Quintessential Listening: Poetry

Sara Moore Wagner is the winner of the 2021 Cider Press Review Editors Prize for her book Swan Wife (2022), and the 2020 Driftwood Press Manuscript Prize for Hillbilly Madonna (2022), and the author of two chapbooks, Tumbling After (Red Bird Chapbooks, 2022) and Hooked Through (2017). She is also a 2022 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award recipient, a 2021 National Poetry Series Finalist, and the recipient of a 2019 Sustainable Arts Foundation award. Her poetry has appeared in many journals and anthologies including Sixth Finch, Waxwing, Nimrod, Rhino, Beloit Poetry Journal, and The Cincinnati Review, among others. Find her at https://www.saramoorewagner.com/ https://www.facebook.com/saralizmoore https://twitter.com/SaraMooreWagne1 https://www.amazon.com/Hillbilly-Madonna-Sara-Moore-Wagner/dp/1949065227 https://www.driftwoodpress.com/product-page/hillbilly-madonna

Margaret R. Sáraco is a writer, activist, and retired educator. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in many anthologies and journals. Margaret was a semi-finalist in the inaugural Laura Boss Narrative Poetry Contest in 2022. She received Honorable Mention in the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Contest in 2020 for her poem “The Unlocked Door.” The New Jersey Covid-19 Storytelling Project selected two of her poems as part of a historical record of artwork across the state. A Writing the Land poet, she helps to raise awareness of the importance of land conservation through her poetry. " If There Is No Wind," her first full-length poetry collection, was published this fall.  Amazon.com: If There Is No Wind: 9781948521116: Sáraco, Margaret R.: Books  

Justin Johnson is a NYC-born, New Jersey-raised author, spoken word, and music artist currently living outside of Newark. Justin self-published his first book of poems, Scattered, in January 2021 as well as, had his poetry published in multiple magazines and presses in the US and UK (Genre Urban Arts, Cousins Magazine, Apricot Press). Outside of writing, Justin has also made his name in the spoken word open mic scene as Johnson Soldout! Johnson has headlined a myriad of open mics in the NJ/NYC, most notable being the Bowery Poetry Club and the Nuyorican. In early 2022 Johnson even headlined Woodland Pattern Book Center’s 28th annual poetry marathon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Justin is currently working on his second collection of poetry as well as, putting his poetic stylings over instrumentals. When he’s not writing poems, you can catch Johnson at the gym, playing a board game or loafing around in a park or beach. Scattered https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SV28L11/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_PRFW1TBCKXJRP3MEYD92

Alison Palmer is the author of the poetry chapbook, Everything Is Normal Here (Broadstone Books, 2022), the full-length poetry collection, Bargaining with the Fall (Broadstone Books, January 2023), and the poetry chapbook, The Need for Hiding (Dancing Girl Press, 2018). To read an interview, visit www.thepoetsbillow.org. Alison’s work appears widely in journals such as FIELD, The Cincinnati Review, River Styx, Columbia Review, The Journal, Rogue Agent, Crazyhorse, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a 2022 Independent Artist Award (IAA) grant from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). Alison received her MFA from Washington University in St. Louis, and she was awarded the Emma Howell Memorial Poetry Prize from Oberlin College. She writes outside Washington, D.C.—find her on the web at: alisonpalmer.org. https://www.broadstonebooks.com/shop/p/everything-is-normal-here-a-poetry-chapbook-by-alison-palmer https://www.facebook.com/alison.palmer.5015 https://www.instagram.com/alipalmpoet/

Benjamin Goldberg’s poems have appeared or are forthcoming in POETRY, TriQuarterly, West Branch, Blackbird, Best New Poets 2014 & 2020, Verse Daily, & elsewhere. He lives with his wife outside Washington, D.C. The mission of Quintessential Listening: Poetry Online Radio is to provide a live format for emerging, mid-career, and established poets to showcase their work. Whether traditional poetry or spoken word, the show offers an online vehicle for artists to engage in conversational interviews about poetry. If you would like to be a guest on QL: POR, please contact the host, Dr. Michael Anthony Ingram, at maingram@gmx.com. You can also visit the website at qlpor.com to learn more information about the podcast.

T. A. Niles was a seed planted in the Caribbean soil of Trinidad & Tobago on the cusp of the transformational 60s. He was watered and fertilized in the gardens of Brooklyn, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut throughout most of the bell-bottomed era of the 70s. He was forged in trials by fire in the US Marine Corps in the late 70s thru the early 80s, budded and bloomed in academia in the 80s and 90s, before his withering began at the turn of the 21st century.  T. A. is officially retired-although he’s every bit as busy as he was before retirement, and he lives with his beloved Stephanie and their cat Luna in Mimbres, New Mexico- the latest stop on a life journey dotted with myriad landscapes. https://tapoetexpress.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/taniles13 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQuUXZENe-u4D0TZn1x01ew .

