New books are a critical element in the literary landscape, and a great personal accomplishment. What a let-down to have a book emerge to a pandemic lock-down instead of a live celebration.
Let’s fix that! Lit Youngstown is hosting an online Sunday readers series for authors of new titles.
The submission portal is here, for those whose books came out anytime in 2020. We look forward to celebrating and promoting these publications and their authors.
Please join us in congratulating many of our 2015-2019 First Wednesday and Fall Fest writers whose new books are coming out without the usual book launches and other gatherings to mark this important event. If you would like to support these authors by purchasing a book, please follow the links below.
Dead Shark on the N Train, poems by Susana H. Case
In this sassy, gorgeous book, Susana H. Case takes us on one helluva ride with a dead shark as fellow passenger, brought in from the beach and left on the floor of the N Train, its jaw decorated with a Metro Card, a cigarette and a can of Red Bull. The shark is just one of the stars of Case’s seventh volume of poems. Consider, as well, “Radiance,” a scorcher of a poem about a breast: “Lie with me, lie to me,/ until your tongue burns.” If you haven’t met up with Case’s work, it’s time you did.—David Tucker, author of Late for Work
High praise to Cherise Benton for designing this wonderful poster of the featured writers who have read for Lit Youngstown in our first five years. We are blown away by the talented writers who live among us or agreed to trek in to share their fine work. Continue reading
The 4th annual Fall Literary Festival Sept. 24-26… all online. What will we miss? Hugs. 
Spontaneous conversations. Jazz. Cake. But we’ll do our best to create a welcoming, interesting and enjoyable conference. This year’s visiting writers and presenters are outstanding, with a range of topics, genres and styles.
Take a look at the conference lineup here. We’ve included audio clips of some of our presenters.
Who will enjoy the conference? Readers and writers of any experience level who are comfortable with adult themes. We have a special price for graduate students and part-time faculty, and this year we’re making it easy for faculty to bring their whole college or high school class.
Join us for a First Wednesday Series reading by poets Diane Kendig & Hannah Rodabaugh. Open mic to follow. We will also be celebrating National Gingersnap Day. The reading will be live on Zoom and Facebook. If you would like to participate in the open mic, please register here.
Diane Kendig’s recent collections include Prison Terms and the anthology, In the Company of Russell Atkins. A recipient of OAC Fellowships and other awards, she has published poetry and prose in journals such as J Journal, Under the Sun, and Blueline. She curates, “Read + Write: 30 Days of Poetry,” now in its sixth year with over 2200 subscribers.
Hannah Rodabaugh received an MA in literature from Miami University and an MFA in poetry from Naropa University. She is the author of With Words: Verse in Concordance (Dancing Girl Press). She received grants from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, and the Alexa Rose Foundation, and she is a 2017 Artist in Residence for Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve. She works as a teaching writer at The Cabin and as a co-curator for Ghosts & Projectors, a Boise-based poetry reading series.
We sure will miss hanging out with you at the Soap Gallery, never mind that it will be National Chocolate Macaroon Day. But join us for the next best thing: these poetry readings will be off the charts! Open mic to follow. For an invitation to Zoom, please email LitYoungstown@gmail.com. We’ll open the Zoom Room at 6:30, Wed. June 3. Reading begins at 7:00. Or kick back and catch us on Facebook Live.
Originally from Troy, New York, Terry Provost is an adjunct professor of math at Tri-C, who has written poetry for over 20 years, performing it from Seattle to Providence. His two books are Compassionate Imperialism, and An Uncountable Infinity of Orgasms. He hosts Bowled Over by Poetry at Mahall’s in Lakewood, Ohio.
Lit Youngstown board of directors member Nicole Robinson’s poems have appeared in Great River Review, The Columbia Journal, CALYX, and elsewhere. She has received an Individual Excellence Award for poetry from the Ohio Arts Council and holds an MFA in poetry from Ashland University. Robinson is the Narrative Medicine Coordinator at Akron Children’s Hospital.
We are excited to be hosting children’s and teen’s author Janet Wong at the Fall Literary Festival in September! To see why we’re so stoked, spend a moment listening to this interview with Janet and local, highly acclaimed children’s author Anthony Manna.
Aren’t you glad your feet are at the bottom of your legs?
What if your feet were at the end of your arms?
You would have to grab things with your toes
You might bite your toes when you eat a sandwich
And it would smell like sweat
You would have to walk upside down
And you would probably get a headache Continue reading
Join us in profound thanks for a programming grant from the Youngstown Foundation Charles W. Darling Family Endowment Fund. The $5615 grant will support programs in 2020 and 2021, including the First Wednesday Readers Series, the monthly Teen Writers Workshop, Adult-teen creative writing classes, and a paid internship to provide support for the Fall Literary Festival.
We are honored to celebrate the legacy of the late history professor Charles W. Darling, known for the folk music show on WYSU that ran 48 years. He was also the author of science fiction novels. The Foundation’s gift will support other Youngstown and regional writers, and we thank them.
