Quintessential Poetry: A Global Poetry & Spoken Word Poetry Podcast

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Gretchen Primack is a poet, educator, and indie bookseller living in New York's Hudson Valley. She has taught and/or administrated  prison education programs since 2006. Primack has authored three poetry collections: Kind (Lantern Publishing); Visiting Days (Willow Books),  which imagines a maximum-security men's NYS prison like the ones where she's taught; and Doris' Red Spaces (Mayapple Press), a more personal collection. Primack also co-authored The Lucky Ones: My Passionate Fight for Farm Animals with Jenny Brown (Penguin Avery). Primack’s poetry publication credits include The Paris Review, Prairie Schooner, Ploughshares, FIELD, Poet Lore, The Massachusetts Review, The Antioch Review, New Orleans Review, Rhino, Tampa Review, Best New Poets, and many other journals and anthologies.

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Gerry LaGuardia Leonard writes in poetic prose, storytelling about the state of today’s world. She claims to have always walked the paths of altruism and artistic pursuits. Today, she defines herself as an emerging poet, adding it to her accomplishments as wife, mother, drama student, pottery artist and a fifteen-year career as a Certified Chemical Dependency/Relapse Specialist, instructing in Northern California jails. 

Gerry began writing poetry as a family legacy, then joined Facebook poetry groups. She is a member of the Denver Poetry Society and attends poetry readings around Denver. Her poems have been published in various anthologies, including a peace poem scripted on cloth, for a unique flag exhibition in India. Gerry claims that poetry is perfectly suited for unique artistic presentation, self-publishing an accordion book of poems. After living 35 years in No. California, she now resides in Denver, Colorado, where she was born and raised. 

https://www.facebook.com/1261121695/videos/10218725322105113

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World Poetry Day was adopted as 21 March by UNESCO in 1999. It is an invitation to reflect on the power of language and the full development of each person’s creative abilities. It also supports linguistic diversity through poetic expression and offers endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities (https://globaldimension.org.uk/). Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture. This year's observance will feature the following celebrated and award winning poets: Don Beukes (Pontivy, France), Heath Brougher York, Pennsylvania), Scott Thomas Outlar (Atlanta, Georgia), Archna Sahni (Toronto, Canada), and Sandra Yannone (Olympia, Washington). To read each poet's biography, please visit World Poetry Day 2021.docx.

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Kelly Bradley is a tech writer and Sr. Product Manager in the Washington DC area where she writes stories and creates apps based on data. She wrote her first poem in Second grade, a requiem to her cat, Petey. Her first collection, published by FootHills Publishing, “love, loss and the enormity of it all” addresses themes of grief, joy, love, heartbreak and perseverance. When not working or writing poetry, Kelly writes songs and rap lyrics, dances to electronic dance music and hikes year-round with her dog, winter. She has co-written two songs are out on all the music platforms.

Website: https://www.kellycbradley.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellycbradley/ (@kellycbradley)

Purchase book from publisher: http://www.foothillspublishing.com/2021/bradley.html

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Mysti S. Milwee is an International award-winning and published synesthesia artist (paints to music), poetess, writer, screenwriter, book cover art designer, and illustrator from Southside, Alabama. She is the editor and publisher of Sequoyah Cherokee River Journal. She has Native American background and is a Sequoyah-Cherokee translator. Her poetry, writings, and visual art has been published in over 3,000 + publications worldwide and in over 12 countries. She is the “Poet Laureate” of Fire Eagle Ministries, and over 1,000 poems has been written for over 50 ministries and outreach in over 12 countries. Her poetry, writings, and art has been used for academic and ministry studies across the US and abroad. She is the recipient of the 2021 International Cultural Arts & Literature Communications Collaborator Award, 2021 Global Translation Award in Native American Literature, 2020 International Native American Literary Translation Award, 2020 International Key to Success Award, 2020 International Golden Feather Leadership Scholar, 2020 Best Short Story for Documentary, 2020 Best Lyrics for Christian Music (for song “Unsung Hero”), 2020 Best Lyrics for Music Video (for song lyrics “Through the Fire”, 2020 Global Arts & Humanities Award, 2020 Global Arts & Literary CultureAward and was awarded the 2020 Best Screenplay for “The Loner”. She is a “literary and arts mentor” with the International Team with One Million Talent Academy Plus, Assessment for Development.She is the Author of her poetry book “Human Reaction” Inspirational Life Lessons Expressed in the Poetry of a Native American Woman’s Soul, and is available for purchase on Amazon.To view more about the author visit: http://www.mystismilwee.wordpress.com/Visit her online poetry and visual arts journal at: http://www.sequoyahcherokeeriverjournal.wordpress.com/

