Quintessential Poetry: YouTube

Sandra Yannone’s poems and book reviews have appeared in numerous print and online journals including Ploughshares, Poetry Ireland Review, Prairie Schooner, Sweet, SWWIM Every Day, Naugatuck River Review, Impossible Archetype, and Lambda Literary Review. Her poem “Requiem for Orlando” appeared in Pulsamos: LGBTQ Poets Respond to the Pulse Nightclub Shooting, a special online edition of Glass: A Journal of Poetry in August, 2016. Salmon Poetry published her debut collection Boats for Women in 2019; her second collection The Glass Studio is forthcoming. She currently hosts Cultivating Voices LIVE Poetry on Facebook via Zoom on Sundays. Visit her at www.sandrayannone.com.

After working in education for thirty years as a professor, mentor, public-school teacher, andlibrarian, Kim now spends as much time as possible on the reading, writing, and sharing ofpoetry.Kim volunteers weekly for the international, intergenerational, intersectional poetry organization,Cultivating Voices LIVE Poetry, because she believes in poetic community. She creates thegraphic designs for the group's events, and is privileged to collaborate with founder SandraYannone and fellow poet Don Krieger on program ideas and management.She earned her BA in English from Goucher College, her MA with Creative Writing Emphasisfrom the University of Maryland-College Park, and her PhD in Creative Writing from theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her gratitude overflows for her teachers and mentors --Elizabeth Spires, Stanley Plumly, Michael Collier, Marcia Southwick, Greg Kuzma, and HildaRaz.Her work appears in many journals, recently in Cider Press Review, The Blue Nib, …

Don Krieger is a biomedical researcher whose focus is the electric activity within the brain. He is author of the 2020 hybrid collection, "Discovery"  (Cyberwit), the 2022 hybrid chapbook, "When Danger Is Past, Who Remembers?" (Milk and Cake Press), a 2020 Pushcart nominee, and  a 2020 Creative Nonfiction Foundation Science-as-Story Fellow. His work has appeared in American Journal of Nursing, Neurology, Seneca Review, The Asahi Shimbun, The Blue Nib, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,  and others, and has been translated into Farsi, Greek, Italian, German, and Turkish. 

John Patrick Robbins, is the editor in chief of the Rye Whiskey Review his work has been published in Fearless Poetry Zine,  Lothlorien Poetry Journal,  Fixator Press,  The Dope Fiend Daily,  Spill The Words Press, Red Fez, Punk Noir Magazine and The Dope Fiend Daily.He also runs Whiskey City Press his work is always unfiltered. He is also kinda crazy and likes to party if you hadn't heard. 

Kevin M. Hibshman has had his poetry, prose, reviews and collages published around the world, most recently in Punk Noir Magazine, Rye Whiskey Review, Piker Press, The Crossroads, Drinkers Only, 1870, Synchronized Chaos, Yellow Mama, Unlikely Stories Mark V, Literary Yard, Lothlorien Poetry Journal and Medusa's Kitchen.He has edited his own poetry journal, FEARLESS for the past thirty years. He has authored sixteen chapbooks, including Incessant Shining (2011, Alternating Current Press).He received a BA in Liberal Arts from Union University/Vermont College in 2016. A new book, Just Another Small Town Story will be available from Whiskey City Press in 2021.

Dr Sam Illingworth is an Associate Professor in Academic Practice at Edinburgh University in the UK, where his work and research involves using poetry to help develop dialogue between different audiences. A published poet and award-winning slam artist, Sam hosts the ‘Poetry of Science’ podcast and is also the founder of Consilience, the world’s first peer-reviewed science & poetry journal. You can find out more about Sam and his work by visiting his website: www.samillingworth.com or connect with him on Twitter @samillingworth. 

