Envisioning a New Age Poetry & Open Mic 2023
2023 Anthology/Archive
Doc Janning
January 25, 2023
Doc is the 79 year-old, actively involved, Inaugural Poet Laureate of The City of South Euclid, Ohio. He has created Ekphrastic Poetry for Heights Arts and for Cleveland Photo Fest. He was recently chosen to read for the swearing-in ceremonies of the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Council, and is doing the same for the ceremony for the County Executive.He is also going to have a gallery show of framed and matted broadsides of his poetry beginning in a few days.
Doc is currently pulling together an ekphrastic event he has created and looks forward to hosting next spring at the Museum of American Porcelain Art in South Euclid, Ohio, as a ticketed, in-person fund-raiser for the Senior Landscaping Grant Program of One South Euclid, a local 501(c)(3) organisation. It is a program which helps seniors in the community pay for lawn care and snow plowing.
Doc is a Featured Reader for poetry events around the world, is included in twenty-six anthologies, has had individual poems published on FaceBook by La Hermosa Bruja and on PoemHunter.com. He has videos on youtube from a variety of readings.
Caroline Reddy
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
7:00-9:00 p.m./CST on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89775770365?pwd=RHFOTmk3T3ZpQ3VwK0orM3dCNnNHQT09
Caroline Reddy was born in Shiraz, Iran and is currently working on a collection of poems titled We’ve Brought the Apocalypse Through the Walls. Her work has been accepted or published in Academy of Heart and Mind, Active Muse, Amethyst Review, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, Braided Way, Cacti Fur, Calliope,
Clinch, Clockwise Cat, Deep Overstock, Fresh Wods Magazine, Ghost City Press, Grey Sparrow,
Indefinite Space, International Human Rights Arts Festival, Journal of Expressive Writing, Literary Heist, The Opiate, Quail Bell, Star*line, The Seedling, Soul Lit among others. In 2021, her poem “A Sacred Dance” was nominated for the Best of The Net prize by Active Muse.
Nhien Vuong
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
7: 00-9:00 p.m./CST on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81489526003?pwd=T3hJc0s4MURSV3JuUGRZMnY1d3hGZz09
Born in Vietnam and raised in California, Nhien Vuong, J.D., M.Div., (she/her) is a contemplative Enneagram thought leader and dynamic community builder who mentors conscious evolutionaries in overcoming barriers to systemic and sustainable change. A gifted listener and international presenter, Nhien passionately champions the often underrepresented voices within ourselves and our communities, helping to meet our life challenges from a perspective that is integrated and whole.
A former lawyer turned Unity minister, Nhien now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with her “Pack” (boyfriend Colby and dog Effie). When she’s not busy hugging trees, she heads up Evolving Enneagram, a community-centered organization whose mission is to transform human ecosystems around the globe using a compassion-based approach to the Enneagram.
Nhien is currently writing an interspiritual companion guidebook on The Enneagram of Soul. Her poem "This Joy in Nothing" was recently published in the We’Moon 2023 Calendar. Nhien now writes poetry to save her life.
Nettie Zan Powers
Wednesday. April 19, 2023
7:00-9:00 p.m./CST
Nettie Zan is a river seeker, deep-rooted artist, trans non-binary vitalist, dada guru, lover of hyphenations and word play. They are currently working out of the hometown, Kansas City, and hosting a year long sequence of sober, structured, creative explorations called Press Play. Poems for Alcoholics is Nettie's most recent book, out by Hagstone Books, and chronicles the dark side and great hope of redefining one's relationship with booze. You can follow their work on socials via Nettie Zan (the book, big cartel, medium, youtube, venmo) and @listenmore on IG.
Maria Vasquez Boyd
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
7:00 - 9:00 p.m. /CST
Maria Vasquez Boyd is a painter/artist/writer and founding member of the Latino Writers Collective in Kansas City Missouri. Her work is published in Primera Pagina, Cuentos Del Centro, Everyday Other Things, Salt Magazine, America Now and Here, Kansas City Renga, Present magazine, and other publications.
https://kcstudio.org/maria-vasquez-boyd-the-art-of-filling-needs/?fbclid=IwAR1esPCnhbJ3naDzeodt3yMZuH9ev2qsNvMomMoD450X27GfZxKfD1HQu3k
Agnes Vojta
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
7:00-9:00 p.m./CST
Agnes Vojta grew up in Germany and now lives in Rolla, Missouri where she teaches physics at Missouri S&T and hikes the Ozarks. She is the author of Porous Land, The Eden of Perhaps, and A Coracle for Dreams (Spartan Press). Most recently, she has been collaborating with eight other poets on the book Wild Muse: Ozarks Nature Poetry (Cornerpost Press, 2022.) Her poems have appeared in a variety of magazines; you can read some of them on her website: agnesvojta.com.
