The Mad Poets Blog

After a few missed weeks, I say we bring this back.  And not JUST because I have something to promote.  But because I want to know what everyone else is doing.

So bring it on:  What are you doing? Where are you reading?  When’s your book coming out?  Where are your pome’s being published?

Be as shameless as you need to be.  We really truly want to know.

In January, my girlfriend Donna handed me a book by a guy called Patrick Rosal. “You should read this guy,” she said. “He’s really good.” So I read this guy, and she was right – he’s really good. He’s from New Jersey, which immediately endeared him to me, and his poetry borders on the performance side, with emphasis on sound and rhythm – but his language is so concrete and tangible that the poems work on the page as well as in that sacred space between the poet’s mouth and the audience’s ears. I have been living with his poems since January, carrying their language with me for months now.

So I was thrilled to discover that he was reading at the Barron Arts Center in Woodbridge, NJ. Being a South Jersey girl who is more comfortable in Philly than in North Jersey, I approached the idea of the reading with some trepidation. Driving up the turnpike past exit 9 is something I haven’t done in a long time – but for Patrick Rosal, I decided, it was worth it. And I was not disappointed. (Continued)

I’m just going to pop in here for a moment to give a plug:

The Quick and Dirty Poets are hosting an open mic on Friday night with featured poet Dan Maguire. If you don’t know Dan, you’re missing out on something great: he’s a good poet, a good reader, and generally speaking a good guy.

You can learn a bit more about Dan by reading this interview with Therese Halscheid for Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission. You can also read his poem “Leaders” here at the Pedestal Magazine.

The reading will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 13th, at the Daily Grind Coffee House in Mt. Holly. Bring two poems to share in the open mic.

We hope to see you there!