SUMMER SUCKS!!! (Alien Buddha Press, 2025)
Featuring Amish Road Trip by James Schwartz
THE ALIEN BUDDHA'S BIG BACKPACK FULL OF SOUP CANS (2025)
(Alien Buddha Press, 2024)
Psalms of The Alien Buddha 3: The Final Track a final, frenzied jam session.
Each piece in this collection is a track on an album that you didn’t know you needed until you pressed play. It’s like being handed a mixtape from a friend who understands your mind—the tracks that aren’t played on the radio, the ones you find stoned at 2 AM.
This final track isn’t a fade-out—it’s an explosion, a cacophony of sound and fury. The Alien Buddha plays conductor, bringing together these voices to create something that is more than the sum of its parts. Psalms of The Alien Buddha 3: The Final Track will stay with you like a hook caught in your head.
This edition features previews of new releases from Shaun Rouser, Jeremy Nathan Marks, JD Clapp, Linda M. Crate, Taylor Dibbert, Sean Lynch, Jessica Harman, Amrita Valan, Walden Quinn Caesar, Jason Fisk, Sarah R New, Alex Grehy, Jim Meirose, Jay Rafferty, Gonzalo F. Mendez, James Schwartz, Ahmad Al-Shahawy, and Salwa Gouda; and additional work from Tommy Today, Jennifer Lemming, Casey Renee Kiser, and many more.
(DIMENSIONFOLD PUBLISHING, 2024)
“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
(Alien Buddha Press, July 4, 2024)
SOME ARE AND MOST AREN'T AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT
(SELECTED POEMS 2004 - 2024)
THE ALIEN BUDDHA LOVES YOU (Nov. 2023)
Poetry & art inspired by Prince, Lana Del Rey, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Ava Gardner, Iggy Pop, Jack Kerouac, Meat Loaf, Portishead, John Keats, Gregory Corso, Beth Hart, The Cure, Morrissey, Bruce Springsteen, Buddy Holly, The National, Nick Drake, Syd Barrett, KD Lang, Monet, Picasso, Walt Whitman, Burroughs, Joni Mitchell & more.
Interviews with Damon Krukowski (Damon & Naomi/Galaxie 500/Magic Hour), Jolie Holland, Britta Phillips (from 2022 Dean & Britta, Luna) Frank Watkinson (from 2022) & Franz Nicolay (Hold Steady,World/Inferno Friendship Society)
Contributors include: David L O'Nan, HilLesha O'Nan, Geoffrey Wren, Carla Sarett, Giuseppina Brandi, Margaret Vibolsittiseri, Jennifer Patino, Marisa Silva-Dunbar, rp Verlaine, Jackie Chou, Adrian Ernesto Cepeda, Sarah Wallis, Pasithea Chan, Monica Sharp, Matthew Freeman, Margaret Royall, Shine Ballard, Merritt Waldon, Mukund Gnanadesikan, Laura Grevel, Jeremy Limn, Dunstan Carter, Jared Morningstar, Ryan Keating, Lawrence Miles, Kevin Hibshman, Christina Strigas, James Schwartz, Nick Lacke, R.G. Evans, Clive Gresswell, Norb Aikin, Stephen Kingsnorth, Ethan McGuire, John Donley, Elizabeth Cusack
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WALTZIN' THROUGH RUSTY CAGES (2023)
Featuring photography by James Schwartz
Elliott Smith was a master of hushed, whisper-like singing, wasn’t he? The subtlety with which he could convey pain was unmatched. However, Elliott’s life mirrored the melancholy of his songs. He battled depression, alcohol & drug abuse while simultaneously creating soulful music. His tragic and untimely death shockingly mirrored the dark underbelly of his musical narratives.
Chris Cornell was contrasting of Smith’s soft murmurs, he was renowned for his loud, rousing voice. Could there be any other frontman who could lead powerful bands like Soundgarden and Audioslave like he did? Cornell’s voice vibrated like a thunderstorm, echoing his own internal tumult. Sadly, just like Smith, Cornell wrestled with emotions. His soulful roar was swiftly silenced too soon, a tragic echo of an extraordinary life.
If you’re anything like me who holds a special place for music in their hearts, you’d probably appreciate the immersive world that Elliott Smith and Chris Cornell created for their listeners.
Contributors: David L O'Nan, Isaac Denton Art, Hilary Otto, HilLesha O'Nan, Chris Dean, Mike Zone, Clare O'Brien, SPRIHA KANT, Robert Frede Kenter, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Lynn Elliott, Khadeja Ali, Jennifer Patino, Afta Gley, K Weber, Jess Levens, Giulio Magrini, Celina Caesar, Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, Rob Plath, Sam McKeown, James Schwartz
This is not only a Jack Kerouac inspired anthology this is also a
poetry inspired by Charles Bukowski
Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda, MLK
In this edition includes: David L O'Nan, HilLesha O'Nan, Kushal Poddar, Elizabeth Cusack, art by Giuseppina Brandi, Rp Verlaine, MF Drummy, James Schwartz, Joe Kidd, Ron Whitehead, Jackie Chou, Jeremy Limn, SPRIHA KANT, Jeffrey Mason, Diana Archdeacon, Abel Johnson Thundil, Joan Hawkins, John Guzlowski, Michelle Marie Jacquot, Maggs Vibo, R.D. Johnson (Reginald Johnson), Aaron Wiegert, Merritt Waldon
This is writing and art inspired by Jack Kerouac, Townes Van Zandt, Miles Davis, Charles Bukowski, Chris Cornell, PJ Harvey, Marissa Nadler, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Loretta Lynn, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Gram Parsons, Elvis Costello and more.
