My story, “Her/She/Me” won first place in the Ginosko Literary Journal’s Flash Fiction contest. Thanks to Ben C. Davies and Robert Paul Cesaretti for the honor. Please go over to their Substack page and subscribe! While there, you can read my story.
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.
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!
Where can you buy my books in Portland and beyond?
Upcoming Publications
Upcoming Readings
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!
Mentions
Sad PostScript
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
Recent Publications
If you are interested in submitting to these publications or to make a purchase, click on the hyperlinks.
Upcoming Readings
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.
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!
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!
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
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…
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.
Upcoming Publications
Success Stories from Friends and Colleagues
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.
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.
Margaret R. Sáraco 