New poem!

Check out “No One Will Put Up with Me Long Enough to Love Me” at Pigeon Pages!

This poem means a lot to me; it covers a lot of the thematic ground as the “title track” to a new as-yet-unpublished chapbook I’ve been working on – poems inspired by my many ailments, especially the ones I’ve endured after various young and wild adventures.

I’m thrilled that Pigeon Pages gave this poem a home. A nest in which to keep warm.

Update – Summer 2022

I’m still here. Writing, redecorating at home, reading fiction, with shout-outs to Bryan Washington’s fantastic novel Memorial and Andres Holleran’s The Kingdom of Sand. I’ve also been busy melting in this exceptionally hot/humid summer of the Devil’s Armpit and watching a lot of docuseries. Highly recommend The Last Movie Stars on HBO. Ethan Hawke really made a fine documentary about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward and so much more.

I’ve written/revised/maybe finished 2 new chapbooks this summer – one inspired by all the weird ailments I’ve had in my life (esp. the STIs, lol) and one about aging while gay. Aging is weird and funny. Especially as my body begins a quiet, slow-motion revolt in the approach to age 50. I’ve been drafting a new micro chap about my August 2020 car wreck. Not sure why. I’d be happy to forget it ever happened. And, I’m still revising Twang and It Was Never Supposed to Be.

Twang was a finalist in yet another contest/open call. Made it to the third round of another. Whew. Officially hitting 42 rejections! But, you just keep going.

Update – Spring 2022

Hi hello howdy hey hey.

I’ve not updated the site/blog for a few. After a busy winter of booking making and sending out two full-length projects to numerous publishers, I took a month off from writing to enjoy life and read and complain about the prolonged winter temperatures invading spring weeks. That corner seems turned at last…so it will likely be summer next week!

I have several poems slated to appear in journals – digital and print! – in the coming months. More on those as they debut. I forgot to post about a very fun, sexy poem called “Ken Blew Me” that debuted in Limp Wirst #6, the Barbie issue, a tribute to Denise Duhamel’s classic Kinky. If you like poetry that turns you on and makes you laugh, go read that poem. I still can’t beleive I wrote it in 15 minutes on the last day of the open call. Inspiration is weird.

One other piece of news: POETRY AFIELD returns Saturday, June 4, 2022!

2 Poems in POETRY Magazine

Kicking off 2022 as best I could imagine: two of my poems appear in the January 2022 issue of POETRY Magazine. Part of the issue’s “Flyover Country” folio, “Hayfield Prayer” and “New Queer Cinema” engage my love of storytelling and pay homage to Appalachia, rural queerness, twangs and much more.

I’m over the moon, humbled and proud, checking off the last remaining item on the list I made in spring 1989 called “Things I’d Like to Accomplish in Life.”

Into Winter

Strangely, after swearing off writing new poems this fall and winter, so as to focus on my essay project about Madonna’s Erotica album, I’ve written a lot of new poems. Most of them ponder the state of the modern relationship – how do we navigate our hearts, desires and lives in the digital moment? How have new tools and paradigms changed us?

I’ve also written a lot of ghost poems. Which is what I do when I fly – I hate flying and it makes me think of death, of meeting the ground. The permanence of gravity.

Yet, research continues on the Erotica project. I’ve moved from rereading old reviews to listening to a ton of podcasts and YouTubes about the era. It’s striking how many Madonna fans my age or slightly younger have deep thoughts/feelings on Erotica, that whole SEX book era, the ensuring backlash, etc. I almost abandoned the project because I wasn’t sure I have anything new to add, but I think I’ve found my angle. (And that’s all I’ll say, as oversharing isn’t conducive to creating, although I feel less strongly about that with nonfiction as I do poetry or fiction.)

Meanwhile, as the year ends, turns into 2022: big things on the horizon. I’ll be in a Mellon grant funded anthology of Ohio Appalachian poets and I’ll be appearing at the launch event for that project. (Cincinnati, Mercantile Library, Wed. March 16th!) I’ll have work in POETRY and Southeast Review, a few other places. More on those as they debut and fingers crossed that my dozens of submissions currently under review find a welcome yes or two…or three. Ha!

I hope everyone has safety and care – don’t eat or drink too much these holidays and be kind to those around you. Well, except for the mean and spiteful people who want to suppress so many in our world. Kick them, lol.

Fall 2021 Poems

Wow. This fall has witnessed the debut of several new poems! Check out the links below.