Poets & artists included are Kushal Poddar, David L O’Nan, HilLesha O’Nan, Elizabeth Cusack, Giuseppina Brandi (art), Rp Verlaine, M F Drummy, James Schwartz, Joe Kidd, quotes from Ron Whitehead’s poem about Kerouac, Jackie Chou, Jeremy Limn, Spriha Kant, Jeffrey Mason, Diana Archdeacon, Abel Johnson Thundil, Joan Hawkins, John Guzlowski, excerpt from interview from 2021 with Michelle Marie Jacquot, visual piece from Maggs Vibo, Jared Morningstar, Jen Schneider, Pam Avoledo, Pasithea Chan, Whiskey Radish (poetry/art), Adrian Ernesto Cepeda, Aaron Bowker, R.D. Johnson, Jeffrey Mason, DK Snyder, Christian Garduno, Lawrence Miles, Aaron Wiegert, Merritt Waldon, Kevin Crowe.
THE EMPATH DIES IN THE END (2023)
This edition of Fevers of the Mind Poetry & Art Issue 6: "The Empath Dies in the End" which includes collaboration pieces from poet/editor David L O'Nan that he constructed with other great poets & writers including Ron Whitehead, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Tony Brewer, R.M. Englehardt, Spriha Kant, John Drudge, Carson Pytell, Elizabeth Cusack, Amanda Crum, James Schwartz, Petar Penda. Also included is a photo prompt from K.P. DeLaney poetry/writings from Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Christian Garduno, Michael Igoe, Ethan O'Nan, HilLesha O'Nan, Pasithea Chan, Donna Dallas, Victoria Leigh Bennett, Kushal Poddar, Ceinwen E Cariad Haydon, Peter Magliocco, Tova Beck-Friedman, Joan Hawkins, Lorna Wood, Vipanjeet Kaur, Matthew Freeman, Lesley Curwen, Merritt Waldon, Andrew Cyril MacDonald, Rp Verlaine, Oz Hardwick, Stephen Kingsnorth, K.G. Munro, Ava Tenn, Robert Pegel, Dee Allen, K Weber, Maria A. Arana, Aaron Wiegert, C.L. Liedekev, Jay Maria Simpson with artwork from her daughter Katy Simpson-Langley, staci-lee Sherwood, Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, Jennifer Patino, John Grey, Rickey Rivers Jr, Duane L. Herrmann, Doryn Herbst, Mike Zone, Jessica Weyer-Bentley, John Zurn, Jeremy Limn, Lynn White, art prompt poetry inspired by Rene Magritte, John D. Robinson, Monica Sharp, James Lilley, Mykyta Ryzhykh, Gabriella Garofalo, Sandrijela Ksagic (translated by Petar Penda) Rachel Coventry, Gayle J. Greenlea, Anneka Chambers.
(MAY 2023)
"The Alien Buddha Gets a REAL Job: Part 2" is a captivating anthology that skillfully weaves poetry and short fiction to explore the complex reality of work and its impact on our lives. This collection features an eclectic mix of voices and styles that delve into the intersection of labor, class, and identity, uncovering the ways in which work can both shape and limit us.
If you have ever worked a day in your life, this is a must-read. The collection presents an unflinching look at the realities of labor and how it affects us. Each work is thought-provoking and deeply moving, presenting a diverse range of perspectives from the struggles of working-class individuals to the challenges faced by those in the service industry. The themes of labor, sexuality, power dynamics, and the human condition are artfully explored.
This powerful and timely anthology captures the essence of what it means to work and live in today's world. It will leave you feeling inspired, uplifted, and empowered. Don't miss out on this extraordinary collection of works that offers a window into the gritty reality of work and its impact on our lives.
LONG LOST FRIEND (ALIEN BUDDHA PRESS)
When an Amish man is suspected of vampirism, religious hysteria, hexing, misinformation and mayhem abound in Long Lost Friend, a dark comedic micro-novella by James Schwartz (author of Sunset in Rome).
James Schwartz writes about truth, the grit of the Midwest, survival, life through perseverance of city life, depression, crimes and more.
Now imagine writing through the aspect of someone growing up Amish and also gay.
James writes with truth, brutal at times and completely a great storyteller with amazing imagery.
- David L O'Nan of www.feversofthemind.com
Sometimes the truth may be stranger than fiction. Superstitions may often abound in Amish country and communities. Some Amish culture is rich in superstitious lore as is Long Lost Friend. Thank you James.
- Mary Byler, author of Reflections and Memories of an Amish Misfit: "My therapist says that’s not true, but I digress"
AUGUST 8 2023
(LAUNCH 2.18.23)
THE ALIEN BUDDHA'S MICRODOSES (2022)
SUNSET IN ROME (ALIEN BUDDHA PRESS, 2022)
an homage to literary muse Denham Fouts and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and satirical queer coming of age micro-novella following Jakob, a young male hustler returning home to the Midwest and his Amish family.
