Category Archives: Poetry

Pride, Poetry, and the LGBTQ+ Community

The Houston Chronicle published my essay on Pride month, discrimination, and there’s even a Godzilla poem included for good measure. It appears on the front page of the Sunday paper (6.6.21). In the article I share some of my personal experiences and try to assess how much the LGBTQ+ community has progressed in my lifetimeContinue reading “Pride, Poetry, and the LGBTQ+ Community”

Book Launch on Brazos Zoom on June 11th

I’m thrilled that Brazos Bookstore will sponsor the official book launch for INTO THE THE on June 11th at 7pm CT. I am honored that Tonya Foster and Timothy Liu will join me on Zoom for this event. Tonya, Tim, and I were classmates together at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. This willContinue reading “Book Launch on Brazos Zoom on June 11th”

Happy National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and there are lots of ways to celebrate. You can: Write a poem every day with NaPoWriMo. Daily prompts and encouragement are provided! Read a poem every day on Poets.org. Watch young people perform slam poetry from Brave New Voices Festival on YouTube. Explore the organizations that love poetry: CantoContinue reading “Happy National Poetry Month”

The Poet’s Role in Social Justice

In Houston, poet laureates were in the news two weeks in a row. First, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the opening of the application process to become the 5th Houston Poet Laureate. I cheered, but some complained. Then 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, stole the show at the Presidential Inauguration, perhaps evenContinue reading “The Poet’s Role in Social Justice”

School, Joy & Revolution: Takeaways from my Time at WITS

I retired from my leadership position at Writers in the Schools (WITS) in September, and the editors of Teachers & Writers Magazine invited me to write an essay about what I learned. When I became the Executive Director in the late 90s, the most talked-about book in our library was Wishes, Lies, and Dreams byContinue reading “School, Joy & Revolution: Takeaways from my Time at WITS”