ballast journal

Catherine Theis — ballast

Day 5: “Transfusion” by Catherine Theis in @ballastjournal.bsky.social. If there’s one thing I love, it’s poetry about the saints. I find them so fascinating. www.ballastjournal.com/catherine-th...

Anthony Ramstetter, Jr. and his poem “oscillation” in ballast 3.3. Text of poem on right hand side with squiggly lines on background.

Contributor Features from ballast 3.3:

Next up: Anthony Ramstetter, Jr. and “oscillation”

www.ballastjournal.com/anthony-rams...

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#AnthonyRamstetterJr

Field of poppies and wheat with a poem by Laura Sackton, “Impossible Architecture,” overlaid on top, reading: 'All poetry ends in the failure of language, so this is a poem made of flowers. Stanzas are wily, flammable, quick to scatter. Imagine, rather, a blade of flowers.'

Contributor Features from ballast 3.3:

Next up: Laura Sackton and “Impossible Architecture”

www.ballastjournal.com/laura-sackton

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#LauraSackton

Excited to have a poem published in ballast ~ check it out here! 💕

Text from Katherine Schmidt’s poem “Above all else” from ballast 3.3. Picture of calm water with dark blue text overlaid.

Contributor Features from ballast 3.3:

Next up: Katherine Schmidt and “Above all else”

@ktonbsky.bsky.social

www.ballastjournal.com/katherine-sc...

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#KatherineSchmidt

Text from Catherine Theis’ poem “Transfusion” in ballast issue 3.3. Black text against pale yellow background with sketch of a lit, melting candle and floral border.

Contributor Features from ballast 3.3:

Next up: Catherine Theis and “Transfusion”

Pssst: be sure to catch this poem in Catherine’s upcoming book “By a Roman” from @antiphonyjournal.bsky.social later this year

www.ballastjournal.com/catherine-th...

#poetry
#ballast
#CatherineTheis

The image is a poster for a poem by Lily Tobias, titled "Thirty Lines on a Lighthouse." The title and author's name are prominently displayed in large red text at the top of the image. Below the title, the poem is written in smaller red text, with each line carefully crafted to evoke a sense of wonder. "Poem by Lily Tobias, 'Thirty Lines on a Lighthouse,' with a background image of a lighthouse against a blue sky. The poem explores themes of memory, hope, and the human experience."

Contributor Features from ballast 3.3:

Here’s Lily Tobias and “Thirty Lines on a Lighthouse”

www.ballastjournal.com/lily-tobias

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#LilyTobias

Many grateful thanks to the staff of @ballastjournal.bsky.social for finding a home for this weird little poem!

www.ballastjournal.com/cassandra-wh...

Poem’s text of Cassandra Whitaker’s “Brides In The Winter Of The Wolves” from ballast 3.3. Black and white profile shots of wolves on top of bottom of image and text.

Contributor Features from ballast 3.3:

Here’s Cassandra Whitaker’s “Brides In The Winter Of The Wolves”

@casswhit.bsky.social

www.ballastjournal.com/cassandra-wh...

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#CassandraWhitaker

The image presents a poem titled "Allegra Wilson from 'victory ballad of sacred queers & perverts'" in a visually striking format. The title is displayed prominently at the top, with the author's name in large, dark brown text and the subtitle in smaller, italicized text below. The poem itself is presented in a clean and simple font, with each line separated by a blank line to enhance readability. The text is arranged as follows: - WE WERE UNPEELED MANDARIN. - WE WERE WATERS, COOL AND FULL OF FISHES. - WE WERE FOREST DIRT. SINGING. - BEATLE FEASTED FOX FUR. - WE WERE CANDLEMAS. - WE WERE PILGRIMAGE. - OUR LACE WENT ON FOR MILES. - OUR MUD WAS THICK WITH HERBS. At the bottom of the image, the text "BALLAST 3.3" and "BALLASTJOURNAL.COM" are displayed in small, dark brown text, providing context and attribution for the poem. The background of the image features a textured, off-white surface with a subtle greenish tint, reminiscent of aged paper or parchment. The overall design effectively conveys a sense of elegance and sophistication, making the poem a compelling and engaging read.

Our Contributor Features from ballast 3.3 kick off today!

Here’s Allegra Wilson’s “victory ballad of sacred queers & perverts”

www.ballastjournal.com/allegra-wilson

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#AllegraWilson

Call for submissions for critical essays on literary modernism for ballast issue 3.4 in fall 2025.

‼️ NOW OPEN: Special Submissions Call for “REMARKS” ‼️

Visit www.ballastjournal.com/special-calls for more info

three poems — Blood+Honey by Jacob Schepers “Queen / Latifah bites it / from the jellyfish  / attack that starts out / so cute and like little nibbles.”

The folks @bloodhoneylit.bsky.social published three more snippets ✂️✂️✂️ from #Vasectomajestic today.

www.bloodhoneylit.com/poetry/schep...

Rocío Cerón Trans. by Dana Delibovi — ballast

I’ve been translating the poetry of the great Mexican poet Rocío Cerón—here’s a series of five prose poems in @ballastjournal.bsky.social. ¡Me encantó traducir estos poemas! www.ballastjournal.com/rocio-ceron-...