"This is a story about beautiful anomalies in the Matrix."
Including a bonus selection of recent poems by the author.
Editor’s Reflection
We introverts spend a significant portion of our lives being told to “put ourselves out there more” or to “stop hiding.” Many rarely realize that our love of seclusion is a “personality style characterized by [our] preference for the inner life of the mind over the outer world of other people” (Psychology Today). It’s not to say we never enjoy the outer world with other people, we’ve just learned to appreciate the solace we find in the inner world. Oftentimes, that inner space is a place of meditative reflection, a location of pivotal escape, or a vantage point for us to view the human condition macrocosmically. Some would argue that our greatest journey as introverts requires us to free ourselves from the shame imposed on us throughout our lives. We don’t need to show up to a party to make ourselves heard. We don’t need to stand in the middle of a metropolis to make a statement. We don’t need to host soirees to entertain. We speak through our art and in these introverted worlds we weave, our whispers speak louder than shouts.
We introverts spend a significant portion of our lives being told to “put ourselves out there more” or to “stop hiding.” Many rarely realize that our love of seclusion is a “personality style characterized by [our] preference for the inner life of the mind over the outer world of other people” (Psychology Today). It’s not to say we never enjoy the outer world with other people, we’ve just learned to appreciate the solace we find in the inner world. Oftentimes, that inner space is a place of meditative reflection, a location of pivotal escape, or a vantage point for us to view the human condition macrocosmically. Some would argue that our greatest journey as introverts requires us to free ourselves from the shame imposed on us throughout our lives. We don’t need to show up to a party to make ourselves heard. We don’t need to stand in the middle of a metropolis to make a statement. We don’t need to host soirees to entertain. We speak through our art and in these introverted worlds we weave, our whispers speak louder than shouts.
It is rare when a poet will emerge that becomes a wonderful musician, artist, activist
and celebrated with a Nobel Prize in the end for writing.
He is a natural with words, freestyle to deeply thoughtful. Within metaphors that’ll
make you think inevitably if you study each line it’ll make sense in the end.
Bob Dylan came around when folk was almost bubblegum. It took him, Joan Baez,
Odetta, Dave Van Ronk, Phil Ochs to continue the folk that endured the same feeling
of hardships of a Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Leadbelly, the many blues and jazz musicians before. It was less about what Elvis, Buddy Holly, and what Chuck Berry was putting out (which definitely is a great style on itself) Dylan was about shifting, changing with the times, understanding what was to come and being 1 step ahead. He sung and wrote like an artist painting a picture. He is a storyteller. He wasn’t afraid to bring sarcasm, his truth to a story and laying it out for everyone the bones, the bruises, and the sweat . He had many muses to help him write to his perfections in writing. Whether it be personal relationships with Suze Rotolo, Joan Baez, his wife Sara, Carolyn Dennis, Edie Sedgwick, Nico, but also with musical counterparts such as Woody Guthrie, once again Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young. Influences in writing of Arthur Rimbaud, Dylan Thomas, and just exploring cities from Minneapolis to New York to London and exploring this world like Kerouac and Ginsberg & other beats. He had a natural flow of thought, passion & yes, bitterness but he wanted to protect the dignity of true art, and not lead it to what most people hear today on the radio, youtube, and more. He was always exploring his faith (another muse)? He made friendships and enemies and friendships with enemies. Everyone in music from the 60’s til now knew Dylan. Whether they liked his personality or not, they definitely had to have some form of admiration of his art. Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, The Byrds, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell (a frenemy at times), The Band, even Judas Priest.
Kindle & Paperback Links:
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India: https://tinyurl.com/5ebda55a
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France: https://tinyurl.com/2kahcd9v
Germany (Deutschland): https://tinyurl.com/fj24ed4s
Japan: https://tinyurl.com/33unzy8y
Australia: https://tinyurl.com/3c6kdhxe
Brazil: https://tinyurl.com/2p98w62w
Italy: https://tinyurl.com/mryn59us
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United Arab Emirates: https://tinyurl.com/ne6m3j73
PSALMS OF THE ALIEN BUDDHA 2 (ALIEN BUDDHA PRESS, 2022)
ALIEN BUDDHA ZINE #38 ALIEN BUDDHA PRESS, 2022)
MOTOR CITY MIX (ALIEN BUDDHA PRESS, 2022)
Is it the Blues he’s singing? For James, it’s like he’s been astral travelling across states for the last five years, having never really left home. And now, with a sense of homecoming flowing through his veins he bleeds us a picture of the land he’s laid his roots down in, melding images of natural landscape and iron architecture in simple zen-like lines of beat poetry that exhales the black smoke of Detroit factories to a kinesthesia of American history and modern pop culture.
James Schwartz is a modern day beat poet. I’ve been enjoying his work for a while now but with this little book he puts me in mind of Allen Ginsberg, d. a. levy and an old friend of mine, Tom Clark. We’re not merely consuming words here, we are left with a lingering perception inside us - a feeling and a thrill for a place we might never even have been.
It’s intensely American writing - and a little beauty of a book.
