Author of St. Michael Poker & Drinking Club and Baxter's Friends
As I pointed out in an earlier blog post, creative writing programs have a virtual stranglehold on publication in literary reviews and journals. Moreover, spots in readings are doled out to those who either teach in a graduate writing program, or take a degree from a graduate writing program. As a tangible example I just received a listing of speakers/readers for the upcoming River Styx poetry series. Every one of the listed readers either teaches in a creating writing program or is a student or a graduate of a program. The folks who run the River Styx program take their gatekeeping duties seriously. But seriously, is it logical to assume only members of this anointed class of writers have words worth reading?
Here is the list- make up your own mind:
http://www.riverstyx.org/events/index.php
creative writing programs, guild, MFA, poets, readings, River Styx Poetry
Down Cemetery Road is the much-anticipated prequel to the unforgettable Baxter’s Friends. Ned Randle raises the curtain on the formative years of Billy Bright’s life, revealing a formula for his adult years that is at once both intoxicating and utterly sobering. Down Cemetery Road delves into the disillusionment of adolescence sadly often shot down by mid-life.
Read more.