Gad Kaynar-Kissinger is a Professor at the Theatre Arts Department, Tel Aviv University, dramaturg, editor, actor, director and drama translator. He has published eight poetry volumes in Hebrew. His poems were translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Greek and Arabic. He bears the ASI Poetry Award from the General Association of Writers in Israel. His English translations were published by Pidgeonholes, Allpoetry, Anomaly Literary Journal, Atlas & Alice, The Bitter Oleander, Lady Blue Literary Arts Journal, Bombay Review, Reality Break Press, LOULIT, Indolent Books, and others. His book Rescue Mission offers a web of delicate, paradoxical, surprising and explosive imagery coupled with references to western culture, ancient mythologies, the scriptures, and the arts.Publication Date: September 20, 2021Publisher: Atmosphere PressList Price: $15.99 Trade PaperbackISBN13: 978-1637528426Genre: Poetry, TranslationLanguage: EnglishPage Count: 96

Martina McGowan is a physician, poet, writer, public speaker, advocate, and activist in the fight against social, racial, and sexual injustices. She is author of “i am the rage,” a poetic exploration of living inside injustice, February 2021, SourceBooks. 2021 International Book Awards Winner of the Social Change category. Listed by: 1. American Academy of Poets: a. A Poetry Reading List for the 25th Anniversary of National Poetry Month 2021 b. A Poetry Reading List for Summer 2021 2. Woman’s Day among the “20 of the Best Poetry Books to Read in 2021” She is a Poetry Editor for “The Elevation Review Magazine.” Her work has appeared in: Literary Magazines: Lalibreta.online, Mom Egg Review, Poetry is Life, Rigorous Magazine, INK Babies Magazine. Anthologies: "2020: The Year that Changed America," curated by Kevin Powell, “Joined Up Writing: The Second Instalment,” curated by Fin Hall, “the ocean waves'' by The Red Penguin Collection, 2021, “The Voices Real 6” by Poetry Is Life Publishin…

Cathleen Cohen was the 2019 Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, PA. A painter and teacher, she founded the We the Poets program at ArtWell, an arts education non-profit in Philadelphia (theartwell.org). Her poems appear in journals such as Apiary, Baltimore Review, Cagibi, East Coast Ink, 6ix, North of Oxford, One Art, Passager, Philadelphia Stories, Rockvale Review and Rogue Agent. Camera Obscura (chapbook, Moonstone Press), appeared in 2017 and Etching the Ghost (Atmosphere Press), 2021. She received the Interfaith Relations Award from the Montgomery County PA Human Rights Commission and the Public Service Award from the National Association of Poetry Therapy. Her paintings are on view at Cerulean Arts Gallery (ceruleanarts.com).

Heather Corbally Bryant teaches in Writing Program at Wellesley College. She has published an academic book on Elizabeth Bowen, as well as ten books of poetry, the eleventh forthcoming. She is at work on a memoir entitled, Don't Quit Before the Miracle. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.Photo credit to Richard Howard

Jamey Boelhower is a poet and independent author with numerous published works to his name.Not only is Jamey a prolific writer but also he has been an educator for over 20 years. Although his focus is on poetry, Jamey has also made a name for himself with his compelling blogs and popular fictional novel Under the Lights.Jamey’s most recent works include April 2020: A Poetic Time Capsule of Writing and Living During a Pandemic, These Words Believe in Ghosts, and Father and Son: Words Apart, among many others.Throughout his career, Jamey has delved into a variety of topics, including family, heartache, and the mysteries of life. Jamey is well-known for challenging his readers' perspectives and inspiring them to see things in a deeper way.As a loving husband and father of six, Jamey enjoys spending his free time with his family. Currently, he is working on new works that will be released soon.

Poet, author, editor, translator and artist Sophia Naz has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize; in 2016 for creative nonfiction and in 2018 for poetry.  Her work features  in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Rattle,The Penguin Book of Modern Indian Poets, Berfrois, Singing In The Dark, Meridian, Poetry At Sangam, Poetry International Rotterdam, The Adirondack Review,  The Wire, Raushniyan, Chicago Quarterly Review, Blaze Vox, Scroll, The Daily O, Cafe Dissensus, RAIOT, Ideas And Futures, Chapati Mystery, Guftugu, Pratik, Gallerie International, Coldnoon, VAYAVYA, The Bangalore Review, Madras Courier and many others.. She has authored the poetry collections Peripheries,(2015) Pointillism, (2017)Date Palms (2017) and Shehnaz, a biography (2019). Open Zero is  her  fourth poetry collection, published in September 2021 by Yoda Press.  Sophia lives in Glen Ellen California and can be found online at www.SophiaNaz.com

