I've been slow to post about AWP because I've been sick since I got home. One highlight was hearing Richard Siken during a Copper Canyon session. Tears streamed down my face much of the time he was speaking. His latest book, I Do Know Some Things, was the first thing I had to buy at the bookfair.

A piece about legendary poet/publisher d.a. levy by Alex Benedict in the Cleveland Review of Books: clereviewofbooks.com/the-lion-lyi...

March 21st at 10 a.m., Join the Ohio Poetry Association for a historical look at notable poets with Ohio ties on World Poetry Day! This is a virtual event. Please register at www.eventbrite.com/e/ohio-voice...

The Ohio Poetry Association is pleased to be a Community Partner with Gramercy Books Bexley for this special event featuring award-winning poet Miriam Flock on March 18th: www.eventbrite.com/e/award-winn...

So good to stop in Frostburg, Maryland, tonight on my way to AWP and catch a potent, stirring reading by Philip Metres.

Grateful these lit goodies found their way into my hands: Nat'l & Int'l Goddess 2026 Anthology, DEPOSE: an anthology of working class solidarity, Beneath the Gravel Weight of Stars by Mimi German, The Soft Black Stars by Matthew Buckley Smith, the steam sequence by Carly Sachs, Rattle #91.

March 5th, 6 p.m., at Greedy Reads Remington in Baltimore! Though my own press is not tabling at this week's AWP Conference & Bookfair, I am happy to be one of 30 poets taking part in Tupelo Press' annual 30/30 alumni offsite reading. Check out the full lineup at www.facebook.com/events/95034....

In these dark times, I am grateful for the light and community at today's Winter Writing Camp, hosted by Lit Youngstown, where I led a generative workshop called Beat Writer's Block, about using inspiration from Beat writers to jumpstart your stalled writing and get it back on the road.

Trump says we are the hottest country. What does this even mean? The angriest?!

30 years. This video should be on every network.

I am a strong believer in the power of poetry. For a long time, I've tried to say yes to as many poetry-related things as possible. But for months, despite trying/having to say no more, I've found it harder and harder to keep up or even catch up with my commitments.

And so the snow returns youtu.be/3Fc_-VZlkcM

A thaw in the neighborhood

I find this fascinating www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/p...

Happy Birthday Toni Morrison! Save the date for August 5, as we honor this literary titan.

"So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, good night." www.the-independent.com/tech/x-down-...

Bart on the prowl

Curious what y'all might be reading during this Black History Month. Among other things, I'm finally finishing James Baldwin's essays.

It's been a great mail month so far! Ghost Man on Second by Erica Reid [2024, Autumn House Press], Late Arrival: Poems by Susan Dines [2025, Kelsay Books], I Love You, Punk by Su Flatt & Zach Hannah [2025, Fading Neon Press], and The Paris Review [Winter 2025].

So yesterday the folks who insisted on English tuned in to hear an artist whose most famous lyric is "Bawitdaba, da-bang, da-bang, diggy-diggy"?

I didn't come here for this 🤣

9 years. 💔

Free microchapbooks from @maverickduckpress.bsky.social: payhip.com/MaverickDuck...

From The Land: thelandcle.org/stories/retu...

Yes, it should.

The Ohio Poetry Association is very pleased to be a Community Partner with Gramercy Books for this special event featuring acclaimed @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in conversation with Marcus Jackson at the Drexel Theatre in Bexley, Ohio, on April 2nd. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/maggie-smi...

Lennart Lundh was such a kind and generous man. I'm grateful for his friendship, compassion, and poetry. everloved.com/life-of/lenn...

Two of my pieces, "Home of the Enslaved" and "Don't Freeze" appear in this new anthology published by Vagabond. 254 pages, paperback. Available at shop.ingramspark.com/b/084

From the Wick Poetry Center: "Finish the polishing touches on your manuscripts because the 2026 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize, judged by Camille Dungy, is open for submissions! Visit our website for full eligibility and submission guidelines." www.kent.edu/wick/stan-an...

Billy Bragg, y'all! www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4qb...

See and hear Cincinnati poet Ellen Austin-Li tonight on Zoom! Her new book, Incidental Pollen, is fantastic. More info: www.facebook.com/events/91462...

Bart supervises another round of shoveling

Jesus didn't believe in America First.

Around midnight

My email is down. Looks like an Outlook outage and an excuse not to work.

The Ohio Poetry Association is very pleased to be a Community Partner for this special event featuring Ohio writers Roy Bentley, Cliff Treyens, Sandra Feen, and our immediate past president Chuck Salmons at Gramercy Books Bexley on January 29th. More info: gramercybooksbexley.com/event/2026-0...

If you're looking for new good books, check out these: Old World Wings: Poems of Europe by A.M. Hayden - Windy Chicken Poet, Watching the Potomac Burn by Carolyn Leigh Srygley-Moore, The Things We Do to Protect Our Own by Jeff Weddle, The Just Getting By Blues by Dan Denton.

Deep gratitude to Jennifer Browne for her inspiring workshop on "Making a Killer Serial" yesterday. Next, the OPA is thrilled to be a Community Partner for this special event featuring David Baker with Julia Kolchinsky at Gramercy Books Bexley on 1/22. Info: gramercybooksbexley.com/event/2026-0...

A hearty congratulations to our 1st vice president, Dr. Susann Moeller, for being appointed the first-ever Poet Laureate of the city of Worthington. worthington.org/2420/America...

Thrilled to have just picked up this new painting by Emma Anderson. You may recall that another Anderson painting appears on the cover of my book Rattle and Numb. www.instagram.com/emma_anderso...

Venezuela is about twice the size of Iraq, one and a half times the size of Ukraine, and about 1.4 times the size of Afghanistan.

Fighting darkness with darkness only reinforces darkness. Wishing us all more light in 2026. youtu.be/YDHriShcQOI

I look forward to participating in @lityoungstown.bsky.social's free Winter Writing Camp on February 28th, where I'll present a generative workshop, "Beat Writer's Block," about using inspiration from Beat authors to jumpstart your stalled writing. Register at www.lityoungstown.org/winter-writi....