HALSEY Literary Reader
@halseyreader.bsky.social
A semi-regular collection of words and pictures, HALSEY focuses on the art and science of living and what it means to be human: 30 poems, 10 photos, and 2 essays in every issue https://www.rockwoodpress.com/halsey
After her son's death, grief felt “like a heavy marble coat I’d been sentenced to wear—forever,” raw and invasive, altering every experience. When a friend’s child asked if she and her husband would ever be happy again, her answer was simple: “Not for a long time.”
Poet Sharon Charde on grief, memory and ‘What’s After Making Love’
Poet Sharon Charde will appear at The White Hart Inn in Salisbury on Sunday, Feb. 1, as part of the White Hart Speaker Series, in conversation with poet Sally van Doren, to discuss Charde’s new…
millertonnews.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:48 PM
After her son's death, grief felt “like a heavy marble coat I’d been sentenced to wear—forever,” raw and invasive, altering every experience. When a friend’s child asked if she and her husband would ever be happy again, her answer was simple: “Not for a long time.”
from "I love you in the new year" by Simone Parker
January 1, 2014
sometimes, in secret,
we dissolved from the inside
within each other’s perfect hands.
we’d bring stars, billions to
the gravestone of the moon, poor
thing, where little dewdrops form
on all your enemies, still fighting.
January 1, 2014
sometimes, in secret,
we dissolved from the inside
within each other’s perfect hands.
we’d bring stars, billions to
the gravestone of the moon, poor
thing, where little dewdrops form
on all your enemies, still fighting.
February 2, 2026 at 10:32 PM
from "I love you in the new year" by Simone Parker
January 1, 2014
sometimes, in secret,
we dissolved from the inside
within each other’s perfect hands.
we’d bring stars, billions to
the gravestone of the moon, poor
thing, where little dewdrops form
on all your enemies, still fighting.
January 1, 2014
sometimes, in secret,
we dissolved from the inside
within each other’s perfect hands.
we’d bring stars, billions to
the gravestone of the moon, poor
thing, where little dewdrops form
on all your enemies, still fighting.
from "Pretty Bottles All in a Row" by Carol Parris Krauss
My grandparents’ home was thumb-smashed
into the side of a mountain. The garage
a dark cave with drills, hammers, and chains
crisscrossing from the rafters. Above it was
a wide porch. A swing at one end and a slider
My grandparents’ home was thumb-smashed
into the side of a mountain. The garage
a dark cave with drills, hammers, and chains
crisscrossing from the rafters. Above it was
a wide porch. A swing at one end and a slider
February 2, 2026 at 9:17 PM
from "Pretty Bottles All in a Row" by Carol Parris Krauss
My grandparents’ home was thumb-smashed
into the side of a mountain. The garage
a dark cave with drills, hammers, and chains
crisscrossing from the rafters. Above it was
a wide porch. A swing at one end and a slider
My grandparents’ home was thumb-smashed
into the side of a mountain. The garage
a dark cave with drills, hammers, and chains
crisscrossing from the rafters. Above it was
a wide porch. A swing at one end and a slider
"Stepping Out of Angel's Share in Late July" by Christine Degenaars
Once again, I’m done up
in a good-time-girl attitude, and there’s a man
who’s walking past, saying: how can I talk
to any female, they don’t understand.
I want to grab his belt loop,
Once again, I’m done up
in a good-time-girl attitude, and there’s a man
who’s walking past, saying: how can I talk
to any female, they don’t understand.
I want to grab his belt loop,
February 2, 2026 at 8:00 PM
"Stepping Out of Angel's Share in Late July" by Christine Degenaars
Once again, I’m done up
in a good-time-girl attitude, and there’s a man
who’s walking past, saying: how can I talk
to any female, they don’t understand.
I want to grab his belt loop,
Once again, I’m done up
in a good-time-girl attitude, and there’s a man
who’s walking past, saying: how can I talk
to any female, they don’t understand.
I want to grab his belt loop,
If I had it to do over again, how would I do it differently? #writers #writingprompt
February 2, 2026 at 6:45 PM
If I had it to do over again, how would I do it differently? #writers #writingprompt
Rob Greene is the founder and publisher of Raleigh Review, where the overall mission states a belief that “empathy allows us to see through the eyes of our neighbors, whether across the street or across the globe.”
Biloxi Back Bay: Poems by Rob Greene — Rockwood Press
These poems don’t flinch. They listen. They remember. They rise from the water shining.
www.rockwoodpress.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Rob Greene is the founder and publisher of Raleigh Review, where the overall mission states a belief that “empathy allows us to see through the eyes of our neighbors, whether across the street or across the globe.”
Biloxi Back Bay is a baptism in saltwater and survival—a fierce, unflinching hymn to the Gulf Coast and the hard lessons it breeds. Rob Greene writes with the precision of someone who’s lived every line, turning poverty, addiction, and boyhood endurance into poetry that feels both bruised and holy.
February 2, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Biloxi Back Bay is a baptism in saltwater and survival—a fierce, unflinching hymn to the Gulf Coast and the hard lessons it breeds. Rob Greene writes with the precision of someone who’s lived every line, turning poverty, addiction, and boyhood endurance into poetry that feels both bruised and holy.
