Ameerah Shabazz, editor of Whisper, Whisper, Shout, interviewed me for her When Women Speak podcast. Ameerah is an amazing poet, spoken word artist, visual artist, editor, and interviewer. This was a great conversation. I also had an opportunity to read a poem by Anita Nahal during the podcast, one of the 80+ contributors to the anthology. Subscribe to Ameerah’s podcast. Read the anthology. And share.
Author msaraco
August 2025 Newsletter
More of a list than a letter, between traveling to the coast and the mountains, seeing our children and grandbaby, going to farmer’s markets and parks, Alex and I have been busy and happy. We continue to set up our home, including our writing and art studios. As always, there are opportunities for writers, new books published, and more. Check out the hyperlinks for more information. Thanks for joining me on this journey. Please remember, if you have writing news to share, email me so I can mention your achievements and events in my newsletter. Stay in touch!
- In June, I read my poem, “Bras for Breasts,” with an amazing group of women to celebrate the publication of the International Women’s Writing Guild’s Write Forward anthology. This group of international writers were from Malta, Colombia, Spain, Germany, Greece, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; and in the U.S. from Martha’s Vineyard, New York City, Long Island, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Portland, Oregon (yours truly), and Longmont, Colorado.
- I took part in the annual Bigfoot Poetry Festival in Portland and read at Powell’s Books for my first open mic in my new city. The organizers offered writing workshops. It was there I was introduced to slam, Portland style. There was a tournament with teams from Iowa, Utah, California, and Oregon. Alex and I attended the finals. What a great event!
- Poetry Superhighway is conducting its annual poetry contest, and I am one of many sponsors. Reasonable rate of $1 per poem to submit, and the money will be divided among the 3 award winners. Poets submitting work received something from the sponsors. I am giving away 4 books.
- And on a political note, I am joining up with Miller Street Indivisible in Portland to write postcards to get out the vote in New Jersey. If you want to know how that’s going, email me. I am always looking for opportunities to stand up and speak. This is What Democracy Looks Like!
Where can you buy my books in Portland and beyond?
- Rose City Book Pub now carries my books in its shop.
- Willamette Writers Conference with Another Bookstore, early August.
- Oregon Poets Association Annual Conference, Waves of Peace on the Oregon coast, October 3-4.
- My Ko-fi site. Autographed copies and volume discounts available.
Recent Publications
- National and International Goddess Anthology: Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations: “One of Many Secrets,” Debbie Tosun Kilday, editor
- Paterson Literary Review, “Jell-O, An American Conundrum,” “Benvenuto a Roma” (Honorable Mention in the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Contest), Maria Mazziotti Gillan, editor.
- Poem of the Week: “When I Was 18, A Reflection So Many Years Later,” The Poet Heroic, Timothy Arliss O’Brien, editor. You can listen to the recording Timothy made of the poem on his website.
- S/He Speaks 3: Voices of Women, Trans & Nonbinary Folx, Moonstone Press.
- Shabdaguchha, “Collage of Misery,” Hassanal Abdullah, ed., available at Barnes and Noble.
- Write Forward: A Constellation of Voices: “Lifting and Separating” International Women’s Writing Guild (publisher and editor).
Upcoming Publications
- 2025, Baseball Anthology “Everybody is a Mets Fan Today,” Tom Erickson, Ed Werstein, editors.
- The Telephone Game is “a message, changing forms as it travels across the world from artist → artist.” This project has 1247 artists who have completed their work, with around 350 in process. You can still join in by signing up here, but hurry, the submission portal will close soon. The project will launch on October 10th.
Upcoming Readings
- 8/14/25: Italian American Writers Association, Share your Progress at All Open Mic. Free registration is required before the reading. Come and listen or join in! 6-8 pm EST; 3-5 pm PST.
- 9/13/25: Sustained Resistance: Our Resilience time TBD, virtual, free
- 11/7/2025 Calling All Poets. Virtual reading. Follow the instructions on the website to register. There is a $5 admission fee.
- 4/14/26: WordFest, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428-22nd Ave, Longview, WA, 6:00-8:00 pm PST. My first scheduled feature reading in the Pacific Northwest.
