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Reposted by Russell Brakefield

Mitchell Nobis @mitchnobis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Whoa Nelly this Russell Brakefield book is great. There are number of poems worth shouting out, but this one really grabbed me earlier.

Cover of Irregular Heartbeats at the Park West by Russell Brakefield

James Tate's Bookshelf
How does the tiger feel about his needle teeth?
And how about his stripes? He stalks at twilight between the dusty hardcovers.
What tooth-shaped piece of me is missing that I would steal this snarling, plastic figurine?
That I can't face the after party-tea candles
in the yard, cloves and small talk, white tablecloths, an old-fashioned weeping in my fist? No ideas
but in things, and the hunter in my pocket brings me closer, I suppose, to an idea of myself
I can stand. In the living room, I run my fingers down its back and think what power
it might bring me. The power to birth a menagerie, word by word,
and spiral each species until the world is reflected-the flaws and tricks, drool
dripping down the jowls, stomach flayed open and everything there exposed.
Astonishing, what we will do to be the maker and not the made,
what we will tell ourselves about ourselves to feel alive. A poem I read years ago
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comes back to me in a flash—a tiger
has the same number of bones in it as a monkey—
long lines stalking me in the open grass.
My poems are like stones, by contrast,
dropped to the bottom of a clear pond, the water's surface left untouched.

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Reposted by Russell Brakefield

Electric Literature @electricliterature.com · 13/05/2026

Two poems by Russell Brakefield about nature reclaiming our technology and the dreams that come true in Pinedale, Wyoming. buff.ly/be5YZFi

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Russell Brakefield @russellbrakefield.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Excited to have a prose poem about making music and being young out in the new issue of @pitheadchapel.bsky.social

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Russell Brakefield @russellbrakefield.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

I’ve got a new (ghost) story up at Short Story, Long today! 🏜️👻

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Reposted by Russell Brakefield

The Slowdown @slowdownshow.org · 03/02/2026

"Restoration, like most things worthwhile, is far from simple," guest host @scryptkeeper.bsky.social shares in today's episode. Read "Orchestra" by @russellbrakefield.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/46vRT6j

Text graphic featuring a portion of Russell Brakefield's poem

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Reposted by Russell Brakefield

Mitchell Nobis @mitchnobis.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Buds, if I own your book and it's filthy, that's a compliment. Just means I read it on one sideline or another. Loved this book by @russellbrakefield.bsky.social that I finished between innings today.

The cover of Russell Brakefield's poetry collection, Field Recordings.

Brakefield's poem "Fermata," from page 79:

En route to Kalamazoo,
we tracked the half-drunk animal between us.
Center-pivor watering lines crawled along beside us.

Out the windows, time towed silos
and haylofts toward the weeds,
the corn corn gone rot and cut below the knees.

My brother and I shifted in our seats
and let in the rush of August wind
to bark away the silence then.

A sunk back mare swayed alone
behind a docile crib —swift farewell
before the concrete lid rose around the city.

You can just drop me anywhere, he said,
like a conductor setting down his baton.

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Russell Brakefield @russellbrakefield.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Thanks to Aaron for being such a champion of other people's writing! And for some keen insights on the draft of this story.

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Russell Brakefield @russellbrakefield.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

I’m not at AWP this year, but my books are at the Wayne State Univ Press booth (#529) and at the @autofocusbooks.bsky.social booth (#640). 😎

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Russell Brakefield @russellbrakefield.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

My last book IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT AT THE PARK WEST has been named a Foreword INDIES finalist for poetry! These awards are judged by librarians and booksellers (my people!), so this feels pretty special. www.forewordreviews.com/awards/final...

forewordreviews.com

2024 Foreword INDIES Finalists in Poetry (General)

These are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the cherries on top a metaphorical ice cream sundae of indie books. The Poetry finalists of the 2024 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.

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Reposted by Russell Brakefield

Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

published this story by my bud @russellbrakefield.bsky.social a year ago. if you missed it at the time, you should spend some time with it today/this weekend! if you read it at the time... you should reread! it's a gem. plus, it's got some pretty cool art from... me! 👨‍🎨

ashortstorylong.substack.com

Weatherball Blue by Russell Brakefield

Spring that year the local news affiliate had erected a hundred-foot tower outside the station, atop of which they stacked a stainless-steel ball fitted with 300-some neon lights. A beacon. A mascot.

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