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:
