Quintessential Listening: Poetry

The QLPOR podcast welcomes John Guzlowski and Michael Lee Johnson as esteemed guests. John Guzlowski brings a profound depth to his work, drawing inspiration from his family's history during World War II. His poems resonate with powerful reflections on war, survival, and the resilience of the human spirit. Michael Lee Johnson, a prolific writer and talented poet, has mesmerized audiences with his evocative verses that delve deep into the human experience, touching upon themes of love, loss, and introspection. His words have a unique ability to capture raw emotions and transport listeners to vivid landscapes of imagination. Both guests have an undeniable gift for crafting eloquent and thought-provoking poetry, and we eagerly anticipate the enriching conversation that will unfold as we explore the stories behind their literary works.

Hazel-Ann Lynch is an up and coming serial writer and networker. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. Hazel transports herself to numerous other locations through her vivid imagination and vicariously through her over 75 pen-pals around the world. Hazel-Ann has an upper-cut sense of humor and desires to bring laughter to the hearts of her readers. This aim has been successfully and most potentially accomplished within the pages of her debut book Señor Fluffy:A Cat's Tale, and in the main character himself Señor Fluffy. And her soon-to-be release Not So Charming After All, a modern day spin on a fairytale. As Hazel-Ann's writing and influence gains momentum, she can be seen featured on various media platforms locally and around the world. https://instagram.com/lynchhazelann https://www.facebook.com/hazel.lynch.73 https://youtube.com/...@chatterboxchronicles9711

Author Nicole Gillespie of Kansas City, Mo., is the proud author of: Transparent Moments and Mirror’s Reflections. Gillespie’s books’ landed her The People Choice Awards  for “Best Author” in her city and 5 star ratings via Amazon.   Gillespie has been featured on Quintessential Listening: Poetry Radio online and she appeared twice as a guest panelist in P. English Literature Global Writers Conference, hosted by You-tuber, Peter Okonkwo of Akure, South Western part of Nigeria. She has also been featured in three magazines: ABE magazine “ All Black Everything” (Trish Mitchell, pub), “writing on the Wall Global magazine (Author Renee Drummond- Brown, pub) and Raven Cage Global magazine (Jerry Langdon, pub)   Gillespie is known for her pathos writing style and she inks from the depths of her soul. Gillespie’s mission is to shake and move her readers through her body of literary works. Gillespie’s primary goal as a poet is to provoke thought, enlightenment and ultimately change, which hopefully gives her

Siobhan Clover is a writer born and raised in Sussex County, Delaware and recently featured in the 2023 Delaware Bards Poetry Review. She first began her artistic journey in school plays starting at age nine, studying performance and theatrical production the entirety of her secondary education. Her first year of college at The George Washington University was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In isolation, she found an unparalleled adoration for poetry and prose, which gave her a method of expression that could not be compromised by the conditions of the external world. She enjoys experimentation and subversion in the form while operating with the philosophy to “find a new, interesting way to say something understood by the collective.” Her body of work tackles love, grief, psychology, magic, queerness, politics, and the beauty and horror of being alive, sometimes invoking older myths and stories to vocalize these themes. Her purpose in creation is to express her worldview in a way that provides solace

Mark Fishbein (Poet With Guitar) was born in Brooklyn, NY.  He got a BA in Literature from CCNY in 1970, and attended the Sorbonne in Paris for French Literature.  Rejecting an academic life, he found a career in the flourishing screen printing and t-shirt dyeing industry, raising a family in NYC, always “with a book of poems in his pocket”. In 2018, Mark left the industry and immediately re-engaged with poetry. At this time, Mark has 5 books available on Amazon, including Stances, 2018 and an ekphrastic book Poems Hanging in a Wall (2020). He has published in a variety of publications from the Hill Rag to the American Atheist Magazine. His most recent work “Reflections in the Time of Trumpius Maximus,” a collection of 50 political poems written 2016-2021 (Atmosphere Press, 2021). He has also translated a collection by the French poet Paul Eluard. Online, Mark is host to weekly writers workshops, and a unique Zoom event, Planet Poetry 28, a monthly virtual magazine introducing poets from around the world who

