Recently, I had the honor of being interviewed for Elizabeth Bruce's and Michael Oliver's Creativists in Dialogue. Creativists in Dialogue delves into the creative processes of poets and writers. Here is a link to that interview Thank you Elizabeth and Michael.

In Fall 2026, Al di là del mare /Across the Sea: Contemporary Italian and Italian-American Poetry will be published by Bordighera Press. The book, for which I served as editor, is a bilingual poetry collection featuring eight Italian poets and eight Italian-American poets, each presented in both Italian and English. On May 19, I had the opportunity to appear with two of the American poets, Rose Solari and Chloe Yelena Miller, on Grace Cavalieri's Poet and the Poem at the Library of Congress. Here is the link to the podcast. Stay tuned for publication information and for future events.

America’s Slide Towards Authoritarianism, which includes my visual poem, “The T$n Kam&m$ants," is a is a finalist in the Indie Book Awards 2026. Congratulations to editors Tom Block, Lisa Zammit and Emily Mercer. America's Slide Toward Authoritarianism can be purchased at Amazon or our favorite online store.

'Michael Palma, this year's 30 for 30 judge, has chosen Ann Ritter's "After" as this years best 30 for 30 poem. Congratulations to Ann for a fine poem! Here are Michael Palma's comments on "After": The writing is clean, the imagery is vivid, the presentation is unified, the theme is clear without being blatantly stated, and the effect is serious and powerful.

Flowers in Falling SnowI remember my mother’s plastic flowers.In winter, yellow forsythia stoodbeside spider plants, pale green ghoststhat sprawled to touch weak sunbefore the sky turned and flakes fellonto toy-strewn lawns.In spring, forsythia outdoorsbrought color to the leaden world,quickened my morning shuffle.Mother offered me sprigs of yellow,star-shaped plastic from the attic,

WYOMING SPRINGSuddenly, a flower in a snowfield rises from Mother Earth.After long winter sleep, cub follows brother and mother out of den womb.They walk forever.Will they ever eat again?But Mama’s steady gait assures her change is going to come.Finally they reach a mountain stream.Other grizzlies are already in the river.Mama slaps swimming salmon out of…

To preserve formatting, this poem has been saved as a PDF. Please click on the link below to access it: Bio: Jay is a queer Southern, Quaker writer in Charlottesville, VA, by way of DC and Atlanta, and Birmingham, Alabama, where he was born and raised in a blue-collar family. He is the first in his family to graduate college and has been published here and there. He and his wife of four months, Sarah, live in Charlottesville. He recommends the lime-cilantro bagel.  30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review

Meditation on an Erratic AprilShe is gold among a chaos of white. The soft cheek pressed against an unkind season. The bobbing head of laughter, when just days ago, she was buried bythe callous hands of winter. See how she’s shattered its platelets, flaunts an audacious stole of snow? She pokes her tongue out at the world. Extends…

Here is a new review by John Nicolay of my novella The Appointment as both a document: and a video: In fact, Nicolay's review is more than summary or evaluation of the novella. It is an analysis that delves deep into its Kafkaesque and absurdist roots. Copies of The Appointment can be purchased directly from Vine Leaves Press or signed copies directly from me

RevelationsI didn't know what I didn't know...until I did No one ever told me that in a cluttered room scattered with poems half-hatched, barely breathing, I would be soothed by the wind rattling the windows. No one told me I would get high on Anna Akhmatova and Andrew Marvell, or that seeing Adrienne Rich in her later years reading at MIT would bring me such devastating joy.

July at GlacierRoad to the Sun, Glacier National Park, 2019The road snaked its way up Glacier, our carhugging hairpin curves, mountain’s snow-packed wallstowering over us, danger's thrill outweighedby fear, imagining its melting collapse.At summit, we studied the trailhead map,wind gusts whipping our backs, clad in T-shirts and shorts, summer sun at the bottom played…

S.A.F.E. Suddenly A Flower Evidenced The power of the meteorite shower burst bright upon the nightAgainst the backdrop of the aurora borealis Even the palace I was in began to dim in retrospectThe light show effects connected with respect to era eerieClearly clarifying comets coming from the pummeling of historyMired deep in mysteries in the shadows of our souls…

As Snowcrete ThawsBefore dawn, I go out to see the worm moon,the reddened blood moon eclipsed by the sun.The landscape is snowy, the sky cloudy, no moon in sight, but a startled deer rewards me with her stare across the snow.At first light, I step out again. Still no moon, but the green shoots of tulips and hyacinths…

They Say Winter Is Deadlybut spring scares me more,late March and early April, when the earth shrugs, deflecting its next move. As if we didn’t know.The older I get, the more beauty hurts.Admittedly, I wasn’t good at being a child.Everything alive brought a load of metaphor.(Winter means death, but I was born then.)Early color—redbud, forsythia—

Winter 2026We wake to large thick snow flakes at hand Snow covering everything, a Winter Wonderland.Precipitation continues to fall Snow turns to rain as temperatures rise and fall.Thick ice covers fluffy snowBoulders and Sheets of thick ice don’t you know?Within days, inches of snow covers thick iceFolks near and far stay inside or have someone shovel out for an extraordinary price.

