Rammelkamp at the 2016 Baltimore Book Festival

Charles Rammelkamp

On Sunday, September 25, final day of the 2016 Baltimore Book Festival, frequent Five-Two contributor Charles Rammelkamp read from his latest poetry collection, Mata Hari: Eye of the Day (Apprentice House Press) wearing the "Poems with Punch" t-shirt he bought from our Zazzle store.

Staying Tuned

I got a postcard from the Academy of American Poets a few weeks ago about two readings at the New York Public Library's Margaret Liebman Berger Forum this summer. The first was Tuesday, July 14, with January Gill O'Neil, Ross Gay, and Meena Alexander, and I invited my friend Five-Two alum Elizabeth Lash.

I became interested in attending after reading Ross Gay's "For Some Slight I Can't Quite Recall", which struck me as similar in sensibility to what I publish here. I also read January Gill O'Neil's "How to Love".

O'Neil read from her 2014 book Misery Islands, dedicated to her children, Alex and Ella, who were in the audience briefly before setting off to explore the library. I particularly enjoyed some poems into which January snuck her name, and another with a reference to David Ortiz (though I am a Yankee fan).

Ross Gay invited South Indian-Filipina poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil for a surprise tandem read of poems based on correspondence about their gardens. He also read the moving "Spoon", about his murdered friend, Don Belton.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth's work meeting ran late, and she only caught the end of Meena Alexander's final poem, but after the reading I recommended Misery Islands to her. We bought copies and met January, who signed them. Yesterday, Elizabeth wrote to say I'd made a good recommendation, calling January "a fantastic writer".

The nitty-gritty of writing is sitting alone in thought, scribbling or typing up what insists it can coherently be expressed to someone else. Readings both reassure writers they are communicating well and suggest how they might communicate better. I look forward to the next one, August 11.

Spotlight On: Ross Gay

I received a postcard from the Academy of American Poets yesterday advertising two readings at the New York Public Library. Looking into the featured poets, I found a poem by Ross Gay that fits The Five-Two's sensibilities, "For Some Slight I Can't Quite Recall".

Ross Gay will be launching his latest collection, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, Friday, July 10 at Cave Canem (20 Jay Street #310-A, Brooklyn, NY 11201).

The New York Public Library reading with Meena Alexander, Ross Gay, and January Gill O'Neil is Tuesday, July 14 at 6:00 P.M.


Ross Gay was born on August 1, 1974 in Youngstown, Ohio. He received a BA in English/Art from Lafayette College, an MFA in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College, and a PhD in English from Temple University.

He is the author of three collections of poetry: Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015), Bringing the Shovel Down (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011), and Against Which (Cavankerry Press, 2006).

He currently teaches at Indiana University and in Drew University’s Low-Residency MFA program in Poetry and Poetry in Translation.


"Spotlight On..." will be an occasional feature about poets who have not yet contributed Five-Two Poems of the Week.

Talent Night at the City Bar

Poet of the Week Elizabeth Lash will be among the readers at the New York City Bar Association's Talent Night, Friday, May 15, 7:00–9:00 P.M., 42 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036. Members and guests welcome.

Noir at the Bar NYC, 4/12 Recap

Five-Two alum Thomas Pluck invited me to read for a second time at Shade, 241 Sullivan Street, NYC. I was glad to punctuate an evening of short stories and novel excerpts by my fellow readers Julia Dahl, Dan Krokos, Pluck, Alex Segura, S.A. Solomon, Jeff Soloway, Joe Samuel Starnes, Voice of The Five-Two Clare Toohey, Al Tucher, and Rich Zahradnik.

Also there were Lineup alum Henry Chang, blogger friend Peter Rozovsky, and Five-Two alum Elizabeth Lash, taking a chance on her first Noir at the Bar having seen news of it in our Twitter feed.

I read "A Definition of Noir", "Don't Try", and "The Hitch". Great to meet and catch up with you all.

Photo of Gerald So by Peter Rozovsky

Don't miss the next one. Sign up for Noir at the Bar NYC email updates from Thomas Pluck.

For more photos, visit Noir at the Bar NYC on Facebook.

Sunday, October 26: Writers Read - Dog Stories at The Cell

Five-Two alum Catherine Wald is among ten writers reading this Sunday, 2:00–4:00 P.M. at The Cell (338 W. 23rd Street, NYC). More information.

Noir at the Bar NYC 5: August 18, 2013

I arrived at Shade later than expected, due to a pedestrian struck by the LIRR train ahead of mine, but others were delayed by traffic on the L.I.E., so I didn't miss anything.