- u.v.ray, author of Drug Story
*
James Schwartz and I have much in common: we are both queer poets who have wandered far and foreign from our origins in the United States. And I also lived in Detroit for a bit but never enjoyed it as much as I do through Schwartz’s eyes, ears, and words. Schwartz wants his city to “Sing me Motown love songs.” His own Motown tape of love songs, photographs, and poetry in Motor City Mix makes me smile. I think I should have found more joy during my time in Detroit. Finally, with James Schwartz’s poems, I do. This book is, as Schwartz writes, a “homecoming.".
- James Penha @NewVerseNews
*
"Like James Schwartz I too am a big fan of Detroit, though I only spent a few days there. These poems beautifully evoke the city and my memories of that visit."
- Poet Edward Field
IN THE FAR DISTANCE SO MUCH IS BURNING (KINDLE EDITION, 2021)
OVERGROUND / UNDERGROUND MAGAZINE (#1 2020)
JUNE 2020: A PANDEMIC ANTHOLOGY (845 PRESS)
How to "purchase" a copy of each:
Financial hardship:
We know that this is a very difficult time, with unprecedentedly high unemployment and massive financial pressures for individuals and households. If you are unable to make a contribution, just email either press to let us know (include your mailing address), and we will make one on your behalf! You will immediately receive both the PDF copy of June 2020: A Pandemic Anthology AND the access password to view . A complimentary hard copy of June 2020 will be mailed to you when the hard copies have been printed.
- Given the Black Lives Matter protests against racial discrimination and the rise of domestic violence and other forms of insecurity for women and LGBTQ+ folx during the pandemic, the charitable focus has changed somewhat for this second round of chapbooks
- Make a donation or purchase that supports women’s shelters, domestic violence shelters, anti-domestic-violence initiatives, organizations supporting LGBTQ+ folx, or organizations supporting racial equality (including American community bail funds). Also eligible are receipts from small presses / indie bookstores for books written by LGBTQ+ authors, authors who belong to marginalized sexes/genders (including women/womxn), and Black authors. There is no minimum contribution amount
- Email your receipt and your mailing address to either 845 Press (thetemzreview@gmail.com) or Collusion Books (longconmag@gmail.com) to immediately receive both a PDF copy of June 2020: A Pandemic Anthology AND the access password to view . A complimentary hard copy of June 2020 will be mailed to you when the hard copies have been printed
- Receipts must be dated June 1, 2020 or later
Financial hardship:
We know that this is a very difficult time, with unprecedentedly high unemployment and massive financial pressures for individuals and households. If you are unable to make a contribution, just email either press to let us know (include your mailing address), and we will make one on your behalf! You will immediately receive both the PDF copy of June 2020: A Pandemic Anthology AND the access password to view . A complimentary hard copy of June 2020 will be mailed to you when the hard copies have been printed.
SWEETER VOICES STILL: AN LGBTQ ANTHOLOGY FROM MIDDLE AMERICA (BELT PUBLISHING, PRE-ORDER)
Edited by Ryan Schuessler and Kevin Whiteneir, Jr.
The middle of America—the Midwest, Appalachia, the Rust Belt, the Great Plains, the Upper South—is a queer place, and it always has been. The queer people of its cities, farms, and suburbs do not exist only to serve as “blue dots” within “red states.” Every story about the kid from Iowa who steps off the bus in Manhattan, ready to “finally” live, is a story about the kid who was already living in Iowa. Sweeter Voices Still is about that kid and has been written by people like them. This collection features queer voices you might recognize—established and successful writers and thinkers—and others you might not—people who don’t think of themselves as writers at all. In this book, transgender women and men are women and men, “they” and “them” can be singular pronouns, Black lives matter, sex work is work, and you don’t have to go to a gay bar to be gay—and it’s okay if you do, too. You’ll find sex, love, and heartbreak and all the beings we meet along the way: trees, deer, cicadas, sturgeon. Most of all, you'll find real people.
Featuring a foreword by Northwestern University professor Doug Kiel.
Contributors: Kemi Alabi, Samuel Autman, Neema Avashia, Lars Avis, Joss Barton, Yasmin Bashir, Jeffery Beam, Zach Benak, Taylor Brorby, Jasmine Burnett, River Coello, Edward M. Cohen, Brian Czyzyk, Harmony Cox, Gene Dawson, Patrick Del Percio, Dominick Duda, Joanna Eleftheriou, Aaron Foley, Christopher Gonzalez, Stacy Grover, Elizabeth Harper, Jackie Hedeman, Jessica Jacobs, C.J. Janovy, Jessie Keary, Owen Keehnen, River Ian Kerstetter, Doug Kiel, Jocelyn Krueger, Nichole Lohrman-Novak, Raymond Luczak, Ka “Oskar” Ly, K. Ann MacNeil, Mary Maxfield, Gabe Montesanti, Jennifer Morales, Kalene Nisly, Andriy Partykevich, Robert L. Patrick, Kay Patterson, Angela Pupino, Kai Minosh Pyle, Samer Hassan, Michael Schreiber, Sharon Seithel, L.S. Quinn, Jose Quinones, Sarah Sala, James Schwartz, Gregg Shapiro, Joel Showalter, Carmen Smith, Robyn Steely, Sylvia Sukop, Alyson Thompson, Janine Tiffe, Steffan Triplett, April Vazquez, Evan Williams
Pandemic Chapbooks Initative to support charitable giving.
