New Philadelphia Poets

Take-Away Poem

Take this poem outside for a walk- it fits easily into any short-term memory:

WHY LIGHT

The man

at the pulpit

insists His light

because he knows

light doesn’t

escape. It

reflects or shakes.

by Patrick Lucy 

Octopus Magazine

I know it’s been out for awhile now but I just wanted to say how much I’ve been enjoying issue #10 of Octopus Magazine. Issue 10 has poems from Dorothea Lasky, Linh Dinh, CD Wright, Will Oldham… many, many more. 

It’s online, free and excellent. Almost too generous. 

- Patrick 

Debrah Morkun reads in NYC

If you’re in New York today, be sure to catch the Naropa Poets NYC Alumni Reading tonight at 8pm at the the Poetry Project. 

NPP member Debrah Morkun will be reading and the first copies of the New Philadelphia Poets journal will be available! Best Monday ever? Maybe. 

Poem

AFTER THE DIVORCE

He took a knife to his ring finger

cut it like a carrot prepared for dinner, and

mailed it to his ex-wife

with the ring firmly in place,

like a bow on a present for Christmas morning.

And this begs us to ask:

are we like Magritte’s Lovers

touching without knowing while

hooded and blind to the truth,

that we aren’t who we say we are?

When we remove the mask,

we can either learn to love for the first time or

severe all attachments to

start anew.

Blind.        

by Brian Cuzzolina   

Journals

New Philadelphia Poets Journal, Vol. 0: Showing Flume used for Plastering Invert on Curves

Details: 26 page, black and white, hand-bound, hand-numbered edition of 300 

Cost: Free

Events

Sunday, November 23 @ 7 PM

The New Philadelphia Poets are excited to feature Philadelphia poet Frank Sherlock at Germ Books. 

Free, Free, Free & open mic to follow as usual. Some beers too. 

Google Maps Link

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Monday, November 24 @ 7 PM

Liberty Scribbler’s Fiction Slam at Standard Tap. The theme is “The Stranger”. 

$5 to compete, free to listen. 

Google Maps Link

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Friday, December 12 @ 7 PM

The New Philadelphia Poets will be hosting a benefit reading for BuildaBridge at Wooden Shoe Books.

There will be a $5 suggested donation at the door as well as wine and appetizers for a small price. All proceeds will go directly to BuildaBridge’s “Painting a Brighter Future” campaign. 

Google Maps Link

Members

Debrah Morkun

Abby Lang

Nic Darling

Patrick Lucy

Brian Cuzzolina

Sarah Heady

Keith Vosseller 

Jeffrey Ethan Lee

Adam Meora

Jamie Townsend

Angel Hogan

About New Philadelphia Poets

The New Philadelphia Poets are just that- new poets from Philadelphia.

We got together to help each other:

• Become better poets, whatever that might mean.
• Support and promote the growing poetry community in Philadelphia.
• Expand the “space” for poetry by bringing it to new venues, audiences, and mediums.
• Come up with a (somewhat) valid excuse to drink and argue late into the night.

We certainly don’t represent all the new poets in Philadelphia- we’re only a tiny island in a growing archipelago. Explore our links. And our links’ links. You’ll see.

If you are looking for information about the Philadelphia Poets journal, please visit their site for more information about the journal and editor/poet/painter Rosemary Cappello.  We are not affiliated with the journal, but pay it respect.