Ebony Stewart – “This Poem Is About Joy” (WOWPS 2016)

Performing at WOWPS 2016.

“The only time he was asked to put his hands up was to show us how he looks when he pretends he’s flying.”

Don’t miss this beautiful poem from Ebony Stewart, performing at the 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam in Brooklyn, NY. You can check out more of Ebony’s work here and here.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.

Writing Prompt #3

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Writing Prompt #3 (w/ J. Scott Brownlee)

Hey Button fans! With just a couple weeks left in the video and chapbook contests, we’re excited to feature another writing prompt 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, and feel free to include it in your submission for either contest! You can check our previous prompts here.
Today’s prompt comes courtesy of former Button chapbook contest winner J. Scott Brownlee. For further inspiration, you can check out some of Brownlee’s work on the Button channel here and here. The prompt is as follows:

Frank O’Hara’s famous line “Someday I’ll love Frank O’Hara” has ignited a chain of responses from contemporary poets started by Roger Reeves and continued by myself and poets like Ocean Vuong. Write a poem about yourself that is also about your place in the world. Let its title be, “Someday I’ll Love (Insert Your Full Name).” This is the only rule to follow for this prompt. Be bold. Think big. Say something you’ve been afraid to say about yourself and your identity. For an example, check out Ocean’s poem “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong” in The New Yorker.

Again, feel free to share whatever you write in response to the prompt in the comments below this post (you can use a pseudonym if you’d prefer, and your email address won’t be public). We look forward to seeing your work!

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J. Scott Brownlee is a poet-of-place from rural Texas. He is the author of the full-length collection Requiem for Used Ignition Cap (2015 Orison Poetry Prize) as well as the chapbooks Highway or Belief (2013 Button Poetry Prize), Ascension (2014 Robert Phillips Prize), and On the Occasion of the Last Old Camp Meeting in Llano County (2015 Tree Light Books Prize). Brownlee is a founding member of The Localists, a literary collective that supports writing focused on working class life. You can learn more about him at www.jscottbrownlee.com.

Emi Mahmoud – “People Like Us” (WOWPS 2016)

Performing at WOWPS 2016.

“The worst thing about genocide isn’t the hunger or the murder,
it’s the silence.”

Don’t miss this incredible poem from Emi Mahmoud, performing at the 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam in Brooklyn, NY. You can check out more of Emi’s work here and here.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.

Ocean Vuong – “Notebook Fragments”

Performing at Art Share LA.

“Shouldn’t heaven be super heavy by now?”

Don’t miss this stunning poem by Ocean Vuong, performing at the Button Poetry/YesYes Books showcase at AWP 2016 in Los Angeles. Check out some of Ocean’s thoughts on poetry and more, here.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.

Best of Button Week 77

“I don’t look like most of my family, I look like the people
who hurt my family.”

Don’t miss this week’s Best of Button playlist, featuring the top-viewed recent videos on the Button YouTube Channel. Today’s additions: Jess Rizkallah, Max Binder & Morgan Crist. Congratulations poets!
While you’re here on our site, make sure to check out our books and merchandise in the Button Store, including books by Aziza Barnes, Danez Smith, Neil Hilborn and our JUST-RELEASED book from Hanif Abdurraqib!

Haley Mosley – “Walls Waltz”

Performing at SlamMN!

“My bed smelled like him today, and he’s never been in this one.”

Don’t miss this fantastic poem from Haley Mosley, performing at SlamMN! in Minneapolis.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.

Crystal Valentine & Aaliyah Jihad – “Hide Your Shea Butter” (CUPSI 2016)

Performing at CUPSI 2016.

“It’s not just that you take what we create, it’s that it always gets
lost in translation.”

Don’t miss this excellent poem from Crystal Valentine and Aaliyah Jihad, performing at the 2016 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational. You can check out more from Crystal and Aaliyah here, here and here.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.

Button Round-Up 13

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Welcome back to another exciting installment of the Button Round-Up! This week we have some poems, an interview, and an Olympian! What are you waiting for? Get clicking!

“The Fireside Fiction Report: A Reader/Critic’s Perspective” by L.E.H Light
I genuinely hope those among you in any sort of publishing field take note of this first article. Recently, the Fireside Fiction Report revealed that out of 2,039 stories published in 2015, only 38 were written by black authors. Light’s commentary is smart and needed; check out and share this article, and hopefully some change can come.

Kevin Kantor Inspired By
This week, Kevin got an artist’s profile done by the people over at Ori Media. Though short, it is a compelling video, one that hopefully makes you want to check out Kevin’s amazing work. You can find some of his poems back at our YouTube channel!

The Flambard Poetry Prize
The Flambard Press, one of the UK’s most largely recognized independent presses, has opened submissions for poets who have not yet been published to have their first shot. Submissions will be open until October 31st. Check out the link for more details!

“Surviving the Survival” by David Winter
This week, The Poetry Foundation’s David Winter sat down for an interview with the brilliant poet Ocean Vuong. Ocean opens up about fear, family, self love, and more interesting topics. Read the interview, and check out some more of Ocean’s work when you’re done (and don’t miss our own interview between Ocean and Button author Hanif Abdurraqib).

Poems by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza
The Infoxicated Corner at The The Poetry released a poetry spotlight on the works of Joshua Jennifer Espinoza this week. The spotlight includes three poems, which should make for some nice weekend afternoon reading.

“Road to Rio is paved with poetry for runner Alexi Pappas” by Mary Jo Brooks
To round out this Round-Up, here’s a topical story about both the Olympics and poetry (bet you didn’t think I’d find one of those!) Alexi Pappas, an American long distance runner, recounts how poetry was a part of her life before track and how it continues to inspire and push her.

Is it over already? Looks like we’ll both have to check in again next week to see what wonderful links and articles the Internet has in store for us. See you then!

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Spencer Brownstein is a poet, student, and Button staffer living in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He loves beanies, dogs, and a nice cigarette after dinner.

Sarah Kay & Phil Kaye – “When Love Arrives” (250K Views!)

“Love arrives exactly when love is supposed to,
and love leaves exactly when love must.”

Congratulations to Button author Sam Sax on topping 100,000 views on this amazing poem! Sam’s book, A Guide to Undressing Your Monsters, is available here.
And while you’re here, make sure to check out the rest of our books and merch as well, including our awesome t-shirts and poster and new books by Jacqui Germain and Hanif Abdurraqib!