March 9th Monday at Mahall's presents Karen Schubert, Megan Erwin

March 9th 2015 at 7:30 p.m. the Monday at Mahall's Poetry and Prose Series will present readings by featured authors Karen Schubert & Megan Erwin.

Karen Schubert’s most recent chapbooks are Black Sand Beach (Kattywompus Press, 2015) and I Left My Wings on a Chair (Kent State Press, 2014), selected by Kathleen Flenniken for the Wick Poetry Center prize. Her work appears or is forthcoming in PoetsArtists, The Louisville Review, American Literary Review, Best American Poetry Blog, and diode poetry journal. Awards include a 2013 residency at Headlands Center for the Arts and 2014 Pushcart Prize nomination. She is a founding member of Lit Youngstown, a new literary arts organization in Youngstown, Ohio.

Megan M. Erwin is a graduate of the North East Ohio Master of Fine Arts program and the former editor of Whiskey Island. A former Bisbee fellow, she is a recipient the Leonard Trawick Creative Writing Award, an Academy of American Poet’s Prize, and a scholarship to the Juniper Summer Writing Institute at the University of Massachusetts. Her work can be found at Everyday Genius and the Valparaiso Fiction Review.

An open mic emceed by John Burroughs will follow. Beer, bowling and balderdash optional, as always.

New book out in February...SALVATORE AND MARIA:... - Bottom Dog Press/ Bird Dog Publishing

New book out in February...SALVATORE AND MARIA:... - Bottom Dog Press/ Bird Dog Publishing

CSU Poetry Center Presents New Reading Series!

• CSU Poetry Center
• Upcoming Readings

"Poetry of Love" Cleveland Public Poetry Reading - 2/11/2015

Click here for more info.

Cleveland, by Diane Vogel Ferri

a celebration of Cleveland from Diane Vogel Ferri:

photo by Diane Vogel Ferri

Cleveland

I see Cleveland as a time not yet come,
a book we haven’t read, the tenacious hope 
of next year tangled in its bridges and highways,
beaming off the silvery water of a Great Lake.

A place where Christmas memories and food memories
are built into our bones, where you can step into a diamond
and hear an orchestra, or on any given day view a Rembrandt,
a Van Gogh, or hear poetry in a courtyard.

I believe in the Native Americans who named 
our crooked river, the Traffic Guardians 
welcoming you across the great divide of east and west,
into multicultural streets and towns.

In the jowls and crags of tumultuous industry
I no longer see smoke and filth - its former fame.
I see a place where Grandpa delivered ice, and
dad played catch with a Cleveland Indian on the streets of the Heights.

God’s good creation surrounds and envelops us
in the glorious greenery of the Emerald Necklace
that we wear so well, with the fearless changing 
of the seasons flowing in our lifeblood.

-- Diane Vogel Ferri

 

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• Link to poem at original site
• Diane's poems
• Link to Diane's blog Coexist

GET ON IT!

Is your reading, slam, book signing or other literary event within an hour's drive of downtown Cleveland and not listed on the calendar you see at the top of this blog?  Or does your already listed event need updated?   In either case, please email all pertinent information (the sooner, the better) to jc@crisischronicles.com and help us keep the calendar as complete as possible.

• Clevelandpoetics Calendar

Poetry Month: get the poster

Joanna Conners of the Plain Dealer points out that cartoonist Roz Chast made a poster for this year's National Poetry Month (coming up this April)-- and you can get one free.
If you're a fan of Roz (check out her work here), here's your own Roz, suitable for framing. 

• Poster request form
• A gallery of previous National Poetry Month posters
• About National Poetry Month
• "Can't we talk about something more pleasant?" by Roz

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(and keep an eye on the Cuyahoga County Public Library site. Last year they posted a great series for National Poetry month, with a poem a day from Northeast Ohio poets, plus other fine stuff.  This year I expect even greater things!)

Get Uncorked!

