I cannot do this alone. This is a mission that should unite all the poetry presses of north-east Ohio.
Coming up May 19th and 20th is the Hessler Street Fair in Cleveland. Crisis Chronicles, NightBallet, and Writing Knights presses will be teaming up with Poet's Haven to present the North-East Ohio Poetry booth, which will be in the courtyard behind the Mandel Center, on Hessler Court. All four of our presses will have our publications for sale, and we will have poets performing at the booth through most of the festival. (Our performing poets will be paused while the Hessler Poetry Anthology winners are reading on the main stage.)
As I worked on getting this lined up, one thing became clear: We need one place on the internet where we all share a presence, where folks can find all of our presses on one site, so when we team up and share space at art festivals or work together to organize other public showings we can be listed under one name. So, I dug up that old NEOpoets.org site I tried to launch as an event calender site some years back (y'know, right before the need for such a site went away in favor of Facebook's events and Google Calendar) and converted it to a blog that'll automatically import all our presses' news, giving you, our readers, one place where you can find out what's coming up from all four of us. Check it out at:
http://neopoets.org
If you operate a press based in north-east Ohio and you are interested in joining us in this mission, in taking part in group poetry presentations at area art festivals and organizing some large-scale poetry events of our own (I have a few in the works), contact me. The more of us that get involved in these projects, the more we all can benefit.
We'll see you at the Hessler Street Fair! :-)
Recorded July 2010 in Akron, OH
Recorded December 2009 in Cleveland, OH
Recorded March 2010 in Akron, OH
Recorded September 2010 in Akron, OH
Rachel Shortt describes her style as "a little folk, a little funk, and a little soul." Her provocative lyrics are poetic in their elegant simplicity and ability to stand alone, but with the overlay of Rachel’s instrumental artistry, her original work provides a bold new language for those who seek a sound with passion and purpose. While Rachel is most notable with one of her many guitars slung over her shoulder, she also plays coronet, bass, cello, and has been known to try her hands at the drum set. Ask her fans and they will tell you she is an expert with the water whistle. As a native Clevelander, Rachel has performed in both large and small venues, from the House of Blues and Kent Stage to cafés and charity events. Rachel is sheer proof that all it takes to achieve a sound of beauty and sophistication is a woman and her guitar. Her intense stage presence is raw and uninhibited. At each performance, Rachel captivates her audience with a personal connection and fan engagement that is unique to that particular show.
Terry Provost was born and raised in Troy, then Waterford, New York. He is the son of two high school teachers, and has one sister. He studied physics because he wanted to become a lawyer. He went on to work in R&D for a company that manufactured MRI scanners. When he grew tired of that, he traveled the world in search of answers to big questions. Along the way, he began writing poetry. In 2004, his first book "Compassionate Imperialism (and its 'links to terror') was published by 
The Deep Cleveland Trio is Dan Smith, Morgan Ellington, and Miles Budimir.
AKeem Jamal Rollins began writing poetry at age 8 and started slamming at age 14 in Cleveland, Ohio. He has been part of four international slam teams, representing Cleveland two years in a row at Brave New Voices and making Cleveland's adult slam teams in 2010 and 2011. In 2009, his team placed in the top 4 at BNV. His first time at Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam, his team placed 3rd overall. In 2010 he became Cleveland's Grand Slam Champion. "Like Dogs and Chocolate," a one-act production written, directed, and performed by AKeem, has been featured at the Cleveland Playhouse as part of their yearly Fusion Festival. AKeem's chapbook, "