The end of May has found me busy preparing for things that shouldn’t overlap. I always release the summer issue of Whale Road Review during the first week of June, but my university delayed our spring semester’s start, so the first week of June is also our last week of classes. On top of that, the Popular Culture Association national conference (for which I run the Poetry Studies & Creative Poetry area) also moved this year from Boston during Easter week to a virtual platform during the first week of June. It’s absurd that these major roles I play are all colliding this coming week, but I’m as ready to rock as I can be.

Before I jump into this absurd week, here’s a look back at some lovely things from May that I didn’t get a chance to share here yet:

The Other Journal was especially good to me, re-publishing my poem “The Book of Fists” in their newest print issue and also publishing this beautiful review that Tom C. Hunley wrote about my latest chapbook, 28,065 Nights.

The Canopy Review published two of my poems in their second issue, and they’ve featured “The Book of Ear” on their website. (You can find that poem and “The Book of Ash” in the print issue.)

The “Guilty Pleasures” Crystal Field Scholarship Reading was held via Zoom on May 21, and I was honored to read a brand new poem in the company of some Kansas City poetry stars. I received the Crystal Field Scholarship 15 years ago during my time at UMKC, so it’s a special joy to thank the writers who keep this scholarship funded and to give back now.

Finally, I received the contributor copies of How to Write a Form Poem, which includes my ghazal “Time Falling” and my found poem “The Book of Class.” I’m so grateful to Tania Runyan for including my work and feel overwhelmed to have my poems in such stunning company.

Now to let these lovely things fuel me through the wild week ahead!