Pompa with Print, and other modes of support

Word for Word Poetry at Bryant Park last night with Tom Healy and fellow Macondista Ron Drummond was great fun. It was also a pleasure to finally meet poet and literary curator Mary Austin Speaker. An e-interview with Word for Word founder and curator Paul Romero is forthcoming.

Special thanks to fellow Macondistas (in no particular order) for coming out to manifest their support: Steven Cordova, Toni Margarita Plummer and Erasmo Guerra, these latter two with new books either just out (Toni) or soon to be out (Erasmo). More on these, at some point soon, as well.

Other friendly faces: Cornelius Eady and Sarah Micklem, both recently back from Cave Canem, where Claudia Rankine and Carl Phillips "graduated" from their three-year stints as CC faculty.

An extensive piece on the CantoMundo reading at Bryant Park featuring Deborah Parédez, Diana Marie Delgado, and Carmen Tafolla should be online soon. Word has it that Justin Petropolous has penned a terrific piece.

I'd like to conclude this roll call of appreciation with one final name. But first some related news. A publisher has been secured for colón-ization---the posthumous volume of poetry by the late award-winning poet from Fresno, Andrés Montoya. The volume has been edited by Daniel Chacón and will include prose introductions by him and Sasha Pimentel Chacón. As has been mentioned here in the past, the proceeds from the sale of Malaquias Montoya's silkscreen print---inspired by his son's work---will help fund, in part, this new volume of poetry.

It is with heartfelt gratitude that I share that Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize-winner Paul Martínez Pompa has graciously stepped to the plate with his support  for the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize Initiative:

 Paul Martínez Pompa 

with "Untitled" 

by Malaquias Montoya

Please consider joining Paul and other poets and writers
who have answered the call and stepped up:

ANDRÉS MONTOYA POETRY PRIZE INITIATIVE