Timothy Gager's Blog

 After a hiatus Boston Literary Magazine is back, and I'm pleased to write  them an essay in their second issue.  

Of course, Robin Stratton is a tour de force, and an amazing human being. My writing world became a whole lot bigger because of her and her publishing arm Big Table!

Read it and you can find out a little more about me. Thx.

Mignon Ariel King was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and has never left her home time zone. An alumna of Simmons University, she worked for a decade as a database assistant by day and an adjunct English instructor by night at various small colleges. King is the publisher of Tell-Tale Chapbooks and Hidden Charm Press. Her blog is Making Books Rock (dot) wordpress (dot) com.

"Grounded in humility,These New Orbs is a book of reckoning and radiance, conjecture and contemplation. Inthis brilliant collection, Timothy Gager draws on astronomy, myth, memory,family history, and contemporary life to fashion poems of exquisite imagery andsonority. The “orbs” of the title become, as one experiences the wholecollection, recurring emblems—of loss and survival, desire and distance, andthe poet’s dead who remain with him, with us. Angels, eggs, planets, memories,eyes, ghosts, regrets and promises, the emotional range of these poems isvast.  Gager is a sensible mystic,desirous of the light, searching, skeptical and earnest. As he writes in“Signs,” Maybe the light only finds/ those who have stopped looking. Fierce,tender, funny, and unafraid, Gager’s work conjoins vision and craft to offer usif not consolation, clarity. I feel grateful for these poems."

 

                                                                        —Richard Hoffman

                                                                     author,People Once Real

 Richard Hoffman is an amazing poet, and a friend. When it comes down to it, friends are those who will give you blurbs, and his is very generous. I'm extremely grateful he liked the book

You can read some of his work off his website. HERE, I'll make it easy for you all. 

     TOP TEN MOST VIEWED BLOG POSTS FOR 2025! Links to each one and reasons why found below. Big boosts for ones with multi-media, either video or audio. Also, posts about Shadows of the Seen received a lot of looks. 

     More likely you'll give a shit about as much as the Top 10 Most Iconic Pop Culture Moments of 2025.

Below is My TOP 10 MOST VIEWED BLOGS OF 2025(and why they were viewed)

Why are they viewed? 

1) Virtual Dire Series Schedule, Jan-May 2025

2) Virtual Dire Literary Series, This Summer 

 In the top two spots these SHOW need to know as people kept losing track of when the Virtual Thursdays Dire Literary Series was happening. Sometimes it's on a Friday, sometimes not every other week. 

3) Excited that No More Bears is up with audio file at Pine Hills Review

It's all about the audio file, which is a very cool feature. 

4) Officially Released: Shadows of the Seen

First novel in two years deals with gun issue in USA. 

5) My poem, We, choreographed , spoken, and danced to by Betsy Miller at Mass Poetry Festival 

Multi-media posted on this page, and just 'wow'! A dance troop danced to one of my poems at Mass Poetry. Plus Mass Poetry Festival was pretty amazing. 

6) New Poem Published Today, The Stars That Refused to Burn Out, after Andrea Gibson

A poem published  honoring someone who passed in 2025, the great Andrea Gibson. 

7) Coming May 14, 2025, and you can take a deep dive. 

The deep dive is an audio review about the upcoming Shadows of the Seen. More media please. 

8) Shadows of the Seen now available for pre-sale. 

Three months after the 'deep dive' people bought into this! Thank-you!

9) Flash Piece Dogs up at Literary Underground. 

2025 saw Cats, Dogs, and Bears published as three separate published pieces. The post for Cats, appeared just out of the Top 10

10)  Art is For The People, RIP, Tom Tipton

People that knew me, knew the Dire Series (live) and Out of the Blue Art Gallery, came here.

 Here is everything I put out in the world in 2025, plus brutal photos of my legs...

