Some of y’all need a lil more razzle dazzle in your life. Some whimsey if you will. Some chicanery and bafoonery. In short—y’all are not silly enough geese. In this economy?? You absolutely must latch on to your small joys. I expect to see some improvement from you soon.

One of my fav things as managing editor of @bham-poetry-review.bsky.social is assembling the cover. Check out this upcoming issue with cover art by Debora Greger. Also, a lil whale tail told me Victoria Change is the feature poet. BPR is open for subs today! Go hit our linktree for deets

Been thinking about what I want to do with my one and precious life & all the adventures I’d like to have. I’ve come to the decision that if an activity requires any sort of bottled air, it’s not for me. This takes the highest highs & the lowest lows off my list. Turns out I’m a middle bits person

No submission fee or cover letter or anything like that. Just a good ol fashioned poems in an envelope with a SASE, because we still party like it’s 1987 (the year we were founded).

My phone ran out of storage, and I deleted this damn app. I am back now. What did I miss?

You know one thing you’ll never hear me slander? Wikipedia. It’s been helping me answer my most pressing questions for decades. It’s dependable, consistent, convenient, and gives me just enough to start my deep-dive spirals. It has hella value for being what it is.

Brick Road Poetry Press is thrilled to announce our 2024 contest winner as Christopher Shipman for his manuscript “Mortar” which will hit bookshelves this fall. Congratulations, Christopher!

Dropping poems on a Tuesday: www.terrain.org/2025/poetry/...

Today has been a hobbit hole day. Groundhog day approaches. Y’all, I’ve done about met my fill of this cold. You better hope the local possums have good things to say about the forecast. Lord knows the groundhogs can’t get their sh!t together.

A spider built a web between the ice and the bucket

Tonight’s sky on fire

Today’s the daaaaaay! Come spend a lovely evening with us at @bham-poetry-review.bsky.social with a nice poetry reading. Trust me, you’ll have a delightful time.

HBO has declined to renew “Sesame Street” for new episodes. The series that’s been teaching generations of little kids since 1969 now has no studio. Please consider donating to Sesame Workshop to ensure the residents of 123 Sesame Street are still around to teach kids of all needs and backgrounds.

Heyooo poetry fam! Come join @bham-poetry-review.bsky.social for our annual zoom reading Wed Dec 18th at 6pm central featuring Dr. Erica Dawson, Dr. Beth Gylys, Dr. J. Bruce Fuller, and Dr. Henry Hart. I look forward to this every year! Register: uab.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

It’s the last week of classes and everyone has saved up their emails for all at once. Y’all quit emailing me. You had all semester to do so 😭

Give us your poems!

Tis the season where I only want to do hand crafts 24/7. The only thing currently stopping me from picking up a new hobby (pine needle coiling) is all this grading I have to do. Consarn it all.

Cattails for your Saturday

You now have one day left to submit to the Brick Road Poetry Press contest. Subs close at midnight on December 1st. @miriamcalleja.bsky.social is judge, and I’ll be your fabulous book designer. We’re thirsty for the verse. Send it! brickroadpoetrypress.submittable.com/submit

You have two—YES ONLY TWO—days left to submit to the Brick Road Poetry Press contest. Subs close at midnight on December 1st. @miriamcalleja.bsky.social is judge and I’ll be your fabulous book designer. We’re thirsty for the verse! Send it! brickroadpoetrypress.submittable.com/submit

Found in this morning’s reading assignment:

Y’all, stop rejecting me on major holidays. It’s not very holly jolly

A lil friend to brighten your day.

A rare find for November—two 5-leaf clovers.

Sat down to do some grading. Wound up getting ordained instead—just cause I can.

Because you’ve probably earned a surly cat photo this morning. Here:

A poem for your evening: “The Way We Love Something Small” by Kimberly Blaeser. poets.org/poem/way-we-...

Well, isn’t that convenient? Musk gets named to the fake department of DOGE, and suddenly NASA’s future is up for debate—just as SpaceX is poised to cash in. Funny how “efficiency” seems to mean redirecting public funds straight into private pockets.

I’ve designed & published NELLE and @bham-poetry-review.bsky.social for years and am excited to also take on designing Brick Road Poetry Press contest winner’s collection. Contest closes Dec 1st. Submit! @miriamcalleja.bsky.social is this year’s judge. brickroadpoetrypress.submittable.com/submit

Good morning you beautiful poets! Here’s a love poem for an Alabaman accent coming to you from @rayehendrix.bsky.social and if you dig this, go buy their new collection: www.tamupress.com/book/9781680...

“For the people. For the parks, forever”

Today I got to see the ledger in person that recorded the deaths of Maye, Emma, & Irene Hawes brutally murdered by their father/husband Richard Hawes in 1888. It was the first time Birmingham went under martial law as a mob stormed the jail for justice. www.bhamwiki.com/w/Hawes_murd...

@hmcotton.bsky.social ⏬

It’s hawking season again and it won’t be long before I’m back in the field with my falconry friends. @storysouth.bsky.social published this essay last year about my first time with the sport. storysouth.com/stories/talk...

Upcoming deadline for Brick Road Poetry Press’ contest. I and 4 other friends acquired Brick Road last month, and we’re excited to put books out into the world. @miriamcalleja.bsky.social is judge this year (and one of the co-owners!) send us your work! brickroadpoetrypress.submittable.com/submit

BPR is on Bluesky now! Give us a follow and come join us at our annual zoom reading series.

After a 53-day water crisis, Asheville, North Carolina finally has clean, potable running water again. Y’all, never take for granted access to clean water. If you have it, it can be taken from you in an instant.

Officially done with my first semester at Warren Wilson. Here’s the stack.

Encountered a wild albino deer yesterday. @ccs0082swiftiessoc.bsky.social says this means I’m fated to be ruler of something now. Currently taking suggestions for micro-kingdoms I should assume power of. First thought: hard cheeses. What say you?

The sassiest tea pot I’ve ever seen

Go get you some aly national park service. Nature is punk rock.

Y’all expect me to just go about my days after the UAP hearing? We’ve completely lost the thread of this timeline. I’d like to just go ahead and negotiate my own alien kidnapping. I’ve tried for three decades with the fae and have been unsuccessful. Time to change tactics.

Back on my deviled egg bull$hit. The world is on fire. There are no rules. You can make deviled eggs any time you want to. Chase that dopamine, y’all.

Allowables by Nikki Giovanni for your morning.

I awake this morning to find my friend and neighbor has been immortalized at the local park with a decidedly unauthorized sign. To be fair, it IS a massive bass. Thank you to @miriamcalleja.bsky.social for documenting this momentous occasion.

Friends, remember in these times of fast-paced demands, loudness, and nowness, resistance so often looks like slowing down, being intentional, resting, and finding joy in the smallest of things. Sit with one another. Unplug for some moments. Sometimes stillness is great action.

A song to help you sink into your feels right now. youtu.be/LLn3FT9BsRs?...