• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

The Poetry Box

  • About
    • Mission
    • Our Story
    • What’s in a Name?
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • The Poeming Pigeon
  • Contests & Awards
    • Chapbook Prize 2023
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 Winners
    • 2018 Winners
    • Pushcart Nominees
  • Publishing Options
    • Cooperative Publishing for Poetry Books, Chapbooks, & Illustrated Collections
    • “Select” Full Length Poetry Books (traditional model)
  • Events
    • All Events / Readings
    • The Poetry Box – LIVE
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • News
    • Announcements
    • Past Newsletters
    • Black Lives Matter
  • Bookstore
    • All Books
    • Overstock Sale
    • Gift Cards
    • Art Prints
  • Cart

Verse on the Vine

Poem of the Day (04-26-2018)

April 26, 2018 by The Poetry Box Leave a Comment

To celebrate National Poetry Month, The Poetry Box is sharing a Poem-of-the-Day, selected from various anthologies and individual poet collections that we have published over the years.

National Poetry Month, 2018 - Poem of the Day at The Poetry Box

Please enjoy today’s selection: “Creative Writing 101” by Matthew Lane Brouwer, which appears in Verse on the Vine Anthology:

Creative Writing 101

I forget I know anything about writing poetry

I forget I have written 500 poems

I forget there is a box beneath my bed
with twenty dusty journals in it

I forget the binders in my desk
where I have stockpiled poems
like ICBM’s

I forget my transcript has a line on it which reads
“Creative Writing”

I forget I know the definitions of terms like
heroic couplet and nonrestrictive clause

I forget there is an open mic

I forget there is a darkened room
where I have read 50 times

I forget that there are 50 people in it
with the candlelight of expectation in their eyes

I forget the compliments I have received
I forget that I would like to receive more

I forget the title of the book I’m writing in my head

I forget the vision of seeing it on some Barnes and Noble shelf

I pour my breaths into a glass with ice in it
and sip them slowly like vermouth
I study the whiteness of the walls

until the minutes halt their drip
I ask the poem if it thinks it knows
who I am

and it replies

I am not a birth certificate
nor the name written in the blank

I am not a bottle of formaldehyde
in which to place the heart

I am not the scalpel
nor the surgeon’s well-trained hands

I am not a magistrate
nor the stone of his decrees

I am the pavilion through which the breeze
might freely blow

I am the hardwood floor
on which the wedding parties dance

I am the mesh through which the sun
can peek its skull

I am the lattice up which the climbing vine ascends

I am the dissipation of the cloud
into tiny drops of rain

I write down the last shape
I think it takes

Put out an empty glass
wait to see what it collects


Next-Poem-of-the-Day
 
Next-Poem-of-the-Day

Filed Under: National Poetry Month, Poem of the Day 2018 Tagged With: Matthew Lane Brouwer, National Poetry Month, poem-of-the-day, Verse on the Vine

Poem of the Day (04-22-2018)

April 22, 2018 by The Poetry Box 1 Comment

To celebrate National Poetry Month, The Poetry Box is sharing a Poem-of-the-Day, selected from various anthologies and individual poet collections that we have published over the years.

National Poetry Month, 2018 - Poem of the Day at The Poetry Box

Please enjoy today’s selection: “Before I Gained All This Weight” by Molly Fisk, which appears in Verse on the Vine Anthology:

Before I Gained All This Weight

I was so self-conscious I could barely
walk into town for fear people
would stare. I thought I was hideous,
unlovable. Now I want to shake
that poor girl, even though it wasn’t
her fault, so afraid to be human —
rattle her cage of good grades, selftanning
lotion and green eye-liner,
fast-acting depilatory cream, tell her
to smile for God’s sake and kiss
the next boy she sees, life is shorter
than anyone imagines. Silver planes
plummet from clean skies, cancer gnaws
the marrow of even younger bones
than yours, wake up! There’s still time!
Everything around you is unbelievably
beautiful.


