Melissa Eleftherion's Blog

Thanks so much to The Citron Review for nominating my poem “little fires in the body” for Best of the Net! Because I have a bad memory, I had to look up how many past nominations I have received & while I am not a person who wins these things, I have been nominated 3x for BOTN and 6x for the Pushcart. I joked with my mom that I am the Susan Lucci of Pushcarts (rly tho 6x isn’t a lot – there are many other writers who have received more noms than I without a win) I am just old and like to reference 80s soap operas.

I wrote “little fires in the body” shortly after making a box of death thanks to Michelle Tea’s tarot book.

Come celebrate Devon Fulford’s new poetry book, onus with a mid-week reading! I’ll be sharing a few poems from Gutter Rainbows to welcome Devon’s new book into the world.

Erasing & remixing texts of canonized dead, white men to excavate and make visible the voices of women. Or, if I had a poetics. Silence is a girl shaped is a visual poem that erases the text of A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter. #iykyk

Many thanks to Sarah Ann Winn for publishing this piece in the new issue of Painted Pebble Lit Mag (formerly Little Free Lit Mag)!

Back in April, I recorded this virtual reading from Gutter Rainbows for the DMQ Virtual Salon, and just now remembered to post it publicly. Happy belated Poetry Month

Many thanks to Jami Macarty for this insightful review of Gutter Rainbows at NewPages.com

A snippet –
Jami writes: “Dear Sister Reader, “her story is my story is your story the axes we intersect.” Along with Eleftherion, we “hover as transformation / in the interstices / warrior, queen.”

“Indeed, the poet gives us a glimpse into the effort and hard work it takes to emerge from trauma. The last poem of the collection, “dichroic” she begins, is a stunning conclusion. Dichroic, according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary is, “the property of some crystals and solutions of absorbing one of two plane-polarized components of transmitted light more strongly than the other,” and “the property of exhibiting different colors by reflected or transmitted light.” The poem transmits, reflects, and along the way, absorbs feelings, gathering all of us along the way. The poem opens with, “her story is my story is your story the axes we intersect, collide, /ruminate, devise.”Eleftherion opens a door through which you might find clues to her journey, to your journey, and answers to questions. gutter rainbows is for those of who desire to understand the power of poetry and healing and the journey we take as artists. To be present, to hold space with the poet as child and adult. Reading gutter rainbows is a profound experience, which will remain long after the book is closed.”

Gratitude to Margaret R. Sáraco for her insightful & moving review of gutter rainbows. Thanks so much to Margaret for her words, and thanks to Michelle Messina Reale, Chad Frame, and Jennifer Martelli at Ovunque Siamo for publishing and supporting my work. Grazie mille!

https://ovunquesiamoweb.com/fall-2024/book-reviews-2

LOBA POETRY SERIES
Monthly Poet Features & Open Mic
Saturday, September 21 at 3 PM

Join Ukiah Branch Library staff as we host poetry events in-person on the third Saturdays of each month at 3 p.m. This free event is open to both teens and adults. All are invited to share poems in any form or style or just listen to others. 

On September 21, we welcome Ukiah Poet Laureate Emerita, Melissa Eleftherion, who will be launching her new book from Querencia Press, Gutter Rainbows. Denise Low, Kansas Poet Laureate Emerita will introduce Melissa and share poems as well. We will celebrate with cake!

Melissa Eleftherion (she/they) is a writer, a librarian, and a visual artist. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she holds degrees from Brooklyn College, Mills College, and San Jose State University. They are the author of the full-length poetry collections “field guide to autobiography” (The Operating System, 2018), “gutter rainbows” (Querencia Press, 2024), and twelve chapbooks including “abject sutures” (above/ground press, 2024).

Her work has been widely published and featured in venues like Quarter after Eight, Sixth Finch, Entropy, & Barren Magazine. Melissa now lives in Northern California where she manages the Ukiah Branch Library, curates the LOBA Reading Series, and serves as Poet Laureate Emerita of the City of Ukiah. Recent work is available at www.apoetlibrarian.wordpress.com. 

Please contact the Ukiah Branch Library at 707-463-4490 or carrm@mendocinocounty.gov for more information.

SERIE DE POESÍA LOBA
Aparencias de Poeta Mensuales y Micrófono Abierto
Sábado 21 de septiembre a las 3 PM

Únase al personal de la biblioteca de Ukiah mientras organizamos eventos de poesía en persona el tercer sábado de casa mes a las 3:00 p.m. Este evento gratuito está abierto para adolescentes y adultos: todos están invitados a compartir poemas en cualquier forma o estilo, o simplemente escuchar a otros. El 21 de septiembre de 2024, damos la bienvenida a la poeta laureada emérita de Ukiah, Melissa Eleftherion.

Melissa Eleftherion (ella/elle) es escritora, bibliotecaria y artista visual. Nació y creció en Brooklyn, tiene títulos de Brooklyn College, Mills College y San Jose State University. Es autora de las colecciones de poesía completas: “field guide to autobiography” (The Operating System, 2018), “gutter rainbows” (Querencia Press, 2024) y doce libros de bolsillo, incluyendo “abject sutures” (above/ground press, 2024).

Su trabajo ha sido ampliamente publicado y presentado en lugares como Quarter after Eight, Sixth Finch, Entropy y Barren Magazine. Melissa ahora vive en el norte de California, donde administra la biblioteca sucursal de Ukiah, administra la serie de lectura LOBA y se sirve como la Poeta Laureada Emérita de la Ciudad de Ukiah. Su trabajo reciente está disponible en www.apoetlibrarian.wordpress.com.

Para más información, consulte www.mendolibrary.org o comuniquese con la biblioteca de Ukiah al 707-463-4490.