Workshops and Writing Groups in Portland A shout-out to groups I have been working with and/or joined since I got here. The writing community is welcoming and exciting. Look them up!
- Bigfoot Poetry Festival
- Drink and Write with Jeanne Faulkner at Rose City Book Pub
- Hocus
- Oregon Poetry Association
- Willamette Writers
Mentions
- Michelle Ortega published her book, When you Ask Me, “Why Paris?”
- Paul Rabinowitz’s book, Syncopated Rhythms, is available for pre-order. Finishing Line Press will release the book in November 2026.
Sad PostScript
- The poet, Neil Silberblatt, passed away this month. He was the founder of Voices of Poetry, an 11,000- member Facebook group, and an avid promoter of the arts. Throughout his career, besides writing and performing his own poetry, he ran readings and featured poets in libraries, community centers, museums, and more, in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut for years. There is a GoFundMe donation site set up for his wife if you wish to help.
- Albert Knutson passed away. He was the husband of Sharon Knutson, editor of the Storyteller Poetry Review. At Sharon’s request, someone set up a GoFundMe page to help support wildlife in Arizona, where she lives, as well as provide goods and services for Sharon. Albert and Sharon have been caring for the animals in the Sonora Desert, providing food and water, for 25 years.
June 2025 Newsletter
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.
My workshop and corrected link
Hello friends. I will present my workshop, Unlock Untold Stories and Poetry: Use the Jobs You’ve Worked to Generate Writing at the festival on Saturday, June 7 from 2:30-4:30. You can find registration information and more at The Hobart Festival of Women Writers blog. The direct link to register is at Event Brite (All readings are free and open to the public.) Come join me!
Hobart Festival of Women Writers
Hello friends. I will present my workshop, Unlock Untold Stories and Poetry: Use the Jobs You’ve Worked to Generate Writing at the festival on Saturday, June 7 from 2:30-4:30. You can find registration information and more at The Hobart Festival of Women Writers blog. The direct link to register is at Event Brite (All readings are free and open to the public.) Come join me!
Writers Speak Out: Words of Resilience
I will be reading with many amazing poets! If you are interested in signing up for the open mic you have do it ahead of time. Email me for the details at margaret@margaretsaraco.com.
April 2025 Newsletter
April 2025 Newsletter
Hello friends and family.
In April, Alex and I moved to Portland, Oregon. Our east to west coast move has been a while in the making, joyous and stressful, freeing and all-consuming. While we search for a permanent place to live, we are renting an apartment in the Laurelhurst district. In the meantime, I look forward to writing, meeting new friends and continuing to connect with old friends.
As per the transition, the last few readings I participated in on the east coast were fabulous. Thanks to…
- Wayne Kral host of First Floor Walk Up on the Lower East Side
- Maria Mazziotti Gillan and the Allen Ginsberg 2024 Poetry Readings in Paterson, NJ for my poem “Benevenuto a Roma” that won Honorable Mention
- Carolyn Cordell, who hosted a virtual reading, from Canada, with Parkland Poets
- Rob Arnold and the Poet’s House team. My last reading was at the 29th Poet’s House Community Reading on River Terrace in Manhattan. My books were placed into their collection among hundreds of others published in 2022 and 2023. Their library contains over 80,000 poetry books and books about poetry. There were more than a dozen readers present including Megha Sood, Ron Kolm, Cheryl Boyce Taylor, Linda Kleinbub, Phillip Giambri, Madeline Artenberg, Pauline Findlay, Hassanal Abdullah, Beatrix Gates, Marwa Halal, and Emily Lee Luan. Rob Arnold spoke about DEI language that had to be deleted when applying for federal arts grants. Poet’s House was not complying, but the news was and is continually sobering.
And so, art organizations and public media outlets have been on my mind daily as the present administration haphazardly slashes budgets. Folks, the personal is political. If you can, help support the arts during these turbulent times. I will join you on the streets, working the phones, writing and reading poetry out loud, writing to politicians, raising my voice as part of a diverse chorus to combat injustice. That said, I have been invited to read with Writers Speak Out: Words of Resilienceon April 26th and was recently published in Silence is Consent and Whisper, Whisper, Shout with a host of amazing writers. (See information below if you would like to order a copy.)