Ashanti Anderson (she/her) is an award-winning writer who advocates for health equity, reproductive justice, disability rights, and criminal justice reform through her poetry, prose, playwriting, and more. A Black disabled queer woman herself, Ashanti’s writing frequently explores the connections between identity and health. Her debut short poetry collection, Black Under, is forthcoming with Black Lawrence Press in Fall 2021 after winning the Spring 2020 Black River Chapbook Collection. Black Under reflects the African-American experience over several era, the author leaving no stone unturned in her interrogation of the racialized violence that has occurred throughout history. At once haunting and hopeful, Ashanti “documents atrocities while singing.”Ashanti has collaborated with universities, at-risk youth groups, nonprofits, and healthcare professionals to develop programs and activities that promote diversity, inclusion, and minority health. She received her MFA in Creative Writi…

Bill Nevins was born in 1947, grew up near New York City, graduated from Iona College and the University of Connecticut grad. School, lived in New England and Pennsylvania and moved to New Mexico in 1996. He is a life- long peace activist who opposed the Vietnam and Iraq wars and also worked to advance the Irish Peace Process. He is a grandfather and a so-called “gold star” parent whose son died in combat in 2013 as a US army soldier in Afghanistan.He’s a retired educator for University of New Mexico and other schools, a publishing journalist, a songwriter and a poet, with two books in print, Heartbreak Ridge and AWE and a 2007 feature film Committing Poetry in Times of War. He is working on a prose/verse memoir.Bill lives with his partner Jeannie Allen in Albuquerque and in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Angel Fire, NM.Bill has read his poetry in-person nationally and he has hosted several open mics. He is an active member of the National Writers Union, Cultivating Voices …

Christian J. Collier is a Black, Southern writer, arts organizer, and teaching artist who resides in Chattanooga, TN. A 2015 Loft Spoken Word Immersion Fellow, he is also the winner of the 2020 ProForma Contest and the 2019-2020 Seven Hills Review Poetry Contest. He is an accomplished artist, public speaker, and educator who has shared the stage with several members of HBO’s Def Poetry cast, legendary poet and activist Ishmael Reed, Grammy-nominated artist Minton Sparks, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members The Impressions, etc. Mr. Collier has also given a TED Talk and been featured on an episode of TNT’s State Farm Neighborhood Sessions. Christian J. Collier’s poems of witness have the kind of keen insight that slices to the heart of the subject. The Gleaming of the Blade examines Black masculinity in the contemporary American South, alongside the lingering ghosts of the past, and how it feels to be Black in a country whose divisions and struggles could signal the end of civilizatio…

Linda Imbler’s poetry collections include six published paperbacks: Big Questions, Little Sleep, Big Questions, Little Sleep” second edition, Lost and Found, Red Is The Sunrise, and Bus Lights, Travel Sights.  Soma Publishing has published her four e-book collections, The Sea’s Secret Song, Pairings, a hybrid of short fiction and poetry, and That Fifth Element, and Per Quindecim. Her new book, Spica’s Frequency, will be published on December 1, 2021. Examples of Linda’s poetry and a listing of publications can be found at lindaspoetryblog.blogspot.com. In addition to writing, she helps her husband, a Luthier, build acoustic guitars and steel strings in Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A.  They are currently working on number 10.

Catfish McDaris has been active in the small press world for 25 years. He shot howitzers 3 years in the army and used to fish and hunt as a boy in New Mexico. Sometimes he goes down to Lake Michigan and feeds seagulls and dreams of mountain horses. He’s working in a wig shop in a high crime area of Milwaukee. Catfish McDaris’ 25 years of published material is in the Special Archives Collection at Marquette Univ. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He’s listed in Wikipedia. His ancestors are from the Aniwaya Clan of the Cherokee Nation. He won the Thelonius Monk Award in 2015.

Diana Howard is a poet and children’s author living along the Missouri River in southeastern South Dakota. She has published two children’s books, Applesauce and Boo Boo La Roo. Her poetry has appeared in several journals and on several websites. She is a member of the South Dakota State Poetry Society and the Poetry Alliance of southwest Florida. Visit her at https://thecottonwoodtree.com/.Winter Solstice by Diana Howard burrows deep into the heart-rendering poetic journey of a daughter trying to love and help her mother who is slowly losing her memory. Through poems and vignettes written over a period of 15 years, the reader will enter a world of denial, confusion, shame, fear, humor, sacrifice, patience and love - finding solace and empathy with an experience many of us go through, yet struggle to find words to describe.