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Amy Jean is a dreamer, a poet, a mother, and a writer with compelling stories to share. Her exploratory books peel back the layers of social justice, spiritual awakening, and her quest for an authentic life. As an entrepreneur, Amy spent several years growing a cleaning company in North Carolina. She recently started Jean Publications, LLC, and seeks to share forward-thinking, unique works of art that inspire and propel humanity towards universal liberation. More specifically, creative writing and artistic masterpieces offering bold new thoughts leading society to a brighter future where all lives matter. If you would like to learn more about Amy and her books, please visit www.amy jean.live.

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Kim B Miller’s poetry is inspirational, her words are bold and she is unapologetically blunt. Kim is the Poet Laureate for Prince William County. She is the First African American Poet Laureate for PWC, VA.  Her poems have been published in African Voices magazine, a Portuguese book, a DC newspaper, an interfaith anthology and several magazines and books. Kim performed at The National Black Theater, The Atlas Performing Arts Center, Northern Virginia Community College and many other venues. Kim has an online store and her website is www.kimbmiller.com. Her latest book is: My Poetry is The Beauty You Overlook.

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BIO

Jerry T. Johnson is a Poet and Spoken Word Artist whose poetry has appeared in a variety of literary publications worldwide including: Burning Word Literary Journal, great weather for MEDIA 2017 & 2020 Anthologies, The Long Islander, Straylight Literary Journal, Here Comes Everyone, Drunk Monkeys, Blue Lake Review and many more.

In addition to his published work, Jerry also features at many Spoken Word and Poetry venues inthe New York City and Southern Connecticut areas. Jerry lives with his wife Raye in Danbury, Connecticut. You may follow Jerry’s work on the following social media networks:

jtjohnpoet.comtwitter.com

jetjohn3facebook.com

jtjpoetry

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Bio: Kay Bell is the author of two poetry collections: Cry Sweat Bleed Write published by Lily Poetry Review Books and Diary of an Intercessor published by Finishing Line Press. She earned a BA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing at The City College of New York (CUNY) where she also served as a poetry mentor in the Poetry Outreach program. Kay lives in the Bronx, New York and is passionate about bringing the arts back into public schools and issues that affect marginalized communities.

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Jackie Oldham is a writer from Baltimore, Maryland, focused on poetry, essays, and short stories. Her poetry and essays appear mainly on her personal blog, baltimoreblackwoman.com on WordPress. These writings led to invitations to read her work at local venues [Ikaros Restaurant, Baltimore, MD (2018 and 2019); Beth Am Synagogue Poetry Shabbat (2019 and 2020], for the Quintessential Listening: Poetry podcast (2019 and 2020), and the Black Poets Matter series, presented by Mad Mouth Poetry (available on Facebook). In 2020, two of her poems were published: “Golem Emet” [September 24, 2020,  https://oddballmagazine.com/poem-by-jackie-oldham/] and “Just Another Covid Saturday” October 9, 2020, https://globalpoemic.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/just-another-covid-19-saturday/]. Her essays have appeared as Editorials and Letters in the Baltimore Sun newspaper. Her first short story, “Age-isms,” was published in midnight & indigo, an online and print literary journal featuring Black Women (2019). She is retired from a career as a production copy editor and trainer for a firm (originally Waverly Press) that specialized in printing and publishing scientific and medical journals and books.