John Burroughs

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.

One example: despite answering and/or deleting hundreds a day, I still have 71,205 unread emails in my inbox (and this doesn't count those read but not yet answered). And this is just one item in my folder of to-do lists.

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.

YouTube video by Miles Davis - Topic He Loved Him Madly

And so the snow returns

youtu.be/3Fc_-VZlkcM

A thaw in the neighborhood

The Sunday Daily: We Underestimated the Neanderthal

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.

X has broken X has stopped working in what appears to be a major outage.

"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. 💔

Maverick Duck Press - Micro-chapbooks

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

So Long to Cheap Books You Could Fit in Your Pocket

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/b...

Returning Artists Guild uses art to change how people think about prison – The Land “You’ve got to see better, to know better, to be able to dream better. You can’t ignore social problems into non-existence.”

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

Yes, it should.

Maggie Smith’s Launches New Poetry Collection, A Suit or a Suitcase. Bestselling author and poet in conversation with poet, OSU scholar Marcus Jackson! Kicks off Gramercy's National Poetry Month programming!

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...

Visit Lennart "Len" Lundh's Memorial Website Take part in remembering Lennart "Len" Lundh. Read his obituary, share your own memories, and learn about any funeral details on Ever Loved.

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

Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize | Wick Poetry Center | Kent State University 2026 STAN AND TOM WICK POETRY PRIZE$2,500 for a First Book of PoemsThis prize is offered annually to a poet who has not previously published a full-length collection of poems. The prize awards the win...

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...

YouTube video by Billy Bragg - Topic City Of Heroes

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