Collin Kelley: Modern Confessional

"White Winged Doves" launch

2026-05-23T16:47:23.339-04:00

Photo by Thomas Dibble Dempsey

White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology officially launched on Monday, May 18, at an event hosted by the Georgia Center for the Book at the Decatur Library.

We had a great cross-section of the contributors from around the South, including Amber Dodds, Nikki Lee, Karen Head, Julie E. Bloemeke, Mattie Frye, William Walsh, Danita Dodson, Linda Sands, JC Reilly, Karen Paul Holmes, and Valerie A. Smith.

Megan Volpert and I were delighted with the reading, the turnout, and book sales handled by Charis Books & More.

There will be a virtual launch event, also hosted by Georgia Center for the Book, on Tuesday, May 26, at 7 p.m. EDT. You can RSVP and get the free link to the virtual event here. We're expecting many of the anthology's contributors to read their poems at this event, which will be followed by a Q&A. May 26 also happens to be Stevie's 78th birthday, so come help us celebrate.

There's also a special event coming up on June 17 at Reinhardt College in North Georgia. More details to come on that one.

Between the anthology and the crazy political season we're covering at the newspapers, I haven't made any progress on my own writing. I've put aside the fourth Venus novel and have reprioritized the short story collection – not that I've made much progress there either.

I have something else that isn't quite ready for public consumption as I decide how and when to release it. Stay tuned.

Launch events for "White Winged Doves"

2026-04-02T17:00:00.004-04:00

The launch of White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology will be a two-day event — one in-person on May 18 and the other virtual on May 26 — in conjunction with the Georgia Center for the Book at Decatur Library. Both events are free, and you’ll hear contributing poets read their Stevie-inspired work. Get more info and RSVP at georgiacenterforthebook.org.

The Big Reveal: "White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology"

2026-02-09T18:49:00.002-05:00

Copies of White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology are going out to the media, for review requests, and to the contributors. I received a box of books a week or so ago, and I am thrilled with how it's turned out. Donna Kile's gorgeous cover photography, the tactile matte finish on the cover, and even the fonts. And, of course, the poems by our fantastic contributors. We really can't wait for these to start shipping out to readers in May.

We've also got our first two launch events set in conjunction with Georgia Center for the Book. We'll kick off on May 19 with an in-person reading at the Decatur Library, followed on May 26 (Stevie's birthday) with a virtual launch featuring many of our contributors. Stay tuned for details on both of these.

Megan and I are planning other events – both in Georgia and in other states – while some of our contributors are also planning events in their cities. Be sure to follow our Facebook page for the anthology to keep up with the events and release news.

Photo by Richard Funderburke

In other news, I shared the stage with fellow poets and long-time friends Franklin Abbott and Cleo Creech on Jan. 8 as part of an exhibition of panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Decatur Library. It was a moving evening of poetry and I – and the audience – were verklempt for most of it. I don't do that many in-person readings anymore, but I'm glad I did this one.

My Christmas gift to myself was a region-free Blu-ray player. I've had a number of UK imports for years (including the Derek Jarman box set I purchased in London back in 2019 and the special edition of Sally Potter's Orlando) that I can now finally watch. I've been in movie bliss ever since, which is a good distraction from the chaos and fascism America has descended into under Trump 2.0.

AIDS Memorial Quilt event

2026-01-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

My first gig of 2026 is a special one. I'll be reading from Wonder & Wreckage alongside panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt as part of Georgia Center for the Book's special exhibition, The AIDS Memorial Quilt: Honoring Lives, Inspiring Change. I'll be reading alongside Franklin Abbott, Cleo Creech and other fine poets. Please join us for this free event. Get more details and RSVP here.

Happy Xmas

2025-12-25T10:39:00.005-05:00

The annual posting of the greatest Christmas song EVER.

RIP Kirsty and Shane

A look back at 2025

2025-12-24T16:13:00.005-05:00

This was the year that finally convinced me that humanity is devolving as a species and that we are past due for an extinction-level event, so Earth can hit the reset button. Nihilistic, perhaps, but if you've been watching world events – especially the U.S. descent into authoritarianism and isolation – then you know exactly what I mean.

The deaths of David Lynch, Diane Keaton, Robert Redford, and Rob Reiner hit me especially hard, since I remain an unrepentant film buff and those three were among my favorites. Every year, more and more of my icons pass away, which also brings my own mortality into focus.

