One of my missions these days is to get modern poetry out there in front of new audiences, to show people who have not experienced poetry since the two weeks they spent covering Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson in high-school just what they've been missing.
I cannot do this alone. This is a mission that should unite all the poetry presses of north-east Ohio.
Coming up May 19th and 20th is the Hessler Street Fair in Cleveland. Crisis Chronicles, NightBallet, and Writing Knights presses will be teaming up with Poet's Haven to present the North-East Ohio Poetry booth, which will be in the courtyard behind the Mandel Center, on Hessler Court. All four of our presses will have our publications for sale, and we will have poets performing at the booth through most of the festival. (Our performing poets will be paused while the Hessler Poetry Anthology winners are reading on the main stage.)
As I worked on getting this lined up, one thing became clear: We need one place on the internet where we all share a presence, where folks can find all of our presses on one site, so when we team up and share space at art festivals or work together to organize other public showings we can be listed under one name. So, I dug up that old NEOpoets.org site I tried to launch as an event calender site some years back (y'know, right before the need for such a site went away in favor of Facebook's events and Google Calendar) and converted it to a blog that'll automatically import all our presses' news, giving you, our readers, one place where you can find out what's coming up from all four of us. Check it out at:
http://neopoets.org
If you operate a press based in north-east Ohio and you are interested in joining us in this mission, in taking part in group poetry presentations at area art festivals and organizing some large-scale poetry events of our own (I have a few in the works), contact me. The more of us that get involved in these projects, the more we all can benefit.
We'll see you at the Hessler Street Fair! :-)
Michelle Sinsky is a graduate of Akron University now pursuing her MFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is a writer/blogger for Monkeybicyle Literary Journal and a contributor to Anobium Literary Journal.
Jacob Oet's writing and images appear in Cream City Review, Illuminations, Yemassee, Yalobusha Review, and Radioactive Moat, among others. His awards include the 2011 Younkin-Rivera Poetry Prize and the 2011 Ohioana Robert Fox Award. Jacob is the author of two poetry chapbooks: Metamorphosis (Kattywompus Press) and Peeling the Apple (NightBallet Press, forthcoming in Fall 2012). A student by choice, Jacob is never sure which language he speaks. You may spot him in a park, forest, or beach, with planted feet, arms stretched up and shaking in a breeze. But don’t let him see you; he likes to sing to strangers. He takes photos of snow, and hates winter.
Rachel Shortt describes her style as "a little folk, a little funk, and a little soul." Her provocative lyrics are poetic in their elegant simplicity and ability to stand alone, but with the overlay of Rachel’s instrumental artistry, her original work provides a bold new language for those who seek a sound with passion and purpose. While Rachel is most notable with one of her many guitars slung over her shoulder, she also plays coronet, bass, cello, and has been known to try her hands at the drum set. Ask her fans and they will tell you she is an expert with the water whistle. As a native Clevelander, Rachel has performed in both large and small venues, from the House of Blues and Kent Stage to cafés and charity events. Rachel is sheer proof that all it takes to achieve a sound of beauty and sophistication is a woman and her guitar. Her intense stage presence is raw and uninhibited. At each performance, Rachel captivates her audience with a personal connection and fan engagement that is unique to that particular show.
Recorded July 2010 in Akron, OH
Recorded December 2009 in Cleveland, OH
Recorded March 2010 in Akron, OH
Recorded September 2010 in Akron, OH