"Big Island Beatnik" Now Available! 🌋

Happy pub day to Big Island Beatnik: Poetry & Photography from the Lower East Rift Zone (Alien Buddha Press), now available via Amazon

Read an excerpt here.




"The sweetest winds play
On this rugged coastline
Preserved in time today
As I offer my prayers here too…"

James Schwartz returns to Alien Buddha Press with Big Island Beatnik, his fifth release following Motor City Mix (2022), Sunset in Rome (2022), Long Lost Friend (2023), and Some Are and Most Aren't and It's Always Been Like That: Selected Poems 2004-2024 (2024). This collection drifts between poetry and photography, capturing the Lower East Rift Zone in all its burning, blooming, ever-shifting beauty.

Schwartz is a poet of movement—across landscapes, through memory, into transformation. Volcanoes churn, dolphins rise, crystal bowls ring. In sacred spaces and humid diners, in ash-covered beaches and moonlit bodies, he finds divinity, always. The rhythm is hypnotic, the vision uncontainable. Sit with these pages. Breathe. The Pacific is impossibly azure. The lava still flows.

FOREWORD by Rev. Dr. Raymont Anderson - Founding Minister and Spiritual Director of The Center for Spiritually Integrated Arts   

Michigan Volcano


Counting down to the May 2 release of my new book Big Island Beatnik

As a thank you to my readers I'm posting a previously unpublished non-fic poem (Michigan Volcano) here! Happy National Poetry Month! 


MICHIGAN VOLCANO 


On Michigan's Upper Peninsula 

The view from Summit Peak once was

Of molten rivers & steaming fissures  

Before time gave formation 

To glaciers & Great Lakes 


Waterfalls & red sandstone 

Sea caves & cliffs 

Evidence of volcanic eruptions 

The Midcontinent Rift revealed 

In water wonderlands, hidden landscapes 

 

Of Pictured Rocks Lakeshore

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness 

& the ancient lava flows on

The Keweenaw Peninsula

Still visible in the roadcuts.


Source: "How to explore a billion-year-old volcanic mystery along Lake Superior" by Jacqueline Kehoe


MLive: National Geographic Names Michigan's Upper Peninsula a Volcanic Tourism Destination 

"Big Island Beatnik" Press Kit 🌋


"James has a way of bringing words that marry both Amish and the later experiences in life as a non-practicing Amish together. He marries the two off in a unique way that display his own heritage and culture as well as assimilation into dominant culture." 

- Mary Byler, Author of Jezebel's Justice: Poetry and prayers for rebellious and disobedient folks 

Check back for updates and more reviews  



 



 "Big Island Beatnik: Poetry & Photography from the Lower East Rift Zone" BOOK REVIEWS 


James’ poetry spins through time and space like liquid gold, moving you on a dizzying journey of lush dreams and spare realities. They show you places that you’ve never imagined even as they let you open to your own creations. Seeing the world through his eyes, and his emotions has always been a pleasure, as well as an education. So plan to be amazed and amused as you embark on his new work, you will be richly rewarded!

- Sharna Eberlein, Author of Pele's Tears  

Dank new Alien Buddha Press chapbooks include Big Island Beatnik by James Schwartz. This is a book with themes of healing and spirituality in paradise. The haiku sequence "The Infinite Laboratory" is a tribute to Ernest Holmes, 'Telephone of the Wind" has a nostalgic effect. "Sleepcast Poem" is a poetic guided meditation. The photographs are beautiful even stunning. My favorite parts were the haiku sequence and poems on Kilauea volcano. 

- READER REVIEW 


The writings in Big Island Beatnik depict intoxicating vistas of discovery as Schwartz explores his surroundings through a lens of psychogeography, its influence on his search for spiritual context to his experiences. I am left with a feeling of haunting elegy, and yet Schwartz speaks not only of elegiac loss but of re-birth, replenishment and continuation, with exhilarating portrayals of volcanoes and skies and seas that are themselves living entities.  


u.v.ray (x.com/uvray_deceased) 



Happy National Poetry Month!


I'm attending Detroit’s Poet Laureate Jessica Care Moore's inaugural address titled “The G.O.A.T City: How Love, Resilience & 17 Syllables Can Amplify the Heart of Our City" to launch National Poetry Month

Alien Buddha 7in5

 I'm happy to have new and recent poetry and photography in Alien Buddha Zine #75 (Milestone Edition) - The 7in5 will drop in June! 

"Amish Road Trip"



My 2014 short story AMISH ROAD TRIP will be featured in the forthcoming Alien Buddha Press SUMMER SUCKS! anthology dropping in May!

Alien Buddha's Big Backpack Full of Soup Cans anthology

Now available! - Alien Buddha's Big Backpack Full of Soup Cans anthology! Includes my recent collab with poet Joshua Merchant!