Maybe that's why much of this year was dedicated to what Kate Bush refers to as "archive work." I've got another box of materials almost ready for the Georgia State University Library Archive, which is the repository for my papers, manuscripts, and ephemera related to my writing life. While this will be an ongoing process until I kick the bucket (and beyond), I'm nearing the end of culling through 40 years of writing.

During the most recent dig, I uncovered a small grouping of poems – some dating back to the 1980s – that I'm currently sorting through to see if anything is worth revising or will just go to the archive. I also found handwritten pages of another story that belongs with my long-simmering collection of tales in the fictional town of Cottonwood, GA (the first four of them are in Kiss Shot, which was published as an ebook back in 2012). Of course, this has me eager to get back to work on this collection, but at the expense of the fourth Venus novel.

Ah, yes, the Venus novel. After finally having a major breakthrough in the plot, my work on the book pretty much ceased over the autumn. I'm hoping to take a look at the chapters again over the long holiday break and see if I can relight my fire. In the meantime, poetry continues to be the going concern that I can't quite seem to get away from.

While Wonder & Wreckage was indeed my final big solo project, the May 2026 publication of White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology, co-edited with Megan Volpert, will keep me busy throughout the year, and there's a little solo project coming in September that I hope some of you will find of interest. More details on this in the new year.

I had all of my yearly check-ups in the fall, and I'm happy to report that my cancer remains in remission and my general health remains good, according to my doctors. But don't get me started on the health insurance nightmare exacerbated by the current occupant of the White House and his minions. My premium is up, my level of care is down, and it still boggles my mind that we don't have universal healthcare.

My day job as executive editor at Rough Draft was more hectic than ever last year, but I was thrilled that Georgia Voice – the LGBTQ+ newspaper I also edit – continues to flourish and played an important part in sharing the news and keeping the community informed as Captain Bonespurs and the Christofascists' work to strip us of our rights. Let's hope the midterm elections will be a solid rebuke of the administration and its adherents.

Keep looking for the light in the darkness and loving each other.

Preorder & back cover reveal for the Stevie Nicks poetry anthology

2025-11-29T16:35:00.003-05:00

Happy Preorder & Back Cover Reveal Day!

To celebrate Small Business Saturday, preorders of White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology are LIVE today at Madville Publishing. Preorder here.

We’re also thrilled to reveal the back cover, featuring photography by Donna Kile and stellar blurbs from Simon Morrison, Annie Zaleski, and Denise Duhamel.

🕊️ “Collin Kelley and Megan Volpert present a dazzling collection of poems, reflections, and ruminations on the diva’s diva, Stevie Nicks. She would be the first to admit that her magic comes from her fans, and White Winged Doves is the proof. Here she is the inscrutable enchantress, queen of the queer pitch, your father’s favorite and Taylor Swift’s too as comforter, protector, and avenger.” — Simon Morrison, author of Mirror in the Sky: The Life and Music of Stevie Nicks

🔮 “Distinguished by deeply moving personal reflections, White Winged Doves illuminates the enduring emotional impact of our songwriting goddess Stevie Nicks. More than just a music superstar, she is a beacon of hope for the lost and lonely; in these poems, her keening voice, romantic lyrics and witchy wear radiate comfort, optimism and possibility. But White Winged Doves illustrates that Stevie’s magical solace also permeates life’s most ordinary moments—providing the soundtrack for tender memories, formative relationships and joyous self-discovery.” — Annie Zaleski, New York Times best-selling author of Stevie Nicks in 50 Songs

🎩 “In this velvet carpet bag of a book, White Winged Doves, you will find a series of bewitching poems, befitting of the cultural goddess Stevie Nicks. Collin Kelley and Megan Volpert have curated a party in a metaphorical rumpus room with a turntable and big speakers, a party where poets spin their tales with candor, humor, and heart. From tributes to personal memories in which Nicks’ voice becomes a soundtrack, these poems delightfully go their own way!” — Denise Duhamel, author of Queen for a Day: Selected and New Poems

Anthology Contributors Include:

