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You can buy my breath. I've been running a poetry marathon for the last month



...and the final stretch is in sight. Poetry is an art form that is mostly about sounds and breath. The syllable and words a poet uses creates the music that we know as poetry. It's more than just putting words onto paper, it's about breathing, and syllabic music, and making musical choices with words that surprise, delight, and shock. I'm on the last stretch and you can buy my breath, and donate to a non-profit that helps bring great, and mostly unknown literature to light.

This is for the writers the big houses ignore. This is for the voices that the media ignores.

I encourage you to donate to Tupelo Press, or to buy a subscription, or even one of their fine books. They've got a little bit of everything for the discerning reader.

Why donate? Because it will help Tupelo Press meet a matching grant. It puts writers, publishers, editors, and printers to work. In America.

Without leaving your armchair, sofa, or desk, you can donate a dollar or two via paypal to help Tupelo Press, a non-profit organization, raise money for a matching grant. Grant money, as you know is in danger of getting cut. From the high school levels and beyond, arts organizations have to fight for grant money. Regional, community, and local arts agencies are no different. Tupelo Press, from MA, is raising funds to match a grant that will allow them to continue excellence in publishing.

Why small presses? Why Tupelo Press? First, Tupelo has a grant in the shute, and needs matching funds to get the projects started. Second, we're talking poetry (mostly) here, which does not translate well electronically. The publishing world is changing, but poetry doesn't read well on your kindle, nook, i-pad--all the lines get mashed up.

To support Tupelo Press, I'm writing a poem a day for the month of August to raise awareness and funds for a matching grant that will put writers to work.

Right now Tupelo Press has specials that will help them meet funding goals: From the Press.... nine books for 99 bucks (that's a book for you and x-mas presents for eight other people), Russian translations, photo albums, anthologies of poets talking about faith. It does not take much time, nor money to help raise money. Please visit them at http://www.tupelopress.org/ and check out their exciting titles.

Again, you can also have me write a poem for you. Make a donation and you can direct my pen, and my breath.

You can check out the progress of the 30/30 poets here.
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