Here we are in Portland, Oregon. Happy to be in our new home. The newsletter has been inconsistent because of the move and moving and looking for a new home and everything that goes along with upending your life. 

In early June, I took part in the Hobart Festival for Women Writers in the Western Catskills. I led a workshop on using work experience to generate writing. You never know how a workshop will go, there are so many variables. The writers in my group were inspiring. We learned so much from each other. I visited with old friends and made new ones. 

In the meantime, I have tried to keep myself grounded in the world of all things writerly. Since we last connected, I read with Writers Speak Out: Words of Resilience poetry reading. An act of speaking out as resistance to injustices in the many forms it takes.  In April, Ameerah Shabazz-Bilal interviewed me for her podcast. We discussed my contribution to the anthology she edited and produced,Whisper, Whisper, Shout. And for Poetry Month, I completed two April Poetry month challenges: Elk River 30/30: A National Poetry Month Challenge and River Heron Review NaPoMo ’25. 

I submitted an audio poem to Telephone! Which is connecting artists worldwide. And like the game, someone whispers in your ear and you pass the message on. I received another artist’s contribution and responded in-kind. This “game” that takes a huge amount of organizing and organization is brilliant.

On the political front, which none of us can afford to ignore, I am keeping active with the local Portland groups and on a national level. The latest in a series of actions was the No Kings March. There are more protests to come. Heartwarming to see so many activists from around the country (and world) take part.  Remember, my friends, writing is an act of resistance. 

Thanks for joining me on this journey. Please remember, if you have writing news to share, send me an email so I can mention your successes in my newsletter. Stay in touch!

Upcoming Publications

• 2025, Baseball Anthology “Everybody is a Mets Fan Today,” Tom Erickson, Ed Werstein, eds. 
• National and International Goddess Anthology: Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations: “One of Many Secrets,” Debbie Tosun Kilday, ed. 
• Poet Heroic: “When I Was 18, A Reflection So Many Years Later.”  Timothy Arliss O’Brien will read my poem and publish on their website and on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook, and Tumblr (@thepoetheroic) on 7/25/25.
• Shabdaguchha, “Collage of Misery,” Hassanal Abdullah, ed.

Recent Publications

If you are interested in submitting to these publications or to make a purchase, click on the hyperlinks.

• New Jersey Bards Poetry Review 2025: “Meditation,” (Local Gems Poetry Press)
• Lips Magazine: “Thirty Minutes Outside Chicago,” James Gwyn, Editor. 
• Opiate: Spring 2025, Vol. 41: “I Try Not to Grow Old,” “Death then Grief,” and “Ladder to Adulthood.” Genna Rivieccio, ed.
• Fixed and Free Quarterly, Summer 2025: Review of Random Circles of Belief by Nishi Chawla and “Bring me Back to Chetzemoka Park,” Billy Brown, ed.
• S/He Speaks 3: Voices of Women, Trans & Nonbinary Folx: “I Still Wear My Christine Blasey Ford Button,” Tom Daubert & Cassendre Xavier, eds. (Moonstone Press).
• Silence is Consent: “Hell on Earth,” “At the Onset of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine,” Grieving the Loss of Roe v. Wade,” Drowning Beneath Misogyny.” A Soulless Nation.” Chris Bogart, ed.
• Video edition of Poetry of Protest and Struggle. Steve Bloom, ed.
• Write Forward: A Constellation of Voices: “Lifting and Separating” International Women’s Writing Guild. 

Upcoming Readings

• This one happening soon! 06/26/2025 Anthology Reading: Write Forward, International Women’s Writing Guild (IWWG). Register here to attend (free). Time: 12 pm-2 pm EST, 9 am -12 pm PST.
• 11/7/2025 Calling All Poets. Virtual reading. Follow instructions on the website to register. $5 admission.

A Mention

Dynamite review of Rob Polner and Michael Tubridy’s, An Irish Passion for Justice: The Life of Rebel New York Attorney Paul O’Dwyer in USA Today. 

If you want to buy signed copies of Even the Dog Was Quiet and If There Is No Wind, you can purchase them through my Kofi site. They are $15 each, plus shipping and handling. There are discounts available for large quantities. Contact me for more info. Support independent publishers and writers by purchasing their books.