Friends, this is the final post of the Pandemic Poetry & Prose Project (PP&PP). We thank everyone for participating in the Project – all those who submitted, those whose pieces were published, those who read the posts every day, and those who worked behind the scenes to make it happen. Particularly, we would like to Read More
Pandemic Poetry & Prose Project
THE VISIT by Lesléa Newman
Lesléa Newman’s poetry books include Still Life With Buddy; October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard (novel-in-verse); I Carry My Mother, and I Wish My Father (forthcoming, January 2021). A past National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellow and former Northampton Poet Laureate, she lives in Hampden county. (Leslea is the person who had the Read More
The New Little Black Dress by Mary Ann Scognamiglio
Mary Ann Scognamiglio is a founding member of Straw Dog Writers and is retired. She enjoys sewing, reading, writing. The Pandemic Project has provided an interesting and unique viewpoint for writing and she has enjoyed reading the submissions. Making masks and working on her first murder mystery, be warned: “you might end up in my Read More
“After ‘Story’ by Richard Blanco” by Stephanie Shafran
Stephanie Shafran, a Northampton Straw Dog member, has published poetry and prose in journals and anthologies. Her chapbook, Awakening, was published in April, just as the coronavirus asserted itself and changed lives forever. A team member on this Project, Stephanie appreciated the opportunity to feel connected to a writing community during a period of profound Read More
Insides Out by Becky Jones
Long-time member and enthusiastic volunteer for Straw Dog Writers, Becky Jones sometimes leads bereavement writing groups, sometimes gardens, and sometimes tries her hand at poetry. She is poised to transition out of a significant role in her life and wonders what magic might happen once that door closes. (Becky had the role of Details Wrangler Read More
“Perspective” by Michael Allen Roche
Michael Allen Roche is an author from Hampden county. He is an active member of Write-Up Springfield. He shares his life and home with his husband, Earskin Sloan. His short stories have appeared in a variety of anthologies. He also enjoys writing memoirs, essays, and prose. “Perspective” Friday afternoon, on my way to the hospital… Read More
Report from under the leaves by Deborah Dill
Deborah Dill writes poetry, memoir, non-fiction, and is a public health nurse, urban habitat gardener, and Straw Dog member living in Middlesex County. Her poems have been published in Compass Roads, Peregrine, and anthologies. Her memoir, Believe the Bird: An End of Life Love Story is looking for a publisher. Report from under the leaves Read More
Beneath by Jennifer Delozier
Jennifer Delozier lives in Hampshire County with her husband, Greg, and their organic garden. She is a poet who counts on her fingers to get the right amount of syllables for Haiku. She is a photographer who succumbs to taking photos on her phone instead of her digital camera! Beneath Beneath the mask at the Read More
A Child’s Garden of Virus by Chris O’Carroll
Chris O’Carroll is a Straw Dog member living in Pelham. His grandchildren like some of his poems, but they really love A Child’s Garden of Verses. So he took “My Shadow” as a model for this child’s-eye view of the pandemic. A Child’s Garden of Virus after Robert Louis Stevenson I know a little virus Read More
Face Mask by Martha Cohen
Martha Cohen is a collage artist and recently retired librarian, living in Florence, who just started to write poetry again, after a long hiatus, to cope with a changing world. Though very appreciative of the existence of Straw Dog Writers Guild, she is too timid yet to become a member. Read More