Excited to have a piece out with ballast! Check out the issue ☺️

Thrilled to have a poem in this volume! Many thanks to the editors @ballastjournal.bsky.social!

· A Hua
· Catherine Theis
· Lily Tobias
· Cassandra Whitaker
· Allegra Wilson

✨✨✨✨✨✨🤘🤘🤘🤘

· BEE LB
· Ashley Linkletter
· Cecille Marcato
· Austin Miles
· David Moolten
· Rachel Lauren Myers
· Damon Pham
· Anthony Ramstetter, Jr.
· Laura Sackton
· Katherine Schmidt (@ktonbsky.bsky.social)
· Xuelan Su*

· Kelly Gray (@k-gray.bsky.social)
· Peter Milne Greiner
· Daniel Hales
· Jake Hargrove
· Alec Hershman
· D.J. Huppatz
· Stephen K. Kim
(@skimperil.bsky.social)
· J.I. Kleinberg
· Christopher Klingbeil (@cklingbe.bsky.social)

With works and words from

· Nicholas Alti
· Carol Barrett
· Mary Beth Becker
· Stephen Bett
· Michael Butkovich
· Zack Carson
· Kameryn Alexa Carter
· Rocío Cerón
· Dana Delibovi (@danadelibovi.bsky.social)
· Viviane Fae-Moss

Issue 3.3 Table of Contents — ballast

OUT NOW: ballast 3.3 (Summer 2025).

www.ballastjournal.com/issue-33-tab...

The Canyon The Canyon [Oventile, Robert Savino] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Canyon

Is @ballastjournal.bsky.social thanked in the acknowledgements page as the first publisher of "California Dodder"? Why yes, yes indeed.

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FH1GW1F6/

Cover of ballast issue 3.3. Four images of Pluto from NASA telescope

Ballast 3.3 cover reveal!

Issue dropping soon…………
Stay tuned.

The image features a poem by Zhang Zhihao, titled "UNTITLED,” translated by Yeumin He, on a yellow background. A red chicken foot with a blue spike is on the left, and black chicken footprints are on the right. The poem explores the pain of cutting nails and the powerlessness of suffering.

The last of our Contributor Features from ballast 3.2 today

Here’s He Yuemin translating an untitled piece by Zhang Zhihao

www.ballastjournal.com/zhang-zhihao...

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#ZhangZhihao
#HeYuemin

Poem 'Streetcar Funeral' by Elena Zhang, featuring a black streetcar illustration on a green background, with a poignant exploration of grief and longing through sensory language.

Winding down our Contributor Features from ballast 3.2 but we’ve got a few more to share!

Here’s Elena Zhang with “Streetcar Funeral” @ezhang77.bsky.social

www.ballastjournal.com/elena-zhang

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#ElenaZhang

Poem excerpt from 'A Mirror of Salt' by Carmen Vascones, translated by Alexis Levitin. Text reads: 'Suggests a face of wax / The sperm of Narcissus / Reflecting the echo of another's reflection / That's what it was.’ Published in ballast issue 3.2.

Winding down our Contributor Features from ballast 3.2 but we’ve got a few more to share!

Here’s Carmen Vascones’ “A Mirror of Salt” translated by Alexis Levitin

www.ballastjournal.com/carmen-vasco...

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#CarmenVascones
#AlexisLevitin

Poem 're: sand' by JP Thorn, set against a sandy background. The poem explores themes of impermanence and change, with the author reflecting on the fleeting nature of things. The text is presented in a clear and readable format, with the title and author's name prominently displayed.

Winding down our Contributor Features from ballast 3.2 but we’ve got a few more to share!

Here’s jp thorn’s “re: sand” @jpthorn.bsky.social

www.ballastjournal.com/jp-thorn

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#jpthorn

With @glennthepoet.bsky.social

“Editor's Note" by Glenn Taylor. Epigraph to the poem: "'Cause what the hell do I care about the truth? I care if you're there." - Nikki Giovanni. Visit Issue 3.2 to read (or listen!) at ballastjournal.com. Image features a lightbulb graphic with a yellow lightning bolt on a white background."

A teaser of A Contributor Feature from ballast 3.2

Here’s Glenn Taylor’s “Editor’s Note” (read or listen to Glenn read on our site)

www.ballastjournal.com/glenn-taylor

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#GlennTaylor

Poem by Joshua St. Claire, 'It's Pronounced Forsythia!' on a white background with green watercolor leaves. Forsythia flower illustration in the bottom right corner.

A Contributor Feature from ballast 3.2

Here’s Joshua St. Claire’s “It’s Pronounced Forsythia!”

www.ballastjournal.com/joshua-st-cl...

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#JoshuaStClaire

The image features “The choir’s sixth voice is that of the lake,” a poem by Miguel Otero Silva and translated by Chris Holdaway, set against a bright yellow background with a delicate flower design. The title and author are prominently displayed, followed by the poem's text. The text in the image reads: "In the astral pollen of the mists, in the downpour of crystal and fury, in the clear plumage of the rain, I am seed to the sowing of his death."

A Contributor Feature from ballast 3.2

Here’s Miguel Otero Silva’s “The choir’s sixth voice is that of the lake,” translated from Spanish by Chris Holdaway

www.ballastjournal.com/miguel-otero...

#contributorfeature
#poetry
#ballast
#MiguelOteroSilva
#ChrisHoldaway