We’re having a free, virtual launch performance for the new book on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at 7pm Central. This post is collecting some of stuff that I’ll likely be talking about, so they can all be in one place instead of a dozen different links.
This page also doubles as a good “how to support the book” page for people who want to; that is very much appreciated!
1. TIP JAR: It’s a free show, but if anyone feels like throwing a few dollars “in the hat,” that money will help pay for the webinar license I got to protect against trolls and weirdos. The easiest way to do that is probably via my Bandcamp page, where you can pay-what-you-want for any release, and actually get some music out of it too as a bonus.
2. HOW TO GET THE BOOK
- Please consider getting the book from local bookstores. If you’re in the Twin Cities, I signed a bunch of copies at Moon Palace Books. It should also be available at Next Chapter, Magers & Quinn, SubText, and beyond.
- For online orders, you can get it directly through the publisher, Button Poetry. It’s also available through Button as an e-book or audio book (narrated by me!).
3. HOW TO SUPPORT THE BOOK (Thank you!)
- Leave a review: even if it’s just a sentence, or some nice stars, reviews really do make a difference. You can leave one at Button Poetry, Goodreads, or wherever you can.
- Word-of-mouth: “Reviews” don’t have to just be on official platforms. Any time people post about the book, share a link to a poem of mine, etc., it means the world. You can also always repost me (Twitter, IG, FB).
- Network access: If you have access to email lists, facebook groups, subreddits, sci-fi conventions, afterschool poetry groups, or other small communities of people, especially people who might find something useful or engaging in the book (language arts teachers, sci-fi fans, activists, etc.), please feel free to share!
4. CASPER PHAM’S WEBSITE: Casper did all the art in the book, and is a fantastic artist.
5. BOOKING INFO: It’s great when people buy copies of my book, but my actual *work* is performance and facilitation: using poems as doorways into critical dialogue and education. So if you know any student affairs people, university programming boards, housing staff, athletics department staff, conference organizers, festival organizers, or beyond, please feel free to share this link to my booking info.
6. NEW RESOURCE: SPOKEN WORD RESOURCE HUB: It’s an ongoing project, but I’ve set up a single page here on my site that links to all the resources and tools I’ve shared over the years for people looking to get into spoken word and slam poetry: whether you want to do it, teach it, or just learn more.
7. ZINE: Hope Does Not Glimmer; It Burns: Quotes on Hope, Resistance & Possibility: This was my last big project before the book came out, and is very much related to the overall thesis of the book.
8. BUTTON UNIVERSITY CLASS ON “POLITICAL POETRY” I’LL BE FACILITATING: Join me this June for a six-week virtual workshop series called “Writing to Cancel the Apocalypse.” It’s open to anyone looking to sharpen their craft, but the specific thing we’ll be focusing on is “political poetry,” in all the messy and imperfect senses of that term.
9. OTHER BUTTON POETRY RELEASES: It’s cool to be associated with a publisher that is supporting so many important voices. Here is a list of all of Button’s books, and here is a list of upcoming releases.
10. LINKS TO STUFF I WILL PROBABLY MENTION AT SOME POINT:
- TruArtSpeaks (specifically, the ReVerb open mic is starting back up again soon)
- MPD150 (Minneapolis abolitionist collective with a fantastic bank of resources and readings at their site)
- Thanks again to Fontlove Studio and SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE for their artwork we used for some pre-release postcard prints.
- Here’s my favorite BTS video, and here is a close second, and here is a close third.
THANK YOU!