October (2025) Update from MEH
My monthly (?) missive on all things MEH
Random Thoughts & Writing Prompts
I really don’t have the words.
I didn’t know Jennifer Martelli as well as I wish I had. I was the new kid in the poetry scene, surrounded by people who knew and loved each other for years. She always made me feel welcomed and brought me into the conversations with the cool kids in the back of the room. We had great talks about poetry and politics and people whenever I saw her. She always made me laugh and made me think. And this was before I had read her work or heard her read her poetry.
The night that changed, after I heard her read/perform/hold court/kick ass, I was talking to a mutual friend and said something along the lines of “Holy shit: I didn’t know she could throw down like that!” and a whole new perspective on the force that is Jennifer was shown.
Over the summer I read Psychic Party Under the Bottle Tree and had the honor of selecting Revere Beach Stories (with Kevin Carey & Stephanie Young) as a finalist in the New England Poetry Club’s Jean Pedrick Chapbook Prize. I wasn’t able to talk to her about either.
I got the news via text message while in the middle of teaching a class. It almost became the second time in 24 years in the profession that I swore out loud in front of a class.
I still don’t have the words.
Poetry Collections I’ve Recently Finished
Latest News and Publications
Recent Publications
Awards & Nominations
It’s that time of the year where I feel honored being nominated knowing the prize will never come. But at the moment, I have the following Best of the Net Nominations
In poetry
The Lit Nerds nominated “when asked why I’ll never write you a sincere poem”
In creative nonfiction
Identity Theory nominated “white woman freedom”
In Short: A Journal of Flash Nonfiction, nominated “The Quiet Part”
Poetry
Star 82 Review published two of my poems: “‘what is PacMan without the ghosts?’” & “when asked about being a Black poet”
Prose
My creative nonfiction essay “Stage Proxemics” was published in Pangyrus and is, among other things, an ode to my brother who is a bad-ass.
At the moment, I have prose and poetry forthcoming (in the near and distant future) in DREGINALD, The Manifest-Station, The Metaworker, Molecule, Nixes Mate, Plough, The Radical Teacher, Tidings, and Wayfarer Magazine.
…and a new collection that should be out next year!
UPCOMING READINGS
For October (so far…)
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 - Reading at Book Love in Plymouth, MA (6 - 7 pm)
Join us for an inspiring evening of spoken word and poetic expression at our Poetry Night, featuring five dynamic voices: Sam Aureli, Sara Jane Ferreira, Ariel Friedman, Matthew Henry, and Merryn Rutledge. Each poet brings a unique rhythm and perspective to the mic, offering a night of creativity, connection, and powerful storytelling. Whether you’re a longtime poetry lover or just curious, come be part of the magic—words are waiting.
[More information and any updates are posted on my website]