POETRY in the TIME of CORONAVIRUS is an anthology of original submissions from the Poets of the World. Proceeds will benefit Doctors Without Borders and Partners In Health - two outstanding organizations supporting the fight against COVID-19 and countless other global health issues.
Please follow @p_i_t_t_o_c on Instagram to meet many of the poets who generously committed themselves to this charitable effort with their profound creative voices. We dedicate this project to all of the healthcare professionals tasked with treating the victims of Coronavirus. As well, our community of poets extends its compassion and love to all who have been affected by this terrible pandemic. Thank you for supporting our small effort to make a positive difference during this tenuous time. Edited by G.A. Cuddy with valued assistance from Liz Kobak. Cover art by Charlotte Knauth. Contributors: Melanie Maxey, April Leavenworth, Alison Hurwitz, Erica Klarreich, Declan Boyle, Mark Gibbons, Noelle Butkevic, Allan Safarik, Robert Lee, Mark Creavan, Joey Kent, Austin Benson, Patty Lovell, John Paul, Jean Scott, Carmen Micsa, Elizabeth Rogan, Sheri Knauth, Charlotte Knauth, Linda M. Crate, Graeme Beale, Sukhy Parhar, James Schwartz, Sandra Fox Murphy, Taylor Bruce, Paul Cowan, Jerry Gonzalez, Shaun Gant, Luanne Castle, Robert Lonsdale, A.J. Chilson, Kimberly Stowe Green, Andrew Dawson, Matt Nagin, Lewis Trotter, Elizabeth Foster, Priyanka Sacheti, Julie Hale, Chloe Graves, Kayla Graves, Liz Kobak, Susan J. Farese, Devon Weis, Tanya Palacios, Buddila, Siddhant Pardesi, Toni Halseth, Sandra Frye, Teri Gruenwald, Conrad NN, Frankie Acosta, Kendra Stanton Lee, Tony Grand, Peggy Gerber, Judy Lewis, Benedikt Pavolvsky, Alan Weltzien, Margaret Seven Wellman, Shardae Rudel, Moeze Lalji, James Douglas, Keerthana Dhakshinamoorthy, Becky Simmons, Yvonne Glasgow, Josh Massey, Madison Zehmer, Tianna G. Hansen, Maureen Barron, Sharon Simon, Chirayu Writer, Sameer Agrawal, Aldo Quagliotti, Jen Chicheseter, Jamie Murray, (Ren, b.), Ava Motes, Melissa Felson, Dr. Pallavi Narayan, Anonymous Girl (Shreveport, LA), Ajao Abdulqowiyy, Molly Shem Lynch, Bolawa Sunday Ojo, Gerald Wickham, Valerie Fern, Stacy Potter, Melissa Gill, LQ McDonald III, Laura Ogden, Eleanora Hristova, Serene Bavis, Anjuna, Dr. Dan Milner, Kshitij Thakkar, Dwiki Nugroho Mukti, Sito Fossy Biosa, Candra Prasetiyo Wibowo, Alex R. Hein, Airea Johnson, Taya Franco, Debarshi Mitra, Jeanette C. Vigliotti, Shineth Anne, Pamela Sumners, Manshur Zikri, Jennifer Lemming, Madison Gordon, Stephen Watt, John Evan Patrick, John Morgan, Lisa Nelson, Nicolas Correa, Marie Johnson-Ladson, Ahren Lehnert, Matt Steele, Peter Clive, Emily Simon, Gerry Whyte, Katie Elizabeth, Champagne Writers (Candace A. Williams, DiAna Smith-Brown, and Peggy Gerber), Kate Garrett, Lynn Ungar, T.L. White, B. (@sexinthe6ixblog on Instagram), Christopher Kent, Marc Beaudin, Shelby Clark, Christopher Kent, Abigail Tabor, Simon Medhurst, Theresa Bastian, Jayda Louise, Andi Talbot, Joelle P., Patrick Hart, Jen Hughes, Ross Wilcox, Chloe Hanks, Neel Trivedi, S.A. Mobley, Sara C. Marron, Kari Rittoo, Gayle Smith, H.C. Anhalt, and Isabel Morgan.
#1 New Release in 15-Minute Cookbook, Food & Wine Short Reads
- How do you make an "Amish Christmas tree"?
- How do you make the Amish breakfast staple "Coffee Soup"?
- What is the Hawaiian version of "Coffee Soup"?
NOW AVAILABLE!
PUNATIC (WRITING KNIGHTS PRESS, 2019)
"Organic and volcanic" Read a review here.
LOVEJETS: QUEER MALE POETS ON 200 YEARS OF WALT WHITMAN (SQUARES & REBELS, 2019)
Where the heck have you been, Walt Whitman?
Walt Whitman, author of Leaves of Grass, was born in 1819. The Stonewall riots happened 150 years later. On the bicentennial of Whitman’s birth and the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, over 80 poets pay homage to not only Walt Whitman, but also to queer poets and queer poetry and the vast and various events, revolutions public and private, that have shaken our world since 1819: who we are, where we are, where we have been, and where we might be going in the 21st century.