Amanda Killian – Amanda Powell – Amber Dodds – Anne Graue – Antony Lower – Bonnie Kaplan – Caridad Moro-Gronlier – Charles Jensen – Chris Wood – Cody Baggerly – Cody Draco – Collin Kelley – Daniel Barry – Danita Dodson – Devin Ware – Donna Vorreyer – Ed Madden – Eileen Porzuczek – Emily Perkovich – Eric v.d. Luft – Erin Murphy – Gale Thompson – Gerard Wozek – Gregg Shapiro – Hannah Baker-Siroty – Isaiah Vianese – JC Reilly – Jennifer Blackledge – Jennifer Rodrigues – Joe Oswald – Julie E. Bloemeke – Karen Head – Karen Paul Holmes – Karen Weyant – Kari Gunter-Seymour – Kate Marshall Flaherty – Kerry MacNeil – Kersten Christianson – Kristie Daugherty – Linda Sands – Lumina Miller – Maggie Felisberto – Maria Illich – Mattie Frye – Maureen Martinez – Megan Volpert – Melanie Duncan – Michael Montlack – Nikki Lee – nma dhahir – Patricia Caspers – Paul Flowers – Rebecca Titchner – Shannon Edwards – Sheema Kalbasi – Shylah Addante – Steven Reigns – Suzanne Mattaboni – Suzy Thomas – Terri Drake – Tiff Dressen & Alex Mattraw – Trish McEnulty – Valerie Smith – William Walsh – Wren Valentino

Bowling with Diane Keaton

2025-10-19T14:17:00.004-04:00

Diane Keaton (Photograph by Annie Leibovitz)

Friday night, 80s halcyon,
a memory of October bowling.
The suburban lanes loud
with kids and kinetic release
of balls slamming on maple.
My delivery pre-amateur,
pre-Lebowski revival.
I have no footwork, no sense
of release, fingers sweaty
in the grips, resin dropping
with a hollow boom
followed by derision
from more adept friends.

I remember reading about bowler superstitions: Lucky shoes, towels, and socks or prayers and chants. We just saw “Baby Boom” – executive Diane Keaton saddled with unexpected baby altering her corporate ambitions – and since Diane has been good in everything forever, I chose her. On every approach, perfecting my four-step, under my breath – Diane Keaton, Diane Keaton, Diane Keaton – and the ball lightens, rolls straight, connects dead center on the headpin, then it's strike after strike all night. Four decades flown, and I don’t bowl often, but Diane is still the mantra. And when she dies, I find myself in the supermarket aisle, doctor’s office, subway, watching hellish newscasts – Diane Keaton, Diane Keaton, Diane Keaton. A charm against the inconceivable, the bowling gods giving and taking away, another cursed split in a year full of gutters.

My poetry output has been very minimal this year, but after Diane Keaton left us last weekend, I started to work on this. It's still in "first draft" mode, but since I'm not really submitting to journals anymore, or honing at open mics, you get to be my test audience.

"White WInged Doves'" cover reveal

2025-10-04T23:36:00.005-04:00

Megan Volpert and I are excited to share the cover for the forthcoming White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology. The photo is by my talented friend, Donna Kile, who has been photographing Stevie for decades. The design is by Madville Publishing honcho Kim Davis. We're also excited to announce that we have received back all the corrections/changes for the manuscript from our contributors, and we have some AMAZING blurbs for the back cover (which features another stunning photo of Stevie taken by Donna). Feel free to share this far and wide. Publication is still on track for May 2026!

Self-portrait at 56

2025-09-18T21:40:00.001-04:00

Self-Portrait at 56.

The Sealey Challenge and a Stevie update

2025-08-05T18:13:00.004-04:00

The Sealey Challenge is an annual event held each August, where readers are encouraged to read one book of poetry per day. Honestly, I don't know who has time to read an entire poetry collection every day for a month, so I recommend one poem per day. I have six poetry collections for your reading pleasure, so whether you're reading 31 books or 31 poems, may I suggest one of mine? You can find links to my individual poems here.

On Aug. 1, Megan and I submitted the completed draft of White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology to Madville Publishing. We also got some lovely photos of Stevie via photographer Donna Kile, so the cover is in the works, too. Contributors should see a proof this autumn and the book is still on track for a May 2026 release.

Last month, I received a surprise acceptance letter for the Visiting Joni: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work of Joni Mitchell, a forthcoming anthology edited by Debra Marquart, Alan Davis, and Thom Tammaro. I submitted my poem "Night Ride Home" to this anthology back in 2022 and, frankly, had forgotten all about it. Glad the anthology is finally seeing the light of day in the near future.

A breakthrough on the fourth Venus novel

2025-07-08T16:49:00.004-04:00

The last time I saw Paris... Rue Rampon in 2019

Back in April, I mentioned that I wasn't working on the fourth book in the Venus series, but that's all changed in July. Maybe it was the fact that I just marked the 30th anniversary of the trip to London and Paris that inspired the original trilogy, but I finally had a breakthrough in the main plot, which revolves around the character of Juliette Lacombe trying to stop a terrorist attack at the Louvre.