snowdropsnowdropIn a city of storms,a blizzard not seen in two hundred yearsstoppedthe shops, the trains,the pulse of the worldI, from Los Angeles,without snowshoes,in sneakers,walked through the white city as if under a spellEven in the middle of the roadnot a single yellow taxi passed—only a snowplow,haunting the distance like a ghost…

Six and SevenI have breathed in most of my daysin the arms of the brilliant sun I surfed my bicycle over asphalt hillsfor sixties suburban Monterey Park fun Later I inhaled succulent perfumesthat come from feminine flowers I saw imperfection in every oneand became the same withered hours Now with a white beard I have felt…

These Jeans, Especially They're needlessly grey and frayingBig old comfort pants. Like an iconAnd I didn't pick them and I don't think…I think they just found meCause they fitEspecially cause they fit today too perfectlyAnd swampy as a toilet in friggin' FloridaWith no air conditioningSplishy-splashy patchy easy cushy butt pants All covered in dead ants and my own best coffee stains and…

UntitledShe called him by his name, his true nameno one else knew.But he knew.And she knew.And time was lost or forgotten.The constant, steady snowwas all they had now.They carried on like thisfor some time,sitting at the window,watching the sun slip away—her final crimson before the plunge.A stream of icy air leaking…

IrisYour fruity-wine fragrance scented each breath asPersian indigo buds emerged from slender stem—late autumn’s nod to springtime.Papery coverings nudged aside byupright petals fanned sparkling purpleswarmed beneath the sun.Though I thought to coveror move youto prolong your stay,I didn’t provide protectionnor welcome you inside.Cold was not in the forecast.

Last StandIn the garden, the wind sends a chill. Hesitant blossoms brace againstone more frost, while snowdrops boldly peek out like melting flakesin moonlight.Spring should have come by now,but winter will not close the door.This lingering guest, once so fresh,has now overstayed their welcome.The new season falterswith a hesitant grasp of the thin warmth…

Our Hat What if there were ice and snow on the street,and what if we could coax green through the shock of cold,then we could breathe new life into flowers and make a hat,and if we pretend that flowers never die, we’d have a hat to go into the world as if there were no snow at all.

ON THE WAY TO THE COUNTY LANDFILLIt’s close enough, I take my own recycle stuff and trash a few times a month, and over time I’ve noticed, then learned, the tricky places—the two sharp turnswhere you’d rather not meet a Waste Management truckswinging wide, the steep bank where (in summer)a few trustees from the jail in orange jumpsuits…

4 likes, 0 comments - bordigherapress on March 13, 2026: "On April 18 at George Mason University, catch Mike Maggio (editor of the forthcoming "Di là dal mare / Across the Sea," due out this fall from...

Sunday, April 19, 2026 2:00 PM EDTThe Hub, Room 1 & 2 Voice as a Bridge: Multicultural Poems and Songs will feature poems read by poets and writers representing different cultures, including Andrew Wong, Jona Colson, Diane Wilbon Parks, William Gilcher, Mike Maggio, Chong McDermott, Zeina Azzam, Karren Alenier, and Majda Gama. The program will also include a vocal recital in multiple languages by Rosaline Pi of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, a Q&A with Dr.

Snowy MorningYou never see the end of thingswhen you’re caught up in them, powerless against the constant strifeThe news assails you as you try to sleep – war, famine, disunion – a nightof dark dreams and sudden wakeningBut morning comes with a silent mantle of snow embracing a single crocusAs the old saint said, everywhere peace…

Suddenly SpringAll winter the news went from grey to black:cities invaded, children in bunny hats used as “bait”snow then sleet then “snowcrete”warnings of the Earth’s disgust with mankind manifesting itself in fires, wind, floods.With silver threading my hair nowknowing of before timesI became fearful of falling, slippinginto an abyss from which I might not arise.

So SoonOn a sharp bright morning: snow-crystals.You toddle through the cold to your fatherwho shows you how to love the brief life of ice.From the second story window I watch you hold each tiny star that falls on your mulberry-colored mittens. Your small face in profile intent on the flakes melting from your breath.You see them; they are gone.

After Early spring 1946: a climbing vine emergesfrom the now-snowy rubble near St. Paul’s Cathedral, a plant not seen before by anyone living, fierce blooms—brighter than deepest pink, almost red, just a hint of royal purple.No one knows if bombs unearthed long-buriedseeds or if their chemicals altered molecules of some other plant.It is the startled women, still blinking…

To Feel AliveIn late winter, treading through snow while the brooding sky pounds the peninsular,I search for solemnity, the clouds’ jubilant dance ethereal. The world’s chaosdiminishes as a blanket of sunlight emerges amid the chirping of finches. White-throated sparrows flit about like magic, foraging in thickets for seeds, flapping their wings with joy.I return to our Backyard Wildlife Retreat…

