L.A.-based artist Mel Kadel is originally from Harrisburg, PA. She got her MFA from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia:

shaky ground

it's a sound like any other sound ((sounder))

since i can't have you, i'll honor you

playing mom

Speaking of Los Angeles, if you live there or plan to be there May 18th & 19th, you should go listen to one of my favorite people read her awesome poems at the Ruskin Art Club: Kathy Fagan, along with poet Angie Estes. They are also doing a workshop called “Writing by Ear: Poetry as a Foreign Language.” Both will be sweet events. To whet your whistle, here is one of Kathy's poems, if you click here you can visit Slate and listen to her read it:


Saloon Pantoum

Tell me if you've heard this one before:
Guy walks into a bar with a duck down his pants,
Says, One for me and one for my friend here.
Barkeep says, That's no friend, that's my wife.

Guy walks into a bar with a duck down his pants.
A priest, a rabbi, and a minister
Say, Barkeep, that's no duck, that's proof
Of the existence of God.

A priest, a rabbi, and a minister
Put together can't tell one good joke.
God knows this
But He cannot forgive them for it.

Wherever two or more are gathered in a joke,
There is love, He says. We hear this
But we cannot forgive Him for it.
Suddenly, crashing through the saloon doors,

There is love. And just as He'd said, we know it
By its blonde hair and dead babies.
Suddenly, crashing through the saloon doors,
What's black and white and re(a)d all over.

By its blonde hair and dead babies,
He says, Barkeep, thou shalt know thy duck.
What's black and white comes crashing through the door.
Stop me if you've heard this one before.