Originally, the book was going to be set in 2015 – 10 years following the events of Leaving Paris – but now that timeframe is just the prologue. The main story is now set in 2025, Juliette has been retired as an operative/assassin for nearly 20 years, but is pressed back into service when global leaders at a summit in Paris attend a special exhibition at the Louvre, which is besieged by radical terrorists.

What's interesting to me – at this point – is exploring these characters who have now "aged out" of the typical thriller novel. Juliette is 63, Diane Jacobs and her husband, Bernard Sullivan, are in their 70s. Allowing them to still kick some ass (especially Juliette, who hasn't lost her touch with a rifle) while realistically depicting their later years is a challenge.

Of course, this wouldn't be a Venus story if there wasn't a healthy dose of magical realism, and that's where Irène, Martin and Christian come in. Irène is nearly 100 years old, but when she reappears in Paris she seems not to have aged at all and maybe looks even younger. The trio will have a smaller, but crucial, role in this book, and I can't wait to write that reunion scene between Martin and Diane.

I'm rewatching some of my beloved sci-fi television shows – Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, and Fringe – as inspiration for some of the more "out there" chapters. As I hinted in Leaving Paris, Juliette Lacombe might be the daughter of the late Claude Lacombe, the French scientist played by Francois Truffaut in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Figuring out how to pay homage to him without being sued is also part of the fun of writing this book.

On a final note, Google just sent me the latest visitor stats for the blog, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that nearly 10,000 people had found their way here in June. As always, thanks for reading and checking in.

30 years of London, Paris and The Venus Trilogy

2025-06-15T12:51:00.001-04:00

At the Eiffel Tower in June 1995.

I lie on a narrow twin bed in a Paris hotel. Through the open window, there are indistinct voices, the low rumble of cars, distant sirens. Bjork’s kinetic “Hyperballad” wafts in from another room. It is summer in the 11th arrondissement near Place de la République. Across from me, on his own bed, a beautiful boy reaches out his hand, inviting me to join him. It is 1995, I’m 24 and my life is about to irrevocably change.

Behind me was America and its smothering morality, a string of shitty boyfriends, a file cabinet full of abandoned novels, short stories and poems. There was something about being abroad, out of comfort zones, six hours ahead of what I would soon realize was my “former life,” that liberated my voice and sexuality.

For years, I had read about writers and artists moving to Paris to explore their creativity and find a simpatico community. There was something about the air, light, and energy that seemed to infuse these expatriates with inspiration.

The hotel room on Rue Rampon, June 1995. If you squint,
you can see Irène Laureux's balcony.

My first novel began as a poem written in that Paris hotel room, on a tiny side street called Rue Rampon. It would then transform into a screenplay that Jodie Foster’s now defunct production company would call a “beautifully written, but expensive art film.”

As the 90s ended, my agent suggested transforming the script into a novel. That’s when Conquering Venus was truly fleshed out. I’d spent the previous five years travelling back and forth to London and Paris for “research,” to soak up more of the locales and – frankly – the open-minded, easygoing sex.

The men I encountered broke down barriers that I had put up, out of fear and my own lack of body image and self-esteem. They were less concerned about my looks and more about my passion, and I discovered I had much to give. The sex would be interspersed with fear and concerns for my own safety, not at the hands of these lovers, but the threats of terrorism that seemed to nip at my heels every time I set foot in Europe.

Anything to declare...

On that first trip in '95, the Eurostar train I was traveling on passed over a bomb that failed to explode. A few weeks after I left, terrorists detonated a bomb on a metro train. In the winter of '96, I arrived in London as the IRA blew up a bus in the West End. On another trip, I was evacuated from an Underground station, almost crushed being swept back up an escalator.

All of these moments – the exhilarating rush of sex with strangers and the eerie dread of terrorism – would find their way into my Venus Trilogy of novels. My main protagonist, Martin Paige, would become the surrogate for all these adventures as Conquering Venus begat Remain In Light and finally Leaving Paris.

It took more than 20 years to get this sprawling literary mystery to readers. Agents and publishers didn’t know what to make of Martin’s central relationship with Parisian widow Irène Laureux, an older woman with connections to underworld crime and searching for the shadowy government figures who murdered her husband.

The real-life inspirations for many of The Venus Trilogy
characters on Rue Rampon in 1995.