I had the pleasure of sitting with Tom and Sarah Pluck, caught up with Charlie Stella and Jack Getze, and turned some new people on to crime poetry. Thanks to Glenn Gray and Todd Robinson for the warm welcome.

Photos courtesy of Glenn Gray.



I read "Witness Protection", "Redemption", and "Life Sentence".



With Tom Pluck and Todd Robinson



(L to R: Tom Pluck, Charlie Stella, Gerald So - crouched, Glenn Gray, Suzanne Solomon, Jack Getze - seated, Teel James Glenn, Todd Robinson, Scott Adlerberg, Bradley Sands)

Noir at the Bar NYC: June 3, 2012

Along with Todd Robinson and Glenn Gray, 5-2 contributor Thomas Pluck hosted a Noir at the Bar NYC event at Shade, 241 Sullivan Street.

Wallace Stroby, photo from Thomas  Pluck

New Jersey reporter-turned-crime writer Wallace Stroby read his poem, "Independence Day, 1976", from The Lineup #3.

Read Tom Pluck's recap of the event.

Appearances by Contributors

5-2 and Lineup Contributors: I'm glad to publicize your upcoming readings and events. Email the details to g_so AT yahoo DOT com.

Clips from an Evening of Criminally Good Verse

We were able to shoot video of almost all the poems read at Tuesday night's Cornelia Street Cafe reading with Lineup #4 contributors Jeanne Dickey and Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson and editors Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Cortez, and Richie Narvaez.

Below are the videos in chronological order. Click on the arrow icons or the links to play.

Jeanne Dickey - "Desires"
Jeanne Dickey - "The Fat Lady Sings"
Jeanne Dickey - "Red"
Jeanne Dickey - "An Elegy for Susan Atkins" (from The Lineup #4)
Jeanne Dickey - "The Shadow Man Visits a Babysitter" (from The Lineup #4)
Jeanne Dickey - "Dogs of Prayer"
Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson
Richie Narvaez - "Papi Was a Numbers Runner" (from The Lineup #1)
Richie Narvaez - "Metro" (from The Lineup #1)
Richie Narvaez - "Judgment Day" (from The Lineup #1)
Richie Narvaez - "Christ at 13"
Richie Narvaez - "Catching Cupid"
Sarah Cortez - "He's The One" (from The Lineup #1)
Sarah Cortez - "Two Cases..."
Sarah Cortez - "Serial Killer" (from The Lineup #3)
Sarah Cortez - "Poem for a Dying Officer"
Reed Farrel Coleman - "Daddy's Other Shoe"
Reed Farrel Coleman - "The Dying Man" (from The Lineup #2)

Thanks to everyone who participated and attended, and to the cafe management. Visit our Books section to find or purchase copies of The Lineup.

May 31: Lineup Reading at Cornelia Street Cafe

Join us next Tuesday, 6:00 P.M. at the Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia Street, NYC). Reed Farrel Coleman and Richie Narvaez will be hosting and reading with Jeanne Dickey, Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson, and, in from Texas, Sarah Cortez. Please call (212) 989-9319 for reservations. $7 cover includes a free drink.

Press Release: An Evening of Criminally Good Verse

Presenting an Evening of Criminally Good Verse

Tuesday, May 31st, 6:00 P.M.

@

The Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street
New York, NY 10014
www.corneliastreetcafe.com

Please call (212) 989-9319 for reservations. Cover: $7.


Contributors Jeanne Dickey and Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson join editors Reed Farrel Coleman and Richie Narvaez reading from the recently published fourth annual edition of The Lineup: Poems on Crime.

Published by Poetic Justice Press since 2008, The Lineup invites poets' honest reactions to what they see as crime in fifty lines or fewer.

A limited number of The Lineup #4 will be sold at the reading. Copies may also be purchased locally at The Mysterious Bookshop (58 Warren Street, NYC). Visit Poetic Justice Press on the Web at http://poemsoncrime.blogspot.com.


Reed Farrel Coleman is a three-time winner of the Private Eye Writers of America's Shamus Award for Best Novel. He has also received the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards, and has been twice nominated for the Edgar® Award. He teaches writing classes in mystery fiction and the novel at Hofstra University.

Jeanne Dickey's work has appeared in literary journals such as Passages North, RE:AL, Karamu, and The Good Foot. She is working on a novel, A Fanciful Glamour, which she hopes to complete by the end of the year, if not sooner. An except of that novel is forthcoming in the anthology The Unbearables Big Book of Sex.

