reads from The Selkie

9 Aug ’25

I’ve read The Selkie by Morgan Võ several times now. I enjoy it, but I’ve also been trying to figure it out. Võ says, “Writing The Selkie was trying to describe a world and discern certain factors or dimensions of … Continue reading →

13 Summer Sonnets

31 Jul ’25

… For many years I spent parts of my summers in the South Mountain in Pennsylvania where I was raised and my parents still lived. There was a pond and hiking trails all around and I’d often trek into the … Continue reading →

13 by Arup Datta

30 Jul ’25

… I love Arup Datta’s drawings and paintings. One day, hopefully, I will meet up with him in Kolkata. Until then, here is some of his most recent work. Enjoy. … the girls, July 30 the night, July 9 … Continue reading →

Melinda Wilson reads from What It Was Like To Be A Woman

29 Jul ’25

… The poems of Melinda Wilson have a hard won sense of self that I trust. The poet’s love of nature and every living creature in it allow her poems to appear as they are on the page. Empathy and … Continue reading →

Catullus 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 13 & 51: Lesbia poems

8 Jul ’25

II Passer, deliciae meae puellaequicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere,cui primum digitum dare appetentiet acris solet incitare morsuscum desiderio meo nitenticarum nescio quid lubet iocare,et solaciolum sui doloris,credo, ut tum gravis acquiescat ardor:tecum ludere sicut ipsa possemet tristis animi levare … Continue reading →

Christian Gullette reads from Coachella Elegy

23 Jun ’25

… A friend of mine was very moved by a book of poems called Coachella Elegy by Christian Gullette. His partner had died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and Gullette’s husband, who appears throughout the book, was being treated for … Continue reading →

john compton reads

22 Jun ’25

… John Compton lives in Kentucky. I met him on Facebook where I first read his straight-forward-what-you-see-is-what-you-get poetry. When you are gay in Kentucky there are yahoos who think it’s funny to tie you to the back of their pickups … Continue reading →

Catullus 48 & 99: Juventius poems

21 Jun ’25

… XLVIII Mellitos oculos tuos, Juventi,si quis me sinat usque basiare,usque ad milia basiem trecentanec numquam videar satur futurusnon si densior aridis aristissit nostrae seges osculationis. 48 Your darling eyes, sweet Juventius, ifsuddenly somehow somewhere somebody let mekiss them … Continue reading →