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Michael H. Brownstein taught elementary school in Chicago’s inner city (he is now retired), but he continues to study authentic African instruments with his students, conducts grant-writing workshops for educators and the State of Illinois Title 1 Convention, and records performance and music pieces with grants from the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the Oppenheimer Foundation, BP Leadership Grants, and others.
Read poems by Michael H. Brownstein:
There is still time to get your entries in to the Eye On Life Poetry Contest, deadline January 31st. Mail early, because entries must be received by then!
I hang with mad poets and dead people.
I have been labeled a delusional realist.
And I am never enough.
If you don’t believe me, just read my poems.
Okay. Never mind. Maybe I am too much.
But too much what?
And you can never have too much.
Which brings us back to square one.
I think I’ve just confused myself.
You?
__________
Sincerly,
Bibelot
Read Bibelot’s Poetry:
Ivan Jenson has enjoyed unprecedented success publishing his poetry in the the US and the UK and he has received recognition for his bold Pop Art. His Absolut Jenson painting was featured in Art News, Art in America, and he has sold several works at Christie’s, New York. Ivan Jenson is highly sought after for his popular and dynamic live readings on the stage and radio. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Word Riot, Zygote in my Coffee, Camroc Press Review, Word Catalyst Magazine, Poetry Super Highway, Alternative Reel Poets Corner, Underground voices magazine, Blazevox, and many others. He now writes novels and poetry in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Read Ivan Jenson’s poetry:
Wilda Morris is workshop chairperson of Poets & Patrons of Chicago and a past president of the Illinois State Poetry Society. Her awards include a 2009 Prairie Poetry Award from College of DuPage and a Pushcart nomination. Her blog, “Wilda Morris’s Poetry Challenge (wildamorris.blogspot.com),” provides poets everywhere with a monthly prompt; she publishes at least one winner on the blog each month. Her book, Szechwan Shrimp and Fortune Cookies: Poems from a Chinese Restaurant, was published by the Rockford Writers Guild Press in 2008.
Read Wilda’s poems:
Diane Dean-Epps graduated from California State University at Sacramento with a major in Communication Studies-Broadcasting and a minor in Business Administration, pursuing an unfinished dance minor along the way. After a diverse and rewarding ten-year career in television broadcasting, she wended her way to a Master of Arts in English language, with a published master’s thesis highlighting the work of author, Langston Hughes. Dean-Epps lives and works in California, writing novels in her spare time; Maternal Meanderings (Humor), Last Call (Humorous Mystery) and KILL-TV (Humorous Mystery). Her numerous essays have appeared in a variety of publications, including MORE magazine (on-line), The San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento magazine and The Contra Costa Times.
Read Diane’s Poetry:
Michael Weems is a NYC based writer, playwright, and actor. Recent playwriting credits include: Bludgeon the Lime and Necessary Adjustments (Phare Play Productions) Fragments, Waiting Life, and Onward, Forward (Little Hibiscus Productions), Subtlety (Algonquin Productions), Burden Me (Strawberry Riant Festival & Awakening Drama); Waiting Life, Ready to Shine, and Subtlety (Brief Acts). Recent fiction/poetry credits: Love Me, As Well (Record Magazine - Winter 08-09) When We Reached the Forest (Indite Circle Literary) and being named the poet of the month for ‘O Sweet Flowery Roses Literary Journal (October 2008), as well as recent works being published by 63 Channels Literary, Jump In Magazine, and Oregon Literary Review, amongst others. Thanks to my loves, Christine & Thomas. www.michaeltweems.com
Read Michael Weems’ Poems:
William Vollrath resides in suburban Chicago, where he has finally found time to focus on writing after paying some dues as a stockbroker, grave digger, ad salesman, English instructor, real estate appraiser, bartender, political activist, father and husband. He hopes sharing his experiences, perceptions, frustrations and joys will be both good therapy for himself and provide some lasting illumination for others.
Bill enjoys doing poetry readings throughout the Chicago area and his poetry has appeared in a number of journals and web sites.
Read poems by William Vorath:
William Vollrath’s chapbooks of poetry “Make Mine Rare” and “Neon Windows” are available at lostmuse00@aol.com.
December 9th, 2009 - Chris O’Carroll: The first sonnet I read was “Holiday Fare,” my tribute to It’s a Wonderful Life, a movie we watch every year at my extended family’s Christmas gathering. It’s quite a spectacle — a room full of smart, cynical, irreverent atheists with tears streaming down our cheeks as Frank Capra twangs our heartstrings. The second sonnet I read was “New Year’s Prophecies.” The title is pretty self-explanatory. Horace Walpole wrote, “This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.” There’s no reason that good light verse can’t think and feel at the same time.
“Holiday Fare” appeared in the print journal The Deronda Review.
December 10th, 2009
From left: Chris O’Carroll, Tom Rubenoff, and Fred Solari
Located at 738 Mass. Ave., the Cantab Lounge offers open mic, a featured poet, and a poetry slam to the Cambridge poetry community every Wednesday night. This Wednesday featured a semi-final slam, Joshua Bennet as the featured poet, and yours truly, Tom Rubenoff, participating in open mic night.
Sign up for open mic starts at 7:45 and poets start lining up a few minutes before that. The 20 or so participating poets ranged in age from probably 21 through at least (I know for sure) 53, were white, African American, Asian or Latino, male or female, gay or not gay. I heard no bad poetry and some very good poetry. I thoroughly enjoyed participating and anticipate becoming a regular there.
The two poems recited by Chis O’Carroll at open mic appear on this web site. Fred Solari recited a single moving and thought provoking long poem of consistant intensity, entitled, “Love Conquers Nothing.”
Joshua Bennett, the featured poet, blew me away. This young man recites from the heart and the gut, fully present, fully revealed. The impact of his performance is spectacular.
Joshua read his poems, “Derrick,” “Kite,” “J Dilla as my DeLorean,” “Black Boy Blues,” “Carbon Copy,” and “Tamara’s Opus.” Joshua is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania and a world class competitor in the arena of slam poetry. His poems are compelling and driven, delivered from the heart withenergy and impact, like this excerpt from “Carbon Copy,”
“…I pick up a pen
allowing my words to rocket through the air
like I was on a first name basis with the wind…”
His work is filled with vivid images delivered crisp and hard into the listener’s consciousness. As I listened, I felt as if I was soaring along with the rocket-words of this talented young man, visualizing “Derrick” the at-risk youth or Joshua’s father in “Carbon Copy” almost as if I had seen these people with my own eyes.
I found “Tamara’s Opus,” sections of which were recited simultaneously audibly and in American Sign Language, to be particularly moving. The poem was made so much more engaging by Joshua’s honest expression of conflicting emotions about growing up with his elder sister who lives with a hearing impairment.
I will wait eagerly for the chance to hear him read again.
Regrettably I could not stay for the slam. I will report on a slam event in the near future.
