News and Updates:
August 18, 2008
It's been a quiet summer. There is nothing new and sparkly to report, but I'm hard at work on a number of projects. Check my blog for some new poems, a short story at Freight Stories and a couple of digital pieces I made during a summer class.
June 25, 2008
Ah, summer vacation at last. It is definitely a perk about being a public educator. I will, however, be taking a graduate class so I can complete my MFA some time between now and Obama's second term (if McLame is elected, I'm pretty sure the world will end in a nuclear holocaust, thus rendering everything moot).
By the way, I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm a blogging whore now. Most of my updates, various ramblings, and links to new work are posted on my blog. I'm reserving the website for really big news, such as a Pulitzer Prize or a date with Jenna Jameson. With my wife's permission, of course.
As always, go Sox, and I hope the Yankees come down with a case of clubhouse crabs from sharing their golden thong. True story.
May 11, 2008
I have some new work on-line. I have two poems in the Spring 2008 issue of Temenos, the arts journal for Central Michigan University, and I also have a new Natty/Cracker short story in the current issues of Zygote in My Coffee. Those pieces should keep you busy for a couple of minutes if you're really, really bored at work.
I mentioned before that I would be reading as part The Connecticut Beat Poetry Festival, and they have a Myspace with all the information. I'll be reading with Jack Kerouac. I hope you can make it.
April 14, 2008
Sunnyoutside Press is running special poetry packages to celebrate April as National Poetry Month. For all of you die-hard, pump-your -fists, flash-your-breasts Nathan Graziano fans, you can purchase all the titles I have from sunnyoutside for a measly $20.
I added a new reading. On Sunday, June 8 at The Mark Twain House in Hartford, I will be reading with my good friend and new mom Rebecca Schumejda as part of a statewide poetry festival. More details to follow on that one.
I am going to blog my ass off now that it's baseball season.
March 14, 2008
Just a reminder that I will be reading Wednesday, March 19 at River Run Bookstore with poet Matthew Guenette. The reading starts at 7 p.m., and I'll be heading out somewhere for a beer afterward. Please come join me.
I have a poem titled "One Day At A Time" in Issue #2 of Spoonful, a poetry blog for the Stone Soup Poets.
March 2, 2008
I'm back from the snowy New York readings. All in all, they went well. I met some great people: poets, Chris Fitton and Kevin Thurston, the inimitable Gregg Yeti, and David Terrero, who kindly drove me to the bus station in Syracuse on Saturday morning. Check out their sites for some great tunes and buy one of their CD's.
I have a couple of new readings scheduled, including one at River Run Bookstore in Portsmouth on March 19 with Matthew Guenette. I hope my New Hampshire contigency will come out for that one.
After a number of years, I'm also updating my "Links" page.
February 23, 2008
My review of Tim Sandlin's new novel Rowdy in Paris was printed in The Hippo Press this week. Check it out. It's a good read.
I'm heading to upstate New York for some readings next week. If you happen to live around Buffalo or Syracuse, come join me. The information is on the "Readings" page.
The Sox reported to Spring Training this week. Here we go again. I now have something other than watching The Cheater, Andy Pettite, and The World's Biggest Liar/Cheater, Roger "Throw My Wife Under The Bus" Clemens get grilled to occupy my attention. If you're wondering: No, I'm not going to let Yankees fans forget about Pettite, regardless of how contrite he appears to be. Goddamn cheater!
January 29, 2008
There's a nice review of Teaching Metaphors on 18 Miles, an on-line blog of the music and arts scene in New Hampshire. Check it out.
I've added another reading to my mini-tour of upstate New York in February. I'll be reading with Hillary Clinton to her constituents while Bill attacks my record.
This whole thing with Tom Brady (a.k.a. "God") and his ankle is only setting this Sunday up to be the cherry on top of this mythological season.
January 21, 2008
One of my short stories (actually, it's flash fiction) "Moon Walk" was published by Night Train this week. Check it out.
I've finally added the readings for this winter to my "Readings" page. I'm hoping to see my legions of fans in upstate New York for those dates. By the way, can someone give me a ride?
January 11, 2008
Happy New Year! I found out my poem "Wrestling Wallace Stevens" from Teaching Metaphors was nominated by Sunnyoutside Press for a Pushcart Prize. Of course, I probably have a better chance of willfully growing a pink horn out of my forehead than winning a Pushcart, but it's still nice to get the nod from my publisher.
