poetry reading: Literati Bookstore

On Monday, March 17, Joy Gaines-Friedler and I will be reading from our respective new books, Dutiful Heart and Square Feet.

We’re reading at Ann Arbor’s latest literary gem, Literati Bookstore. Here’s what you need to know:

03/17/2014

Free. 7pm.

Literati Bookstore

124 E. Washington St.

Ann Arbor MI 48104

Event link

Joy Gaines-Friedler’s work is widely published in literary journals and anthologies including The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish Poetry, and Poetry in Michigan in Poetry anthology recently released by New Issues Press. Joy teaches poetry and creative writing for non-profits in the Detroit area, including workshops with “at risk” young adults and families of victims of homicide at Common Ground and Community Network Services. She is a writer-in-residence with InsideOut Literary Arts Program and teaches Advanced Poetry and Creative Writing for Springfed Arts. 

Lori A May’s work has been in publications such as The Atlantic, Writer’s Digest, Brevity, Midwestern Gothic, and The Writer. She is the founding editor of Poets’ Quarterly and a faculty mentor in the University of King’s College-Halifax MFA program. She is the author of five books, including The Low-Residency MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Creative Writing Students, and the recent collection Square Feet.

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on the road, again

January is a busy month! I’ve been on the road most of the month and continue to be until that very last week. I’m living in and out of suitcases.

Part of my earlier travels included visiting the students of Arcadia University’s low-residency MFA program. I chatted about social media and websites, the art of book reviewing, and the ever-important business chat about contracts, agents, and taxes. apart from a few travel-related glitches, it was a great time and I’m honored to have met some truly engaged and eager students pursuing their dreams.

Me at the Maslow Reading Series

The bulk of January, thus far, was spent at the Wilkes University low-residency MFA program. Here, I worked with faculty and students on their social media and website development and presented a plenary session on using social media as part of one’s overall platform development. I was also honored to be included in the Maslow Reading Series. I read poems from my new book, Square Feet, including this little poem about baggage, which I thought was fitting, considering my month of travels: 

I’m now enjoying some time in Toronto, Ontario, as part of the University of King’s College (Halifax) creative nonfiction MFA program. I’m one of the CNF mentors in the program and this winter we’re spending quality time in Toronto meeting with nonfiction editors from Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, touring the Kobo offices, and much more in this publishing epicenter.

Later this week, I’ll also be a guest for the Toronto Wordsmiths writing group. I look forward to meeting a great group of young and emerging writers and sharing their enthusiasm for this creative life.

So, packing and unpacking. On the road and off. It’s a busy month and I’m so excited to be a part of all this literary action, across the country and beyond borders. Stay tuned for more news, travels, and reports from the road.

Write on.

MCEA – Conference & Reading

This Friday, October 14, I’ll be reading poetry and nonfiction at the annual Michigan College English Association (MCEA) conference. The full day of events begins at 9:30, with my reading taking place 11am-12:15pm. A full schedule and registration forms are available online here. 

Conference Theme
The theme for the 2011 Michigan College English Association Conference is “Taking Risks” and will be held the campus of University of Michigan – Dearborn on October 14, 2011. The conference is at the Fairlane Center Campus, 19000 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn, Michigan 48126. Registration begins at 8:30. Sessions run from 9:30 to 3:15.

Keynote Speaker
This year’s keynote address, entitled “The King James Bible in Contemporary American Works”, will given by Professor James Vanden Bosch. Vanden Bosch has taught English at Calvin College for over twenty-five years, with a special interest in English grammar, grammar for ESL teachers, corpus linguistics, and Cormac McCarthy’s fiction and drama. He regularly teaches short courses in Moscow, directed a semester-abroad program in Budapest, and recently taught in Lintong, China.

Vanden Bosch has degrees from Calvin College, Ohio University, and the University of Chicago Divinity School. At Calvin, he has been named the Professor of the Year (2001) and has won the Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching (2010). 

This 400th anniversary of the King James Bible has prompted Vanden Bosch to explore the influence of the King James Bible on several contemporary American writers. 

