Thursday, June 23, 2016

The Chemung Shamans Add Outsider Poet Thomas L. Vaultonburg For Rockford Poetry Slam

In OPSLA news just tweeted out by commissioner Dr. Henry Wolfsburg, outsider poet Thomas L. Vaultonburg has joined the Chemung Shamans for the Rockford Poetry Slam to be held July 4th. 

Poet Thomas L. Vaultonburg celebrating his signing by the Chemung Shamans by drinking a Stella Artois. He will join the team in Rockford for their bout with league rival Rockford Pages. 

Along with Vaultonburg, the Shamans receive a conditional second round draft pick in the 2017 OPSLA draft, and a nominal amount of cash to be used for purchasing Dutch and Belgian beers. 




Thursday, June 9, 2016

Outsider Poetry, "We Are Gathering Up Our Dust" By Jesus Correa

Outlaw Poetry Saturday Night In Rockford

Saturday night I will be hosting a book release party for Dennis Gulling's book of Outlaw Poetry The Blood Dark Sea, published by Zombie Logic Press as the third book in the Rock River Literary Series. 

I am the host, and after a very busy beginning to this summer, and a trip to New Orleans, I have no notes prepared. All of my first choice readers dropped out, and I am here in my aprtment exhausted and without much of an idea how to approach hosting. 

First of all I'd like to thank Doc and Jerry for making their incredible space available. There's no where else I'd want to have done this book release party. They have been promoting the arts in this location for over thirty years now, and I have enormous respect for what they've been able to do for the arts community. 

Thank all of you for showing up to support Dennis and the third book in the Rock River Literary Series, The Blood Dark Sea. 

                                                            The Blood Dark Sea

I'm not sure if everyone knows this, but three years ago I had open heart surgery, and as I was recovering I realized one of the important things to me that I felt I hadn't made enough of an effort on was to promote the work of my fellow writers here in the Rockford area. Rockford gets a bad rap from the national media as a violent place bereft of all culture and sophistication, but those of us who live here know better. When I started thinking about it, there were a couple dozen writers I could think off  hand that I wanted to work with. Writers I feel deserve a local, regional, and national audience for their works. And that's what the Rock River Literary Series is all about. Exposing an audience to all the talented writers we have here in the Rockford area. 

Before I go on and introduce our first reader, I'd like to acknowledge someone in the audience. The person who published my first book, Concave Buddha, twenty-five years ago, and set the example that I would later follow of wanting to give a spotlight and encourage others. His name is Bradley Lastname, and I won't embarass him by pointing him out, but I want you to know I probably wouldn't have gotten to this place without your example.