Next-Poem-of-the-Day
 
Next-Poem-of-the-Day

Filed Under: National Poetry Month, Poem of the Day 2018 Tagged With: Molly Fisk, National Poetry Month, poem-of-the-day, Verse on the Vine

Verse on the Vine f. Shawn Pittard & Clemon Charles

December 27, 2013 by The Poetry Box 1 Comment

Wednesday, Dec 4, 2013
7:00-9:00 pm

Verse on the Vine Poetry Series

at

Petra Vineyard Wine Gallery
627 Sutter Street (Old Town Historic Folsom)
Folsom, CA 95630

It’s our last show of the year and we’re very proud to present two extremely talented and popular performers. Shawn Pittard’s poetry is beautifully brought to life by his lyrical poetic voice along with the musical sounds of jazz/blues musician Clemon Charles. The two of them have been performing all over Northern California for years. We invite you to step inside the art covered walls of Petra Vineyard Wine Gallery, sip some award winning wine, and join us for an evening of poetry & music.

We also invite you to celebrate two years of community, poetry, art and wine with the release of the Verse on the Vine Anthology, where you’ll find poetry from over 20 featured poets, including three Poets Laureate and several out-of-state poets, along with a photographic journey of all our performers and open-mic poets.

Filed Under: past events, Readings & Events Tagged With: Clemon Charles, Petra Wine Gallery, Poetry Book Launch, Reading, Shawn Pittard, Verse on the Vine

Verse on the Vine f. Molly Fisk & Stanley Zumbiel

October 1, 2013 by The Poetry Box Leave a Comment

Wednesday, Oct 2, 2013
7:00-9:00 pm

Verse on the Vine Poetry Series

at

Petra Vineyard Wine Gallery
627 Sutter Street (Old Town Historic Folsom)
Folsom, CA 95630

Verse on the Vine presents two very talented poets: Molly Fisk & Stanley Zumbiel. We invite you to step inside the art covered walls of Petra Vineyard Tasting Room, cool off with a chilled glass of chardonnay, and join us for an evening of poetry & humor.

And perhaps if you’re brave enough, share your own poetic voice at the open mic.

To learn more about our featured performers, we invite you to visit their prospective websites:

www.MollyFisk.com

Filed Under: past events, Readings & Events Tagged With: Molly Fisk, Petra Wine Gallery, Reading, Stanley Zumbiel, Verse on the Vine

Verse on the Vine: Hot August Nights

August 1, 2013 by The Poetry Box Leave a Comment

Wednesday, Aug 7, 2013
7:00-9:00 pm

Verse on the Vine Poetry Series

at

Petra Vineyard Wine Gallery
627 Sutter Street (Old Town Historic Folsom)
Folsom, CA 95630

Hot August Nights: Poetica-Erotica & NSAA

Hot Temperatures and Hot Poetry just naturally go together!

Verse on the Vine presents Hot August Nights featuring the steamy, sultry poetic voices of Poetica-Erotica and the equally sexy, fun, always entertaining Lawrence Dinkins, Jr (NSAA). We invite you to step inside the art covered walls of Petra Vineyard Tasting Room, cool off with a chilled glass of chardonnay, and join us for an evening of sensual musings, humor, and a little bit of naughtiness.

And perhaps if you’re brave enough, share your own poetic voice at the open mic. This night, we especially welcome your sensual and erotic verse.

Filed Under: past events, Readings & Events Tagged With: Hot August Nights, NSAA, Petra Wine Gallery, Poetica Erotica, Reading, Verse on the Vine

Verse on the Vine: Triple Play

June 1, 2013 by The Poetry Box Leave a Comment

Wednesday, June 5, 2013
7:00-9:00 pm

Verse on the Vine Poetry Series

at

Petra Vineyard Wine Gallery
627 Sutter Street (Old Town Historic Folsom)
Folsom, CA 95630

Triple Play: Laura Martin, Catherine Fraga & Matthew Brouwer

What do you get when you combine Zombie Haiku, Gary The Mattress Salesman & The Gospel According to Men with Canes? One hell of a show for June, that’s what!

Laura Martin is a freelance writer/photographer whose features, essays, poetry and images have appeared in multiple publications. She was the grand prize recipient of the Second Annual Pat Schneider Poetry Contest in 2012 and was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize for poetry. As an Amherst Writers and Artists affiliate, Laura leads private writing workshops in the Sacramento area.