BOOKS 

Shadows Of The Seen,, May, 2025, Pierian Springs Press

SHORT, FLASH, AND MICRO FICTION

"Miracles of the Circus"
December 13, 2025 Meat for Tea, The Valley Reviews, Vol. 19, Issue 4

"Strange Facts About The Human Body You Know About
(after Tales for Men Who are Lost at Sea)",
December 3, 2025 Oddball Magazine

"Dogs", September 6, 2025 The Literary Underground

"No More Bears", August 27, 2025 Pine Hills Review

"Cats", June 22, 2025 The Freshwater Review, Volume 28

"On To The Next Thing", January 31, 2025 10-by-10, Issue #24

POETRY

"These New Orbs"
" Between Them"
September 13, 2025 Meat For Tea, Volume 19, Issue 3 (Faux)

"The Stars Who Refuse to Burn Out after Andrea Gibson"
July 23, 2025 Oddball Magazine

"lepidopterans"
"The Storm He Can No Longer Remember"
"When The Mind Goes First (for my father)"
July 1, 2025 North of Oxford

"Reply To Someone Who Has Had a Lifetime of Losses"
April 3, 2025 The Long Islander Newspaper (print)

"Loses"
March 20, 2025 Ink In Thirds

"Where to Look for Deceased Parents"
March 10, 2025 The Literary Underground

"Sill"
"The Ordinary"
"The Uninvited Dance"
March 1, 2025 Bagels with the Bards Anthology, #17, Print

PODCASTS

The Two Deans (Dean and Dawes): Dating, Dread and Disasters (also found on Spotify, I Heart Radio, Podcaster, Amazon) 

==================================================================================================================================================================================

Also, on a personal note. I had to stop running for 6 months as I ruptured my hamstring, detaching it from the bone in June. The pattern of bruising is common for significant hamstring injuries. 

I also had knee surgery (scope) in late September. In early December after months of Physical Therapy, which was amazing, I began to slowly run and build up stamina and "speed". So grateful for the ability to recover. 

 

January

15   Sarah Lippmann

29:  Rebecca Fishow

February

12: Sandra Simonds

26: Nishi Chawla

March

13:  Lisa Borders

26:  Anne Starr

April

9  John Compton

16. Millicent Borges Accardi

23  Jen Bannan

May

7   Susan Rich

21 Wayne-Daniel Berard

COMING IN JUNE: Laurin Macios

End of the season for 2025. Here are all the fall readings, and at the bottom links to ALL the videos from 2020-now. Also, subscribe to the YouTube channel.

Alexandra Naughton

 Heather Kays

 Matt Jasper

Emily Schultz

 Susan Michele Coronel

  Misty O'Hara

Elizabeth Searle

18   Ryan Vine

==============================================================

And all the rest, (2020-2025)

Summer 2025 (link to replay website)
Elizabeth Hazen, Bob Walicki, Andrew Siditsky, Michael Ansara,Michael Martone, Hosho McCreesh

     Winter - Spring 2025 (link to replay website)

Eileen Pollack, George S. Peterson, Ellen Kombiyil, M.K. Jackson,  Chad Parenteau, Kerry Beth Neville, Lawrence Kessenich, Linda Carney-Goodrich, Amy Alvarez, Kurt Baumeister

    Autumn 2024 (link to replay)

Jackie Corley, Dawn Tripp, Sara Letourneau, Kristin Bok, Edward Belfar, JoeAnn Hart, Margaret Young, Gabby Gilliam, Lee Varon 