One agent suggested Martin should be straight and Irène should be a young, femme fatale. Another balked at the graphic sex scenes between Martin and Christian, the young hustler who becomes his lover. Gay sex, old women, terrorism, Alice Through the Looking-Glass doses of synchronicity and magical realism – the publishing world had no idea what to do with these books.

But these divergent characters and scenarios were what two decades of personal and artistic exploration had given to me. I found both my fiction and poetic voice – which aren’t very dissimilar, I’m told – and it’s the best money I didn’t really have to spend that I’ve ever spent. And they did eventually find a home at the fabulous Sibling Rivalry Press and its operators, Bryan Borland and Seth Pennington.

Over the last 30 years, I've visited London and Paris more times than I can remember. I've made great friends, been embraced by London's literary community, got to guest lecture at Worcester College at Oxford University, read at Southbank Centre, and see Kate Bush perform two nights in a row. I've walked from one end of Paris to the other, sat in its gardens and cafes to write, and returned often to Rue Rampon.

My last visit to both cities was in 2019, before the pandemic upended the world and my cancer diagnosis upended my life. My first stop off the Eurostar that summer was Rue Rampon. I looked up, and the balcony full of flowers with its open, inviting doors was still there, unchanged from 1995. Irène's balcony. This was comforting and, of course, set my mind whirling for a fourth novel.

That novel is now well underway, although I don't feel any rush to complete it. I'm letting flights of fancy take me where they want to go, where the characters – as usual – direct me. Maybe my life is about to irrevocably change again.

The Venus Trilogy is available directly from Sibling Rivalry Press.

Back on Rue Rampon in 2019. (
Photo by Karen Head)

Wrapping up May

2025-05-29T15:33:00.003-04:00

Courtesy of The Poetry Foundation

Many thanks to Arts ATL for selecting Wonder & Wreckage as one of its 13 must-read poetry collections for National Poetry Month. I was in fine company with Beth Gylys, Andred Jurjevic, and Elly Bookman. See the list here.

And also many thanks to friend and fine poet Steven Reigns, who recommended Wonder & Wreckage in his selections for National Poetry Month that appeared on The Poetry Foundation website. See the list here.

Wonder & Wreckage is also a nominee for the annual Georgia Author of the Year Awards, which will be announced in June. I'm among a very crowded field, so not hopeful about my chances, especially since the great Alice Friman is in the running.

In June, watch for an essay here marking the 30th anniversary of my first trip to London and Paris, which was the impetus for my Venus Trilogy of novels. I'll be sharing some never-before-seen photos, ephemera, and thoughts on how those weeks abroad totally changed my life and the trajectory of my writing career.

And, as always, thanks to the folks who continually find their way to Modern Confessional. I'm still averaging between 7,000 and 8,000 visitors per month. Your interest is appreciated.

A National Poetry Month recap

2025-04-27T17:27:00.001-04:00

Reading with Karen Head at Call & Response. (Photo by Colin Potts)

National Poetry Month is wrapping up, and it turned out to be a little more hectic than I expected. Wonder & Wreckage turned one year old, so I celebrated with fellow poet and sister/friend Karen Head with one of our "Call & Response" round-robin-style readings at the Georgia Center for the Book. Thanks to the folks who came out to listen.

I also had the pleasure of reading at the Cecilia Woloch & Friends virtual reading today, along with the fabulous Brendan Constantine, Carine Topal, Carol Muske-Dukes, Yona Harvey, Kevin Prufer, Lynne Thompson, Pam Ward and Francisco Letelier. It was wonderful to hear these poets and see that so many people from around the world chose to spend their Sunday afternoon with us.

Megan and I continue to steadily work on the Stevie Nicks anthology. We've got a working manuscript together and are polishing off an introduction, so we're still on track for a Spring 2026 publication.

On a personal note, I managed to snag tickets to see two of my music icons – Kylie Minogue and Alison Moyet – in the same month. I've loved both of these ladies for 40 years or more, so finally seeing them live was a real bucket list moment. You can read my review of the Kylie show here.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I decided against doing a chapbook to mark the first anniversary of Wonder & Wreckage, but instead directed those poems (and a few I held out on purpose) to another project that will see the light of day in the next couple of years. Watch this space.

As for the fourth novel in the Venus series, well.. I haven't touched it in months. I'm not feeling it at the moment, and since there's no deadline, I'll work on it as I feel the spirit move me.

As many of you know, Marianne Faithfull passed away on Jan. 30. She was one of my icons, and I treasure the note and signed photo she sent me back in the 90s. My chapbook, After the Poison, was inspired by her Before the Poison album. Luckily, we got one more taste of her music with the gorgeous Burning Moonlight EP released for Record Store Day.

