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!

Ajanae Dawkins – “When Viola Davis Won” (Rustbelt 2016)

Performing at Art Share LA.

“I saw her on that stage and swore there was a rifle in her mouth.”

Don’t miss this great poem from Ajanae Dawkins, performing during finals at the 2016 Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam in Columbus, Ohio.
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.

Raven Taylor – “How to Survive Being a Black Girl” (100K Views!)

“Beware of men who enjoy girls who do not love themselves.
Surely, they will mistake your skin for an eclipse that you are ashamed
to witness.”

Congratulations to Raven Taylor on topping 100,000 views on this excellent poem!
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!

Danez Smith – “Alternate Heaven for Black Boys” (Rustbelt 2016)

Performing at the Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam.

“Paradise is a world where everything is a sanctuary and nothing is a gun.”

Don’t miss this incredible new poem from Danez Smith, performing during finals at the 2016 Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam in Columbus, Ohio. Check out Danez’s brilliant book here.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out all of 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 76

“It has taken me so long to say that I am proud to be black.”

Don’t miss this week’s Best of Button playlist, featuring the top-viewed recent videos on the Button YouTube Channel. Today’s additions: Dave Harris & Jeremy Radin. 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!

Blythe Baird – “For The Rapists Who Called Themselves Feminist”


Performing at Button Poetry Live.

“You call this rape culture, I call it this morning.”

Don’t miss this great poem from Blythe Baird, performing at Button Poetry Live. If you’re in the Twin Cities, make sure to check out our next show!
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.

Sam Sax – “Learning to Breathe Water” (100K Views!)

“Learning is just the brain’s neural pathways
being beaten into a new shape by life.”

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!

Button Round-Up 12

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Welcome to the first Button Round-Up of August! As the summer pushes on and the heat covers us all in a layer of sweat, why not kick back for a little while in the cool embrace of the internet?

Bitch Media Fellowship for Writers
Recently, Bitch Media opened application submissions for its fellowship program’s second year. The fellowship, directed by Bitch Media cofounder Andi Zeisler, is looking for writers with minimal publication experience and a strong voice on subjects like activism, feminism, and pop-culture criticism. You can apply until September 15th!

Nashville Review, Summer 2016
The Nashville Review, edited by the MFA students at Vanderbilt University, has released its second issue of the year. The Nashville Review seeks to share a combination of traditional and non-traditional literature, from poetry to comics. The Summer 2016 issue features not one, but two poems by long-time friend of Button, Hieu Minh Nguyen!!

“5 Reasons to Read: The Crown Ain’t Worth Much, by Hanif Abdurraqib” by Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah
This week the internet was gifted with this stunning review of The Crown Ain’t Worth Much by Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah. Though this may look like a listicle based on the title, this review is so much more, grinding deep into Hanif’s work with voice, time, anaphora, and many more literary techniques and explaining just what Hanif is doing in his work that makes The Crown Ain’t Worth Much the beautiful collection that it is. Get your copy here.

“Venom (ft. Lucien Parker)” by Guante
Guante released a new single, “Venom,” on his Soundcloud this week. If you were looking for a cool new track to throw on your Saturday-night playlist, look no further! “Venom” can be found on Guante’s album, “Post-Post-Race” which is available on Bandcamp.

“Pack These Pages” by Samantha Raphelson & Justine Kenin
Check out this reading list released by NPR! The list was curated by seven different professional booksellers and should fill your last month of summer with some great reads. The list offers selections of fiction, nonfiction, and children & young adult books.