About MCEA
The Michigan College English Association is an organization dedicated to the following mission:

•Providing opportunities for the discussion of the preparation and professional improvement of college teachers of English through annual meetings, publications, and conferences with representatives of other professional organizations;


•Encouraging the humane as well as the immediate practical study of language and literature;


•Maintaining and developing the functions of English studies as a major element in American higher education;


•Promoting fruitful interrelationships among English and other disciplines; and


•Interpreting the relationships of the study and teaching of English to society at large

MCEA is a state affiliate of the College English Association and sponsors an annual conference dedicated to promoting the above goals.

For more info, visit http://www.michcea.com/.

readings, zines & the gift of poetry

What a great weekend of poetry and people. Friday’s reading at The Lawrence Street Gallery was a great night with a lovely and supportive crowd. It was a pleasure to share the stage with Zinka Joseph. She read from her beautiful chapbook of poems, Lands I Live In (Mayapple Press), and wowed the audience with such a beautiful voice and a lovely charm. It was a pleasure to meet Zilka and share an evening of poetic voices with her.

Saturday’s launch of Renaissance City was incredible. Hosted by John Jeffire at Maxwell’s in Garden City, this event rocked the house. A full bill of poetry and music carried on for five hours! This was my first time at Maxwell’s and what a sight. It’s an art fair/ antique bizarre/ performance venue wrapped into one cool warehouse that was warmed with wine and friendship. The readings were inspiring, the music eclectic, and the audience was fully engaged. Thank you to John Jeffire and the folks at Maxwell’s for throwing a great party (and to poet Ken Meisel for the red wine!).

After such a great weekend of hearing poetry, I was inspired to read some new work and introduce myself to more voices. I simply have to share this as it’s too good of a deal to miss out. Did you know you can get a free issue of Notre Dame Review? If you’ve ever considered subscribing to this wonderful journal, take advantage of this incredible web offer here. I did and can’t wait to start receiving NDR on a regular basis.

Not only is it important that we support our literary presses, but what other way can you be introduced to so many great voices all in one sitting? I highly recommend treating yourself to a subscription or two to some of the many great journals out there.

I recently subscribed to Poetry. If you haven’t yet, now is the time. I just noticed they have an incredible gift bonus offer. When you buy yourself a subscription to Poetry, you get a gift subscription for free. This is a great idea for the holidays. Support your literary presses and give the gift of poetry this holiday season.

Another splurge this weekend includes ordering a copy of the 2009 Pushcart anthology. I’m looking forward to seeing what the year brought in. I was reminded to do so, as the time has come for the new nominations to make their way to the Pushcart Prize folks. There are always some great new voices featured, so I’m looking forward to what will arrive in the mail in a few short days.

This week, be sure to join me on Wednesday for a Q&A with poet Dawn Potter. Her latest book is a surprising take on Milton… and the art of discovery. You’ll have to wait until Wednesday to learn more, but I do hope you’ll come back to find out about her beautiful new book, Tracing Paradise.

Thanks for stopping in today. Have a great Thanksgiving week and see you next time.

two weekend readings

I’m pleased to participate in two Michigan readings this weekend:

Friday November 20, 2009
Poetic Travelers Series
Lawrence Street Gallery
Ferndale MI
6:30pm
I’ll be joining Zilka Joseph, author of Lands I Live In (Mayapple Press). Plus, there’s an Open Mic for brave, poetic souls. Hosted by Tonja Bagwell.
More info and directions to the venue here.

Saturday November 21, 2009
Renaissance City Launch Party
Maxwell’s
Garden City MI
7:00pm
This is going to be a great night with eighteen artists and writers performing and sharing work in celebration of the Renaissance City e-zine launch. Join locals John Jeffire, Ken Meisel, Dan Ames, and more for a good night of poetry, jazz, and blues.

More info about Renaissance City here.

I look forward to seeing some familiar faces at the readings this weekend!

successful ‘wheat’ & upcoming meets

The first thing I must mention is that this week’s Q&A will appear on Tuesday, rather than Wednesday, since the new release of our guest – Melissa Senate – debuts on November 17th. Be sure to come back on Tuesday for the full interview with Melissa as she talks about The Secret of Joy.