Richie Narvaez has had work published by Mississippi Review, Murdaland, and Thrilling Detective, and in the anthologies Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, Indian Country Noir, and You Don't Have a Clue. He is the editor of the online humor journal Asinine Poetry.

Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson is a Canadian currently residing in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in the Hart House Review, Imago, Softblow, The Toronto Quarterly, Neon, Right Hand Pointing, and the anthology Killer Verse. Her first collection of poems The Victims Of Ted Bundy: Washington State is forthcoming this winter from Jeanne Duval Editions.

April 17: The Lineup's Third Episode of CrimeWAV

The Lineup's third episode of CrimeWAV airs next Sunday, April 17, featuring seven poems from Issue 4:

"Finding Opal" by Mary Agnes Dalrymple (read by Gerald So)
"Slider, Part 7" by Reed Farrel Coleman (read by Richie Narvaez)
"Bargain" by David Corbett (read by Corbett)
"A Story to Tell Our Daughter" by Keith Rawson (read by Gerald So)
"The Balance Lost" by Steve Weddle (read by Peter Linari)
"Madonna Peed On My Face" by Chad Rohrbacher (read by Richie Narvaez)
"Street Girls: Selected Memories" by Stephen Jay Schwartz (read by Schwartz)

Meanwhile on CrimeWAV, Mark Coggins continues to podcast his P.I. novel, The Immortal Game.

Save the Date

Pictured is a Web version of a flyer I made promoting our reading at NYC's Cornelia Street Cafe, Tuesday, May 31st at 6:00 P.M. $7 cover includes a free drink. Click to enlarge.

Sound Check

This morning I sent Seth Harwood the files for CrimeWAV's third episode of poems from The Lineup, including "The Balance Lost" by Steve Weddle, recorded by Keith Snyder and read by actor Peter Linari (pictured). The episode's exact airdate is to be determined, but meanwhile, you can hear our previous two CrimeWAV appearances.

A video of Mr. Linari reading "The Balance Lost" is coming soon as well. Thanks again to Keith, Peter, and Steve Weddle.

Jan. 28: Launch party for Wallace Stroby's Cold Shot to the Heart

This Friday at 6:30 p.m., The Mysterious Bookshop (58 Warren Street, NYC) hosts a launch party for Lineup #3 contributor Wallace Stroby's latest crime novel, Cold Shot to the Heart.

Of course, The Mysterious also carries The Lineup #3, so feel free to pick one up and ask Wallace to sign it along with Cold Shot. If you're lucky, your copy may one of several previously signed Reed Coleman, Richie Narvaez, Sarah Cortez, and me.

If you'd like a preview, listen to last year's Lineup episode of CrimeWAV, which ends with my reading of Wallace's poem, "Independence Day, 1976".

May 31: The Lineup at The Cornelia Street Cafe

The Cornelia Street Cafe will host an evening of criminally good verse Tuesday, May 31 at 6:00 p.m., featuring Lineup #4 contributors Jeanne Dickey and Caitlin Thomson and editors Reed Farrel Coleman and Richie Narvaez.

The Lineup at NoirCon 2010

NoirCon in the purest sense of the word is a forum where all those who appreciate noir can come together to debate, plot, boast, or simply party with like minded individuals. It is a four-day journey into that abyss (usually in Philadelphia, the birthplace of David Goodis) that offers everyone involved an opportunity to have a helluva good time looking into the bottomless, downward void that is noir! NoirCon 2010 is scheduled for November 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th – 2010!

Lineup co-editors Reed Farrel Coleman and Sarah Cortez are attending NoirCon, and on Friday, November 5, 3:15-4:30 PM at the Society Hill Playhouse (507 South 8th Street), there will be a panel on noir poetry featuring Daniel Hoffman, Robert Polito, and Ed Pettit. Ed will touch on The Lineup and have a few copies with him.

See the full schedule of events.

The Lineup E-Mail List

We've created an announcement list at Yahoo! Groups for contributors and fans of The Lineup. Posts are limited to announcements of submission deadlines, notable Lineup developments, and other poetry- or crime fiction-related events.

Join at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lineup-list/.

We're also on Facebook and Twitter.

Amy MacLennan on KRUU 100.1 FM, The Voice of Fairfield, Iowa

Lineup 2 and 3 contributor Amy MacLennan appeared on "Irving Toast, Poetry Ghost", hosted by Rustin Larson, Sunday, July 18, 10:30-11:00 A.M. Central.

Listen to Amy MacLennan on Irving Toast, Poetry Ghost.