I have a poem called “Unnamed” on the 6th issue of this lovely site, Hedgerow: A Journal of Small Poems. Take a few minutes and read some beautiful poetry. Oh, then send them some of your own!
Month: October 2014
Louder Than Long Beach On November 15, 2014
Louder Than Long Beach is back and we get to join the fun! Saturday, November 15th, from 2-10 p.m., come to the Bungalow Building at 729 N. Pine Ave and spend the day full of music, art, and poetry. Nancy Lynée Woo and I will join our friend Fernando Gallegos and other Long Beach creatives bringing you lots of Long Beach goodness. You can get more details at the Facebook event page.
October 25, 2014 @ Steamed in Long Beach
Although it’s not on this flyer, my poetry partner, Nancy Lynée Woo and I are going to read some poetry with some of our favorite people celebrating the art of Esmeralda Villalobos, Sean Blake and Fernando Gallegos of The Chrome Pigeons, and more! Come by Steamed and hang out with us for a while.
October 23, 2014 @ Public Beer and Wine
The Truth of My Skin
Pores in my skin once
empty are now full of black
coarse hairs. Growth once fine
and translucent, now
pushes out beyond the surface,
my body in rebellion of my mind
Cells on my left eyelid
multiply fast in an unmatched race
against the right, laying in tiny folds
along the crease, I cannot
blink them out or tuck them in
they will not let me lie about
my time on earth
There are scars on my knees
fading slow, sinking into the white
clarity of neighboring skin
They are forcing me to forget you—
to forget what—to forget where I last
held proof of it
Maybe it’s time to allow age
to love wisdom more than sorrow
My skin has shed entirely ten times
and again since the last time
your breath knew it
First published in East Jasmine Review, also included in All the Tiny Anchors.
Cadence Poets at Lucid Moose Lit Launch
A little more about the big press and book launch a few weeks ago.
In September, long time contributor, Nancy Lynée Woo with myself, Sarah Thursday, set out to launch Lucid Moose Lit, a press focused on social justice issues, and an anthology called Gutters & Alleyways:Perspectives on Poverty and Struggle. In the months prior, we received hundred of submissions, a significant number of which were from our incredible Cadence Collective community of poets. You can find out more about the press and book at LucidMooseLit.com.
You can also watch this wonderful video on YouTube that highlights many of the Cadence contributors at the launch event on September 28th at St. Luke’s Church, including cameos by Fernando Gallegos, Don Kingfisher Campbell, Terry Wright, Clifton Snider, Daniel McGinn, and Raquel Reyes-Lopez. The anthology also includes work by Cadence Collective Poets K. Andrew Turner, G. Murray Thomas, JL Martindale, Graham Smith, Alejandro Duarte
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The dA Center for the Arts in Pamona
Come to The dA Center for the Arts for The San Gabriel Valley Literary Festival‘s monthly reading and open mic. I am featuring with Alexis Fancher, the author of How I Lost My Virginity To Michael Cohen and Other Heart Stab Poems.
The dA Center is a beautiful art gallery/creative center. If you live in the area, they have tons of wonderful events, like “Shut Up and Write” hosted by really cool people, like John Brantingham. The reading starts at 7 pm at 252-D South Main St, Pomona, California 91766
Not Sleeping
I can't keep not sleeping at night I can't keep letting all those open cupboard doors pull my shoulder blades I can't keep hoping for that miracle change black tea into coffee and cream I can't keep recycling those words said and unsaid replies and responses never meet resolution I can't keep my head full of bees whispering why it doesn't matter it never matters I can't keep eating the edges of my cuticles it won't grow flat I can't keep my ear to my gut it's holding on to a secret I'm listening it's not telling I can't keep waiting by the phone waiting for that email to make it right it will never be right I can't keep saying I don't mind I get it-I understand I don't I can't keep not surrendering to anything since the switch flipped it got broke I can't switch it back I can't keep a single person as ideal as I have loved them stop idealizing I can't keep all the names off my lips they push out daily hourly I form them my mouth aches I can't keep this pencil moving its eraser is shrinking there's more mistakes to make I can't keep presuming the road's closed my feet are swelling until it hurts to walk but I walk anyway I can't keep listening to the air in my lungs rub against my nostrils I hear myself living I need to be sleeping 4-16-13 First Published in Something’s Brewing, Kind of a Hurricane Press (April 2014)
Video from night at TALB!
Last Friday night, I got to have a phenomenal evening with all of my favorite things: music, poetry, teachers, friends, family, and even my mom’s dog! Though not of these made the video (my mom and her dog are not featured), most of them are highlighted here on this amazing montage put together by the Teacher’s Association of Long Beach. Musicians Alex Hattick, Fernando Gallegos, Karlee and Bobby Cuff (AKA BobKat) perform songs, as well as play music to poetry for Nancy Lynée Woo and me. Watch the TALB video at this link!
Saturday Afternoon Poetry in Pasadena
Sarah Thursday and Nancy Lynée Woo are at it again! We have been very busy bees launching a new press, Lucid Moose Lit, and feel it’s time to get back to how we first became poetry partners, by reading you a full set of our own poems. Join us in Pasadena in the back room at the Santa Catalina Branch Library with host, Don Kingfisher Campbell, and fellow poet, Marvin Dorsey. There will be a open reading list if you also have poems to share.
We’ll have lots or goodies for you, including our most recent projects, Gutters & Alleyways, Cadence Collective Anthology, poetry books, and both our poetry with music CDs. See you there!
Santa Catalina Branch Library 999 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena, California 91104
Sarah Thursday 