Next, I must extend some congrats. Winter Wheat 2009: The Mid-American Review Festival of Writing was a smash hit with some truly incredible events. The sessions were top-notch, the Student Center venue at Bowling Green State University was perfect, and it was fantastic to meet so many wonderful writers. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your festival this year!

There are two great events I wanted to mention today. This Friday I’ll be reading at The Lawrence Street Gallery in Ferndale MI as part of the Poetic Travelers series hosted by Tonja Bagwell. The event begins at 6:30pm and features two poets: me and Zikla Joseph, author of the Mayapple Press chapbook, Lands I Live In. If you’re in the Ferndale area, come on over for a free night of poetic joy.

Also, I am pleased to announce a full-day workshop taking place on Saturday, January 16 on Whidbey Island WA. I’ll be leading the discussion and workshop, “Writing Your Way: Your Path to Publication” for the Whidbey Island Writers Association. This workshop is a fundraiser for WIWA activities so I hope you’ll join in and support this fantastic literary organization if you can. More details are forthcoming and will be posted on my website.

I’m keeping it short today as the to-do list is begging for my attention. Remember to come back on Tuesday for the Q&A with Melissa Senate.

Thanks for stopping by!

another poetic week

I’m pleased to share the link to my review of Jason Guriel’s second book of poems, Pure Product. My review is at Northern Poetry Review, a review site based out of Toronto ON. Editor Alex Boyd recently appointed me Associate Editor, so stay tuned for more poetry reviews to come on NPR.

For this Wednesday’s author Q&A, I’ll be chatting with poet Magdalena Ball, author of Repulsion Thrust. This is Ball’s first full-length poetry book and it is scheduled for a December release, but you can learn more about it here on Wednesday. Also coming up in the near future is a Q&A with poet Nanette Rayman and many other great voices. Keep coming back for the Wednesday Q&A series.

Too, I’d like to remind those in the Metro Detroit area that this Thursday, November 5th I am a featured poet for the Poets Follies reading series hosted by Marick Press. The event will be at the Ewald Branch of the Grosse Pointe Public Library and it begins at 6:30pm.

And, as it is the beginning of November, I must announce the winner of the October book giveaway! Congratulations to Jamie D, one of this blog’s followers. Remember, if you clicked to follow this blog, you were automatically entered into the draw. How about we do this again? That’s right, for the month of November I’ll do another random drawing at the end of the month and one lucky winner from the list of blog followers will receive a signed copy of one of my books.

Jamie, be sure to email me to let me know if you’d prefer fiction or poetry!

Thanks to all for visiting today. Remember to stop by on Wednesday for my Q&A with poet Magdalena Ball.

poetic homecoming

Better late than never. The past week or so has been increasingly busy, but this is never a bad thing for a writer. Busy = good.

I want to first express how wonderful the Marick Press fall catalogue book launch party was. The Oct 26th event featured readings by Matthew Olzman and Dawn Paul, a lovely author who I will be featuring in a Q&A soon. Dawn’s latest book is The Country of Loneliness and you can learn more about it here. The event was great, with a lively and passionate crowd in the audience and at the end of it all, I had a great time celebrating over apps and beverages with staff from Marick Press and a handful of authors. Mariela, thank you for the hospitality! (That photo includes Mariela Griffor of Marick Press, author Dawn Paul, and, um, my back.)

It’s been a very busy month for poetry. I was especially pleased to participate in a few “hometown” events in London, Ontario. This past Monday, I launched stains: early poems in London with three other poets who were also releasing new material. Thank you to Andreas Gripp for the invitation to participate; I truly enjoyed your reading. Also there was Penn Kemp (renowned sound poet and writer-in-residence at The University of Western Ontario), and the charming John B. Lee. There was a full house on the Mykonos patio and it was nice to see some familiar faces from my formerly local neighborhood.

Also in London this week was the launch of a new reading series for the Writing Department at The University of Western Ontario. Thank you to Claudia Manley for organizing such a fantastic event and for the opportunity to read. While I shared some of my work from stains, I also read a few pieces from a new collection I’m working on, in addition to a brand new poem written over the weekend. I think there were about 40 students and faculty members in attendance, so that’s a great start for this new series.

