We are pleased to announce a new reading series that will be coming to Philadelphia in 2023. A formal announcement of when and where and who will be forthcoming in January of 2023.
Enjoy the holidays!
North of Oxford
philadelphia
Most Read Reviews @ North of Oxford 2022
Just in time for holiday shopping! Most read reviews as determined by the readership of North of Oxford
Casualty Reports by Martha Collins
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/10/01/casualty-reports-by-martha-collins/
All the Songs We Sing – Edited by Lenard D. Moore
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/04/01/all-the-songs-we-sing-edited-by-lenard-d-moore/
A Poetics of the Press: Interviews with Poets, Printers, & Publishers edited by Kyle Schlesinger
Smoking the Bible by Chris Abani
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/04/01/smoking-the-bible-by-chris-abani/
Contra natura by Rodolfo Hinostroza Translated by Anthony Seidman
The Flash Fiction of Lydia Davis
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/03/01/the-flash-fiction-of-lydia-davis/
The Upright Dog by Carl Fuerst
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/06/01/the-upright-dog-by-carl-fuerst/
Punks: New & Selected Poems by John Keene
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/03/01/punks-new-selected-poems-by-john-keene/
The World’s Lightest Motorcycle by Yi Won, Translated from Korean by E. J. Koh and Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello
getting away with everything by Vincent Cellucci and Christopher Shipman
Along the Way by Scott Pariseau
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/11/01/along-the-way-by-scott-pariseau/
A Feeling Called Heaven by Joey Yearous-Algozin
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/01/01/a-feeling-called-heaven-by-joey-yearous-algozin/
Poolside at the Dearborn Inn by Cal Freeman
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/10/01/poolside-at-the-dearborn-inn-by-cal-freeman/
Your Nostalgia Is Killing Me by John Weir
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/05/01/your-nostalgia-is-killing-me-by-john-weir/
The Bar at Twilight by Frederic Tuten
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/11/01/the-bar-at-twilight-by-frederic-tuten/
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Ten Most Read Poets @ North of Oxford 2022
Ten most read poets as determined by the readership of North of Oxford for 2022
How Dreams Grow by Manasi Diwakar
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/03/12/how-dreams-grow-by-manasi-diwakar/
Layers of Blankets by Doug Holder
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/08/08/layers-of-blankets-by-doug-holder/
Pandemic of Violence Anthology II – Poets Speak
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/08/20/pandemic-of-violence-anthology-ii-poets-speak/
The Ballad of Morbid and Putrid By Sawyer Lovett
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/01/11/the-ballad-of-morbid-and-putrid-by-sawyer-lovett/
Pandemic of Violence Anthology I – Poets Speak
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2021/12/27/pandemic-of-violence-anthology/
Sisson’s by Eric D. Goodman
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/01/11/sissons-by-eric-d-goodman/
High Stakes by Ryan Quinn Flanagan
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/02/12/high-stakes-by-ryan-quinn-flanagan/
Two Poems by Susana H. Case
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/02/12/two-poems-by-susana-h-case/
The Game by Matthew Ussia
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/10/16/the-game-by-matthew-ussia/
Two Poems by Kerry Trautman
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/2022/02/12/two-poems-by-kerry-trautman/
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A Great Afternoon of Poetry
Thanks to poets Thaddeus Rutkowski, Amy Barone, Peter Baroth, J.C. Todd, Evan Anders and Dave Worrell for an outstanding afternoon of poetry hosted by Diane Sahms-Guarnieri. North of Oxford presented an Autumn Poetry Reading at Chase’s Hop Shop. Thanks to Frank Huynh for hosting us. Here are some photographs of the event in no particular order.
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North of Oxford Presents – National Poetry Month @ Chase’s Hop Shop – 4-30-22
North of Oxford Presents
Live
National Poetry Month @ Chase’s Hop Shop
7235 Rising Sun Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19111
April 30th – 2pm to 5pm
Poets Reading
Diane Sahms-Guarnieri, a native Philadelphia poet living in Lawndale since 1986, is author of four full-length poetry collections and most recently a chapbook, COVID-19 2020 A Poetic Journal (Moonstone Press, 2021). Published in North American Review, Sequestrum Journal of Literature & Arts and Brushfire Literature & Arts Journal, among others, she is poetry editor at North of Oxford’s online literary journal and teleworks full-time for the government. www.dianesahmsguarnieri.com .
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Charles Rammelkamp is Prose Editor for Brick House Books in Baltimore and Reviews Editor for The Adirondack Review. His most recent releases are Sparring Partners from Mooonstone Press, Ugler Lee from Kelsay Books and Catastroika from Apprentice House.
Sawyer Lovett is a writer, bookseller, and professor. He is a pretty good person, but he is always trying to be better.
Ezra Solway is a jack of some trades. A poet, fiction writer, reporter living in Philadelphia, where he earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Temple University. He has taught English in Akko, Israel; sold electricity door-to-door; and waited tables at a Japanese karaoke lounge, among other eclectic posts. Currently, he is the Assistant Editor of the Jewish Community Voice, a local newspaper covering Southern New Jersey. https://www.ezrasolway.com/
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Jane-Rebecca Cannarella (she/her) is a writer and editor living in Philadelphia. She is the editor of HOOT Review and Meow Meow Pow Pow Lit, and a former genre editor at Lunch Ticket. She’s the author of Better Bones and Marrow, both published by Thirty West Publishing House, The Guessing Game published by BA Press, and Thirst and Frost forthcoming from Vegetarian Alcoholic Press. https://www.instagram.com/anotherintro/?hl=en
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Paul Ilechko is the author of three chapbooks, most recently “Pain Sections” (Alien Buddha Press). His work has appeared in a variety of journals, including Rogue Agent, January Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Book of Matches and Pithead Chapel. He lives with his partner in Lambertville, NJ.
