New York Pitch Conference Reviews, Algonkian Writer Conferences, and Poetry Forums

God, this is gorgeous. From those stunning opening 2 stanzas I was in love with this. Such wonderful details and sounds… I love the rolling lines, the authentic voice…the best piece that I have read in some time. These lines below may be my favorite… or maybe those opening stanzas. Good poems make m...

Thanks, Michael. Your snowman haiku is delightful, and probably my favorite haiku ever.

Thanks, Ieuan. I LOVE your two poems!

1/ a haiku at Haikuniverse...check it out at https://haikuniverse.com/valentines-day-haiku-10-of-25-by-bob-bradshaw/ 2/ https://haikuniverse.com/valentines-day-haiku-12-of-25-by-michael-virga/ Congrats, Bob! Yours really is one of my Valentine's favs this year. I didn't know that 2 hours later I wou...

Thank you, Ieuan. My heart goes out to you. Blessings…

Thanks, Billy

Caleb, since most of the comments about your poems have been from me, and since I was the only one to comment on this poem before your accusation,I take this comment of yours personally. “ I wonder if the poem was a little too gay for this board.” I will no longer comment on your poems. Others can c...

Do you think all mothers are like yours? Most mothers love their children, as this one does. Many women have a love and passion for gardening, and gardens are sensual. Many mothers share the beauty of gardens and the sensuality of plants, their touch, scent, colors, with their children, especially w...

Being too gay for this board? What nonsense. This isn’t the 1950s.

A Mother Writes To Her Daughter, In Europe Somewhere With Her Friends How are you? Your letters home are like flower catalogs to a gardener in winter. They don’t come often enough. I have plenty to do to distract me. Spring as always is as busy as a mother with two toddlers underfoot. Your collie Na...

This is a fresh twist on the ever popular matchmaker theme. There is a bit of filler…”of course”, “sans serenity”. The first 3 lines aren’t needed. The last 2 lines of S1 echo the 2nd and 3rd lines anyway. The first line isn’t needed because the title tells us who she is. Having been briefed…remove ...

Ah. How sweet. I love grandkids. They’re the best.

Our blessings go with you, Ieuan. I’ll be glad when you’re back.

This is better, both the vapor imagery and that slam of a close…”vault-like door”… the 3 heavy stresses reinforcing the image.

Fairly well done. It’s something that we’ve all thought and can relate to. I like your trying a different voice. I like the sneer in this: Is there a poet working at Johnson & Johnson? Or is that obvious? I wanted a stronger punch line for a close than that last line, but I don’t have a suggestion. ...

Thanks

Thanks, guys

Some nice lines in this one….see my favorite ones below. The language is rather formal, but since it’s consistent I’m not faulting it… though I do dislike “I bid you”. There is a lot of warmth in this poem, especially in the next to last stanza, my favorite. Trying to hold onto water is a common sim...

Nicely done

I have 2 poems at The Lake, “Butterfly Weed” and “The Orchestra”. Check them out at https://www.thelakepoetry.co.uk/poetry/bob-bradshaw/

I like the imaginative language deployed in the telling of some painful memories. Good, active verbs. Another success.

This is no fantasy. This all happened. Haydn was the most respected composer before Mozart arrived on the scene, and after he died. Nearly everyone called him the Master. Beethoven was a young man, and studied for awhile under Haydn.

The Big Shot Haydn sits primly on the side, never a hair out of place on his powdered wig. Everyone admires the Master. The old man takes to flattery like a horse to a bucket of oats! That is why he wants me to sign my scores "Ludwig, Pupil of Haydn" ....I refuse! How often has he cut our lessons sh...

I like your edits, Billy

I love this poem. Maybe it’s partly because it’s nostalgic for me. But, also, it’s cause I love the N’s voice. And I wholeheartedly agree with that last line. Another good one, Billy

Thx