“This wide and impressive range of poetry echoing the spirit of Walt Whitman and his literary forebears demonstrates the essential embrace of community that we’ve always needed to feel whole with ourselves and among others, especially now during these tumultuous times. Celebrating what had to be largely hidden from view during Whitman’s day, the living queer male poets who grace the pages trumpet a glorious and unforgettable spectacle of passion and compassion.” —Richard Blanco, Presidential Inaugural Poet
A worthy homage. - SAN FRANCISCO REVIEW OF BOOKS
A worthy homage. - SAN FRANCISCO REVIEW OF BOOKS
THE WAYWARD SWORD: GRAND SHOWCASE (WRITING KNIGHTS PRESS, 2018)
THE WAYWARD SWORD: #RESIST (WRITING KNIGHTS, 2017)
During the days and nights following the massacre at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the world listened as various spokespersons attempted to explain to the general public exactly what the gay bar/club meant to LGBTQI people. The words “safe place,” “refuge,” “free to be ourselves” flew through the air. We queer writers grappled with the tragedy alongside our brothers and sisters. How could we express our feelings about the places where we could drop all pretense of conforming to the hetero-normative society’s rules? What words could we gather to let the rest of the world know the pain we felt upon losing so many beautiful strangers on a night in June and in a place that had been one of our havens? How and why does the gay bar intersect so many of our lives? The stories and poems living between the covers of this book attempt to answer those questions. Spend a few happy hours with us in our gay bars. **All profits from this publication will go to charities that benefit the LGBTQI community**
PUSHCART NOMINEE
NOT MY PRESIDENT: AN ANTHOLOGY OF DISSENT (THOUGHTCRIME PRESS, 2017)
Poetry. Fiction. Literary Nonfiction. Drama. African & African American Studies. Latinx Studies. Jewish Studies. Women's Studies. LGBTQIA Studies. California Interest. NOT MY PRESIDENT: THE ANTHOLOGY OF DISSENT gathers voices from around the world in this anthology, including National Book Award winners, visual artists, New York Times Best Sellers, a dozen poets laureate, singer-songwriters, high school students, and children of illegal immigrants, all united in their opposition to the policies of Donald Trump. A copy of the book was sent to every member of Congress and Donald Trump.
A truly diverse, impassioned, and heartening collection of voices united in horror, frustration, fury, and purpose. I have been reading a few pages each night at bedtime, and I marvel at how comforting it has been for me to see my own revulsion and anger at our current situation mirrored by so many voices from so many points of view. Each time I set it down, I am smarter, more focused, and more determined to right the wrongs that are taking place today. A truly wonderful book.
- READER REVIEW - POWELLS
QDA: A QUEER DISABILITY ANTHOLOGY (SQUARES & REBELS PRESS, 2015)
I’ve also found that close attention to the physical adds strength and focus to writing. QDA is an anthology that offers wild and affirming examples of this. James Schwartz’s poems “Scene” and “Bent” are just eight and six lines long respectively, yet one is sharply erotic and the other drops you deep into intimacy. And this is accomplished through pinpoint physical scenes—”
A crooked arm/Has enough strength/To grasp onto/His arching back.”
Read FULL REVIEW here.
A triumph of art. - WINDY CITY TIMES
READY, SEXY, ABLE
Startling, provocative - WORDGATHERING
JONATHAN: A JOURNAL OF QUEER MALE FICTION (SIBLING RIVALRY PRESS, 2014) AMAZON
Features stories by Mitch Kellaway, Wayne Courtois-Seligman, Jorge
Cino, Robert Siek, James Schwartz, Tom Hardin, Jae Christopher, Wes
Funk, Reginald T. Jackson, Jerry L. Wheeler, Patrick Pink, and Gregory
Gerard. Edited by Raymond Luczak.
BEST OF BOOKS BY THE BED 2 (BRIGHT CITY BOOKS, 2014)
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE (WRITING KNIGHTS PRESS, 2014) AMAZON
“On the road and on the prowl, James Schwartz delivers an explosive manifesto of personal liberation and revolution, from the Amish communities of Michigan to Putin’s bloody regime in Russia.” – CHER GUEVARA, poet / freelance journalist
THE LITERARY PARTY: GROWING UP GAY AND AMISH IN AMERICA
(inGroup Press, 2011) AMAZON KINDLE
"The Literary Party: Growing up Gay and Amish in America" helps us to see into one of these uniquely American groups and the ways in which it builds tight walls of protection around their world-view by destroying the internally unacceptable. James Schwartz shares with us a view point that is at the same time unique, fascinating, real, and also horrifying, as a young gay man growing up in a traditional Amish farm family. His voice, and his story, which we are allowed to glimpse through his poetry, helps us to understand what it may be like for such a cloistered view of the world from the inside out.
(inGroup Press, 2011) AMAZON KINDLE
EDGE REVIEW BY PAUL LANDERMAN
With apologies to Max Weber and Margaret Mead, any armchair
anthropologist or sociologist in North America worthy of cocktail party
chatter will be able to explain the propensity of sub-groups and clans
and tribes to gather into ever-tighter circles as the onslaught of
cultural evolution broaches their sacred world-view. The Mormons did it
in their westward trek in the 1840’s, the Quakers, the Mennonites and
the Jim Jones Temple folks and of course the Amish as well, all have
their stories of hiding from the realities of the then-perceived world
and its evils. The difficulty lays in the troubling fringe of each of
these groups, how to control, guide, indoctrinate, and sublimate their
individual members into compliance with group norms and expectations;
Ross Douthat of the New York Times calls it the paranoia of the
six-degrees of separation game.