Experimental poet and artist Brandon Stroud is spearheading a new talk series this Thursday evening at Corks Wine Bar in Willoughby:

Brandon Stroud and Corks Wine Bar present ‘UNCORKED,’ a Speaker Series bringing together the areas most inspired thinkers and doers across various fields to share diverse opinions, profound insights and fascinating discussion on a broad scope of topics and issues [both local and global]. Come join a community of curious souls and become engaged with each other and ideas worth spreading  Q&A to follow each lecture.

Topic of the Evening: THINGS UNSEEN

SPEAKERS:

• Gadi Zamir (Artist / Owner of Negative Space Gallery in Cleveland)
• Doug Baker (Principal of Shore Middle School)
• Geoffrey A. Landis (Scientist and Author)
• Cathi Weber (Ghost Hunter from Downtown Willoughby Ghost Walks)

This event is FREE
 Corks Wine Bar • 4084 Erie Street • Historic Downtown Willoughby, OH
Thursday, January 22 at 7:30PM

• Facebook event page

Bottom Dog Press/ Larry Smith

Bottom Dog Press/ Larry Smith

More Nature Photo-Poems in the Zen spirit.
New form for me...Photo + Poem

Try one.

Photos by Brian Smith/ Words by Larry Smith

Poetic Justice on January 17th!

Click here for more info.

Lyrical Rhythms is officially Cool

The twice-monthly "Lyrical Rhythms" poetry open mike gets a shout-out at Cool Cleveland.  First and third Tuesdays at the Grog Shop, 8pm.

Not a reading I usually make-- anybody want to do a review?

• Lyrical Rhythms Facebook page
• Grog Shop Facebook page 

#ThisIsCLE!

Looking for your Cleveland poem fix?

• #ThisIsCLE: An Anthology of the 2014 Best Cleveland Poem Competition 

 The second annual Best Cleveland Poem Competition was held on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at the Willoughby Brewing Company.  #ThisIsCLE features contest highlights including poems by Geoffrey Landis, Theresa Göttl Brightman, Jeffrey Bowen, Mary Turzillo, JP Armstrong, Anita Herczog, Danya Eichhorn, Michael Murray, Steven B. Smith, Frannie Lograsso, S. Renay Sanders, two-time Best Cleveland Poem winner Dianne Borsenik and competition emcee Ray McNiece.

The book is 40 pages, perfect bound, 6x9" and a steal at only $10 from Crisis Chronicles Press, 3344 W. 105th Street #4, Cleveland, Ohio 44111.

• The book will have a release party at the Monday at Mahall's reading, Monday January 5th, 7:30 pm. Mahall's 20 Lanes, 13200 Madison Avenue, Lakewood

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• Previous posts on Cleveland Poem contest

Another Winter in The City

Winter One, by Smith

In time for Christmas, here's the 2014-2015 Winter issue of Kathy Smith's 'zine of poetry and art, The City Poetry, with poetry, art, and haiku from some of your favorite local (and not so local) poets and artists, including Smith, PM Pope, Mary Weems, Mary Turzillo, Joanne Meincke, Bonnie Thompson, Holly Jensen, Renay Sanders, Geoffrey Landis, Lady, Bree, Heather Ann Schmidt, KE, John Swain, Daniel Bellinger, Wendy Shaffer, Agram Bigsby, Jim Deuchars, Cyrus Taylor, Jayce Renner and Dianne Borsenik.
A festival of light.

Bring on the Dark

photo by Neil Herbert

The winter solstice issue of the New York Times had an essay about darkness by Clark Strand.  The whole essay is lyrical, but I seem to be seeing poems everywhere these days, so I pulled this sonnet out of it:

Bring on the Dark

There is, of course, no need to fear the dark,
much less prevail over it: not that we could.
Look up into the sky on a starry night,
if you still can, and you will see that there is
a lot of darkness in the universe.

There is so much, it simply has to be
the foundation of all that is.
The stars are only an anomaly
 the planets an accident.

Is it evil or indifferent?
I don’t think so.
Our lives begin in the womb
and end in the tomb.
It’s dark on either side.