Summer 2024 (link to replay website)
Susan Zalkind, Jessica Anya Blau, Gregory Wolos, Melissa Cundieff, Ben Tanzer, John Amen
Spring 2024 (link to replay website)
Doug Crandell, Mathew Olzmann, William Orem, Martin Ott, M.P. Carver, Phil Temples, Mag Gabbert, Robert Fleming, Danielle Legros George, Michael Keith, Mark Wish
Autumn-Winter 2023 (link to replay website)
Marianne Leone, Tiffany Davenport, Jennifer Friedman Lang, Ray Guidrox, Gary Grossman, Elizabeth McKim, Carla Panciera, Dr. Dannagal G. Young, Ellis Elliot, Enzo Silon Surin, Josh Barkan, Laura Zigman, Tom Laughlin
Spring/Summer 2023 (links to website)
Jane Roper, John Wesick, Jennifer Martelli, John Fulton, Tricia Barker Barton, Cynthia Atkins, Katie Moulton, Yael Goldstein Love, Julia Lisella
Winter 2023 (link to website)
Suzanne Frischkorn, Kim Addonizio, Thomas McNeely, Jenna Le, Sarah Bridgins, Lee Matthew Goldberg, Lise Hanes, Dr. Paula Perez, Michael Mark, Maya Williams, Hannah Sward, Caitlin Avery, Carla Swartz, Stacy TenHouton, Donna Spruijt-Metz, Morgan Baker
Autumn 2022 (link to website) 
Jonathan Papernick, A.K. Small, Aaron Tillman, David Rockland, Kimberly Ann Priest, Sain Griffiths, Harris Gardner, Lisa Taylor, Michael Keith, Jim Shepard, Zach VandeZande, Rusty Barnes, Daniel Nester. Kurk Lovelace (reading from Annemarie O'Connell's book), and Nina Shope
Spring/Summer 2022 (link to website) 
Sara Lippmann, Robin McLean, Gregory Orr, Rich Murphy, Diane Suess, Ron Tanner, Aleathea Drehmer, Christina Adams, Sharon Applegate Greenwald, Lucas Scheelk, Joseph Milosch, Barbara Legere, Ellene Glenn Moore, Vincent Cellucci and Chris Shipman
Winter 2022
Renuka Raghaven, Jessica Cuello, Jen Knox, Daniel Biegelson, Alison Stine, John Rosenthal, Peter Crowley, Maggie Doherty, Erin Khar, Elan Barnehama, Marguerite Guzman Bouvard
Autumn 2021
DeMisty Bellinger, Cheryl Pappas, Matt Bell, Michael Keith, Gloria Mindock, Molly Gaudry, CD Collins, Kevin Prufer, Beth Robinson/Chris Joseph, Alina Stefanuscu, Meg Smith, Gregory Wolos, Damian Dressic, Jason Wright, Blake Butler 
Summer 2021
Natalie Brobin Bonfig, John Domini, Anna VQ Ross, Rachel Yoder
Spring 2021
Sandra Simonds, George Wallace, Caroline Levitt, Charles Coe, Susan Henderson, Major Jackson, Kara Vernor, Meredith Goldstein, Kimberly Ann Priest, Joanna Rakoff
Winter 2021
Rick Moody , Laurette Folk, Mark Saba, Sarah Anne Johnson, Josh Barkan/ Jennifer Haigh, Keetje Kuipers, January O'Neil,  Elle Nash, Danielle Zaccagnino, Marty Beckerman, Nathan Graziano , Steven Cramer
Autumn 2020
Carly Israel, Daphne Kalotay, Ryan Ridge, Marge Piercy, Kerry Beth Neville, Yuyutsu Sharma, Chris Joseph, Elizabeth Gordon McKim, Diana Spechler, Jonathan Escoffrey, Dewitt Henry, Brian Sonia-Wallace, Rebecca Fishow, Marguerite Bouvard, Pamela Painter, Kim Chinquee, Jessica Keener, Amy King

      Miracles of the Circus , one of my recurring circus flash fictions with recurring characters made it's way into, Meat for Tea, The Valley Review, Vol. 19, Issue 4.  

     So, about Miracles of the Circus. Three new characters, high-wire pair Sonny and Cecilia, and Dr. Hugh Johnson are introduced. Old favorites, Doc Snickens, still hawking his "Miracle Cure" (which is really whisky), Wolfboy, and Maggie, the girl with no arms or legs come back in their usual roles.     In  Miracles of the Circus, marital infidelity between the couple and Dr. Johnson, along with jealousy by Wolfboy and Maggie produce the conflict. Incidentally, this was written way before the scandal pictured below.  In the world of Doc Snickens' circus, there is no internet, so what happened between Sonny, Cecilia, and Dr. Johnson stayed in-house. 

