Cleveland Poetry Scenes

The book is comprised of articles from 20 collaborators in specialized areas. Following editor Smith s detailed 33-page Chronology of Cleveland Poetry Scenes 1945-2008 are articles on the Cleveland Underground Poetry of the 1960s by Kent Taylor, a poetry scene memoir of 1974-1984 by Diane Kendig, Suzanne DeGaetano on Mac s Backs Bookstore, and profiles of other poetry venues by George Bilgere, Mark Kuhar, Vince Robinson, Steve Goldberg, and Q-Nice. Performance poetry is covered by editor Weems and includes profiles of Slam Poetry by Michael Salinger and Ray McNiece, and the Black Poetic Society by Daniel Gray-Kontar. Poetry organizations covered include editor Gibans on the Poets and Writers League of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland State University Poetry Center by Leonard Trawick, Cuyahoga Community College by Robert McDonough, and Case Western Reserve by P.K. Saha. The independent scene is covered by Mike Gill and Bree Bodnar. Web-sites is treated by Mark Kuhar, Larry Smith on Small Presses. Cleveland poets assembled are Hart Crane, Langston Hughes, Alberta Turner, Robert Wallace, James C. Kilgore, Barbara Angell, Cyril Dostal, poet rebel d.a.levy, and Cuyahoga County poet laureate Daniel Thompson. Poets born in the 1930s and 40s include Russell Atkins, Grace Butcher, Bonnie Jacobson, Leonard Trawick, Nina Freedlander Gibans, and Robert McDonough, Steven B. Smith, Meredith Holmes, Jim Lang, Christopher Franke, Tom Kryss, Susan Grimm, and Sara Holbrook. The group of poets born in the 1950s and 60s include Mary E. Weems, Ray McNiece, Mwatabu Okantah, Katie Daley, Wendy Schaffer, Mary Player, Ben Gulyas, Kristen Ban Tepper, Amy Sparks, Michael Salinger, Terry Provost, and Mark Kuhar. The most contemporary group consists of Kelly Harris, Bree Bodner, Adam Brodsky, Kisha Foster, Rafeeq Washington, Daniel Gray-Kontar, and Douglas (Sage) Hoston