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Cleveland Wall is a poet, teaching artist, and maker of things out of other things. She performs with interactive poetry troupe No River Twice and with musical combo The Starry Eyes. Her first full-length poetry collection, Let X=X , was published by Kelsay Books in the fall of 2019. She is also the sole librarian at Books on the Hill, a mighty twig of the Bethlehem Area Public Library. https://www.clevelandwall.com/
Carl Kaucher is a poet, photographer, and urban explorer who lives in Temple, Pa. He is the author of two chap books, “Sideways Blues ( Irish mountain and beyond )”, “Postpoemed” and most recently “Peripheral Debris.” His work has appeared in numerous publications and on line. The writing explores his experiences wandering urban spaces near his home and throughout Pennsylvania. Using his photography and writing, Carl has been exploring the overlooked places and documenting the chance occurrences that happen to him and by doing so gives us the opportunity to reflect upon those similar events happening in our lives also. More info can be found at https://www.facebook.com/CarlKaucher/ and on instagram @Carlkaucher.
Dave Worrell is the author of We Who Were Bound and Close to Home featuring paintings by Catherine Kuzma. Dave’s poems have appeared in Slant, Canary, Heroin Chic, Shot Glass Journal, Referential Magazine, Wild River Review, and elsewhere. He has performed his music-backed poems at Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia and The Cornelia Street Café in New York. He began writing poetry toward the end of his 30-plus year law career, has taught writing at area community colleges and business law to undergraduates at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business.
Michael Griffith is a story-teller at heart, a teacher, problem-solver, and helper at heart. He has been freelance writing and editing on-and-off on the professional level for over 25 years. Michael has taught courses in communication, public speaking, mass media, film studies, logic, developmental English, and creative writing. He currently teaches for-credit classes at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, NJ and Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ. https://michaelgriffithwordpress.wordpress.com/
Host – g emil reutter
https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/
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Chase’s Hop Shop
https://www.facebook.com/Chases-Hop-Shop-319982001828515/
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From The Editors
Bicentennial City – Tonight July 3rd at 9 p.m.
BICENTENNIAL CITY
Though the city ultimately hosted over two million people, the 1976 Bicentennial in Philadelphia suffered from overblown expectations. In the wake of the Vietnam War and complicated by the provincial policies of a controversial mayor Frank Rizzo, the celebrations represented the promise of redeeming the economically troubled city. But it laid bare some pressing questions of America’s national identity. This essay film charts the struggles behind years of planning as it also spotlights the city as a place of resilient communal activity.
Directed by Thomas Devaney, Matthew Suib, and Aaron Igler. Produced by Haverford College’s Hurford Center/VCAM DocuLab Program and Hilary Brashear, Julia Coletti, Jixin Jia, Teddy Ogborn, Cole Sansom, and Grace Sue
Bicentennial City airs on WHYY TV12 Saturday, July 3rd at 9 PM EST. The film streams in July at: https://video.whyy.org/video/bicentennial-city-ggdm5m/
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A Pin Can Say So Much
GET VACCINATED NOW!
From our friends at Cheltenham Printing Company
This I Can Tell You by Brandi Spering
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By g emil reutter
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It is all here. Brandi Spering’s meditative reflections on part of her life; the dysfunctional/functional family; the steady Grandm; the making of the gravy; yellow tint of refinery air; and hard luck lives. Spering captures row house South Philadelphia; patronage system of local politics; and the never ending quest to understand the murder of her father, who was consistently inconsistent.
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Spering brings us into the 1990s with images of her grandfather in straw hat, cigarette in mouth grilling; grandmother waves away a camera as her mom walks around with a mullet and father in short shorts. This is a scene she has memorized. Spering jumps into Easter of 1994: captures Easter baskets wrapped in clear plastic, gathered and tied at the top with pink and blue ribbons. Tradition as much as the gravy is.
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She moves us through the book with ease. We meet the characters: siblings, parents, grandma, and friends in a powerful poetic narrative that always returns to her father. Spering details the absence and reappearances; his rehab from an accident; screws and rods in his leg; his apartment, a room he rented; and what would come. Spering also detailed her mother living with the grandma and then getting her own place and fixing it up. Her mom works a city job and stresses education to the kids. No matter the dysfunction the kids would do better than the parents.
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The continuing heartbreak:
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I told her it was impossible. That a father—his roommate—would never
leave his daughter behind. That a father would never take another father
from his children’s lives.
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Yet he did. No matter the drama of South Philly where two days before men with brass knuckles and a baseball bat were seen knocking on the door, or the roommate’s mother yelling He finally did it. Or the case to be made that her father was murdered because he was a witness to the murder of his roommate. The cops called it a murder/suicide. For reasons unknown the roommate shot Michael Spering and then himself. No arrest, no conspiracy theory.
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Upon hearing the news, she is driven back home from New York where she is studying. Upon arrival she meets extended family she never knew, all sitting in her mother’s living room. They too would leave as if they were never there because they never were. Spering captures the impact of her father’s death, yet throughout the narrative we learn bits and pieces of growing up on the streets of South Philadelphia, the unspoken strength of her mother, and Brandi Spering herself.
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You can find the book here: https://www.perennial-press.com/buy-this-i-can-tell-you
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g emil reutter is a writer of poems and stories. He can be found at: https://gereutter.wordpress.com/about/
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