Space Between These Line Not Dedicated Now Available

Space Between These Lines Not Dedicated is now available from SPD. You can find it here.

Poet-genius Fred Moten says:

"Beginning in a thin line of short lines held broken by indentations, holding us something like together in this common indenture, wading through what we don't want to be—'Ah this / sunrise / again on / a failed / paradigm'—waiting for some other thing, something more like together, SPACE BETWEEN THESE LINES NOT DEDICATED consecrates the little openings within which we prepare. This openness is given in our woundedness, where form arises, or spreads in periodic broadening, flipping the bird to the law it makes, because it can feel good in its own broken skin. I think I understand what Frank is saying: We are the form! We are the form of love! We wait for one another as the form of love! Frank Sherlock is a great poet and this is a great book."

California Love

(Suyeun Juliette Lee, Emily Abendroth, Frank Sherlock & Jenn McCreary- photo by Kevin Killian)

Thanks so much to everyone who made the Golden State tour a memorable one. Special shout-outs for Steve Dickison, David Buuck, Marianne Morris, Emji Spiro, Kevin Killian, Samantha Giles & the whole Bay Area crew. Big ups to LA, especially Emerson Whitney, Fred Moten, Andrew Maxwell, Joseph Mosconi & Poetic Research Bureau. I can't wait to come back.

BK Poetry Summit

I'm happy to be reading as part of the 2014 Brooklyn Poetry Summit on Friday April 18. The lineup for my episode includes James Yeary, Tanya Olson and Sister Anne Boyer.

The full schedule for the Summit, which runs from April 17-19 can be seen here.

Poetry Against War with Taras Shevchenko

I was honored to help celebrate the 200th birthday of poet  Taras Shevchenko during this critical time for the people of Ukraine.

I was also happy to read Lukoil from Serhei Zhadan, a modern -day Shevchenko & a badass of his time.

You can find the Philadelphia Inquirer's article "Ukranians Use Poetry as a Rallying Cry" here.

Pew Center's Fellows Friday

Here's a little Q&A with the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage for Fellows Friday. Photo taken between two spirit guides.

Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane

I had a great time spending the hour with Marty Moss-Coane on WHYY's Radio Times. We talk about writing your block, Yevtushenko, psychogeography, writing through illness, New Orleans & more.

The hour is archived at Jacket2  for your listening pleasure.

Neighbor Ballads at Kelly Writers House

The Neighbor Ballads reading at UPenn from this fall is now available on PennSound.

Michelle Taransky's intro is here.

I discuss the project here.

And… the Ballads themselves are here.

Much thanks to Michelle & Whenever We Feel Like It!

Neighbor Ballads from Albion Books

I'm very excited to announce the Albion Books release of Neighbor Ballads. More than a year of archival research and oral history interviews inform this series of poems celebrating immigrant narratives of seven South Philadelphians. Their stories are shared through ballad form, paying homage to the impact each has made on the character of their neighborhood.

You can check it out here.

Poet Laureate of Philadelphia

I'm humbled by having the great honor to serve as the new Poet Laureate of Philadelphia 2014-15. Thanks much to Mayor Nutter, the Selection Committee, & the people of this city for being you.

There's some video from the press conference here.


* photo by Heather Raquel Phillips