Meet the Stevie Nicks anthology poets

2025-03-28T11:34:00.002-04:00

Meet the poets selected for the upcoming White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology, edited by Megan Volpert and me. The book is slated for a May 2026 release from Madville Publishing.

Anthology update and other news

2025-03-05T17:50:00.004-05:00

The latest additions to my archive at GSU Library.

Megan Volpert and I selected 65 poets to feature in the forthcoming White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology forthcoming from Madville Publishing in 2026. We've already notified the poets and are getting ready to send contracts. There is some really fantastic work from poets known and new. We can't wait for you to read it!

In other news, I flushed the chapbook idea I mentioned in my last post in favor of another project that has long been simmering, but it feels like the right time to get it going. This is another collaborative project with one of my most favorite poets. Stay tuned.

In February, I took another stack of material to the Georgia State University Archive. It was amazing to see the care with which they’ve cataloged and stored my papers and ephemera from my career as a poet and writer. This stack included the working manuscript and proof of Wonder & Wreckage, my first attempt at a chapbook from 1995, and a school assignment from 1987 that has some of my first poems. In the middle of that stack (pictured above) are five notebooks from 1990 to 1999 that contain the handwritten early drafts of poems that would later make it into my collections and a lot of cringe-worthy heartbreak and experiments that were all part of the process. Thank you again to Morna Gerrard for being a world-class curator.

I'm now three issues into my editorship of Georgia Voice – the LGBTQ+ newspaper of record for the southeast. The news for the community continues to be dire as the current administration works to try and erase us, especially trans folks. The anti-trans legislation at the state and local level is absurd and cruel and mainly a distraction from all the other ways lawmakers are trying to strip people of their civil and human rights. You can read the March issue of Georgia Voice here.

Deadline extension and a wretched new year

2025-01-12T22:59:00.002-05:00

Megan Volpert and I have extended the deadline for submissions to the Stevie Nicks anthology until Feb. 12. We had a number of poets reach out to us who are working on poems and ask for an extension, so this new deadline gives everyone a chance to try and get something in. Keep 'em coming. The guidelines and Submittable portal are at this link.

Sadly, the new year is off to a wretched start: the terror attack in New Orleans, the devastating LA wildfires, the tech bros kowtowing to Trump and the four-year shitshow to come. And although we knew Jimmy Carter's passing was imminent, it was still sad to lose a man who had dedicated so much of his life to public service. I met him and Rosalynn a decade or so ago randomly at an art festival in Atlanta. A sweet man. Honestly, so much has happened in the first couple of weeks of 2025 that it already feels like another year.

I seriously want to get off all the social media platforms and just come back to blogging here on a more regular basis.

Happy Christmas

2024-12-25T23:28:00.001-05:00

The annual posting of the greatest Christmas song EVER. Can't believe we've lost Shane and Kirsty, but this song is immortal.

A year in review

2024-12-24T10:53:00.008-05:00

Photo by Isaiah Vianese

It's been another year of highs and lows. The biggest high was the publication of Wonder &Wreckage back in April. This new & selected collection was six years in the making, and it was a nail-biter right up until the launch event.

I've sung her praises here before, but Elizabeth Holmes really saved my ass and deserves all the flowers. She did the interior layout, designed the cover, mopped up a number of messes, and dealt with confusing messages from the printer. The result was a gorgeous-looking book and a perfect way to cap off my poetry life.

Of course, I keep saying I'm through with poetry, but poetry is obviously not through with me. Keep reading for more on that.

I was back in Ann Arbor over the summer for another three-month stay, which wasn't nearly as interesting as last year's adventure and all the side trips to Toronto and Chicago. I visited Detroit a few times and spent a lovely afternoon exploring the Toledo Museum of Art with BFF Julie E. Bloemeke. My main reason for being there was to finally get back to work on the fourth novel, and I'm pleased to say I made some good progress. Completion is still several years away, but knocking the rust off my fiction mind and resurrecting the familiar characters of The Venus Trilogy was like seeing old friends again.

Although it's nearly four years since my cancer, yet another scare happened in September when my annual CT scan lit up with an area of concern in the lymph nodes in my neck. This required a PET scan and thousands of more dollars out of pocket. Luckily, it was nothing, but the constant reminder that the cancer could resurface at any moment really wears you down mentally.