This is something any of us can do and that all of us must. The people of Minneapolis (and so many others across time) are helping us to see what is possible
Many Minnesotans are self-consciously organizing as a broad united front against fascism with the humility, compromises, and solidarity that requires.
Labor, community orgs, faith communities, small businesses, school and child care social networks, nonprofits... are the base.
Labor, community orgs, faith communities, small businesses, school and child care social networks, nonprofits... are the base.
📢 FRIDAY, JANUARY 23 - Meet at The Commons in Downtown Minneapolis at 2 pm for a peaceful march in community. ❌🧊
💌 Minnesotans have shown the world how much we care for our neighbors. The world has shown us support back. Our solidarity is our strength. Our joyful resistance is rooted in love ✊
💌 Minnesotans have shown the world how much we care for our neighbors. The world has shown us support back. Our solidarity is our strength. Our joyful resistance is rooted in love ✊
February 2, 2026 at 1:42 PM
This is something any of us can do and that all of us must. The people of Minneapolis (and so many others across time) are helping us to see what is possible
Reposted by HALSEY Literary Reader
that little girl has every right to be on the sidewalk of her own damn city. she lives here. i don't want to hear any shit about how she shouldn't have been down there. she is a citizen of portland oregon and she is entitled to use of our public sidewalks at all times
February 1, 2026 at 3:26 AM
that little girl has every right to be on the sidewalk of her own damn city. she lives here. i don't want to hear any shit about how she shouldn't have been down there. she is a citizen of portland oregon and she is entitled to use of our public sidewalks at all times
Reposted by HALSEY Literary Reader
If your children got tear gassed today I want to hear from you, even if you don’t live in my district. You can contact my office at [email protected]
February 1, 2026 at 6:06 AM
If your children got tear gassed today I want to hear from you, even if you don’t live in my district. You can contact my office at [email protected]
"A friend of mine who has watched fascist takeovers of Central and South American countries has advised me to keep my mouth shut and stay safe and keep a low profile. I haven’t done that. We don’t give a shit about safe, and that has surprised everybody."
Letter From Minnesota: “Mad Means Something”
The greatest poem ever written about Minneapolis is a curse on the city. It‘s by James Wright, who wrote “The Minneapolis Poem” and published it in Shall We Gather at the River in 1968. He hated th…
lithub.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:17 PM
"A friend of mine who has watched fascist takeovers of Central and South American countries has advised me to keep my mouth shut and stay safe and keep a low profile. I haven’t done that. We don’t give a shit about safe, and that has surprised everybody."
"Could This Be Where I Premiere My Memories?"
—AceBot on what-would-i-say.com
The end of the year means now I begin
more recent stories, saying “This was back in X.”
Perception of distance through the fabric-
cation of time. I’m standing in January like it’s an airport,
—AceBot on what-would-i-say.com
The end of the year means now I begin
more recent stories, saying “This was back in X.”
Perception of distance through the fabric-
cation of time. I’m standing in January like it’s an airport,
January 30, 2026 at 8:01 PM
"Could This Be Where I Premiere My Memories?"
—AceBot on what-would-i-say.com
The end of the year means now I begin
more recent stories, saying “This was back in X.”
Perception of distance through the fabric-
cation of time. I’m standing in January like it’s an airport,
—AceBot on what-would-i-say.com
The end of the year means now I begin
more recent stories, saying “This was back in X.”
Perception of distance through the fabric-
cation of time. I’m standing in January like it’s an airport,
Hospitals, freeway underpasses, emergency rooms and public libraries provide the backdrop for these understated blues of memory and place. From the waterfronts of the deep South to the trainyards of the Northwest, they chart the ragged outskirts of contemporary America.
January 30, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Hospitals, freeway underpasses, emergency rooms and public libraries provide the backdrop for these understated blues of memory and place. From the waterfronts of the deep South to the trainyards of the Northwest, they chart the ragged outskirts of contemporary America.
Toni Ortner lives in Vermont and has thirty-three books published by small presses. You can find her books, reviews, and listen to a recording at toniortner.com.
Toni Ortner |
Audio: Toni reading on Stories We Tell Ourselves
toniortner.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Toni Ortner lives in Vermont and has thirty-three books published by small presses. You can find her books, reviews, and listen to a recording at toniortner.com.
"This work doesn’t need my name anywhere on it. This work needs me to put the name of the community I serve on the cover, and for me to show up as often as I can to help them build the next chapter."
Many thanks to Jen Knox and Unleash Lit for publishing my little essay about working at a public library.
www.unleashlit.com/p/a-stubborn...
www.unleashlit.com/p/a-stubborn...
"A Stubborn and Ornery Hope" by Darren C. Demaree
Mini Portraits of America: Day in the Life series
www.unleashlit.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:52 PM
"This work doesn’t need my name anywhere on it. This work needs me to put the name of the community I serve on the cover, and for me to show up as often as I can to help them build the next chapter."