"The Literary Party: Growing up Gay and Amish in America" helps us to see into one of these uniquely American groups and the ways in which it builds tight walls of protection around their world-view by destroying the internally unacceptable. James Schwartz shares with us a view point that is at the same time unique, fascinating, real, and also horrifying, as a young gay man growing up in a traditional Amish farm family. His voice, and his story, which we are allowed to glimpse through his poetry, helps us to understand what it may be like for such a cloistered view of the world from the inside out.
Certainly every such group in American history has similarities,
familiar trajectories, and expected time sequences: a coming-of-age
story in any other setting, East Los Angeles, for example, or
Bedford-Stuyvesant, or Salt Lake City, may stand on similar ground. What
helps us appreciate the struggle of Schwartz’ "Literary Party" is the
rare insight that is current, fresh, and authentic. I am still upset at
Tim Allen and Kirstie Allie for that horrible "For Richer or Poorer"
(1997), and I also have to suggest that all of hip-hop and rap combined
may not be as authentic as we wish it to be, at least in an
anthropological sense. I am still waiting for the Langston Hughes of
the twenty-first century, and I am not at all sure that even Martha
Beck, with her brilliance, is an authentic Mormon voice either.
Conversely, Schwartz seems to have made the transition to the mainstream
American cultural highway fairly easily: "In this time and at this
rate/ the world prefers its assassins str8./ Heros for heteros to
relate/ comfort for their grieving mate." Poetry is elastic, no matter
which culture upon which it focuses nor from which it may be derived,
and as a reader, my experience, world view, politics, religion,
sexuality, age, and ethnicity all come to bear upon the machinations of
my interpretation of any poetry, and in Schwartz’ work I can reflect on
not simply what he meant to say, but what the poetry is saying to me
right now and right here. The inferred message is, an Amish gay man can
speak to me and we can share some universality of human emotion and
cross-cultural meaning, and succeed in making the world a little easier
to deal with and a little easier to negotiate.
I am eager to see the maturation of this poet; in "The Pale City" ("From
the pale city/ beside the sea/ I traveled once more home/ to the fields
in hues of tea") helps us see the future of James Schwartz, an
authentic American voice, and that uniquely individual voice as well.
THE RAINBOW TIMES
An extraordinary collection of poetry. The poems are about love, rejection
and awareness. Although these are topics long written about, the poems
crafted by Schwartz are very different. They are raw, honest and
unpretentious with an underlying struggle to be Amish or understand his
childhood faith as an LGBTQ child of God. Each poem is a gem
demonstrating spiritual depth and awareness.
THE ADVOCATE HOT SHEET #6
Young poet and slam performer James Schwartz combines smart, passionate,
refreshingly unpretentious poetry and short stories in this staggering
illustration of his family problems, love, heartbreak, gay nightlife,
gay politics, and the lasting effects of his famously intolerant
religion and culture.
THE ADVOCATE BOOKSHELF
Beautifully
constructed poetry and poignant essays...
Do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy. It gives you a unique insight into a person
breaking free from a suffocating and restrictive environment to discover who he
is and provides a sense of optimism that maybe one day the Amish community will
become more enlightened and accepting of LGBT people in their community.
FOURPLAY #14: POETRY 4 FOOD 2 (WRITING KNIGHTS PRESS, 2013)
FOURPLAY #12: ALPINE SUITE (WRITING KNIGHTS PRESS, 2013)
Milk & Honey Siren is an anthology of poetry and short fiction. The collection, published by Nostrovia! Poetry, aims to bring forth poetry and writing to the youth. Many members of the younger generation stereotype poetry as a "whiny and pretentious". This anthology pushes against these stereotypes.
Rimbaud as a youth ran away from home to write, putting his poems on bits of paper. Poetry, for him, was the way to salvation. Rimbaud was a hooligan in his time, a Bad Boy when young poets were celebrities.
Well, poets are no longer celebrities in that sense, but youth poet Jeremiah Walton, manager of the press, Nostrovia! Poetry is attempting through edited anthologies, a guest blog, and other means to grab the attentions of young people and to fix them once again on poetry. His anthology, Milk and Honey Siren is a part of that effort. "Poetry," Walton writes, "has been labeled by young people 'whiny and annoying.'" He wishes to bring to his peers works that will elicit another point of view toward the literary arts and has largely succeeded in this collection.
There is no single style promoted in Milk and Honey Siren. The only criteria for inclusion in the anthology were quality and ability to address young people. Both active poets and emerging poets were included and they are not necessarily all young themselves.
This is not a transgressive collection. There’s some anger, but largely not. The concerns of the writers in this anthology are relevant even to those working hard for good grades in school. In the very entertaining "Doug Complex" by Lance Manion, one of a few short prose pieces in the anthology, the 17-year-old Doug worries that he will be grounded for obliterating the stars in the sky (one for every girl who has rejected him).