On Halloween, Megan Volpert and I opened the call for submissions for White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology, which will be published by Madville Publishing in 2026. Subs are open until Jan. 8, so send us your Stevie-inspired/informed work.

Believe it or not, I was sifting through the poems cut from Wonder & Wreckage and I started contemplating putting together a chapbook, which has a tentative title: The Cutting Room. This would be a limited edition, DIY kinda deal that would strictly be available directly from me and a few local bookshops. Watch this space to see if I follow through with this madness. See, I can't get away from poetry.

I'll be in the political fray as the new editor of the Georgia Voice, which is Atlanta and Georgia's LGBTQ news outlet. I am excited to take the helm and bring readers the news and features they need as we move forward into the uncertain next four years.

The Republican party used LGBTQ people – especially the trans community – as a divisive and fearmongering wedge issue in the presidential election. There are legitimate fears about medical care, marriage, and other hard-won rights being stripped away by the incoming administration. At least one member of the Supreme Court has expressed his interest in overturning Obergefell vs. Hodges, the landmark decision that made same-sex marriage the law of the land.

The year ended with a flood. The crew installing the new HVAC system in my condo hit a sprinkler and flooded my unit and the four below me. I had to decamp to a hotel for a week while a fleet of air movers and dehumidifiers dried the place out. The biggest damage was to the hardwood flooring, which will have to be partially replaced and completely sanded/stained at the end of January. That means a complete pack up and move out and living in a hotel or Airbnb for a couple of weeks.

Sometimes, I think hurling myself out of a window would be easier and yet I persist in living. I hope you persist, too.

Submissions open for "White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology"

2024-10-31T10:46:00.004-04:00

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

“White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology”

Stevie Nicks – the witchy, rock and roll goddess who carved out a 50+ year career with Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist – continues to delight and intrigue music fans. From her sold-out tours to provocative new music, Nicks remains a vital force and beloved figure in the pantheon of rock and pop culture. As the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, she’s set records and broken barriers. Her number one hit “Dreams” helped make “Rumours” one of the best-selling albums of all time, its legacy enduring across generations.

Nicks is also a poet at heart, with many of her most famous songs beginning as handwritten verses in her notebooks, which she occasionally shares with fans. Her music continues to captivate new audiences with ethereal ballads and powerful rock anthems, striking a chord with all ages and becoming the soundtrack for viral videos and memes across social media. Her candid reflections on love, addiction, and the music industry’s ups and downs continue to cement her status as a cultural icon.

Co-editors Collin Kelley and Megan Volpert bring deep expertise in music journalism and literary critique. Collin has interviewed countless musicians – including Nicks herself – while music shapes much of his own poetic narrative. Megan has earned praise for her books on Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and Alanis Morissette, as well as her insightful reviews and interviews with rock luminaries.

OUR CRYSTALLINE VISION

Enchant us with your knowledge of Stevie Nicks. Pay tribute to her music—whether from her early days with Fritz and Buckingham Nicks, when she waited tables and cleaned houses to make ends meet, or her rise to superstardom with Fleetwood Mac. Delve into her mystical persona, seen in “Rhiannon” and her appearances on “American Horror Story: Coven.” Explore her legendary style, memorable interviews, music videos, concerts, or her storied romances. Her power as a female trailblazer in the music industry and her influence on contemporary artists are also rich avenues for inspiration.

We want to see how you envision Nicks as a cultural phenomenon and how your work amplifies her significance as a rock and roll treasure. Poems don’t have to be “full Stevie”—we invite work with cameos, Stevie impersonators and drag queens, or Stevie-adjacent portraits. We want poems that include a well-placed Stevie Nicks reference that strengthens the poem’s intent and impact.

While we love platform boots, swirly shawls and messy affairs, we want to see poems that go beyond the headlines to explore how she has personally influenced you as a poet. Absolutely NO rewrites or reinterpretations of the Stevie Nicks song catalog. There is a reason “Dreams,” “Edge of Seventeen,” and “Stand Back” are iconic—there’s no need to mess with perfection.

Previously published poems will be considered; please provide information on where the poem first appeared and be certain that you retain rights to your work.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

All submissions must be uploaded to Submittable. Poems submitted via email will not be considered.
There is no submission fee. Contributors will be awarded pre-ordering of the book at-cost and a significant discount on ordering post-publication.
Submit no more than 3 poems in one Microsoft Word document.
Poems should not exceed 3 pages each; submissions should not exceed 9 pages total.
Poems should be single-spaced and in Times New Roman font.
The Microsoft Word document should NOT contain any author-identifying information.
All submissions must be received by 11:59pm (EST) on January 8, 2025.
Publication with Madville Publishing is set for May 2026.