--(after Clark Strand)

I hope you all have a happy solstice, and wish you all the best in your celebration of the festival of lights, and darkness.

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• Bring on the Dark: why we need the winter solstice by Clark Strand

Shopping Away from the Malls

It's coming up fast toward Christmas!  When it comes time to look for holiday gifts, instead of hitting the big-box stores and being mauled at the malls, take a thought to check out some of the local independent stores in your neighborhood.

Our town is full of quirky little shops.  I can't even name all of my favorites--

Coventry-- the whole thing, from the library up to Mayfield.  Start out at Mac's Backs, take a lunch at Tommy's, then check out the toys at Big Fun, which has all that stuff you saw advertised in the back of comic books but your parents woudn't let you buy.  Did you know they were named by Playboy as one of the “coolest stores” in all of America? Then browse the street-- Passport to Peru (OK, I admit it: that's where I did my shopping this year.  Don't tell my family, it's a surprise), and around to City Buddha*, for cool stuff.

Over to the west, in Berea try the Shoppe for gifts, and then wander over to Kidforce Collectables to shop for the younger set, and check out their games and comics. Then, if you're over 21, stop for a craft beer at Cornerstone Brewing on the Triangle. Hey, a growler of Seven is always the right thing to bring to a Christmas pot-luck!

Over to the east, check out the arts, antiques and consignment shops in the Larchmere area, starting with Loganberry Books.

Gordon Square: stop for a movie at the Capitol, and right next door you're find Guide to Kulchur.

And don't forget street fairs and festivals. This week, Coventry Holiday Festival is December 13.

And that's barely more than the surface-- there are thousands more. Look, this year, when black Friday comes, make a resolution: don't shop in the big boxes. They don't need your business. Go for the independents. Support your neighborhoods!

What's your favorite?

For a different view, see:

• Cleveland.com's guide to shopping local in the Cleveland suburbs
• Joanne Connors writes Buy Books at a local, independent bookstore

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*What makes City Buddha unique? Interview.

Page A Day Poetry

Writing Knights just released their anthology of 365 poems: a poem a day for 2015, including eight of mine. Check it out here: https://www.createspace.com/4927522

Can you make a living?

Priceonomics writes, How to make a living as a poet.
The answer seems to be: by doing something else.

“A lot of poets I know are job nomads. Any odd job you can imagine there's probably a poet doing it right now,” Ahmed said.

Zubair Ahmed, a “professional” poet (and aeronautical engineer)

Earlier posts:

• You don't get rich from poetry
•  There's too much money in poetry!

Authors in December!

December's here!
Joanna Conners points out: Lots of author readings in December.

• And don't forget to check out the Clevelandpoetics calendar for poetry readings and events

Indies First Celebration at Bookstores Around Town This Weekend

November 29 is the "Indies First" celebration: a nationwide bookstore extravaganza.  Need to start your shopping for holiday gifts? Skip the black Friday malls-- you can get your gift-shopping done, and meet local authors at the same time. 

Joanna Connors writes about the Indies First Celebration, pointing out that bookstores all around Cleveland are participating:

