Ohio Poetry Association Blog

Adapted from a workshop delivered for the AOCI W.R.I.T.E.R.S. Group by Chris Minton What is a chapbook? Chapbooks were originally known as "street literature" because they were primarily sold on the streets by traveling salesmen known as chapmen. These small, inexpensive booklets contained a variety of content like ballads, folk tales, and religious tracts, and were a popular form of reading material for the common people, particularly those with limited access to more expensive books (for example, in rural areas). Today, chapbooks are normally used by poets to accomplish a specific objective, which may include: To create a sample of their work for publishers or other parties To target a specific, interested audience To get their work into circulation quickly To make it more affordable (for both the author and reader) To create enough work over time to warrant a full-length collection To demonstrate their commitment to the craft To give as gifts to family and friends Features of...

Columbus,OH – The Kelton House Museum & Garden will host a special Juneteenth Event focusing on drumming and poetry to lift the spirit and soul. The celebration will feature the drumming of Akwaaba , led by founder BabaaRitah Clark who is also a dancer at Djun'kendafala Dance Company. Ohio Poetry Association (OPA) and Poets Against Racism & Hate ( PARH)   USA will feature the following four award-winning and renowned poets: Susann Moeller,  a bi-lingual eco- and social justice poet, serves as Vice President of the Ohio  Poetry Association (OPA) and Chancellor of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies  (NFSPS). Chiquita Mullens Lee, acclaimed playwright and poet, serves as Arts Learning coordinator at  the Ohio Arts Council, performs with Columbus-based Wild Women Writing and leads Word  Warriors creative writing ministry. Karen Scott , published in anthologies, reviews, and zines, keeps her fingers on the pulse of all- things...

Jeremy Jusek: Welcome to  Poetry Spotlight  presented by the Ohio Poetry Association. I am your host Jeremy Jusek. And with us today is Hanif Abdurraqib. Photo by Andrew Cenci Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His poetry has been published in  Muzzle, Vinyl, PEN American,  and various other journals. His essays and music criticism have been published in  The FADER, Pitchfork, The New Yorker , and  The New York Times.  His first full length poetry collection,  The Crown Ain't Worth Much ,  was named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize, and was nominated for a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. His first collection of essays,  T hey Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us , was released in winter 2017 by Two Dollar Radio and was named a book of the year by  Buzzfeed, Esquire, NPR, Oprah Magazine, Paste, CBC, The Los Angeles Review, Pitchfork,  and  The Chicago Tribune , amon...