20th anniversary Voices Carry reading

2024-10-19T12:44:00.005-04:00

I'm excited to announce the lineup for the 20th anniversary Voices Carry reading on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Decatur Library.

The poets: Cecilia Woloch, Alice Lovelace, Tania Rochelle, Kodac Harrison, and Theresa Davis. I’ll be hosting and reading a few poems, too.

Please RSVP for free tickets at this link. The event will be hosted by Georgia Center for the Book and Poetry Atlanta.

Voices Carry originally began in 2004 as an event sponsored by the now-defunct Atlanta Book Festival. The organizer, the late Chante Whitley-Head, asked me to work with Poetry Atlanta to create an event in commemoration of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

That first Voices Carry – and, yes, it is named after the Til Tuesday song – was held at The Carter Center in Atlanta and moved to numerous locations around the city before finding a permanent home at the Decatur Library under the auspices of Georgia Center for the Book. Over the last two decades, we've hosted luminaries like Jericho Brown, Natasha Trethewey, Ilya Kaminksy, Katie Farris, Khadijah Queen, Patrick Donnelly, and many more. For the 20th anniversary reading, I reached out to participants of the first two readings and asked them to join us once again for what will be my last hurrah as curator of the event.

After 20 years, I think it's time to pass the reading on to a new curator as I wind down my life in poetry. In the meantime, much love and thanks to Cecilia Woloch, who has been my partner on this reading since the very beginning. She hasn't missed a single VC in 20 years and is flying in from LA for this one.

See you Nov. 14!

Stevie Nicks anthology coming in 2026

2024-10-06T15:22:00.002-04:00

Now that the contract has been officially signed, I can announce that Megan Volpert and I are co-editing a Stevie Nicks poetry anthology for Madville Publishing. The call for poems will go out on Halloween (of course!) and the anthology will be published in 2026.

Many of you will be familiar with Madville, since they published the Mother Mary Comes to Me anthology that Karen Head and I co-edited back in 2020 and the Dolly Parton anthology Let Me Say This co-edited by Dustin Brookshire and Julie E. Bloemeke.

If you're a Stevie fan, get busy! We can't wait to read your work.

The October Country

2024-10-01T07:00:00.018-04:00

First, an apology to those who might have been expecting to see me on Sept. 22 at the Ideas Festival Emory. I contracted a nasty case of conjunctivitis, which required a doctor's visit and an antibiotic cream that blurred my vision. I hated to miss the festival and hope I can return next year or at a future event.

For October, I have a couple of Wonder & Wreckage readings you might be interested in:

Oct. 2, 7 p.m. Word of Mouth at The Globe, Athens, GA

Oct. 5, 2:45 p.m.: Decatur Book Festival, Decatur Library

Oct. 10, 7 p.m.: The Book Bird, Avondale Estates, GA

Word of Mouth is one of my favorite reading series/open mics because The Globe has a great vibe. My appearance at the Decatur Book Festival will be the first in five years and I'm thrilled to be sharing the stage with Karen Head, Erin Hoover, and Willie Kinnard, III.

Planning is also underway for the 20th-anniversary Voices Carry reading on Nov. 14 at the Decatur Library. More details on that soon.

I'm also excited to announce that my poem "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" will appear in the fall issue of South Carolina Review. This will be my second appearance in SCR after my review of Steven Reigns' A Quilt for David collection was published in the Fall 2023 issue.

And on Halloween, the call for poems will be live for the Stevie Nicks anthology I'm co-editing with Megan Volpert. We can't wait to read your work!

UPDATES: Busy September

2024-09-01T19:10:00.010-04:00

I have been invited to several readings in September, kicking off on Labor Day. I'll be reading from and signing copies of Wonder & Wreckage. I hope to see you at one of these events.

Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m.: Little 5 Poetry Bash at Java Lords, Atlanta

Sept. 26, 7 p.m.: The Book Bird, Avondale Estates, GA (POSTPONED TO OCT. 10)

UPDATE SEPT. 20: Unfortunately, I had to withdraw from my Sept. 22 appearance at the Ideas Festival Emory due to an eye infection. I hope to see you on Sept. 26 at The Book Bird. I'll be making an announcement about October and November readings soon!

UPDATE SEPT. 26: My reading at The Book Bird in Avondale Estates has been moved to Oct. 10 due to the approach of Hurricane Helene. Stay safe out there, folks.