Pen and Poet

Jennifer E. Hudgens is a poet out of Oklahoma and is working on her MFA at Oklahoma State University. She is the author of several books including “Girls Who Fell In Love With War” through Swimming with Elephants Publications and her latest “Bear” which is self published. She’s been published in numerous places including Literary Orphans and Rag Queen Periodical.

Bill Nevins is a New Mexican poet who is also an educator, social worker, journalist, and farmer. He is author of the book Heartbreak Ridge and other poems out with Swimming with Elephants Publications and his poetry can also be found in countless places like Central Avenue, The Rag, Maple Leaf Rag.

Chibbi is a poet, actor, singer, and make up artist currently residing in San Antonio TX. He is the author of two books at the moment, Where the Wild Things Grow and Otro/Patria. And he is the founder of Laredo Border Slam, which started in 2010.

Bassam was a rapper, then page poet, then spoken word artist from Toronto, and is now the National Director for speakNORTH, formerly Spoken Word Canada. They are the National Poetry Slam Champion at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in 2016 with the Guelph (pronounce Gwealth) Poetry Slam team, Canadian Individual Poetry Slam finalist in 2017, and has two books out by Swimming with Elephants Publications “disaster in die * an overdose sunrise” and “bliss in die / unbinging the underglow” and a collection through GenZ Publishing “_nil:/per.OS: seppuku|smiles & songs for sarah”, and a proud Auntie.

Mela Blust is the social media coordinator for Animal Heart Press, poetry reader for The Rise Up Review, and contributing editor for Barren Magazine. Her work can be found all over the place, not the least of which is The Bitter Oleander, Rust+Moth, Califragile, Setu Magazine, and Rhythm & Bones Lit. She has one book out so far called Skeleton Parade through APEP Publications.

John Roche is a New Mexico poet. His books include Road Ghosts, The Joe Poems, On Conesus, and Topicalities. He's also edited a number of anthologies, taught at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Michigan State, and holds an MA from the University College Dublin, Ireland.

Joshua Merritt is a spoken word poet whose love of the human experience, food metaphors, and grey areas propelled him into the poetry slam scene. He has shared his work in a few slams across the country, and currently calls Portland, Oregon home. You can find his work recorded here for the first time on this podcast, and may see forthcoming work at poetry venues around Portland.

For the last three years Cathy has performed slam poetry in New Mexico. She tied for second at the 2018 Southwest Shootout in the individual category and was the 2018 Lobo Slam Champion. Her work is published in Raven Chronicles and 3Elements Literary Review and is forthcoming in Roanoke Review, and Toe Good. Her poetry is inspired by the body of the land and by the landscape of her body. Find more work at rewritereread.wordpress.com. Find her zines at Bookworks or Astrozombies.

If you are a poet and want to be on the show find me on Facebook, Twitter, or email me at [email protected]. 

Jack Tapestry has been a slam poet for two decades. Tapestry came from Oklahoma City, resides in Albuquerque, and his poetry is amazingly gut wrenching and powerful. He’s also a comedian and over all performance master. 

You can find Jack Tapestry on Youtube and at poetry and comedy events throughout Albuquerque. 

Tapestry is also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Gina Marselle is not only a poet but a high school teacher, mother, wife, and photographer. You can find her work in many places like the Alibi, the Rag, Adobe Walls, among others. She’s author of the book of poetry called A Fire of Prayer: a Collection of Poetry and Photography. And her photography can be found, among other places, in A Fire of Prayer and also the book of poetry, September, by Katrina Guarascio (or Katrina Crespin, who we’ve had on the show already).