Sean Hunter was born and raised in the busy borough of Queens, New York. Ironically, after being a mailman for over 12 years, he hopes to deliver inspiration to all readers that come across his writings. Sean values his family and faith most notably in his life. He is a dedicated husband and father of 3 beautiful, handsome, intelligent young children. His oldest, 10-year-old Cheyenne Hunter, inspired him to write his first book back in February 2022 titled Chelby's Hairoics once bidding for personal time, as many parents with multiple children can relate. After sitting down one Sunday morning inside a college library nearby their apartment, the two brainstormed to write a book. Sean credits Cheyenne with naming every character in Chelby's Hairoics. He has aspirations of becoming a full-time writer with hopes of reaching readers all over the world. Although he is a first-time author, the second installment of Chelby's Hairoics is already in the making. Sean began writing poetry 10 years ago when his father pas

Derrick Davis was born in Charlotte NC. Derrick writes about his experiences on his Christian journey. His newly released book, “Seedtime and Harvest: Volume 1” is an empowering collection of spoken word poetry that will captivate the spirit.  Seedtime and Harvest: Volume 1 https://www.christianfaithpublishing.com/books/?book=seedtime-and-harvest https://www.facebook.com/dark777cloud

Sara Cahill Marron, native Virginian, and Long Island resident, is the author of Reasons for the Long Tu’m (Broadstone Books, 2018), Nothing You Build Here, Belongs Here (Kelsay Books 2021), and Call Me Spes (MadHat Press 2022). She is the Associate Editor of Beltway Poetry Quarterly and publisher at Beltway Editions. She is periodically available for editing projects and specializes in creative fiction and poetry. Published work and contact information are available at www.saracahillmarron.com https://www.amazon.in/Sara-Cahill-Marron/e/B07VJ1H2F5%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Words from Chayyim Eliezer Ben Israel: Born in Austin Tx. Raised in Los Angeles California, I had the taste to entertain at a very young age. Obtained writing and theatrical passion following my mother Elsie Katie Spruill. Began writing poetry in my early teens. Found a perfect match with poetry and music. https://amazon.com/hebruise https://instagram.com/clearmental https://facebook.com/clearmentalmusic

Jackie Oldham (she/her) is a writer from Baltimore, Maryland. After retiring from a career as a scientific copy editor and trainer in 2013, Jackie returned to writing, which, along with music, fuels and fulfills her soul. Since December 2014, she has been writing a personal blog, baltimoreblackwoman.com (WordPress), featuring essays, memoirs, and poems about life and family in her hometown. Since 2018, her focus has shifted to poetry. In addition to venues in Baltimore, she has read her works on the Quintessential Listening: Poetry podcast (2019-2022) and the Black Poets Matter series (Mad Mouth Poetry on Facebook, 2020). Since 2020, her poems have been published in the journals Oddball Magazine, Global Poemic, Rigorous Magazine, and Spillwords Press, and in the book A Lovely Place, A Fighting Place, A Charmer: The Baltimore Anthology. Lynne Viti was born and raised in Baltimore and now lives in Massachusetts. She has published four poetry collections, including the recently released _The Walk to Cefalù_, fr

Brenardo aka “The Sing Song Poet” is a native Washingtonian poet, spoken word artist, and songwriter. He has been writing for more than two-thirds of his life. His written words have been featured in countless newspapers, magazines, and poetry anthologies, including his 2019 chapbook, "Bridge Over Trouble.” He has traveled extensively lifting his poetic voice. Brenardo is a visionary speaker that inspires his peers and motivates, stimulates, and edifies all members of the many audiences he encounters. To read Brenardo Taylor's bio, please visit https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/67311274/brenardo-aka-sing-song-poet

Tamara J. Madison is an author, poet, editor, and instructor. Her critical and creative works have been recorded, produced, and published in various journals, magazines, exhibits, podcasts, and anthologies. Her most recent poetry collection Threed, This Road Not Damascus, was published by Trio House Press (May 2019). She is also the creator and host of BREAKDOWN: The Poet & The Poems, a YouTube poetry conversation series promoting poets and their poetry as inspiration for everyday life.  She has also shared her poetry on the TEDx platform. Tamara has shared and recorded her work for stage, television, and studio. She enjoys facilitating creative writing and expressions workshops for both youths and adults. She is an MFA graduate of New England College and an Anaphora Arts Fellow (2021). She currently lives in Orlando, where she teaches as a professor of English and Creative Writing at Valencia College. https://twitter.com/tamarajmadison https://instagram.com/tamarajmadison https://facebook.com/tamaraj