I will be a participating writer again this year at the Hobart Festival of Women Writers in the Western Catskills. If you have never been, consider joining us as we raise women’s voices. The festival includes readings, workshops, art exhibits and panel discussions. HFWW also put out a call for donations as they have recently lost some of their funding. Registration opens May 1st.
Finally, thanks to Philadelphia Stories (reviewer Nicole Conti and reviews editor, Sarah Viveca) for the rave review of Even the Dog Was Quiet.
Meanwhile, if you wish 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 quantity orders. Contact me for more info. Support independent publishers and writers by purchasing their books.
Tasty Tidbits
“Dear Rorschach” a collaborative poem to film with director/editor Bobe Wu, was recently screened at the 12th International Video Poetry Festival and REELpoetry/HoustonTX 2025. The film won first place in the Moving Words Film Festival competition in 2024.
Both books are traveling on the Vagabond Poetry Caravan with Mark Lipman. He is going on a world poetry tour in a converted international school bus, “connecting people from all corners of the planet through arts, music and poetry as a Poetry Ambassador for Peace.” You can follow Mark (National Beat Poet Laureate for 2024-2025) and his bus on the website hyperlinked. Hopefully, one day Mark will make it to Portland!
I was interviewed by Ameerah Shabazz-Bilal, editor of Whisper, Whisper, Shout for her podcast. Ameerah is a jewel in the poetry world and the interview was a blast. More information to come!
Joined 2 poetry challenges for April—Elk River 30/30: A National Poetry Month Challenge and River Heron Review NaPoMo ‘25. Having trouble keeping my head above water, but still having a great time!
Playing Telephone! a virtual networking art game. I read about it in 2021 and received my assignment for 2025. “…you will be assigned an anonymous work of art from somewhere else on earth and it will be your job to translate this artwork into your own medium. This work of art may not immediately speak to you or reveal its meaning, but trust that it contains a message. Once you’ve completed your translation, you will return your work to us, and it will be passed to another artist somewhere on our big, beautiful globe to translate in turn. We hope that you will play with us! The first two games, in 2015 and 2021, produced amazing results.” They are especially looking for writers outside the US.
Upcoming Events Events are free, unless otherwise noted.
4/26 Writers Speak Out: Words of Resilience. Open mic. Over 85 poets. Surprise guests. Reading begins at 1 pm EST (10 am PST). It is a happening. Short sets. I should be going on sometime between 3:15 and 4 pm EST (12:15 and 1 pm PST).
06/06/25-06/08/25, Twelfth Annual Hobart Festival of Women Writers, Participating writer. Hobart, N.Y., the Book Village of the Catskills. Check the website beginning May 1st for the festival registration fee and more information.
11/7/2025 Calling All Poets. Virtual reading. Follow instructions on the website to register. $5 admission.
Recent Publications
If you are interested in submitting to these publications or to make a purchase, click on the hyperlinks.
- Chaos, Crises, and Conflict: “Shower the Baby” (Moonstone Press).
- Meat for Tea: The Valley Review, Hot Dog, Volume 19, issue 1: “Orange Curtain,” and “Writer’s Detour or My Lovely Garden” Elizabeth MacDuffie, Editor-in-Chief.
- Poetry is Dead Volume 2: “Glen Falls, ’79” D.L. Lang, Editor.
- Sense & Sensibility Haiku Journal: “Springing East to West Coast” Patricia Carragon, Founder & Editor.
- Silence is Consent: “A Soulless Nation,” “At the Onset of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine,” “Hell on Earth,” “Grieving at the Loss of Roe v. Wade,” & “Drowning in a Sea of Misogyny” Christopher Bogart, Editor.
- The Opiate Magazine: “I Try Not to Grow Old,” “Ladder to Adulthood,” & “Death, Then Grief” Genna Rivieccio, Editor-in-Chief.