Francis DiClemente is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who lives in Syracuse, New York. He is the author of multiple poetry collections, most recently The Truth I Must Invent (Poets’ Choice, 2023) and Outward Arrangements: Poems (independently published, 2021). His writing has also appeared in Evening Street Review, Bewildering Stories, Narratively, The Millions, Artnet News, Film International, and in the books Air: A Radio Anthology (Books by Hippocampus, 2019), Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Inner Strength (2014), and Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak (Harper Perennial, 2009). He works full-time as a video producer at Syracuse University, and his blog can be found at francisdiclemente.com. Books  https://www.amazon.com/stores/Francis-DiClemente/author/B00APRKRKQ?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Social Media https://twitter.com/FranDiClem https://www.instagram.com/francisdiclemente/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4588547/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Jake St. John lives in the woods on the edge of the Salmon River. He is the author of several collections of poetry including Ring of Fog (Holy and Intoxicated Publications, 2022), Night Full of Diamonds (Whiskey City Press, 2021), and Lost City Highway (A Jabber Publication, 2019). He is the editor of Elephant and is considered an original member of the New London School of poetry. His poems have appeared in print and online journals around the world. https://www.facebook.com/jake.s.john.5?mibextid=ZbWKwL https://youtube.com/@JakeStJohn Jenn Knickerbocker is a writer, an author, a mother, and a teacher. Her poems can be found in print and digital journals internationally. You can find her on a forest path or sitting fireside during her free time. https://instagram.com/jennknix?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM= https://www.facebook.com/jennknix?mibextid=ZbWKwL Book: Lips Leaves Scars https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1JH4F6S?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_Z767HVF6N2A9DWQWNMB2    

Author/Poet Samuel Rain Benjamin aka Complicated Passions, creator of the Passions Private Collection and Dark Man Blues the series, has written over 40 books including “Love and the Conversation, The Clone in Me & The Foreplay Series” he has also performed across the country from Los Angeles to New York, notable places The World Stage, Sugar Hill, The Nuyorican Poets Café, Busboys & Poets, SWAAM, and da Poetry Lounge. He was also the host of The Griot Café in Long Beach and former host of a long running on air open mic on Blogtalk Radio One Positive Way Radio, Samuel has also produced Dark Man Blues a show that featured poets from around the world on The Book Slam. Samuel has also performed with the likes of Obbie West, Taalam Acey, 13ofNazareth, Lorenzo Word, shyybutflyy, Jaha Zainabu wah wah Washington and reaux fareal. He is also the co-founder of Innate Divinity Books a consulting and publishing company as well as GMG Staafly Productions LLC based in The Inland Empire of Southern California. H

Kwantum Peakz (KP) is the moniker of an established slam poet who made his artistic debut in late 2018. He quickly became a regular mainstay at the Urban Legends Poetry Collective slam poetry and open mic events. They attracted a number of emerging slam poets as well as many of the finest and most seasoned artists in the field. It is there amongst his peers that KP soon realized that his style and delivery marked a stark contrast with what is more commonly viewed as slam poetry. Today, he is seen as well respected and valuable contributor to the local poetry scene. A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, he is arguably an unapologetically ‘vintage’ slam poet mixing some mature flair with an intellectually dynamic touch peppered with gritty verses, spirituality and raw imagery. He diligently continues to be an ”armchair student” of the craft while being an informal devoted teacher of the art form. As an artist, KP views the devotion to his work, not as a task, but as an act of service for communities at large.  

