Poetry
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Flood
Erica Johnson It wasn’t until I noticed the dog walkers returningfrom the singular trail ahead of methat I discovered there might be trouble at the turn –a flooded path blocking any progress forward. Cautious, I paused my walktaking a seat upon a rock half-warmedby the weakened winter sun whichhad itself been washed out for several… Continue reading
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On a Pale Horse
Rachel Armes-McLaughlin They were going door to dooron a pale horsein Minneapolis. The largest raid ever,boasts the bloated king. But you know thisbetter than any. Just the first day –one weekinto this fresh new hell – and you were shotfor taking a video. What did she saywhen they shot you, dove? Stuffed animal, air bag,her… Continue reading
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Holiday Pricing for Record of Dissent: $4.99
Happy holidays, friends. As a little end-of-year thank you, we have dropped the price of Record of Dissent: Poems of Protest in an Authoritarian Age on Amazon to $4.99 for the entire month of December. That is the absolute minimum price Amazon will allow us to sell the book for, which means this is truly… Continue reading
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Poetry That Breaks the Rules—and Works
Broken Rengay: Unruly Poetry by Nolcha Fox, Melissa Lemay, and Barbara Leonhard(Prolific Pulse Press, 2025) Melissa Lemay, who readers will recognize from Record of Dissent, is back with a new collaboration, and this one leans hard into play. Broken Rengay: Unruly Poetry is a quick, sharp collection co-written with Nolcha Fox and Barbara Leonhard, with a striking cover illustration… Continue reading
Barbara Leonhard, Broken Rengay Unruly Poetry, collaborative poetry, contemporary American poetry, experimental poetry, haiku inspired forms, Lesley Scoble, Melissa Lemay, modern linked verse, Nolcha Fox, Poetry, poetry books 2025, poetry review 2025, Prolific Pulse Press, rengay, rengay poetry, The Chaos Section Poetry Project, women poets -
The Chaos Section Poetry Project is Open for Submissions: Coping Mechanisms
Submissions Are Open! The Chaos Section Poetry Project is now accepting poems for our next collection. Theme: Coping MechanismsDeadline: Monday, September 15, 2025Publication: Winter 2025 We’re looking for poems about how people endure, adapt, and hold on in turbulent times. Coping can be political or personal, healthy or messy, quiet or loud. Protest, ritual, stress eating, resilience, bad… Continue reading
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On Anger in America
Aubrey Phoenix During my step workI was met with a question about anger… Oh, I know anger. I always used to say“I’m not an angry person”Despite the injustices I have suffered. I didn’t let myself feel angerUntil I realized that I had every right to be angry. Until the man I lovedUsed me for sex.… Continue reading
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Get Your Copy: “Record of Dissent” Is Now Available in Paperback
After months of reading, curating, editing, and wrangling files into formats they did not want to be in, I’m proud to say that Record of Dissent: Poems of Protest in an Authoritarian Age is now available in print. You can order a copy online through IngramSpark, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, BookPeople, Alibris, or ask your local indie bookseller to… Continue reading
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Emerging from the Penumbra
Merril D. Smith In scant light, slant light, shadows strollabove the bones unseen,remains of scattered, shattered lives,Glory, Hallelujah, we used to sing. Was this then, or is this now?The truth is marching on–torn, twisted, and trampledin scant, slant light as shadows stroll, as masked men menace, muscled maraudersfrom obscurity troll in the scant, slant light… Continue reading
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Learning about Nazis in High School
Bartholomew Barker Reading my history texts, I imaginedwhat I would’ve done if I’d livedin Germany during the War. How I would’ve resisted, hidden Jewsin my basement, risked my life,my freedom to foil the fascists. But having grown-up and fat,I sign petitions, write lettersto the editor and merely vote. I don’t think I could fit a… Continue reading
The Chaos Section Poetry Project 