- Whisper, Whisper, Shout: When Women Speak Anthology 2025: “We are Being Hunted.” Ameerah Shabazz-Bilal, Editor.
- Philadelphia Stories: my review of Steve Oskie’s novel, Glassman. Sarah Viveca, Review Editor.
Upcoming Publications
- Lips Magazine: “Thirty Minutes Outside Chicago,” James Gwyn, Editor.
- New Jersey Bards Poetry Review 2025: “Meditation,” (Local Gems Poetry Press)
- S/He Speaks 3: Voices of Women, Trans & Nonbinary Folx: “I Still Wear My Christine Blasey Ford Button,” Tom Daubert & Cassendre Xavier, Editors (Moonstone Press).
- Write Forward: A Constellation of Voices: “Lifting and Separating” International Women’s Writing Guild.
Success Stories from Friends and Colleagues
- Congratulations to Robert Polner and Michael Tubridy for the review of their book, An Irish Passion for Justice: The Life of Rebel New York Attorney Paul O’Dwyer that appeared in the American Catholic Studies journal (Three Hills, Cornell University Press).
- Steve Oskie’s novel, Glassman, can be purchased here. (See my review listed above.)
January/February 2025 Newsletter
Friends and family,
The big news since my last newsletter was that the Eyelands Book Awards named me a finalist for my book, Even the Dog Was Quiet. I was honored to be among five international poets. In the meantime, adventures await as Alex and I move westward and I concentrate on compiling a new book.
If you are interested in attending the spoken word performances, reading the publications listed, or submitting your work to literary magazines, click on the hyperlinks provided.
Meanwhile, my Ko-Fi site is up and running if you wish to buy signed copies of Even the Dog Was Quiet and If There Is No Wind from me. They are $15 each, plus shipping and handling. There are discounts available in my Ko-Fi shop for large quantity orders. Contact me for more information. Support independent publishers and writers by purchasing their books.
Best,
Margi
Upcoming Events (Events are free and in EST unless otherwise noted.)
1/27/2025 First Floor Walk Up, Feature. One and One, 76 E. 1st St. @ 1st Ave (take the F train to 2nd Ave. station), 7 pm. Wayne Kral, host. Reading with Penny Melis, Gerald Wagoner, & Marie Sabatino.
02/01/2025 Allen Ginsberg 2024 Poetry Award, Anthology reading. The Hamilton Club, 32 Church St., Paterson, NJ at 1 pm. Accessible by elevator.
2/08/25 Poets House Showcase, Reading with other poets from the exhibition. The Poet’s House 29th Celebration showcases thousands of poetry publications: books, chapbooks, broadsides, and poetry-related nonfiction, published in 2022 and 2023. This exhibition includes Even the Dog Was Quiet and If There Is No Wind. They will place books in their permanent collection at the conclusion of this event. The reading begins at 4 pm.
02/13/2025, Parkland Poets, Feature. Open mic (2 min.) Virtual reading. 9:00-10:30 pm. I’ll be reading with Susan McCaslin and Hiram Lirew.
06/06/25-06/08/25, Twelfth Annual Hobart Festival of Women Writers, Participating Poet. Hobart, N.Y., the Book Village of the Catskills.
11/7/2025 Calling All Poets. Virtual. More information to follow.
Recent and Upcoming Publications (If you are interested in submitting to these publications, check out the hyperlinks.)
Sharon Knutson featured my work on her Storyteller Poetry Review blog as the “Storyteller Poet of the Week.” Sharon hosts a writer every week highlighting their work. The poems included were “Fixer Upper,” “Inspired,” “Pine Scent,” “Starlight Serenade,” and “The Spirit in Sarah’s Clay.”
Fixed and Free Quarterly, “Enough is Enough,” “Phoenix is Falling,” and my review of In the Year of Hurricane Agnes by Michelle Reale (reprint), Billy Brown, editor.
Voices in Italian Americana, “I Excommunicated Myself at 12.”