Aaron Poochigian earned a PhD in Classics from the University of Minnesota and an MFA in Poetry from Columbia University. His thriller in verse, Mr. Either/Or, was released by Etruscan Press in the fall of 2017, and the sequel, Mr. Either/Or: All the Rage, is out this June. A recipient of an NEA Grant in translation, he has published translations with Penguin Classics and W. W. Norton. His latest collection of poetry, American Divine, the winner of the Richard Wilbur Award, came out in 2021. His other poetry collections are Manhattanite (Able Muse Press, 2017), winner of the 2016 Able Muse Book Award, and The Cosmic Purr (Able Muse Press, 2012). His work has appeared in such publications as Best American Poetry, the Paris Review and POETRY. https://www.aaronpoochigian.com https://twitter.com/Poochigian https://www.facebook.com/aaron.poochigian/

Jerry Lovelady is an American poet, a Texas native living in Beaumont, Texas where he teaches High School English. He is married to his lovely wife of 27 years, Kristi, who is the subject of many of his poems. Jerry has two books out, the first in 2021 titled Other Worlds, in Other Words and Grief and Her Three Sisters published in November, 2022. Both were published by the independent publisher Atmosphere Press. Lovelady draws much of his inspiration from the "Mystic" poets: Walt Whitman, Emily Dickenson, and Robert Frost who got their inspirations from Nature and man interacting in spiritual ways which they recognized as important. Frost, in particular, impressed Lovelady early on with his amazing rhyming ability and the quaint, down to earth characters he wrote about. Lovelady is prone to personify the stars, the rivers and mountains in much of his poetry to good effect. He believes Nature has much to teach us if we would only listen and open our eyes to what is going on around us.   Lovelady has lived i

Lisa is a multi-disciplinary storyteller. She is a singer/songwriter (Ropeadope Records), essayist (Huffington Post, Kweli Journal, Family Stories Project, Chicken Soup for the Soul, AfroElle), and published poet currently based in Italy. The American debut of NoteSpeak was at the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival in Boulder Co. in September 2017. She was invited to be a speaker and performer at the 70th Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado in April 2018. In November 2019, she presented NoteSpeak (Amore e Tragedie in Musica) in Italy, Austria, and Prague. In January 2020, she presented NoteSpeak in India on the Jaipur Music Stage. Ropeadope Records released her poetic/musical album NoteSpeak (Amori e Tragedie in Musica) in March 2020, which received a four-star review from the iconic Downbeat magazine. In October 2021, she flew to Florida to search for her birth father - Angela Tucker, and her Emmy Award-winning husband, Bryan Tucker, shot a documentary about the search Lisa & Isell: A s

Ryan Quinn Flanagan is a Canadian-born author living in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada with his wife and many bears that rifle through his garbage.  His works can be found both in print and online in such places as: Evergreen Review, The New York Quarterly, Cultural Weekly, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, and The Oklahoma Review. Amazon.com: Kiss the Heathens: 9798986109367: Flanagan, Ryan Quinn, McDannold, Michele: Books

Chyrel J. Jackson & Lyris D. Wallace are Literary visionaries. Reared in the South Suburbs outside Chicago. African American Literature influenced their writing and is one of their favorite genres. Jackson & Wallace write in the spirit of their past great Literary ancestors. 2021 & 2023 garnered Chyrel & Lyris their very first literary nominations, Pushcart Nominee-Poem Love Unspoken, Published in Heart Beats Anthology & No Justice for Breonna Social Justice Inks Anthology Pushcart Nominee 2023. The sisters published Mirrored Images and Different Sides of the Same Coin. This edgy writing duo appears in over 10 published poetry Anthologies. You will find them always writing. Creating written legacies one book at a time. Jackson & Wallace are writer's that have found their poetic voice. Books Different Sides of the Same Coin: A Collection of Poems - https://a.co/d/fCfkyiH Mirrored Images - https://a.co/d/4VlSww8

Manatita, a.k.a The Lantern Carrier, is a published author and poet, who has been performing poetry for 22 years. Equally at home with performance pieces, Lantern Carrier has won a Hammer and Tongue (H&T) Slam, featured at BYOB, Mind Over Matter, Chocolate Poetry, Word Play and many other venues. He has been runner-up in Slams, as well as making the finals in the H&T National Final (Brighton). Lantern Carrier has read at the famous Nuyorican Cafe and in Nairobi, Kenya. He’s a Creative Writer, who also writes short stories, essays, and Flash Fiction. He is the Author of four books, including Maxims for our Children: A look at the Teachings of Jesus, the Christ, and Blossoms of The Heart. Lantern Carrier is a poet who tries to serve, to bring Light, to elevate ...enlighten the understanding. He endeavours to reach the Heart; to bring wisdom to his pieces and is a specialist in nature imagery, music, light, colour and dance in their kaleidoscope of different forms. All his poetry addresses the varyin