Rojé Augustin is a native New Yorker who grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Her first novel, The Unraveling of Bebe Jones, won the 2013 National Indie Excellence Award in African American fiction.  She wrote the novel while a stay-at-home-mom in London and Sydney.  In 2013 Rojé’s script The Weekly was selected for the Australian Writer’s Guild prestigious Pathways Program.  In May 2020 Rojé published her debut poetry collection, Out of No Way, Madam C.J. Walker and A’Lelia Walker, A Poetic Drama, which tells the story of Madam Walker’s phenomenal life story.  Rojé continues to work as a screenwriter, journalist, and producer.  She is a dual national currently living in Sydney with her husband and two daughters.  When she's not working or spending time with family and friends, Rojé loves to rollerblade through the park while listening to her favorite tunes.  

Martin Graff is an artist, author, musician, and extreme-chin-beard enthusiast in Arlington, VA who crafts poetic vignettes with matching art on every topic from the stigma of liking scrapple to the meaning of life in a series called The Face Zone: Surreal Daydreams to Trip Your Imagination... Marty’s live spoken-word show adds original piano compositions from his album Trips for Piano to heighten the experience. His affecting commentary, original humor, whimsical artwork, and absorbing piano offer a uniquely engaging respite that cuts through the noise of our information-age lives with concise, essential truths certain to entertain as they set mind in motion.

Aaron R The Poet sponsors multiple poetry contests throughout the year. Chev won the 2022 Winter Edition of the contest. Konscience 101 won 2nd place. Other participants in the contest were Camile.Denine, Indea Hoffman, Miss Kiane, JT Lovegame, Only Keys Will, Sam Oliver, Kyraspeaks, GNRLYLUV (Jess) and Mayangozi and RSenThePoet. Join us for this special program. 

Encore PresentationRojé Augustin is a native New Yorker who grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Her first novel, The Unraveling of Bebe Jones, won the 2013 National Indie Excellence Award in African American fiction.  She wrote the novel while a stay-at-home-mom in London and Sydney.  In 2013 Rojé’s script The Weekly was selected for the Australian Writer’s Guild prestigious Pathways Program.  In May 2020 Rojé published her debut poetry collection, Out of No Way, Madam C.J. Walker and A’Lelia Walker, A Poetic Drama, which tells the story of Madam Walker’s phenomenal life story.  Rojé continues to work as a screenwriter, journalist, and producer.  She is a dual national currently living in Sydney with her husband and two daughters.  When she's not working or spending time with family and friends, Rojé loves to rollerblade through the park while listening to her favorite tunes.  

Deelynn Leigh was born in South Boston, Virginia and grew up with her family in Carson City, Nevada. Asa young girl she engulfed her life with athletics and outdoor activities. For relaxation she found her giftfor writing while creating short stories. In grade school she wrote her first haiku poem which ignited herlove for poetry and the ability to utilize words and strategic rhythms to express herself.Throughout the course of her life, she shared her poetry through spoken word opportunities fromprivate to public stages and published independent works across various poetic volumes. Deelynnattended George Mason University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology andEnglish with a concentration in Poetry. Immediately following she obtained her Master of Arts degree inReligious Education from Liberty University.Deelynn is very passionate about her faith in God through Jesus Christ and seeks to create poetry thatglorifies God and encourages others. …

International Women's Day 2022 Honoreea pearl in this diamond world ...Josephine LoRe’s words have been read on stage and zoom-rooms, put to music, danced,integrated into art, and published in 11 countries and 4 languages including FreeFall in Canada,Tiny Seed in the US, and journals in Italy, England, Ireland, Germany, and Japan.Josephine has two collections, Unity and the Calgary Herald Bestseller The Cowichan Series.She is a member of the League of Canadian Poets and diverse online reading communities.She received the Norma Epstein Award for Creative Writing and was shortlisted for the 2019Room Poetry Prize. She teaches workshops, mentors emerging poets, serves as an editor, andjudges poetry competitions. She collaborates with artists and musicians, and her poetry can befound on YouTube and Bandcamp.Josephine is a Toronto-born first-generation Canadian of Sicilian descent who completed aMaster’s degree in Comparative Literature in France. This…