Much to tell, much to do!

There’s lots of news of which to tell! In no particular order, here’s what’s new:

• Full details of the 2016 Hessler Street Fair Poetry Contest have finally been made public! Check out this year’s plans for the Cleveland tradition!
• Writing Knight Press is graciously including me in their lineup of featured poets for the 20th National Poetry Month! The details for the event at which I’ll be reading haven’t yet been finalized, but  UPDATE: Here is the event info! I am scheduled for the evening of April 4th! My 100-word bio is now featured on their website!
• As you may have noticed, I’ve created an official Facebook page for my career as a poet! Please “Like” me to be among the first to hear what I’m up to!
• Last but not least, I’m excited to announce that The Ghazal Page has accepted my submission of “Ghazal of Humanity” for an upcoming publication!

Please watch for updated on these and other topics in the near future!

Helio-Judgment (+ Hessler Open Mic Video)

Greetings from dynamic-weathered Cleveland, Ohio! The poem I’m going to share this evening was the first of four poems I recited at the Hessler Poetry Jam this year (more on that below) and is the last of those poems to be posted here on my blog. As I introduced the piece on that occasion: “A little over two years ago, I set off on a journey of intimidating proportions. Since then, I’m proud to say that I’ve lost nearly 130 pounds, and that is the subject of this poem:”

…and, as promised, here’s my video from the 2015 Hessler Poetry Jam:

Psst! Since you’ve read this far, I’ll try and make it worth your time by giving you a few little hints at the content of two new poems that I’m writing: Both are comedic in nature; One was inspired by an old computer graphic, and the other had to be partially restructured after a TV special beat me to one of the jokes!

Calamitous Haiku (+ Hessler Contest Video!)

The following haiku looks at a another sociopolitical political issue, violence, using a scientific metaphor:

I hope you found that worthy of contemplation. Now, in contrast, please enjoy this video clip of my comedic performance of “Error” (formerly “Cyberspace Senryū“) in this year’s Hessler Street Fair poetry competition:

Open Mic Tonight at Coffee Phix Café

Hi, everyone! If you’re in the area and available to be entertained, I’d love to see you in the audience tonight when I perform in the “Open Mic at The Phix” at the Coffee Phix Café on Mayfield Road in South Euclid! My lineup of poems depends on the time limit, which I’ll find out when I get there, so be there to be surprised!

The show starts at 7:30 (be there before 7:00 if you’d like to register to perform!) This event is FREE for attendees and participants!

Check back here for new poetry very soon! I already have several pieces ready, so there will be no excuses for further unreasonable delays on my part! Videos of my two recent Hessler readings will also be uploaded, as promised!

The Willows’ Lament (+ Hessler Poetry Jam Reflections)

As planned, I participated in the “Hessler Poetry Jam” at the Barking Spider this past Saturday, performing “Fuse & Prune” and 3 brand-new pieces, the first of which appears below! My readings of all four poems were recorded in video format by my best female friend Laura, who accompanied me to the event for as long as she could before having to leave for work. I’ll be uploading the video to my YouTube channel as soon as I am technologically able! While I can’t honestly say that I enjoyed every act in the show, there were more than enough other performers whose creativity and humor I found enjoyable to justify my attendance, even if I had not performed myself! Enough of my mixed reviews, now, though; I shall now introduce a new poem!

The following is the 2nd poem I’ve written in my ongoing reflection on the condition of the natural world:

See You At The Fair! (+ Hessler Competition Results)

No, I didn’t win anything, but I’m proud of my performance of my senryū, “Error” (Previously known as “Cyberspace Senryū”). Video coming soon on my YouTube channel!

That said, I’m looking forward to spending some time at the Hessler Street Fair this weekend. As I’ve said before, I’m particularly excited to participate in Ray McNiece‘s “Hessler Poetry Jam” at the Barking Spider Tavern! The event is scheduled to run from 2:00 to 5:00 PM on Saturday. If, like last year, I get a choice of position in the performance order, I’m planning to sign up for a slot toward the beginning of the show. Stop by and say “Hi!”

Oh, and if you’re at the Fair on Sunday at 2 pm, be sure to congratulate the poetry contest winners and listen to them perform their winning pieces! (You can also hear this reading on WRUW-FM 91.1 Cleveland at that time!)

The winners were:

1. Jeffrey Bowen: “for the godfather daniel thompson (1935-2004)”
2. Lori Ann Kusterbeck: “Simple Ways”
3. Sean Thomas Dougherty: “Surgery”

• Honorable Mention: Christine Howey: “The Killer Turkey of Malabar Farm”

UPDATE: NEW LOCATION FOR HESSLER COMPETITION!

PLEASE NOTE: The location for the Hessler Street Fair Poetry Contest has been changed to: Ensemble Theater, 2843 Washington Blvd, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118.

For complete event information, please refer to my previous blog post. Thanks!

It’s Hessler Season Once Again!

…and for the 4th consecutive year [Edit: My firsthand memory and my physical records are in conflict regarding this statistic. Please contact me if you can definitively confirm or disprove it. Thanks!], one of my submitted pieces has been accepted, both for publication in this year’s edition of the Hessler Street Fair’s annual poetry anthology and for the coinciding competition at Mac’s Back’s on Coventry [NEW LOCATION: Ensemble Theatre] on Wednesday, May 13th at 7:00 PM! As in years past, in addition to cash prizes, the top finishers in that competition will be given the honor of reading their winning poems at the Hessler Street Fair on Sunday, May 17th at 2:00 PM! Wish me luck!

The other event of the Hessler Street Fair which I’m specifically looking forward to is the “Hessler Poetry Jam,” which is scheduled for 2:00 to 5:00 PM on Saturday, May 16th at the Barking Spider Tavern, hosted by the awesome & talented Ray McNiece! I’m planning to recite several of my newest poems, some of which I’ll be debuting for the first time in front of a public audience! This will be my second time participating in this open mic event; my performance at the event last year can be seen in the video recording below.

I hope to see you at one or more (or all!) of the aforementioned events at the Hessler Street Fair! Viva poetry!

Hessler Street Fair Follow-Up Post

Here is my personal reflection on this year’s Hessler Street Fair:

While mine was not among the prize-winning poems/performances at this year’s Hessler Street Fair poetry competition, I did take advantage of the opportunity to participate in the open mic which took place yesterday at the Barking Spider Tavern in conjunction with the HSF. I performed three of my newest poems, including my new personal favorite, “Among The Roots,” and Ray McNiece was the emcee of the event, so it goes without saying that I had a great time! Watch the below video of my performance and see for yourself!

Upcoming Publication & Competition Performance

It’s that time of year again: the Hessler Street Fair is approaching quickly, and for the third consecutive year, one of my poems has been accepted for publication in the affiliated annual poetry anthology! As you may recall, this means that the accepted poem, “Appalachian Eruption,” is also eligible for this year’s performance competition on May 14th at 7:00 pm at Mac’s Backs on Coventry. I have no intention of letting this opportunity pass me by.

That brings me to a question: What can I do to make my performance of “Appalachian Eruption” stand out??

Past contest-winning poets whose performances I’ve had the good fortune of witnessing have displayed the ability to present their work in ways which caught and held the attention of judges & audiences alike. How can I best do this with “Appalachian Eruption”?

PLEASE HELP ME! LEAVE ME ADVICE & IDEAS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!! THANK YOU!!!