Jose Faus
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
7:00-9:00 p.m./ CST
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83272991874
José Faus (He,Him) is a visual artist, performer, writer, independent teacher/mentor with an interest in the role of artists as creative catalysts for community building. He received degrees from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in painting and creative writing. He is a founder of the Latino Writers Collective and sits on the boards of The Latino Writers Collective, The Full Frame Initiative, and Charlotte Street Foundation. His chapbook This Town Like That was released by Spartan Press. His book of poetry The Life and Times of José Calderon was published by West 39 Press.
(Bio from ArtistInc Profile).
Ioana Coman
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
7:00-9:00 p.m./CST
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81665889746
I O A N A COMAN
307 Crystal Drive, Belton, MO 64012, 816-352-9146 [email protected]
Education
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Foreign Languages, University of Foreign Languages, Bucharest, 1995 – 1999.
University of Law in Bucharest 1990-1995.
2007 Nursing Degree from Concorde Career College.
Iona Coman has is the author of "Happy Apocalipsa Day" and published un numerous collaborations with international magazines.
she has been recognized by International Prize for Art and Literature granted by Fundația Mitteleuropa/ Austria - Viena · (Dec 2018), “Happy Apocalipsa Day” Fundația Mitteleuropa/ Austria - Viena · (Dec 1, 2019) and Poems in “Luceafărul” Magazine · (Jan 1, 2000).
She is a member of KC “Writers supporting Writers” organization from Aug 2020 – present: organization description: receiving feedback and support about our own writings from established writers and publishers. Member of “KC Storytellers” KC Connect and Write, an organization that brings authors, editors and designers, together across the KC Metro.
Ioana is also active in the KC/Raymore community Raymore, Mo Hystorical Society & Museum, Missouri Humanities Council, RotaryClub Belton-Raymore, KC Theater Pipe Organ, Kansas City Piano Meetup-Club, Kansas City Musical Club and The National Philoptocos Society
Peniel Cromwell
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
7:00-9:00 p.m./CST
Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Peniel Cromwell has taught songwriting and the art of freestyle rap at Sullivant Gardens Rec Center, MLK Library, and The Homeless Families Foundation Center.
Peniel believes that teaching youth to express themselves through freestyle rap and songwriting is a great way for them to be creative while relieving stress. Endeavoring to excite as many youths as possible with these art forms, Peniel hopes that some of his students will one day pass along and teach the next generation.
Having read such works as Langston Hughes’ Salvation Essay and a Dream Deferred, Peniel began writing as a child, and each day continues his deep commitment and love of poetry writing.
John Greenleaf-Maple
October 18, 2023
7: 00-9:00 p.m./CST
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82929051426?pwd=SHVmMEZRWW1NWDRlM1dIWTBEc2RLdz09
A featured reading by artist John Greenleaf Maple followed by our open mic.
John Greenleaf Maple is a visual artist and poet who believes that we must learn to use the language of the heart if we are to survive our present fear, isolation, and distrust. All art forms aid in conveying this essential message of love and acceptance.
John grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, where he began writing in his teens. He completed a BA in English with departmental honors in creative writing at WSU, producing a body of work that became the foundation for a collection of poetry, Song of Becoming, published in 1979 under a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. John’s poetry has also appeared in various literary publications such as The Kansas Quarterly, The Smith, Ploughshares, Mikrokosmos, The Ark River Review and others. John is also a graphic artist whose works have appeared in Unity Magazine, book covers, Gallery Hall at Unity Plaza, the walls of many homes, and elsewhere.
His poetry blog can be found at http://johngreenleafmaple.com,
and his graphic art can be viewed at https://www.instagram.com/johnniemaple.
Rooja Mohassessy
Wednesday, November 22, 2023
7:00-9:00 p.m./CST on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81834936006https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81834936006
Rooja Mohassessy is an Iranian-born poet. She is a 2022 MacDowell Fellow and a graduate of the Pacific University MFA program in Oregon. Her debut collection, When Your Sky Runs Into Mine, was the winner of the 22nd Annual Elixir Poetry Prize and is due for release by Elixir Press in February, 2023. When Your Sky Runs Into Mine comprises ekphrastic poems that respond to the art of the prominent Iranian painter and sculptor, Bahman Mohassess (1931-2010). The poems address such universal themes as coming of age, sexuality, and the challenges faced by child immigrants displaced as a result of war and political turmoil. Mohassessy' poems and reviews have appeared or are forthcoming in Narrative Magazine, Poet Lore, RHINO Poetry, Southern Humanities Review, CALYX Journal, Ninth Letter, Cream City Review, The Adroit Journal, New Letters, The Florida Review, Poetry Northwest, The Rumpus, and elsewhere.
Sandra Feen
December 13th
7:00-9:00 p.m./CST
Sandra Feen was inducted as the 2022-2024 Ohio Beat Poet Laureate by the National Beat Poetry Foundation, Inc.