Poetry of Protest and Struggle: January 1, 2025 I recorded “Crossing the Line” (originally in Panoply, A Literary Zine) for this video. Poetry selected and video compiled by Steve Bloom. Featured artists in this edition: Zigi Lowenberg, Gary Johnston, Michal Rubin, Basman Derawi, Chris Brandt, Katharine Beeman, Rayomnd Nat Turner, Ana Lopez-Betancourt, Margaret Sáraco, Wilfred Owen. If you would like to submit your work to “Poetry of Protest and Struggle,” send a sample to steve@stevebloompoetry.net.
The Opiate, “Ladder to Adulthood,” “Death, Then Grief,” and “I Try Not To Grow Old” to be published Spring, 2025.
Both of my books will travel on the Vagabond Poetry Caravan with Mark Lipman. He is going on a world poetry tour on a converted international school bus, “connecting people from all corners of the planet through arts, music and poetry as a Poetry Ambassador for Peace.” You can follow Mark (National Beat Poet Laureate for 2024-2025) and his bus on the website hyperlinked.
Photos (clockwise from left to right): Paterson Literary Review Anthology Reading, the Alternative New Year’s Day Poetry Reading, IAWA’s Holiday Party at the Calandra Institute, Voices in Italian Americana flyer, Eyelands Book Award (Finalist) and Fixed and Free Quarterly.
Congratulations to Friends and Family
There is always good news to share. If you have something to mention, drop me an email.
*Congratulations to Jessica Lewis on the publication of her book, The Poetry of Our Love . “… a collection of love poems that explores the many facets of love – its joy, its ache, and its transformative power. Jessica invites readers on a journey through the tender moments of falling in love, the bittersweet pain of loss, and the enduring beauty of connection. Whether you are seeking comfort or celebration, this book is a companion for every heart in search of meaning through love’s many expressions. You can follow Jessica on Instagram and Facebook at i_write_poems_jl.”
*Congratulations to my former colleague, Zetta B. Cool, on the launch of Ms. Blue Blazer Creative Director and Event Curation Service. (See her flyer below.) You can email her at msblueblazer@gmail.com.
Storyteller of the Week
I am thrilled to be Storyteller of the Week on Sharon Knutson’s Storyteller Poetry Review Blog. To read my poems, log onto Sharon’s website.
December 2024 Newsletter
From the desk of Margaret R. Sáraco:
December 2024
Friends and family,
I am thrilled to have met so many new writers and friends this year and enjoyed much on professional and personal levels. Alex and I took a mini-vacation and spent a few days in Washington, D.C. going to some art museums. The visit, at times, was surreal as people we passed on the street discussed job insecurity and we wondered if the museums would lose funding over the next few years. What will 2025 bring? As a poet, I remind myself to live moment-to-moment while keeping a keen eye on the road ahead.
Last Saturday, I took part in a workshop with Saida Agostini and 29 other writers at The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College (Maria Mazziotti Gillan, founder). Saida centered the workshop around joy and love. In that spirit, passing on good news about my published work and readings including what some friends are doing.
The big news? Even the Dog Was Quiet received a finalist nomination in the Eyelands Book Awards. I am both humbled and thankful.
And, I have just set up a Ko-Fi site if you wish to buy signed copies of my books directly from me. They are $15 each, plus shipping and handling. There are discounts available in the shop. Contact me for more information.
It is still fall for a few weeks, but winter is approaching, and the holiday season is in full swing. Good wishes to all of you. Sending joy and love.
Best,
Margi
**P.S. Support independent publishers and writers by purchasing their books. **
Upcoming Events
Events are free and in EST unless otherwise noted. Click the links for more information.
12/14/24-2/14/25 Poets House Showcase The Poet’s House 29th celebration showcases thousands of poetry publications: books, chapbooks, broadsides, and poetry-related nonfiction, published in 2022 and 2023. Even the Dog Was Quiet and If There Is No Windare included in the exhibition which will be on view during library hours. There are also readings scheduled. Check the website for more information.