Richard Harries is a performance poet, raconteur and storyteller from Yorkshire in the UK. He has been performing at festivals, charity events and community events for around 12 years. He has headlined at events both in person and on Zoom. He has two books published by Stairwell Books of York. AWAKENING (2021 their best seller of the year) and ICONIC TATTOO (2022). He was part of a team that put together the play HAUNT which was Saboteur Nominated. https://www.stairwellbooks.co.uk/product/awakening/ https://www.amazon.com/Iconic-Tattoo-Richard-Harries/dp/1913432564 https://www.facebook.com/richard.harries.94 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRbHZ74zcXKIwsEveVqYUPA    

Nayma Chamchoun is a British Moroccan, a self taught writer and poet. Her writing is influenced by her cultural duality. She is interested in female voices in the diaspora community, the challenges they face within both communities and the taboos around mental health within their ancestral communities. She is an active member of british & international poetry community. Her published poetry collection  COVID: THE WORDY WILDS OF A MIND UNDER LOCKDOWN is a cultural fusion poetry collection which explores themes of identity, duality, displacement, loss, race, feminism, culture, family, love and the search for inner peace as experienced alongside the effects of mental health, menopause, the pandemic and world events. https://www.amazon.com/Covid-Wordy-Wilds-Under-Lockdown/dp/1869848314/ref=sr_1_4?qid=1664579796&refinements=p_n_publication_date%3A1250228011&s=books&sr=1-4 https://www.facebook.com/N.Chamchoun https://twitter.com/NChamchoun https://www.instagram.com/n.chamchoun  

Poetry plays a vital role in mental health awareness by providing a creative outlet for individuals to express their emotions and experiences related to mental health. It offers a means of self-expression and catharsis, allowing individuals to process their feelings and promote their overall well-being. Through personal poems, poetry helps break the stigma surrounding mental health, humanizing the experiences and encouraging open conversations. It creates a sense of community, connecting individuals with similar struggles, fostering support and understanding. Poetry also educates and raises awareness about mental health conditions, dispelling misconceptions and promoting empathy. Its emotional resonance fosters empathy and a deeper understanding of mental health complexities. Poetry empowers individuals, inspiring them to find their voice and demonstrate resilience, while showing others that recovery and growth are possible. Poetry contributes to a compassionate and understanding society through its role in m

Megan Wildhood is a writer, editor, and writing coach who helps her readers feel seen in her monthly newsletter, poetry chapbook Long Division (Finishing Line Press, 2017), her forthcoming poetry collection Bowed As If Laden With Snow (Cornerstone Press, May 2023) as well as Mad in America, The Sun and elsewhere. You can learn more about her writing, working with her and her mental-health and research newsletter at meganwildhood.com. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bowed-as-if-laden-with-snow-megan-wildhood/1143368431 https://www.amazon.com/Long-Division-m-nicole-r-wildhood/dp/1635342988

Martin Graff is an artist, author, musician, and extreme-chin-beard enthusiast in Arlington, VA who crafts poetic vignettes with matching art on every topic from the stigma of liking scrapple to the meaning of life in a series called The Face Zone: Surreal Daydreams to Trip Your Imagination... Marty’s live spoken-word show adds original piano compositions from his album Trips for Piano to heighten the experience. His affecting commentary, original humor, whimsical artwork, and absorbing piano offer a uniquely engaging respite that cuts through the noise of our information-age lives with concise, essential truths certain to entertain as they set mind in motion. For a decade, Marty's act has been featured at venues across the region, including Capital Fringe Festival, Spit Dat DC's residency at The Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and multiple Busboys & Poets locations. He has been reviewed and interviewed in over thirty print and online publications, and has made radio and TV appearances in support of his three bo