She was a speaker and workshop facilitator at the 2022 NFSP (National Federation of State Poetry Societies) Convention, Renewal through Poetry and. Literary Cleveland’s 2022 Inkubator Writing Conference. A member of the poetry troupe Concrete Wink, with Rikki Santer and Chuck Salmons, her first photography show became intrinsic to their Winks, Drinks and Vibes reading, held at the Sunbear Studio, in Westerville, Ohio, in February 2022. Concrete Wink wrote and read ekphrastic poems to two dozen of her photos on display. In addition, Sandy and Rikki won Heavy Feather Review’s second-annual Zachary Doss Friends in Letters Fellowship, for their poetry collaboration titled, Emotion Bus.
Sandy is a former associate editor of Pudding magazine, former urban fiction editor, and was in the RedKitchen poetry troupe, founded by Jennifer Bosveld. She also co-facilitated several reading series, including Columbus, Ohio’s Teapot Poetry Series, Rattlebox, and Peripatetic. She has read in venues in and out of Ohio for over 30 years, most notably in Connecticut’s National Beat Poetry Festival, New York’s Brooklyn Poets Yawp, Michigan’s Madhouse and Firefly International Beat Poetry Festival, Kansas City, Missouri’s Fountainverse Small Press Poetry Festival, Barberton’s Kave Coffee Bar, and Columbus, Ohio’s Jung Haus, Paging Columbus, Gramercy Bookstore, and Bossy Grrls. She has performed several venues with Concrete Wink, including Visible Voice Books, in Cleveland, Ohio, and Speak Up Against Gender Violence, in Athens, Ohio. In addition, she has performed work by Holocaust writers in Susan Millard Schwarz's Anahata Music Project. She will read again in January 2024, for the International Day of Remembrance.
She has had the honor of reading and/or being interviewed for several stellar online venues, such as Jeremy Jusek’s Poetry Spotlight (through the Ohio Poetry Association), James Bryant’s SpoFest Open Mic and Poetry Series, Debbie T. Kilday’s National BEAT Poetry Festival and International BEAT Poetry Goddess Festival, Dr. Nancy Nelson’s Detroit Vespers, Dane Ince’s Time to Arrive poetry series, Penny Thieme’s VALA, Jonie McIntire’s Uncloistered Poetry, Leonard Germinara’s Sacramento Poetry Center, Kari Gunter-Seymour and Stephanie Kendrick’s Athens County Poets and Storytellers, Dustin Pickering’s Literary Parrot Corner, Malaika King Albrecht’s Redheaded Stepchild, John Compton’s The JoJo Show, Doc Janning’s Awenites, and James P. Wagner’s Bards Poetry Revolution podcasts.
A 2020 VALA recipient, member of the Ohio Poetry Association, and Bistro Poets writing critique group, Sandy is the former director of the Ohio Poetry Therapy Writers’ Group. She has given poetry therapy workshops throughout Ohio and has 70 hours toward certification. Sandy has a BFA in Creative Writing and a BS in English Education from Bowling Green State University, as well as an MA in Literature from Wright State University. She was one of twelve teachers selected for a National Endowment of the Arts first "Change Course" program through Wright State University's Institute on Writing and Its Teaching. A two-time OCTELA (Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts) presenter, Sandy has also given writing workshops at the Ohio State University, Wright State University, Clark State Community College, and Antioch University, along with various poetry venues.and was twice awarded Educator of the Year at the high school where she taught most of her career. At her school, she created their literary magazine, poetry slam team, and spent many years coaching their academic league team. She also had the honor of judging Poetry Out Loud competitions in Columbus City Schools for several years and is the guest poet for the 2023 Central Ohio Regional, held at Thurber House. She has taught adult evening high school English courses, including Drama, worked as a proofreader for a braille textbook company, and has tutored and served as an editor in Chichibu City Schools, in Chichibu, Japan.
She has published in numerous anthologies, such as Stone Pacific Zine, New Generation Beats 2022 Anthology, Goddess: Raising Consciousness Through Spoken Word, A Wreath of Golden Laurels: An Anthology of Poetry by 100 Poets Laureate, The Literary Parrot, Gasconade Review, Pink Plastic House Literary Magazine, Porter Gulch Review, Ohio Poetry Association’s Everything Stops and Listens, Columbus Creative Cooperative’s Ides of March, and Cap City Poets: Columbus, Ohio’s Best Known, Read, and Requested Poets. Photography publications include Thirteen Myna Birds, The Literary Parrot, and Thimble Literary Magazine. A collection of her poems was named finalist for The Lascaux Review’s 2018 Lascaux Poetry Prize. Twice Sandy has been on the cover of two literary collections: JoJo Compton’s chapbook, i saw god cooking children/paint their bones (Blood Pudding Press) and the anthology, Pudding House Gang (Pudding House Publications).
Sandra Feen is the author of Evidence of Starving (Voice Lux Journal 2021) Meat and Bone (Luchador Press 2019), and Fragile Capacities: School Poems (NightBallet Press 2018).
Fragile Capacities – nominated for the Ohioana Book Award – highlights her 32-year teaching career in Columbus City Schools. Her poem “Palms Monday” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
She is currently working on an anthology You’ve Been Poemed: the 121 Project, and
co-writing There is A Rock on Martin Avenue, with retired journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, Cliff Treyens.