Mac's Backs – Books on Coventry
1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-2665, macsbacks.com
Mac's Backs will have holiday refreshments and nine local (or native) authors on hand throughout the day on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Each author will hold court for an hour, signing books and suggesting titles, starting at 10 a.m. In order of appearance, they are: Deanna Adams, Anne Trubek, Ben Small, Jane Turzillo, Les Roberts, Shelley Costa, Tricia Springstubb, Joyce Brabner and John Paulett.
Loganberry Books
13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights, 216-795-9800, loganberrybooks.com
Loganberry will host authors on Friday, Nov. 28, and Saturday, Nov. 29, during the Larchmere Holiday Stroll. Starting each day at noon, authors will chat and sign books for an hour each. On Friday, look for (in order of appearance): Suzanne McGinness, Les Roberts, Jennie Jones and Derf Backderf. Saturday, look for (in order): Tricia Springstubb, Laura and Barney Taxel, Gail Ghetia Bellamy and Charlie Mintz.
The Learned Owl
204 N. Main St., Hudson, 330-653-2252, learnedowl.com
On Saturday, Nov. 29, The Learned Owl will offer refreshments and special deals on featured titles. Author Nancy Christie will sign books from 1 to 3 p.m. And you can enter a raffle to win a Christmas Story Leg Lamp, with proceeds going to the Hudson Food Pantry.
Appletree Books
12419 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-791-2665, appletree-books.com
Appletree will give away special Indies First tote bags, emblazoned with the motto "Shop Small," to purchasers.
Fireside Book Shop
29 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls, 440-247-4050, firesidebookshop.com
On Friday, Nov. 28, from 1 to 3 p.m., local author Sandy Philipson and illustrator Jenny Campbell will sign the new chapter book, Wings. On Saturday, Nov. 29, from 1 to 3 p.m., local editor Laura Gorretta will sign the revised version of Chagrin Falls: An Ohio Village History.

• Letter from Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer.
• Indies First: What's happening?

Autumn Photo-Poems

Lake Erie Ink teen open Mic December 13

If you want to hear what younger poets are about, here's your chance.  Lake Erie Ink is sponsoring an open Mic for teen poetry on December 13 at 1854 Coventry Road [formerly Phoenix, next to Bodega], part of the Coventry Holiday Fest.

'Tis the season!

• Lake Erie Ink (located right next to the Coventry library), is a "writing space for youth" with programs and creative expression opportunities for young people in the Greater Cleveland area.
• Programs
• Coventry Holiday Fest facebook page

"We believe in the transformative power of creative expression."

Belt

Cleveland's Belt magazine is getting some ink!

• Joseph Lichterman: "By the book: How Belt Publishing led to an online magazine covering the industrial Midwest":

"Belt is a small independent publishing house that tells stories of the industrial (and post-industrial) Midwest, from Pittsburgh to St. Louis. It published its first book, Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology, in 2012, and it launched an online magazine last fall that grew out of the Cleveland Anthology and a successful kickstarter campaign."

• Robert L. Smith: "Tiny Belt Magazine invited to show New York how to do new journalism: the Mix":

"...The result is a selection of stories and essays that often offer fresh insight into regional issues and challenges and that stoke smart conversation. Discerning readers in Greater Cleveland are not the only ones to notice. The Paley Center for Media has chosen Belt Magazine to present at its "The Next Big Thing in Media and the Innovation Economy" conference..."
"'We see ourselves doing independent Rust Belt journalism, and we're the only ones doing it.' Apparently, tiny Belt is seen as big enough to disrupt."

"The Slumlords We Love," by Robert Langellier

• Like Belt on Facebook
• Belt magazine

Kurt Landefeld and JACK'S MEMOIRS: OFF THE ROAD, A NOVEL will be featured at the Beat Reading 7 pm Wed. Nov. 12th at Mac's Backs Books...Join the poets and readers who connect with the Beat Movement as it lives on.Bring a favorite Beat poem to share.

Bree's first novel Pigskin In a Blanket

Green Panda Press announces its first work of full-length fiction. Pigskin in a Blanket is an existential-buddhist-romantic-comedy written by the formerly Cleveland poet Bree (now Kentuckian) in a period of six weeks that followed a string of curses. the novel is set in Cleveland, OH. it features Anya, who marries her twice-senior plastic surgeon and schemes to become the woman people take most seriously, and former Browns player Harry who might just be some kind of poet; he battles an obscure liver disease while slinging meats and cheeses for a local purveyor. 260 pgs TP.

the book plus shipping is $12 via paypal to greenpandapress@gmail.com and comes with a copy of Bree's latest paperback poetry Some Hiatus: Tucky Poems.

or order thru amazon or the link below. thanks! read and pass along.....
https://www.createspace.com/5091426

luv and hugs, Bree

John Burroughs is coming to Sandusky for the Coffeehouse Reading Series
Sponsored by the Firelands Writing Center and Bottom Dog Press.