Poetry and journal writing have always been outlets for me to express myself. But when Superstorm Sandy hit, it also became my saving grace. I turned to those who gave a helping hand for inspiration and hope, and wrote to cope with all that had...
When I was affirmed the Nassau County Poet Laureate this year, Peter Dugan, Nassau County Poet Laureate (2017-19), reached out to me. He said: “So, when are you starting your open mic?” If Peter hadn’t put the bug in my head, I am not sure...
Often my dreams spark a poem. In this case, a being presented himself in my dream. I asked who he was and he said he was ‘a relic of an angel’. A relic is all that is left of something or the bones of a...
Happy October and happy Italian-American Heritage Month! Recently I was a guest of radio show host Rita Monte on her Italian American radio show, Profumi d’italia. I shared some Posics® pieces: “Love Poem,” about offering a safe place for love to rest, and “Shake and Remember,” a...
Many people in the 1930's and 40's shared and taught others about our nation's labor struggles through music. Singer-songwriters like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger were some of the original talking blues troubadour-bards. In my estimation, this is heartland American-made spoken word and it became a...
I wrote this poem some time ago after realizing how very lucky I was to have a sisterhood of women that surrounded me who all brought me great joy and always gave great advice. Alongside it a photo from my affirmation ceremony. It's one of my...
Sometime in the late 90’s, in a Florida café, I attended a poetry event with my friend and artist Kiki Calafell. Kiki and I began talking about the loss and death of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and murdered in 1996. We discussed the national...
As the host of Calliope's Corner, I was honored to share the microphone with Dr. Richard Bronson, Suffolk County Poet Laureate, and Ella O'Connor, Suffolk County's 1st teen Poet Laureate. Dr. Bronson and Ella O'Connor's poems are deeply rooted in their activism. Bronson's cause is...
Poet laureates Paula Curci and Peter Dugan will be teaming up to create a special open mic series to spotlight some of Long Island's best poets. The event, "It's A Shore Thing," is an intergenerational loud and unplugged open mic that encourages positive voices, and will...
Somewhere on Northwest 21st when browsing was breathable without a mask I hid behind marigolds and ivy shielding my body from the frame my serendipitous smile as the camera clicked shadowed my body shame that girl on NW 21st walked up and down that stoop unconscious to the knowing this girl would EVER change her lens Now my serendipitous smile is all I see...