Catherine Fraga teaches writing at Sacramento State University. Her poems have been widely published in numerous journals and anthologies. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has been the recipient of several poetry awards. Her book, Running away with Gary, the Mattress Salesman, is published by Poet’s Corner Press.

Matthew Brouwer is the touring author of The Gospel According to Matthew and Men Who Walk with Canes. Matthew’s work bridges the worlds of spoken word and literary poetry to create a style that can be both evocative and subtle, enlivening and profound. He has performed in cities throughout the west. He teaches creative writing in Bellingham, WA public schools and facilitates a writing circle for people suffering chronic medical conditions.

Filed Under: past events, Readings & Events Tagged With: Catherine Fraga, Laura Martin, Matthew Brouwer, Petra Wine Gallery, Reading, Triple Play, Verse on the Vine

Verse on the Vine f. Indigo Moor

April 1, 2013 by The Poetry Box Leave a Comment

Wednesday, April 3, 2013
7:00-9:00 pm

Verse on the Vine Poetry Series

at

Petra Vineyard Wine Gallery
627 Sutter Street (Old Town Historic Folsom)
Folsom, CA 95630

Nationally Acclaimed Poet, Indigo Moor

Indigo Moor was born in 1964, in Charlotte, North Carolina and currently resides in Sacramento, California. His collection, Tap-Root, was published in 2006 as part of Main Street Rag’s Editor’s Select Poetry Series.

Indigo is a 2003 recipient of Cave Canem’s Writing fellowship in poetry. He has also received fellowships for the Napa Valley Writer’s Conference and the Idyllwild Summer Arts Academy. He is the vice president of the Sacramento Poetry Center, and editor for the Tule Review.

He is the winner of the 2005 Vesle Fenstermaker Poetry Prize for Emerging Writers. Indigo’s work has appeared in the Xavier Review, LA Review, Mochila Review, Boston University’s The Comment, The Ringing Ear, the NCPS 2006 Anthology, and Gathering Ground.

Other honors include: finalist for the T.S. Eliot Prize, finalist for the Naomi Long Madgett Award, Saturnalia Book Award finalist, and finalist for the Crab Orchard First Book Prize.

Filed Under: past events, Readings & Events Tagged With: Indigo Moor, Petra Wine Gallery, Reading, Verse on the Vine

Verse on the Vine f. Jeff Knorr

February 1, 2013 by The Poetry Box Leave a Comment

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2013
7:00-9:00 pm

Verse on the Vine Poetry Series

at

Petra Vineyard Wine Gallery
627 Sutter Street (Old Town Historic Folsom)
Folsom, CA 95630

Poet Laureate of Sacramento, Jeff Knorr!

Jeff Knorr is the author of the three books of poetry, The Third Body (Cherry Grove Collections), Keeper (Mammoth Books), and Standing Up to the Day (Pecan Grove Press). His poetry and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies including Chelsea, Connecticut Review, The Journal, North American Review, Red Rock Review, Barrow Street, and Like Thunder: Poets Respond to Violence in America (University of Iowa).

Jeff has edited, judged, and been a visiting writer for various conferences and festivals. He was the founding co-editor and poetry editor of the Clackamas Literary Review. He has also been an invited judge for contests such as the DeNovo First Book Contest, the Willamette Award in Poetry and the Red Rock Poetry Award. He has appeared as a visiting writer at such venues and festivals as Wordstock, University of Pennsylvania’s Kelly Writer’s House, The Des Moines Festival of Literary Arts, and CSU Sacramento’s Summer Writers Conference. He currently directs the River City Writer’s Series at Sacramento City College. Jeff has been the Chair of the English department at Sacramento City College and he has also served on the Sacramento County Office of Education Arts Advisory Board.

Jeff Knorr lives in Sacramento, California and is Professor of literature and creative writing at Sacramento City College.

Filed Under: past events, Readings & Events Tagged With: Jeff Knorr, Petra Wine Gallery, Reading, Verse on the Vine

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Footer

Gold Logo  

Email:
Shawn@ThePoetryBox.com

Talk/Text:
(530)409-0721

The Poetry Box Newsletter Signup

Calls for Submissions, New Releases, Publishing Opportunities, Readings




CLMP logo
Copyright © 2023 The Poetry Box · Site Designed by Shawn Aveningo Sanders · Powered by Genesis