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Endicott College Professor Richard Oxenberg Wrestles with God in a new book ‘God: A Dialogue’
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I met Richard Oxenberg at Endicott College where I have taught for 15 years. Oxenberg, a professor of philosophy at Endicott has a new book out Two Philosophers Wrestle with GOD: A Dialogue.
The book concerns a series of conversations that he had with another distinguished philosopher Jerry Martin. Martin has claimed he had an actual conversation conversation with God. Oxenberg and I have talked about his book on a number of occasions; so I decided to interview him.
November 13
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Michael Minassian lives with his wife in Southern New England. He is a Contributing Editor for Verse-Virtual, an online poetry journal. His poetry collections Time is Not a River, Morning Calm, and A Matter of Timing as well as a chapbook, Jack Pays a Visit, are all available on Amazon. For more information: https://michaelminassian.com.
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‘Lunch in Chinatown’ by Mary Bonina
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Review by Off the Shelf correspondent Lee Varon
Mary Bonina’s latest chapbook Lunch in Chinatown (Cervena Barva Press,2024), is a window into the lives of immigrants who come to this country seeking a new beginning. In her work as an ESL teacher Bonina taught English to adult students from all over the world.
November 6
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Some years ago, I was the guest poet for the Voices of Israel organization. I traveled to Israel, lectured and gave workshops. I stayed on a kibbutz, and also at the home of poet/artist Helen Bar-Lev. I am glad to reconnect with her!
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Poet Joey Gould
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Recently I caught up with Joey Gould, a well-admired poet in Massachusetts and beyond. Gould is all about breaking the traditional labels that have been entrenched in our society.
From their website,
“Joey Gould is the author of The Acute Avian Heart (2019, Lily Poetry Review). Joey is a long-time contributor to Mass Poetry, for which they assist the Poetry Festival Planning Committee, lead workshops for Student Day of Poetry events around Massachusetts, write web articles for MassPoetry.org, and judge slams for Louder Than a Bomb MA. Their work has appeared in Paper Nautilus, Drunk Monkeys, The Compassion Anthology, Memoir Mixtapes, and District Lit, amongst others. They have twice been nominated for Bettering American Poetry and once for a Pushcart Prize. Since their first public reading as a fellow of Salem State University’s Summer Poetry Seminar, they have performed in The Poetry Circus, Elle Villanelle’s Poetry Bordello, and The Poetry Society of New York’s Poetry Brothel. In addition to their Mass Poetry work, they have taught workshops for the Salem Poetry Seminar and Salem Lit Fest. They write 100-word reviews as poetry editor for Drunk Monkeys. Most important, they like Pusheen and painting their nails.”
October 30
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Kevin Gallagher is a poet, publisher, and political economist living in Greater Boston. His latest book is And Yet it Moves. Gallagher edits spoKe, a Boston-based annual of poetry and poetics. He was born in Somerville and now works as a professor of global development policy at Boston University.
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‘The Biographer’ Poems by David M. Katz
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Review by Off the Shelf Correspondent Dennis Daly
Spectral power belongs to ages and cultures long past. But here and there evidence emerges of its elusive endurance in the form of poetic techniques such as projection and personalization. Here imagination (Cotton Mather aficionados take notice) provides the proper venue with insight, empathy, and understanding as value added attachments. In his new book of poetry, The Biographer, David M. Katz haunts his set of chosen characters with his mnemonic underpaintings. He merges his rich emotional values with the objective facts of his characters, real or fictional.
October 23
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Lexi is a passionate writer and first-generation student from Maine, nearing her senior year as a Creative Writing major at Endicott College. With a deep love for poetry and storytelling, she explores her emotions through her work, seeking to share her experiences in hopes that others can find comfort amid the madness.
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Poet Elizabeth Lund is ‘Un-Silenced’
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Recently, I caught up with poet Elizabeth Lund to talk about her recent collection of poetry Un-Silenced (Cervena Barva Press). It seemed fitting because this month is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
October 16
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George Kalogeris’s most recent book of poems is Winthropos, (Louisiana State University, 2021). He is also the author of Guide to Greece (LSU, 2018), a book of paired poems in translation, Dialogos, and poems based on the notebooks of Albert Camus, Camus: Carnets. He is the winner of the James Dickey Poetry Prize, the Stephen J. Meringoff Award, and the Sheila Margaret Motton Prize.
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‘Almost Bluing for X-tra Whiteness Timothy Gager Poems’
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Review by Off the Shelf Correspondent Lo Galluccio
Is the title ironic? Is it meant to mimic a toothpaste or detergent commercial? X-tra Whiteness suggests not race in this book, but some kind of gleam. Or maybe Gager is playing on the theme of whiteness, and even including race. After several readings, I’m still not sure but the title, it’s pop and its ambiguity, drew me to this collection, without a doubt.
October 9
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Poet Sebastian Lockwood’s new collection, Written in Granite, has fourteen poems and four stories. Folded in with the text are a series of paintings and photographs that reflect the themes of the poems and stories. Many of the poems are woven into the short stories. The stories are set in 1862 in the Fox Tavern at Hancock Inn, New Hampshire. Three of the stories feature three famous women, two of whom knew each other. Emily Dickinson, as The Woman in White in Rooks & Indian Pudding and Helen Hunt Jackson in The Woman with an Owl On Her Head knew each other well and were powerful friends. Fly Rod Crosby was an extraordinary sportswoman and fellow sharpshooter with Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane. Here are some excerpts:
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