A set of "Invisible Monkeys" poems by Kyle Hemmings in particular caught my eye. Hemmings has written other invisible monkeys poems (prose poems) from a fantastical perspective. They evoke James Tate, but relate experiences of meeting a girl, pizza, pinball. There's even a critique of the literary establishment (called "Literary establishment") written in rhyme, but using it effectively, by Ben Saphiro, who has written several Kindle books.
A short poem I found particularly compelling was Nathan Hondros' "Migraine," with its imagery and fine last line:
it was a revelation
that knife I carried
behind the eyes –
if she had seen me clearly
she would have known how I carry death
in a hot iron
between the temples.
later, she was knee deep
in the Aegean. a sort of siren,
calling me in, her hands above her head, and
naked from the waist up.
instead I fell face first.
I lay in bed all day imagining this for her.
Also, Mike Murphey's "Blue November" sonnet, reproduced here in its entirety:
Where has my Nora gone? I do not see her
in our white painted room where her crucifixes
hang above the bed. I do not see her
in the garden where the blue rhododendrons
clamor for light. Where is my only girl
who makes the moonlight my midnight friend?
In this pitch less room, I must wait
with the antique barometer, the dried out roses
and the porcelain angel for the common crow
to break the silence of my nightly vigil,
claim my fitful sleep, claim my broken schemes.
Blue was her dream, blue, always her color
when she took handfuls of barbiturates,
when November rain returned with its idle words.
There are many references to pop culture in here, as would be expected in a collection designed to appeal to youth: Disneyland, comics, flat screen TVs. These work well in the collection. But there are also references to the Arab Spring, genocide, The Great Gatsby, Marc Chagall.
The reader can find poems to like here, from the aesthetic sparseness of Lauren Frament's "The Boy With Pomegranate Flesh Between His Teeth" or John Flynn's "Seismic" to the visually evocative “Release of the Cabbage Looper Moth” by Kristen Berger, to Adam Steiner's densely packed "The Waters Come Alive."
- GOODREADS REVIEW
Rimbaud as a youth ran away from home to write, putting his poems on bits of paper. Poetry, for him, was the way to salvation. Rimbaud was a hooligan in his time, a Bad Boy when young poets were celebrities.
Well, poets are no longer celebrities in that sense, but youth poet Jeremiah Walton, manager of the press, Nostrovia! Poetry is attempting through edited anthologies, a guest blog, and other means to grab the attentions of young people and to fix them once again on poetry. His anthology, Milk and Honey Siren is a part of that effort. "Poetry," Walton writes, "has been labeled by young people 'whiny and annoying.'" He wishes to bring to his peers works that will elicit another point of view toward the literary arts and has largely succeeded in this collection.
There is no single style promoted in Milk and Honey Siren. The only criteria for inclusion in the anthology were quality and ability to address young people. Both active poets and emerging poets were included and they are not necessarily all young themselves.
This is not a transgressive collection. There’s some anger, but largely not. The concerns of the writers in this anthology are relevant even to those working hard for good grades in school. In the very entertaining "Doug Complex" by Lance Manion, one of a few short prose pieces in the anthology, the 17-year-old Doug worries that he will be grounded for obliterating the stars in the sky (one for every girl who has rejected him).
A set of "Invisible Monkeys" poems by Kyle Hemmings in particular caught my eye. Hemmings has written other invisible monkeys poems (prose poems) from a fantastical perspective. They evoke James Tate, but relate experiences of meeting a girl, pizza, pinball. There's even a critique of the literary establishment (called "Literary establishment") written in rhyme, but using it effectively, by Ben Saphiro, who has written several Kindle books.
A short poem I found particularly compelling was Nathan Hondros' "Migraine," with its imagery and fine last line:
it was a revelation
that knife I carried
behind the eyes –
if she had seen me clearly
she would have known how I carry death
in a hot iron
between the temples.
later, she was knee deep
in the Aegean. a sort of siren,
calling me in, her hands above her head, and
naked from the waist up.
instead I fell face first.
I lay in bed all day imagining this for her.
Also, Mike Murphey's "Blue November" sonnet, reproduced here in its entirety:
Where has my Nora gone? I do not see her
in our white painted room where her crucifixes
hang above the bed. I do not see her
in the garden where the blue rhododendrons
clamor for light. Where is my only girl
who makes the moonlight my midnight friend?
In this pitch less room, I must wait
with the antique barometer, the dried out roses
and the porcelain angel for the common crow
to break the silence of my nightly vigil,
claim my fitful sleep, claim my broken schemes.
Blue was her dream, blue, always her color
when she took handfuls of barbiturates,
when November rain returned with its idle words.
There are many references to pop culture in here, as would be expected in a collection designed to appeal to youth: Disneyland, comics, flat screen TVs. These work well in the collection. But there are also references to the Arab Spring, genocide, The Great Gatsby, Marc Chagall.
The reader can find poems to like here, from the aesthetic sparseness of Lauren Frament's "The Boy With Pomegranate Flesh Between His Teeth" or John Flynn's "Seismic" to the visually evocative “Release of the Cabbage Looper Moth” by Kristen Berger, to Adam Steiner's densely packed "The Waters Come Alive."
- GOODREADS REVIEW
ALL POETRY IS PRAYER A FIRE ANTHOLOGY (2010)
An amazing collection of some of the finest poets to grace Fire's stage. They include some of the best page, stage and performance poets around.