  Other Contributors:Doug Anderson, Magda Bartkowska, Chris Bodily, Jacob Chapman, Harry Coe, Candace Curran, Christine Gay Dutton, Jeffrey Feingold, Scott Ferry, C. Desirée Finley, Diane Funston, Timothy Gager, Michael Favala Goldman, Carole Greenfield, Jeanne Griggs, John Guzlowski, Richard Wayne Horton, Matt Jasper, Stan Kempton, David Lawton, Christopher Locke, Pia Long, LindaAnn LoSchavio, Jeremy Macomber-Dubs, Dave Madeloni, Laura Maffei, Kim Malinowski, Dana Henry Martin, Joseph F Neri, Camille Newsom, Pamela Parker, Robert Peate, Andre F. Peltier, Yunier Ramirez, Charles Rammelkamp, Margaret Sáraco, Jacqulyn Seyferth, Andrew Shelffo, David Solheim, Susanna Solomon, Bobby Sorensen, Peter Tacy, Tommy Twilite, Elaine Verdill, Michael Washburn, Jeff Weddle, Ron Whitehead, Jim Whitten, Ren Wilding, Francine Witte, J. Andrew World, John Yamrus, Gerald Yelle, Frank Zahn----
     There are plenty of stories of mine, featuring the world of Snickens and the circus, if you want to read them, but you probably can't. On-line journals go off-line, all the time and many of the tales of Snickens, Maggie, and Wolfboy died along with them. 
     One of my favorites,  The Soul Must Go On (2011)  uses the afterlife with the circus, and it's only on-line because I posted it post-mortem.
     Snickens "Miracle Cure", but not he, appears in Historic Men Sitting By a Fire. (2023) 
     Doc Snickens also appears in Vex, (2011) as a mad dentist, not as a circus Ring Leader. 

      
art work, "Lovers" by Ira Joel Haber
 Today Strange Facts About The Human Body You Know About (after Tales for Men Who are Lost at Sea) a flash fiction of mine was published at Oddball Magazine, but to be honest the piece, written in 2025, was over twenty years in the making. Let me explain.                 Back before there was social media, when the internet had bulletin boards, which people joined they had common interests. People posted and others would comment. (often with insults or straight out sexual comments.)
                But, I digress. 

        In May 2004, I joined a bulletin board Scrawl: The Writer's Asylum. I had two books under my belt, but they were bad raw. I never wrote flash fiction and Scrawl would do two flash fiction prompts a week. Everyone would write for a hour, then everyone would comment on all the other work.  It was called Flash and Chat. 

    It just so happens that some of the best flash fiction writers were in this group. Rusty Barnes. Dave Bully, Sue Miller. Cami Park, Ken Ryan and Nadine Darling. Damn, they were good. They were also good mentors and much of Treating A Sick Animal (2009), my first book of flash fiction was initiated at Scrawl. 
    As wonderful as everyone in that group was, I would always read Nadine Darling's work when I was stuck in my own writing and needed magic to recharge. Nadine's  unique and creative stories and the cadence within the work ALWAYS jump started my own flash fictions. 

        Which brings me to 21 years later. Poet/writer, Eric Silverman, from my new on-line group, The Write Launch group suggested we have a day and wrote from prompts. Good idea.  I suggested that we write for an hour, post on a Google Doc, and everyone was required to comment on everyone else. During one of these sessions, the story, Strange Facts About The Human Body You Know About was birthed. It's a flash in list form, something Nadine was a genius at, and from those recollections mine was written. It is hardly in the same league as hers, but it was definitely influenced by her. 

         Write Launch, by the way, is not a bulletin board, but rather a zoom meeting (Oh, cool. Modern) which was started in 2020 by Anna David. Also, by the way, about a month ago, I was friended on Facebook by The Ghost of Nadine Darling group. I knew immediately who the ghost keeper was, but what I didn't realize was that post-mortem a collection of Nadine's flash fictions,  T ales for Men Who are Lost at Sea  was published. I recognize many of the stories from Scrawl, and favorites from some of my favorite highly regarded journals were also included. This collection is highly recommended---I mean, duh. 
    When my story was accepted a week ago, I wanted to honor this collection, and the writer of, so I added the title of Nadine's book as the sub title for mine. I also will suggest that you read her book. It  are so much better. 

 It’s still November and there have been big losses in 2025 hitting the Massachusetts poetry world, of people I’ve considered friends. Here are Readings I’ve hosted from my series by Danielle Legros Georges, Jennifer Martelli, and Charles Coe. No words means just that.