David Roderick and the good folks at SF Chronicle very nicely published a poem from my new book. Bakersfield, was my first attempt at paying tribute to the family road trips we used to take every summer in the late 70's, early 80's. Those memories, what's left of them, are of a pre-strip-malled, pre-Star*ucked America. …
My Pineapple Roommate
The only scent a rose may come to envy is a pineapple on the vine in the east facing window of a 3rd floor apartment. Confident and exotic, the plant announces itself before being seen, owns its space, and was the first plant I ever purchased a weapon to defend myself, my skin, the corner …
If You See Something, Say Something
The good folks at The Maynard just published a poem that emerged from a writers workshop I found myself in this year. It's a form of some kind, where I write one stanza then attempt to rewrite/reconstruct it until I find a good place to stop.
Pre-order –Black Steel Magnolias in the Hour of Chaos Theory
Nomadic Press is now taking pre-orders for my first poetry collection, Black Steel Magnolias in the Hour of Chaos Theory. I have no real second sentence after that. My bad. I've been mulling over it for days since the green light clicked on, and I'm still stuck. I am stunned and humbled. Its not …
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About That Poetry Reading In Half Moon Bay Last Night…
No snarky stories or comments, as it was just a good, solid night of poems from every direction. My co-feature triple-kindly picked me up after work in the city for the long ride out to the café, fed me, then dropped me off safe at home. Thank you, Bruce. And big thanks It'll be a …
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Ain’t We Lucky — The Good Times Project (Season 7)
WHEREIN THE AUTHOR CREATES FANTASY EPISODES OF AN UNPRODUCED SEASON OF THE 1970'S SERIES 'GOOD TIMES' WILL SUCCESS SPOIL JAMES EVANS? James gets caught in a surprise blizzard and is interviewed by a local weatherman, Gordon Howard, in that evening's newscast. James asks: How'd you get a job like this? Is this all you do? …
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Ways Of Looking At A Poetry Reading
Part of drafting a poem is reading it aloud. Until its been read, it remains unfinished. * Midway through reading a poem I liked, I realized it was too long. I felt different about it as it was coming out of my mouth. Wrong room perhaps? Different kind of listeners? This morning I took that …
Mary Lou Williams
“No one can put a style on me. I've learned from many people. I change all the time. I experiment to keep up with what is going on, to hear what everybody else is doing. I even keep a little ahead of them, like a mirror that shows what will happen next.” —Mary Lou Williams …
Black History As A Living Document
This is the third blog I've had in about 20 years. With those first two, every February I'd challenge myself to write a biography or history one day for a month. It could be a fun exercise as a writer, especially when I'd get a day or so ahead of myself, and could post and …
Robert Hayden
Robert Hayden was one of the first poets whose work I was introduced to. Back in college, I wrote a paper on his poem, Those Winter Sundays. The Poem hit me close to home because one of the things it does successfully is underscore the tension between father and son, which I was experiencing a …
The Dirty Rat 