In addition to poetry, I’ll be presenting a lecture this weekend at the Midwest Pop Culture Association conference. Hosted at the Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit, I’ll be presenting “Criminal Intent: Fiction that Kills.” During part of my presentation, I’ll be sharing a reading of some of my crime fiction and talking about the genres of suspense, mystery, and all things creepy.

Next week, for those in the bottom of the mitten of Michigan, I’ll be a featured reader at the Marick Press Poets Follies event. I’ll share more info next week, but if you can make it to Grosse Pointe on Thursday, November 5, I’ll be reading selections from stains and a selection of new works.

I’m pleased to say I have a few authors lined up for the Wednesday Q&A series, too, so hopefully this brings us back on track with a more regular schedule. Thanks for your continued interest and for stopping by the blog today.

Have a great weekend!

writing outside the box

First off, I’m pleased to announce two new events I’ll be reading at in the next month or so:

On Monday, October 26, I’ll be participating in a poetry book launch and reading event in London ON. Hosted at Mykonos and featuring Andreas Gripp, Penn Kemp, and John B. Lee, I’ll be sharing some selections from stains: early poems and possibly a new piece or two. More information will soon be posted on my website, but feel free to email me if you require directions or other details.

On Friday, November 20, I’m the feature author at the Poetic Travelers series at Lawrence Street Gallery in Ferndale MI. There’s an open mic at this event for those that are interested. More info about this event will be posted on my website after the weekend. Of course I’ll be reading poetry selections, but I just might share a small piece of non-fiction.

Which brings me to my thought for the day: writing outside our dominant genre.

While I do write a good deal of freelance articles, my creative writing focus is generally poetry and fiction. However, as part of a workshop I’m in right now I have been experimenting with creative non-fiction and I have to admit… I love it.

What’s interesting to me is that I haven’t spent much time writing creative non-fiction. After all, I love the art of the essay. I love first person narrative. Nothing draws me in to a book like a personalized experience. Considering these points, I am perplexed at my own level of ignoring the genre as an option for me. It’s just not something I fully considered. Until recently.

In the past few months, I have found myself truly enjoying this genre as an outlet for expression. I am fascinated with the craft and techniques I am exploring. The attention to language usage and sentence formation is drawing me in. Yes, these are all aspects that are explored in writing poetry and fiction. There’s just something different about the craft of non-fiction, in a creative capacity.

Perhaps that has something to do with the level of personal involvement. In my fiction, I – the writer - don’t exist. In poetry, while it is easy to assume the narrator is the writer, that is not always the case and usually is not with my own recent poetry. But with creative non-fiction? I play a role. An active role. I am the narrator, the voice, the reason the piece exists. I become a character in my own story. And I’m finding it… liberating.

As a writer, I think there is so much value in trying new forms and techniques. There is something to be said for writing outside the box. As writers, it pushes us. Removes boundaries. Challenges our routine. And even when it’s not something that we commit to full-time, it’s a lesson in writing and in understanding ourselves better, as writers.

If you write, what do you usually write? Do you ever write outside your genre? What is that experience like for you? What have you learned?

upcoming conferences, readings, winners

This week I’m presenting at two pretty cool conferences; on Friday (today) I’ll be at the Michigan College English Association conference at Eastern Michigan University, presenting on “writers in times of crises” and on Saturday I’ll be at Rochester Writers’ Conference with a presentation on how writers can use social media to promote and market their work.

I’m happy to share news of another upcoming poetry event, this one in London, Ontario. On Monday October 26th, I’ll be reading with Penn Kemp, Andreas Gripp, and John b. Lee at Mykonos, 7:30pm. Each of the poets has a new book or spoken word CD to launch, so it’s going to be a great event filled with readings of new works. If you need directions or more info, be sure to send me an email.

Speaking of poetry, here’s a reminder: The deadline for the Marick Press poetry prize is approaching fast; poets have until October 15th to submit. Poetry manuscripts between 48-80 pages will be read by Marick editors and guest judge Alicia Ostriker. The winning manuscript will be published by Marick Press and receive a $1,000 prize. Not bad. The winner will be announced March 15th, 2010.