Reposted by HALSEY Literary Reader
🚨Pub Alert🚨
CSU poetry candidate El Bentivegna has published their debut chapbook — Confirm Humanity — with Rockwood Press
www.rockwoodpress.com/bookstore/p/...
CSU poetry candidate El Bentivegna has published their debut chapbook — Confirm Humanity — with Rockwood Press
www.rockwoodpress.com/bookstore/p/...
Confirm Humanity: Poems by El Bentivegna — Rockwood Press
Bentivegna’s Confirm Humanity captures the meandering no-where-to-go-ness of Trump’s post-pandemic America; they do so with a modern poetic flair, a barrage of the pain of thinking, “making it about /...
www.rockwoodpress.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:09 PM
🚨Pub Alert🚨
CSU poetry candidate El Bentivegna has published their debut chapbook — Confirm Humanity — with Rockwood Press
www.rockwoodpress.com/bookstore/p/...
CSU poetry candidate El Bentivegna has published their debut chapbook — Confirm Humanity — with Rockwood Press
www.rockwoodpress.com/bookstore/p/...
Reposted by HALSEY Literary Reader
NEPC Member Richard Jordan’s chapbook, “Spotting the Rise”, published by Rockwood Press, is now available! Get your copy here: https://loom.ly/NZjfW8o
December 19, 2025 at 2:06 PM
NEPC Member Richard Jordan’s chapbook, “Spotting the Rise”, published by Rockwood Press, is now available! Get your copy here: https://loom.ly/NZjfW8o
Reposted by HALSEY Literary Reader
In this week's #SundressReads, Ana Mourant Kenneth Pobo's newest poetry collection, At the Window, Silence, available now from Fernwood Press! sundressblog.com/2025/10/21/s...
Sundress Reads: Review of At the Window, Silence - The Sundress Blog
Part modern and part reminiscent of Romantic era poetry, At the Window, Silence (Fernwood Press, 2025) by Kenneth Pobo elicits the reader’s emotional side through combining commonly identifiable exper...
sundressblog.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:41 PM
In this week's #SundressReads, Ana Mourant Kenneth Pobo's newest poetry collection, At the Window, Silence, available now from Fernwood Press! sundressblog.com/2025/10/21/s...
Reposted by HALSEY Literary Reader
I’m just going to keep publicly educating on all the players here and their roles/powers because every part of government needs to be using the levers we have to stop this machine and we need everyone to do their part.
January 30, 2026 at 4:37 AM
I’m just going to keep publicly educating on all the players here and their roles/powers because every part of government needs to be using the levers we have to stop this machine and we need everyone to do their part.
Tricia Gates Brown has two books forthcoming from Fernwood Press, one of the imprints we work with under the umbrella of our parent company, Barclay Press:
Why 2016 Still Matters: Immigration, DJT, & the Before-Times
On 2016, Trump, and U.S. immigration—how complacency, fear, and scapegoating reshaped America and endangered vulnerable communities.
www.patheos.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Tricia Gates Brown has two books forthcoming from Fernwood Press, one of the imprints we work with under the umbrella of our parent company, Barclay Press:
Our own Scott LaMascus will appear at this year's 21st Annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival
2026: Scissortail Biographies
Rilla Askew is the author of five novels, two books of stories, and a collection of creative nonfiction. She’s a PEN/Faulkner Finalist and ...
ecuscissortail.blogspot.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:48 PM
Our own Scott LaMascus will appear at this year's 21st Annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival
In April, Montrose will complete the series by welcoming Theresa Monteiro, an award-winning poet, whose work has been published in the American Journal of Poetry, River Heron Review, and whose first book of poetry was published by Fernwood Press in 2024.
'Women of Noble Purpose' speakers at Montrose, Medfield
This academic year, Montrose School, an independent school in Medfield, for girls in grades six to 12 guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church, is welcoming three accomplished women to their cam
thebostonpilot.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:32 PM
In April, Montrose will complete the series by welcoming Theresa Monteiro, an award-winning poet, whose work has been published in the American Journal of Poetry, River Heron Review, and whose first book of poetry was published by Fernwood Press in 2024.
Poetry and activism - a combination so obvious I keep expecting to find it everywhere
Activism does not always need to create conflict to be effective. Resistance can work by flowing in unexpected directions.
This new book leverages the poetry of Daoist text to propose new kinds of 21st century solutions. Available now for pre-order.
#booksky
This new book leverages the poetry of Daoist text to propose new kinds of 21st century solutions. Available now for pre-order.
#booksky
The Activist: A Daoist Protest Manual
The Activist: A Daoist Protest Manual [Fried, Daniel] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Activist: A Daoist Protest Manual
a.co
January 29, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Poetry and activism - a combination so obvious I keep expecting to find it everywhere
One of my older images from a walk near Gates, Oregon
"In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love, and the ability to ask questions. Which are, at the same time, the fires that warm us and the fires that scorch us."
~ Mary Oliver, ‘Winter Hours’ (1999)
#Photography Eric Muhr
~ Mary Oliver, ‘Winter Hours’ (1999)
#Photography Eric Muhr
January 29, 2026 at 10:12 PM
One of my older images from a walk near Gates, Oregon