12/15 Baithak (“informal gathering”) on South Asian Poetry and Prose. Discussion of poet and filmmaker, Nishi Chawla’s book of poetry, Random Circles of Belief (Human Error Publishing). Host: Anita Nahal. Panelists: K. Satchidanandan, Ashwani Kumar, and myself. 9 am EST. (7:30 pm in India). Topic: NishiChawla-PoetryBkDiscussion, Join Zoom Meeting, Meeting ID: 889 7097 9595, Passcode: 607745
12/15 Human Rights Day! Anthology Reading. Moonstone Arts. Host: Larry Robin, virtual, 2 pm. Register through the Moonstone Arts website.
And in 2025!
1/1/2025 The Alternative New Year’s Day Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza at the Westbeth Community Arts Center, West Village, NYC. More information to follow. Start the year right, with a poetry marathon.
1/27/2025 First Floor Walk Up, One and One, 76 E. 1st St. @ 1st Ave (take the F train to 2nd Ave. station), 7-8 pm. Wayne Kral, host.
02/01/2025 Allen Ginsberg 2024 Poetry Award Reading, The Hamilton Club, 32 Church St., Paterson, NJ. Time tbd.
02/13/2025, Parkland Poets, Feature. Open mic (2 min.) Virtual reading. 9:00-10:30 pm. 11/7/2025 Calling All Poets. Virtual. More information to follow.
Recent and Upcoming Publications
If you are interested in submitting to these publications, check out the hyperlinks.
Exit 13 Magazine, “Grand Central Ambassador,” Tom Plante, editor.
Fixed and Free Quarterly, “Enough is Enough,” “Phoenix is Falling,” and my review of In the Year of Hurricane Agnes by Michelle Reale (reprint), Billy Brown, editor. Anthologies will be available on Amazon after the publication date.
My review of One Day I am Field by Amy Small McKinney in Philadelphia Stories, Sarah van Clef, reviews editor.
The Fall edition of Platform Review is out! Congratulations to contributors Adina Kastner, Barbara Worton, Caroline Giovanie, Lisa “Rubi G.” Ventura, Michelle Ortega, Hannah Burns, Joe Del Castillo, Frank Rubino, Alberto Rodriguez, and Matthew Weisser. The PR team: poetry editors: myself & Mary Brancaccio; prose editors: Kristine Chung Salcedo & Shane Wagner; web development: Liz Hunt; operations: Meghan Hunt. An ARTS By The People publication; founder & executive director: Paul Rabinowitz.
“Obscurations,” “Natural Order of Things Resumes After a Summer Storm,” and “Eternal Hope” in The Nature of Our Times: Poems on America’s Lands, Waters, Wildlife and Other Natural Wonders (Poets for Science), Luisa A. Igloria, Aileen Cassinetto, and David Hassler, co-editors.
A review of Even the Dog Was Quiet appeared in Trampoline: A Journal of Poetry by Benjamin Schmitt.
Congratulations to Friends and Family
There is always good news to share. If you have something you’d like to mention, drop me an email.
This month’s congratulations include Podcasts, YouTube channels and blogs to check out.
Adventures of the Baker’s Daughter: Rochelle Udell’s “web-memoir” with Barbara Worton. “Be the outsider. Be curious. Tell the truth. These are lessons to be learned from Rochelle Udell’s web-memoir — a personal and professional history of how to change your world by changing the way you see yourself.”
Dimitri Reyes YouTube Channel author of Papi Pichón, and Every First & Fifteenth. His videos showcase his performances, offers writing advice, and shares insight.
let the dead in (Alan Squire Publishing) by Saida Agostini.
Paul Richmond, YouTube Channel publisher and founder of Human Error Publishing, New Generation Beat Poet Laureate (lifetime). Latest book, The Ice Cream Melted.
The Wildstory: A Podcast of Poetry and Plants by The Native Plant Society of New Jersey hosted by Ann E. Wallace, Former Poet Laureate of Jersey City. “Art and nature intercept in each episode to bring listeners inside the world of poetry about the natural world and to introduce them to other well-known voices from the world of ecology. This show challenges us all to think about our own relationship with nature.”
Writing the Land “Writing the Land is a collaborative outreach and fundraising project for land protection organizations. Through our anthologies, poets help raise awareness of the importance for land conservation.” Poem Video Podcast and Poem Videos on YouTube.
Margaret R. Sáraco 