Also, if it’s been a while since you’ve visited shewrites.com, you’ll be amazed at how much this site has grown since I first talked about it this summer. The “Poetry Social” group has more than 130 members now, connecting emerging writers with multi-published authors. If you write, even a little, this is one great resource you’ll want to take advantage of in connecting with others and promoting your work.

Next week I have an author Q&A scheduled for Wednesday! Join me as I interview romantic suspense author Cindy Gerard. She has a new book out that’s terrifically thrilling.

Today’s post is shorter than I intended, with the weekend conferences keeping my attention. However, I plan on posting some great writing resource links this weekend, so stay tuned.

And before I sign off today, I have to offer congrats to blog reader Mary Roy who won a signed copy of stains this past Wednesday. Congrats, Mary! Remember, I’m giving away another signed book this month, randomly drawn from the list of blog followers. Is your name in there?

Until next time… happy reading!

standing room only… for poetry!

The adrenaline has settled, the hype has calmed, and the photos are making memories last. To all those folks who made it out to Friday’s launch party, thank you for your support and for sharing a pretty cool night with me. Not only was this the launch party for the inaugural issue of The Ambassador Poetry Project, this was also my book launch for stains: early poems. I am so very, very pleased to report we had a wonderful crowd of nearly one hundred people… and yes, we were left with standing room only!

Suzanne Schneider Ross, of Marick Press, did a wonderful job as MC for the night, introducing such poets as Mariela Griffor, Ken Meisel, Dan Ames, and Amy Stilgenbauer. Ten poets read throughout the evening, with yours truly closing out the night with selections from my new book. The audience was a gem… truly supportive and enthusiastic about the launch of Ambassador and I couldn’t have been happier. We made the press, we made some friends, and I think we made a tough act to follow for any of my future events. I was truly impressed and humbled.

As if that weren’t enough, I was so pleased to see another wonderful thing today: a new review of stains: early poems. The review is at The Smoking Poet, a rockin’ review site where founder and editor-in-chief Zinta Aistars personally took the time to review my latest release. It’s really such a wonderful review, I hope you’ll click on this link and see what Zinta had to say about stains. Thank you, Zinta, for making me blush.

More events are in the works but for right now I am just going to take in all the wonderful moments of this past weekend…

LitFest @ The Scarab Club

Last weekend The Scarab Club hosted LitFest 2009 as part of the Midsummer Nights in Motown festivities. What an incredible event. While 2008 National Book Award winner Mark Doty was the main attraction of the day, there was a very tempting book sale in the garden where I managed to pick up two armfuls of books from Wayne State Press. I can’t wait to read Bonnie Jo Campbell’s American Salvage and Andy Mozina’s The Women Were Leaving the Men. Marick Press was there, too, and I picked up a copy of Emily Ate the Wind by Peter Conners. I also snagged a signed copy of Exiliana by Mariela Griffor. My to-be-read pile never looked so tempting.

There were so many wonderful, eclectic readers throughout the day. The event started around noon and I finally left around midnight, as the cleaning crew set to their task. My thanks go out to Tonja Bagwell for offering me the mic to share some poetry and an excerpt from The Profiler. It was a pleasure.

Of course, Mark Doty was as entertaining as could be expected. He has such presence when reading, as though a best friend relating a story only the two of you could understand. But that’s the thing – his poems translate to everyone; no matter who you are, his poems resonate and penetrate the human soul. His pacing is divine, his comedic marks are never off, and when he completes the last line of the poem, you know you’ve heard something real. Something true.

I’m thankful to the muses for being kind to me lately. This year has presented itself with a sweet bounty of words dripping like literary nectar. My fingers have been frantic at the keyboard as of late and I am genuinely feeling that sense of… peace. Joy within the craft. It’s not always that way and one can never tell what sort of day the writing will bring. But for now, thankfully, the pen has been mighty.

Perhaps it is because I am making a deliberate effort to engage in community literary events more so than ever before. Perhaps this participation in seeing, hearing, and feeling other people at work is what is causing such an inspiration. At any rate, I have attended some exceptional readings lately and have many more coming up on the calendar. If this is what inspires, then the reward is two-fold.