Best of Button – Week 35

“Love changed. Love disappeared, slowly, like baby teeth; losing parts of me I thought I needed. Love vanished like an amateur magician; everyone could see the trap door but me.”

Don’t miss this week’s Best of Button playlist. Today’s additions: Rudy Francisco and Bri Esoteric! Congrats Poets!

Come back each week to see our newest and most popular videos.

While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, or check out our newest release from Lara Coley!

Anita Dias – In the Voice of my Father’s Heart

Performed at The Roxbury Poetry Festival in Boston, MA

“Stubborn thing the mind is, to latch on to anger like a cancer.”

Don’t miss this poem from Anita Dias, performing at The Roxbury Poetry Festival in Boston, MA

Shop Button Poetry.

Ariana Brown – Dear Texas

Performed at Project Row Houses in Houston, TX

“I don’t want a Devil who smiles in my face. Give me a devil proud of his deeds.”

Don’t miss this poem from Ariana Brown , performing at Project Row Houses in Houston, TX

Shop Button Poetry.

Phil SaintDenisSanchez

Phil SaintDenisSanchez is a poet from New Orleans. His work has appeared in Best New Poets, Poetry International, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. His poem “monarchs are the communication medium for when i die” was a finalist for Poetry International’s C.P. Cavafy Prize and his chapbook “watch out for falling bullets” was a finalist for The Atlas Review’s and Button Poetry’s chapbook contests, and a notable manuscript for BOAAT’s chapbook contest. A semifinalist for the 2020 Discovery Prize, he has received scholarships to attend Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and presented at AWP on creating collaborations between poetry and music. His debut collection, self-portrait before & after my body, is forthcoming on Button Poetry. He studied music theory and composition at The City College of New York, records under the name SaintDenisSanchez, and currently lives in Brooklyn.

Bri Esoteric – Bigger the Hoop

Performed at WOWPS 2023 in Baltimore, MD

“We’ve stretched ourselves over their wounds, all while ignoring our own, just like we were raised to.”

Don’t miss this poem from Bri Esoteric, performing at WOWPS 2023 in Baltimore, MD

Shop Button Poetry.

Neil Hilborn

Neil Hilborn is a best-selling author and, with over 150 million views to his credit, he is the most-watched poet ever. He has performed in 41 states and 8 countries, and in 2019 alone he drove coast to coast five times while on tour. His favorite touring moments are: crying while meeting a wombat in Australia; spending two weeks in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival; meeting Dionne Warwick at the Smithsonian; and putting 12,000 miles on a minivan in two months with his fellow road goblin Mark. His favorite sandwiches come from: Primanti Bros in Pittsburgh, Black’s BBQ in Austin, one specific Publix in Tampa, and a torta truck he found while stranded in Pasco, Washington. One time on stage he accidentally punched the microphone and broke his wedding ring, and thanks to years of therapy he did not interpret this as a sign. His preferred stage entrance music is “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, during which he walks very slowly. In addition to touring and writing he runs workshops on craft, performance, and how to apologize for ignoring texts. He and his wife live on a hobby farm outside Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where they adopt too many animals.

Eric Sirota

Eric Sirota is a Best of the Net nominated poet, rapper, and public interest housing lawyer based in Chicago. His first chapbook, Holy Days, was published by FreezeRay Poetry in 2017, and his second, Giveth & Taketh, by Wild Pressed Books in 2020. His work has been featured by Button Poetry, Entropy, Barren Magazine and elsewhere. You can’t miss him. He’s the tallest Jew for miles.

Sierra DeMulder – The Day of Your Proposal

Performed performing at Albany Barn in Albany, NY in 2023.

“You are giving me so much more than a hyphenated name. We have built a new astrology— a celestial porchlight, a love as simple as a front door.”

Don’t miss this poem from Sierra DeMulder, performing at Albany Barn in Albany, NY in 2023.

Get Sierra’s book, Ephemera.

Zach Goldberg

Zach Goldberg is a writer, educator, and arts administrator from Durham, NC. He is the author of XV (Nomadic Press, 2020) and the winner of the 2021 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest. A former member of the 2018 and 2019 Berkeley Slam Teams, Zach is also a proud co-founder of BuckSlam MN. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in journals including AGNI, Pleiades, and RHINO. He lives on occupied Dakota land in Minneapolis, MN. Find him online @gach_zoldberg.

Rudy Francisco – The Heart and the Fist

Performed performing at Icehouse in Minneapolis, MN in 2023.

“We learn the heart is the same size as the fist, but we keep forgetting they don’t have the same function.”

Don’t miss this poem from Rudy Francisco, performing performing at Icehouse in Minneapolis, MN in 2023.

Get Rudy’s book, Excuse Me As I Kiss The Sky.