Art by Tanya Decarie for Issue #10 of These Days
My creative energy has been focussed on These Days, my COVID-era zine, so apologies for the lack of new poems here. That said, I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve been able to share over these past 10 issues / 14 months.
In Issue #10 (March / April 20201) I interviewed Brandon Wint, man of many talents and notably the Artistic Director of the Tree Reading Series since last fall. I’ve attended workshops with Brandon and have always found him to be a uniquely inspiring and humble artist. Speaking about workshops he made this great metaphor of poetry as meeting place that has stuck with me:
What I appreciate about the workshops that I’ve witnessed so far is that it has felt like a gathering of poets. There hasn’t been a sense (at least to me) that there is some power disparity between the person facilitating the workshop and the other participants. It feels like there is a pretty potent sense that poetry is the meeting place, poetry is the salve, poetry is the catalyst, and so we are all here to be in the presence of poetry’s good medicine.
Brandon Wint, March 2021
Issue #10 also featured poetry by my old friend Marilyn Irwin, more from These Days regular LN Woodward, plus contributions from Aaron Kreuter and Penn Kemp, and my partner Kate Maxfield.
I remain amazed this project has gone on as long as it has, with contributions from something like 50 writers and artists of all ages, some dear friends and family, some folks who’ve learned about it and wanted to contribute. I’ll continue to use this blog to promote the zine, maybe even reflect on past issues, and hopefully post some original words of my own.
Oh, and for reading here’s a coupon for 33% of pretty much every issue: SPRING.
Jeff Blackman 