“And then they have cans of soup. Soup. And they throw the cans of soup. That’s better than a brick because you can’t throw a brick; it’s too heavy. But a can of soup, you can really put some power into that, right? [...] And then, when they get caught, they say, “No, this is soup for my family.” They’re so innocent. “This is soup for my family.” It’s incredible. And you have people coming over with bags of soup — big bags of soup. And they lay it on the ground, and the anarchists take it and they start throwing it at our cops, at our police. And if it hits you, that’s worse than a brick because that’s got force. It’s the perfect size. It’s, like, made perfect.”

-- tRump


The Alien Buddha's Big Backpack Full of Soup Cans: Soup For Our Families (Malcontent Poems)


Alien Buddha Press exhibits a fearless collection of poetry that amplifies voices of the displaced, the rebellious, and the grieving. The Alien Buddha’s Big Backpack Full of Soup Cans (Soup for Our Families): Malcontent Poems is an anthology of resistance, sorrow, and persistence, featuring 34 poets from across this burning planet, challenging the cruelties of the world we live in with turbulent honesty.

This collection is a scream against injustice, a meditation on the sacred and the profane, a remembrance of those we’ve lost, and a witness to the strength of those who survived.

Happy 2025! 🥂

 


Blessing up a Little Free Library with my book! Out with the old, in with the new! Happy (almost) NYE 2025!

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas! The decorations in Detroit are beautiful and oh look the former house of Mark Twain's daughter where he stayed at and even wrote!

Christmas Poetry Podcast!

 Happy Holidays! Join me for a special Christmas poetry reading 12.22 at Eat the Storms podcast! 

#libraryappreciationmonth 📚


Dear Readers,

Happy autumn! Thank you to everyone who purchased a copy of my book Selected Poems 2004-2024 and came out for my Detroit readings this past  summer - I'm truly grateful and honored by your support. 

October is #libraryappreciationmonth so I would like to thank Detroit library for housing a copy of my book which can be checked out via the interlibrary loan by any Michigan branch, FYI. 



Some Are and Most Aren't and It's Always Been Like That: Selected Poems 2004-2024 (Alien Buddha Press)

Eccentric Orbits 5 anthology (Dimensionfold Publishing)

Eccentric Orbits 5 Amazon link



Eccentric Orbits 5 is now available via Amazon!

Science fiction poetry holds a special place in our cultural landscape. It invites us to stretch the boundaries of our imaginations, offering glimpses into worlds that are both different from our own and yet relatable through today's values. The genre of speculative fiction pushes the limits of possibility, allowing us to explore diverse societies and realities.

The poems in this anthology weave complex ethical and moral dilemmas. They tackle themes like the impact of technology on our lives, the potential dangers of AI, and the consequences of unchecked scientific progress. These verses remind us that our choices shape the future and challenge us to think about the kind of world we want to build for ourselves and future generations.

In this collection, you'll find a rich mix of voices from all corners of the globe and different cultures. Included are some of the finest poets in the speculative community, as well as a few newcomers making their debut. I hope their words intrigue you and open your mind to new possibilities, both fantastical and futuristic.

#capote100

 

So many writers have shaped or inspired me but none more so than Truman Capote! Read his short stories and travel writings! ♥️ Happy 100! #capote100 #trumancapote   

Eccentric Orbits 5 🛸

 Eccentric Orbits (Dimensionfold Publishing, available soon via Amazon) is an anthology of Science Fiction poetry highlighting sci-fi poets from around the globe, celebrating the diversity and unity of the poetic form.

 (Includes my Night Portrait of Kalapana

Featuring:

