Gabriel Ojeda-Sague's Oil and Candle

You can pre-order Gabriel Ojeda-Sague's amazing new book here at Timeless Infinite Light.

Here's my take on this exciting publication:

"Oil and Candle does the syncretic work of shining slant light on our endings/beginnings. This kind of tricksterism opens passage for communication beyond the limits of our oppressive orthodoxies- poetic and otherwise. Included in this book are cleansing spells to help clear our paths- “limpias of poets who have never been scared just of/ walking around in the world/ limpias of poets who trust the police/ limpias of poets who poison the apple/ limpias of poets who still trust irony”. This text is not simply about Ojeda-Sague at a crossroads. It is you, me… all of us who share in bodies that can be found there. Let’s look into each other’s faces with the light Gabriel provides, in all its queer ritual brilliance."

Documenting Histories, Interpreting Dreams

(w/ Sam Durso January 2014)

I recap my tenure as Philadelphia Poet Laureate during the past two years. You can find it here at The Philadelphia Citizen. 

MuralLab Live- Open Source

What a great night at FringeArts! I was asked to open the event with a performance lecture on PACE, Neighbor Ballads and Write Your Block. The night included presentations from Ricardo Rivera of Klip Collective, the amazing Michelle Angela Ortiz, a dance performance choreographed from Kate Watson-Wallace, and a panel discussion with Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Paul Farber and Jane Golden. Check out all of the projects from Open Source Philly here.

Ideas We Should Steal- The Philadelphia Citizen

I talked with Emma Eisenberg of The Philadelphia Citizen about how Detroit's Write A House model might be possible here.

U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera

I was honored to have the opportunity to introduce Juan Felipe Herrea at the Free Library of Philadelphia during his inaugural tour as the nation's new poet laureate. You can listen to the program in its entirety here.

Learn about Juan's nationwide project Casa de Colores here.

What All the Dark Cannot Extinguish

Thanks to Mike Newall for featuring me in the Philadelphia Inquirer on the eve of Pope Francis' historic visit to the city. Below the story, you can read the poem written after St. Francis of Assisi, on the occasion of Pope Francis' visit- and for my mother. Find the story here.

New Addition to the Famous Franks Mural

I'm overjoyed to be joining Pope Francis as the new additions on the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program's Famous Franks mural. The pope & I join Frank Sinatra, Aretha & Ben Franklin, Barney Frank, and others outside Dirty Frank's Bar on 13th & Pine. Thanks so much to artist David McShane for his talent and vision. You can read Philebrity's write-up about the restored mural here.