ModPo Season
Welcome to PCR issue 5! September is a special time of year for me because it’s ModPo season. “ModPo” is the nickname for the University of Pennsylvania’s free massive open online course (MOOC) titled “Modern & Contemporary American Poetry.” While the course content is available year-round, there is a lively 10-week symposium mode with weekly webcasts and teaching assistant office hours by Zoom. I welcome anyone interested to check out the course and community. Last year was my first year and I’ve returned this year as one of the course’s online Community Teaching Assistants.
Issue 5 Content
With a new issue comes new featured chapbook poems. In this issue, we have poetry from Daniel Damiano and Alex Gurtis, both of whom have chapbooks recently published by Bottlecap Press. Damiano’s poem “Frank’s Shoebox,” from his chapbook The Concrete Jungle and the Surrounding Areas is on the main page for September. Gurtis’s poem “After the Hurricane Stole My Hammock” from When the Ocean Comes to Me will be posted for October. To see all of our featured poems with words from each poet, readers can now view our Featured Poem Archive.
In addition, I will be posting my review of Leigh Lucas’s chapbook from Tupelo Press, Landsickness.
Hosting Renewal and Continuity
I’m pleased to share that the PCR website will be around for at least a few more years. I wasn’t happy with the trend of online publications abruptly closing with their content disappearing, so I renewed hosting for the next three years. I honestly don’t know how long PCR is going to be around and updated (I’m expecting at least two more years), but this will allow content to remain live for three years after we decide to desist.
Expanding What We Publish
I’m still planning to expand the poetry that we publish to include both excerpts from full-length collections and new original poetry. I’m sticking with my plan to remain the only staff member for our first year, but we will be looking for a Poetry Editor to start in 2025. There should be a post with more complete details by the start of November. If you’re interested and have some lit mag experience, please feel free to reach out before then.
Submit Your Chapbooks and Reviews
As always, if you have a poetry chapbook forthcoming from an established small press, or are interested in writing reviews or chapbook author interviews, please check our Submissions page for details.
Thanks for reading,
Aiden Hunt
Creator/Editor
Contents
Check out new poetry books for the week of 9/3 from Press 53, Variant Lit, Orison Books, Red Hen Press, Signal Editions, Knopf, New Directions, Wesleyan University Press, Bloodaxe Books, Blair, Third Man Books, BOA Editions Ltd., Copper Canyon Press and University of Pittsburgh Press.
Chapbook Poem: Frank’s Shoebox by Daniel Damiano
Read the featured Chapbook Poem of the Month for September 2024, “Frank’s Shoebox” from The Concrete Jungle and the Surrounding Areas by Daniel Damiano, along with a few words from the poet.
Poetry Chapbooks (August 2024)
Check out our round-up of poetry chapbooks published in August 2024 by Small Harbor Publishing, Gnashing Teeth Publishing, Bottlecap Press and Finishing Line Press.
Check out new poetry books for the week of 9/10 from Lost Horse Press, Curbstone Books 2, Finishing Line Press, Brick Books, Alice James Books, University of Georgia Press, Four Way Books, University of Pittsburgh Press, Hub City Press, Autumn House Press, New Directions, Grayson Books and Wave Books.
Check out new poetry books being published the week of 9/17 from Red Hen Press, Wayne State University Press, Milkweed Editions, The Kent State University Press, Tin House Books, Wesleyan University Press, W. W. Norton & Company, Ecco, ECW Press, American Poetry Review, Querencia Press, White Pine Press, City Lights Publishers, BOA Editions, Holy Cow! Press, 42 Miles Press, Driftwood Press, Finishing Line Press, Button Poetry, Birds LLC and Metatron Press.
Sept/Oct ‘24: ModPo, Renewal, and Expansion
Read a message from Aiden Hunt about Issue 5 content, the future of Philly Poetry Chapbook Review, and the open online poetry course that inspired the creation of this journal.