Michael Mark is the author of Visiting Her in Queens is More Enlightening than a Month in a Monastery in Tibet which won the Rattle Chapbook prize and will be published in 2022. His poetry has been published in Alaska Quarterly Review, The Arkansas International, Copper Nickel, Grist, Michigan Quarterly Review, Pleiades, Ploughshares, Poetry Daily, Poetry Northwest, Rattle, River Styx, The Southern Review, The New York Times, The Sun, Verse Daily, Waxwing, The Poetry Foundation’s American Life in Poetry and other places. He was the recipient of the Anthony Hecht Scholarship at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. He’s the author of two books of stories, Toba and At the Hands of a Thief (Atheneum). He lives with his wife, Lois, a journalist, in San Diego. Visit him at michaeljmark.com https://twitter.com/michaelgrow https://www.facebook.com/michael.mark1 https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmark/ https://www.rattle.com/product/visiting-her-in-queens-is-more-enlightening-than-a-month-in-a-monastery-in-tibet/?fbcl

With years of experience to her credit, Sarah Gallardo has excelled as the founder and executive director of Sarah Speaks Up since 2015. A nonprofit organization that promotes domestic violence awareness, advocates for domestic violence survivors, and provides resources to women, children, men, and families in need, Sarah Speaks Up encourages those who have lived through domestic abuse to share their own experiences and inspire others who may be facing similar circumstances to live free of violence and abuse. A survivor of domestic violence herself, Ms. Gallardo's message is not that of a victim but of a strong woman who has overcome adversity, defied the odds, and remained positive in the face of violence to change the lives of herself and her child for the better. For more information, please visit https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/67259423/sarah-gallardo    

-- I'm a journalism grad who had a "first life" in magazine journalism, and freelance marketing-communications work in Canada; however, with the arrival of my daughter Julia, now 26, I made a mid-life career change into Montessori teaching. Since 2002, I've been a classroom teacher at Sint Maarten Montessori School in the Dutch Caribbean. -- I absolutely LOVE encouraging kids and, really, EVERYone to find their Inner Poet!  One of the great satisfactions of a life in words is the knowledge that 17 of my current and former students, ages 9 to 19, have also become published writers and poets -- and we're just getting started 

DIANA ROSEN is an essayist, flash writer, and poet whose first full-length book of flash and poetry, "High Stakes & Expectations", was released in spring 2022 from The Tiny Publisher. She has published in online and print journals and anthologies throughout the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, and the U.K., including Rattle, As It Ought to be Magazine, Mad Swirl, and Potato Soup Journal, among others. She is also the author of 13 nonfiction books on food, beverage, and lifestyle topics and currently writes about tea, coffee, and spices for various websites. She lives and works in Los Angeles, where her "backyard" is the 4,000+acre Griffith Park, the largest urban green space in the country. To read more of her work, please visit www.authory.com/dianarosen. To order her book, please visit www.thetinypublisher.com. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Domestic violence is a serious violent crime involving physical and emotional abuse. It is frequently hidden from public view. Many victims su

Jason M. Thornberry’s writing appears in literary journals and magazines, including TAB: The Journal of Poetry & Poetics, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Entropy, and Letters Journal. Jason is also the survivor of a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic epilepsy—a life-changing experience that abruptly terminated his quest to become a professional musician. One evening, in the summer of 1999, as Jason’s band was about to release their debut album and begin touring, a pair of strangers beat him into a coma and left him for dead. When Jason awoke, he could not walk or speak. Jason spent a year in a wheelchair before returning to school. Jason earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Chapman University. He currently teaches writing at Seattle Pacific University and is finishing his first novel. https://jmthornberry.wordpress.com/

Nicole Gillespie is the author of two amazing poetry books, Transparent Moments and Mirror’s Reflections. Each has a five-star rating on amazon with raving reviews and landed her as a Best Author finalist for the 4th annual People Choice Awards of Kansas City! She was born and raised in Kansas City, Mo. Although she is a City girl, it’s just something country about her. For example, she loves wide open spaces, gardening, fishing, and long nature walks while looking for fruit trees with her shoes off. Gazing at the stars and cooking big ole soul food Sunday dinners for her 3 children. As well as her three grandchildren Shi’yaire 13, Shi’lah 11, and Sean, aka Hercules, 9. These three are the absolute loves of her life, her riders, and her fountains of youth. Nicole's love for words was molded by her mother at a very early age. Let me explain if she or her siblings would ask how to pronounce a word or its meaning. Her mom would say go look at the word, and its meaning up! Then come back and tell me its definitio

Author: Linda Eguiluz (egg-ee-loose) lives and writes in Austin, Texas. Book: The Carcass Undressed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6WTS1BP/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_P5DD6QFZBRN812DYWWVN Synopsis: In her debut collection, Linda Eguiluz explores the maladies of the body and its consequences. Drawing from the unconstrained depth of free verse and confessional poetry, this collection is divided into three sections: The Body, The Bones, and The Heart. Each section looks at the inner workings of the body and the environment that provokes it. Themes of motherhood, mental illness, relationships, and identity permeate the contents of this book—to bring a clearer picture of what it means to be a woman.  https://instagram.com/lindawritespoems