Angela Acosta

Andrew Burton

Stewart C Baker

Stephanie Barr

Catherine Brogdon

Kayla-Jane Barrie

Erin J. Bauman

Peter Cashorali

Christopher Collingwood

Jennifer Crow

Thomas Easton

Gary Every

Paul A. Freeman

Lee Garratt

Robin Rose Graves

Ken Goudsward

Alex Hernandez

Rikki Holland

Juleigh Howard-Hobson

Michael Hoffman

Deborah L. Kelly

Ngo Binh Anh Khoa

Deborah P Kolodji

Peter J. King

Blaise Langlois

Gerri Leen

Tumelo Michael Magadlela

Kyle A. Massa

Jennifer Moraca

William Mullins

Kimberly Nugent

Aminath Neena

Chrome Oxide

Michelle Oucharek-Deo

Juan Perez

Fiona Perry

Nick Romeo

Ryfkah

James Schwartz

Fariel Shafee

Joshua St. Claire

Rex Sweeny

R.C. Thomas

G.M.H. Thompson

Mary Turzillo

Rehka Valliappan

Thomas Van Horn

Mike Van Horn

Wendy Van Camp

Lynn White

Pooja Arshanapally

Allen Ashley

January Bain 

Robert Beveridge

Dan Brook

Faruk Buzhala

Dale Champlin

Linda M. Crate

Binod Dawadi

Billie Dee

Melissa Ridley Elmes

Kendall Evans

Mark A. Fisher

Erik Garske

Jean-Paul L. Garnier

John Grey

Fin Hall

Bradley Earle Hoge

Akua Lezli Hope

Jane Jago

Erin Jamieson

Alshaad Kara

David C. Kopaska-Merkel

Goran Lowie

R. C. Larlham

Richard Magahiz

Jack Massa

Mike McCormick

Michele Mekel

Gerald D. Nordley

Allene Nichols

Roxana Negut

Ramona Ridgewell

Negut Roxana

RK Rugg

Adriana Rocha

Joshua St. Claire

J. J. Steinfeld

Fabrice Stephan

Justin Sloane

Sean Stubblefield

Lisa Timpf

Liz Tuckwell

DJ Tyrer

Lamont Turner

Yulia Vereta

TD Walker

Ruth E. Walker

Ella Walsworth-Bell

M. Weigel

Jeff Young

“Fabulous science fiction poetry and scifaiku by a very talented international group of poets. There’s robots, there’s aliens, there’s intergalactic war, there’s the eternal quest for peace, there’s love found and love lost. Underneath it all, is the quest, the truth, and the realization of humanity.” – from the editor


Selected Poems 2004-2024

 The highlight of 2024 is the publication of my "greatest hits" collection "Some Are and Most Aren't and It's Always Been Like That (Selected Poems 2004-2024)" from Alien Buddha Press!  

Thank you for sharing this journey with me! 

*

James Schwartz's collection of selected poems, "Some Are and Most Aren't and It's Always Been Like That," offers readers a compelling journey through the intersections of identity, society, and personal experience. Spanning two decades of poetic exploration from 2004 to 2024, Schwartz's work delves into themes of LGBTQ+ identity, cultural heritage, societal norms, and the human condition with a raw and unflinching honesty.

One of the most striking aspects of Schwartz's poetry is his ability to blend personal narratives with broader social commentary seamlessly. Through his keen observation and introspection, he crafts verses that resonate deeply with readers, inviting them to reflect on their own lives and the world around them.


The collection showcases Schwartz's versatility as a poet, ranging from poignant reflections on his Amish upbringing to powerful expressions of queer pride and resilience. His use of imagery and metaphor creates vivid landscapes that transport readers to the heart of his experiences, whether he's navigating the complexities of love and relationships or grappling with societal injustices.


In addition to his thematic depth, Schwartz's poetic craftsmanship shines through in his attention to language and form. Each poem is meticulously crafted, with every word and line contributing to the overall impact of the piece. From free verse to structured forms, Schwartz demonstrates a mastery of poetic technique that enhances the emotional resonance of his work. 

Selected Poems 2004-2024


SOME ARE AND MOST AREN'T AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT: SELECTED POEMS 2004-2024 by JamesSchwartz (Alien Buddha Press) 

2 POEM EXCERPT  via Fevers of the Mind 

James Schwartz's collection of selected poems, "Some Are and Most Aren't and It's Always Been Like That," offers readers a compelling journey through the intersections of identity, society, and personal experience. Spanning two decades of poetic exploration from 2004 to 2024, Schwartz's work delves into themes of LGBTQ+ identity, cultural heritage, societal norms, and the human condition with a raw and unflinching honesty.

One of the most striking aspects of Schwartz's poetry is his ability to blend personal narratives with broader social commentary seamlessly. Through his keen observation and introspection, he crafts verses that resonate deeply with readers, inviting them to reflect on their own lives and the world around them.


The collection showcases Schwartz's versatility as a poet, ranging from poignant reflections on his Amish upbringing to powerful expressions of queer pride and resilience. His use of imagery and metaphor creates vivid landscapes that transport readers to the heart of his experiences, whether he's navigating the complexities of love and relationships or grappling with societal injustices.


In addition to his thematic depth, Schwartz's poetic craftsmanship shines through in his attention to language and form. Each poem is meticulously crafted, with every word and line contributing to the overall impact of the piece. From free verse to structured forms, Schwartz demonstrates a mastery of poetic technique that enhances the emotional resonance of his work. 

Open Letter from the Old Order Amish

 


An open letter from the Old Order Amish Church. 

Could this be leading to either a mass exodus of Old Order Amish churches and/or a church split? 

Amish Book Society 2024 - The Misfit Amish blog breaks down what this all means. 

Eat The Storms Pride Poetry podcast


 

Eat The Storms Pride Poetry podcast drops Friday! I'll be reading from my latest book, Some Are and Most Aren't and It's Always Been Like That: Selected Poems 2004-2024 (Alien Buddha Press)! 

A 2 poem excerpt and short Q & A is up today at Fevers of the Mind!

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