FuryThe boy splits through the melting ice,looking back and forth over the ground.A flower rises through snow, as if naturecan’t be defeated, even by brittle cold.A foot crushes it, the boy’s blue sneakers.He jumps up and down on the flower, like it’s his father’s face, like it, too, is red,boiling tomato sauce in fury, telling him…

CrocusesFrom the snow and mud
Crocuses bud.They must know something I don’t
To be so sure the season has given way,Will they not freeze their heads off 
Predicting a milder day.Is it global warming?
Have politics frozen over,Causing purple and blue
To pop up before the clover?The forces arrayed across the universe
Send storms and mists…

OpsicociousYou miss your fire nozzle mindSpraying words on the page,Arranging them before they dryInto crisp static thoughts.Now, ideas float in your mind’s cove—Pulled by a current reaching back,Into old drafts and fragments;Propelling new arrangements,A slower but stronger stroke.You take a break to window gaze,Wondering when inspiration will come.Suddenly, like a daffodil in a snowfield,

To preserve formatting, this poem has been saved as a PDF. Please click on the link below to access it. Before the Memorial Day Weekend Copyright 2026 Marian K. Shapiro Bio: Marian Kaplun Shapiro, now 86 years old, is a practicing psychologist in Lexington, Mass. (USA). She is the author of a professional book, and five books of poetry. A five-time Senior Poet Laureate of Massachusetts, she has been twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Upbringing, her latest collection of graphic poems, was published by Plain View in January, 2023. 30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review

BACKYARD ROSES When the hour is sad in Septemberand when it isn'tJon or I, at the kitchen tablelooking out at the backyard garden newly minus its chorus of black-eyes susansobserves, "There are two roses plus what looks like a bud.""Yes there are," answers the other.Later in the day Jon will go outside to take a photo…

i asked my lovei asked my love what would please her well for a gift on christmas mornto celebrate that joyful day when the dear christ child was bornshe softly sighed and then repliedin a voice so sweet and low“it would well please me if i could seea red rose in the snow”all through the bleak midwinter night…

The finalists in the 11th annual Maxy Awards have been announced and Woman in the Abbey is among the five finalists in the Horror and Suspense category. Here is a link to the list of all the finalists Congratulations to all. Winners will be announced on May 2.

UntitledMenopausal earthdropped her shawl one winter day:flowers in the snow.Copyright 2026 by Claudia Gary Bio: Claudia Gary’s new poetry collection, Time and Other Solvents, is a story of healing. She teaches Sonnet, Villanelle, Persona Poem, Meter, etc., at The Writer’s Center (writer.org) and privately. She’s also an advisor at New Verse Review,  as well as a health/science writer, visual artist, and composer. See pw.org/content/claudia_gary. 30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review

It's hard to believe that 13 years have gone by and that 30 for 30, a project I started on a whim, is still going strong. Every year, there are poets who tell me that they look forward each year to this event. And every year, in addition to the returning poets, there are always new ones showing up: new voices in the panoply of poetic expression.

April 18, 2026, 2-4:00 pm Venue: George Washington University.(room info to follow) Poems read by poets/writers representing different cultures: Andrew Wong, Jona Colson, Diane Wilbon Parks, William Gilcher, Mike Maggio, Chong McDermott, Zeina Azzam, Nishi Chawla, Karren Alenier Vocal recital of multiple languages by Rosaline Pi, faculty of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Q

April 18, 2026, 2-4:00 pm Venue: George Washington University.(room info to follow) Poems read by poets/writers representing different cultures: Andrew Wong, Jona Colson, Diane Wilbon Parks, William Gilcher, Mike Maggio, Chong McDermott, Zeina Azzam, Nishi Chawla, Karren Alenier Vocal recital of multiple languages by Rosaline Pi, faculty of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Q & A: Dr. Liang Luo, Chair Professor of GMU & Grace Cavalieri, Maryland Poet Laureate  Sing Along on Auld Lang Syne, of different language texts, conducted by Wing Chi Chan Admission free/Reception hosted by GMU

I’m pleased to announce the thirteenth annual 30 for 30 Poetry Celebration, sponsored by Potomac Review, which will once again take place this year at www.mikemaggio.net. This year’s theme is: Suddenly, a flower in a snowfield Your poem should be between 20 and 40 lines (no more, no less). To participate, please follow these instructions: Send an email to mikemaggio@mikemaggio.net stating your intent to participate…

Coming in Fall 2026 from Bordighera Press, Al di là del mare / Across the Sea, a bi-lingual anthology of contemporary Italian and Italian-American poets, edited by Mike Maggio with an introduction by Cristina Carlà. All work presented in both Italian and English. Here is a preview of some of the poets represent in the

Art4Us presents The Postcard, a collective fine art exhibition featuring 30 painters and sculptors who explore a theme inspired by Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” Art4Us is a cooperative of international artists whose work spans painting, photography, sculpture, and jewelry. Throughout February, Art4Us will host a series of events in conjunction with the exhibition. On Sunday, February 15, 2026, at 2:00 PM, Mike Maggio will introduce his forthcoming anthology Al di là del Mare (Across the Sea), which highlights contemporary poets from Italy and the United States.