“People will confuse my tongue with your tombstone
and try to plant daisies in my throat.”
Congratulations to Nora Cooper on topping 250,000 views on this poem! Check out more from Nora here.
And while you’re here, make sure to check out our books and merch as well, including our awesome t-shirts and poster and new books by Jacqui Germain and Hanif Abdurraqib!
“My hobbies include editing my life story, hiding behind metaphors, and trying to convince my shadow I’m someone worth following.”
Congratulations to Rudy Francisco on topping 100,000 views on his poem! You can check out this performance with an exclusive intro on our Button Poetry Live EP I, and watch more videos of Rudy here and here.
And while you’re here, make sure to check out our books and merch as well, including our awesome t-shirts and poster and new books by Jacqui Germain and Hanif Abdurraqib!
July is here! It’s a new month and poetry is still awesome. I know, big shock, right? With (hopefully) a long weekend to spend, here are some wonderful links for you to meander through.
SF Bart and LA Metro Got Into a Haiku Battle on Twitter – Poetry really is everywhere. In a brutal twitter fight, the transit systems for San Francisco and Los Angeles went at each other. It got pretty intense; LA even went after the still-fresh wounds of the NBA championship.
Two Micros by Ashlee Haze –In more bite-sized poetry news, here are two micros from Ashlee, Button YouTube favorite who was recently featured on the first track of Blood Orange’s new album, Freetown Sound. Here she uses the short form to clearly and sharply attack racism and sexism.
i be, but i ain’t review by Corrina Bain –Aziza Barnes, the original winner of the Exploding Pinecone chapbook prize here at Button, recently released her first full-length collection with YesYes books. The good folks at Muzzle wrote a wonderful review. If you’re the type of person who likes video tours and Google street views, this is the perfect review; Corrina guides you through the book, without giving away everything.
“A Decade After Prison, a Poet Studies for the Bar Exam” by Elisa Gonzalez – This profile of poet Reginald Dwayne Betts not only talks about his experience tying law into poetry as both a lawyer and a former prisoner, it talks about the ways in which society wants to consume black men’s experiences, but only certain narratives. I know I want to buy his books now, and I think you will too.
Commonplace Episode 2 ft. Nick Flynn – There’s something special about getting to hear a poet not just read their work, but talk about it. I find podcasts add a level of intimacy to an interview, or maybe just humanity. Nick Flynn is one of my favorite poets, and it was a joy to hear him talk about his latest poetry collection, My Feelings, which will be reviewed on our own website this month.
“Pearl & Ash” by Diana Keren Lee – For a lazy Sunday, a gorgeous, lilting poem that feels like a beautiful room in the summer. This is the first poem by Diana Keren Lee that I’ve read, but it definitely won’t be my last.
Thanks for stopping by to spend a little time with us, and thank you to the brilliant folks out there trying to make sense, if not of violence, of what it takes to survive it. Take care of yourselves, drink water, and come back next week for more poetry updates.
“There are some places where fishnets do not mean stockings, where the learning happens in between moments.”
Congratulations to Sarah Kay on topping 100,000 views on her poem! You can check out more of her work here, here and here.
And while you’re here, make sure to check out our books and merch as well, including our awesome t-shirts and new books by Jacqui Germain and Hanif Abdurraqib!
Howdy friends! It’s been another great week in the world of poetry, and we are super excited to share some of the gems we stumbled upon online.
Three Poems by Hanif Abdurraqib – That’s right, it is physically impossible to go one week without Hanif absolutely wrecking you with his brilliant writing. This week, it’s three poems up at Public Pool.
Beech Street Review –William James, Angelique Palmer, and Mckendy Fils-Aime are the editors of a brand new literary journal, and they just opened their submissions for the first quarterly issue! Looking for inspiration to send them a poem? Check out our writing prompt from Ollie Schminkey!
“All These Bodies” by Taylor Steele –I was lucky enough to see this poem performed live at Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam in Columbus, and trust me, you’re never going to be ready for this captivating and brilliant writing and performance. Thanks to fellow poetry org SlamFind for the awesome video!
Ten Trans, Non-Binary, Gender Non-Conforming, Gender Fluid, and Genderqueer Poets You Need to Hear – That’s right, in addition to writing and performing beautiful poems, Taylor also has a column over at Medium where she highlights the best of the best when it comes to poetry. This installment focuses on giving some credit to an often uncelebrated and erased part of the poetry community. Meet your new favorite poets!
“A Way of Thanking the Pig” by Emily O’Neill – Emily’s work has been published all over, and this poem about honoring the animals we eat appeared in the initial issue of Tap Lit magazine. If you want to get to know Emily more, you can check out her amazing review of Jay Deshpande’s “Love the Stranger” that she was kind enough to write for us last week.
Thanks for stopping by to spend a little time with us, and thank you to the brilliant folks out there trying to make sense, if not of violence, of what it takes to survive it. Take care of yourselves, drink water, and come back next week for more poetry updates.
“My mouth is a music box. A small girl spins gracefully
at the back of my throat.”
Congratulations to Rachel Wiley on topping 100,000 views on her new poem! You can check out more of her work here, here and here.
And while you’re here, make sure to check out our books and merch as well, including our awesome t-shirts (which are on a start-of-summer sale!) and new books by Jacqui Germain and Hanif Abdurraqib!
“Tell God, whoever he, or she, or they are, thanks, but next time, I won’t be seeing them soon.”
Congratulations to Akeemjamal Rollins on topping 500,000 views! You can check out more of his work here.
And while you’re here, make sure to check out our books and merch as well, including our awesome t-shirts (which are on a start-of-summer sale!) and new books by Jacqui Germain and Hanif Abdurraqib!
Writing Prompt #1 (w/ Ollie Schminkey)
Hey Button fans! We know a lot of you are writers yourselves, and we’re excited to be launching a new series on this blog featuring writing prompts to help you with your own writing. If you’re comfortable, please share what you write in response to the prompt in the comments below this post!
Today’s prompt comes courtesy of Ollie Schminkey. You can check out some of Ollie’s work on the Button channel here, here and here. The prompt is as follows:
Write a love letter to someone who has betrayed you.
What have they given you? What have they taken?
Again, feel free to share whatever you write in response to the prompt in the comments below this post (you can use an anonymous name if you’d prefer, and your email address won’t be public). We look forward to seeing your work!