I will be reading in upstate New York in February and possibly March. I will be updating my "Readings" page soon, so check back for details.
Go Pats!
December 27, 2007
Happy Holidays! I just received some exciting news regarding Teaching Metaphors. It was chosen by The Hippo Press as the Best Local Collection of Poetry for 2007. If you don't believe me, and I can understand why you wouldn't, read it for yourself.
There are plans in the works for a February reading tour of New York. More information on that to follow.
I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year. Go Pats (16-0), baby! It's great time to be a New England sports fan.
December 10, 2007
My publisher Sunnyoutside is getting into the whole yuletide spirit and having a buy two books and get one free end-of-the-year sale. The details are here. That's right, after having this website up for over four years, I finally figured out how to link a site without putting in the whole URL. Go me!
In case I don't update before the holidays, in the words of Clark W. Griswold have the "hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny Fucking Kaye."
November 15, 2007
A couple of new reviews of Teaching Metaphors have come out. The first is in the venerable poetry journal Rattle. Check out the link: http://www.rattle.com/ereviews/grazianonathan.htm. And the second is in the new issue of the iconoclastic Fight These Bastards.
I just received my contributor's copy of The GPP Reader, an anthology edited by Ed Kauffman, that includes a long list of small press notables. It's a beautiful perfect-bound collection with some the best writing to come from the small press in the past five years. I strongly recommend picking up a copy at http://guerillapoetics.org/
I've finished my readings and book promotions for 2007. There are, however, plans to do a Sunnyoutside book tour in February with a stable of very capable Sunnyoutside writers. I'll keep you posted.
November 5, 2007
Tomorrow night I will be reading at my alma mater, Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. The reading starts at 7 p.m. in The Frost Commons, and there will be a book signing for Teaching Metaphors afterwards. This will most likely be my last reading of 2007. Come check it out.
October 28, 2007
Go Sox!
October 21, 2007
Go Sox!
P.S. The Yankees are playing golf.
October 10, 2007
I will be reading tomorrow night at Border's in The Fort Eddy Plaza in Concord. The reading starts at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a brief Q&A, a book signing, and the sacrificing of a chicken. There will be an informal gathering of dear friends at a local pub afterwards, so feel free to join us. This is sure to be a very interesting reading from what I hear. Don't miss this one if you're in the area.
I will also be the featured reader at The Blue Art Gallery in Cambridge on Monday night as part of The Stone Soup Poetry Reading Series. For more information, visit their blogspot and check out the picture of my ugly mug and my daughter's beautiful one. Here's the link: http://stonesouppoetry.blogspot.com/
In some good news, my publisher tells me that Teaching Metaphors was selected as a pick of the month for Jul./Aug. by The Small Press Review.
Finally, let's go Red Sox. I am so happy the Yankees lost that I've been giggling like a little girl for almost three days now. Let's see the boys bring the trophy back home.
September 25, 2007
I will be signing copies of Teaching Metaphors at Border's in the Fort Eddy Road Plaza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 29. Come see me, hug me, love me, buy my freakin' book.
If you missed me on The Front Porch, listen to it here: http://www.nhpr.org/node/13777. Both Liz Bulkley and Andrew Walsh kick ass, and you should listen to the show anyway.
September 19, 2007
I will be appearing on NHPR's The Front Porch on Tuesday, September 25. If you live in New Hampshire, tune to your local NPR station at 6:30 p.m. If not, you can listen on-line at: http://www.nhpr.org/
I have a couple of readings scheduled for the fall. I will be reading at Border's in Concord on October 11 and Plymouth State University on November 6. Check out my "Readings" page for more information.
The Red Sox. Sigh. Check out my blog for my total apocolyptic rant.
August 20, 2007
Another fantastic review of Teaching Metaphors appeared in The Concord Monitor, The Portsmouth Herald and The Nashua Telegraph on Sunday. People may actually start to get the impression that I know what I'm doing. Check it out: http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070819/COLUMNISTS45/208190303/-1/OPINION04
Also, I failed to mention last time when I mentioned the appearance of my poem "The Drunkest I've Ever Been" in Pearl Magazine, that that poem also appears as a postcard broadside as part of an incredibly well-done collection of postcards from my intrepid publisher sunnyoutside press, who has just moved shop from Somerville to Buffalo. Check out the postcard collection at: http://www.sunnyoutside.com/releases/016/postcards.html
The summer is almost over, and I'll be heading back to work next week. I guess it's time to stop talking about the poems I wrote about teaching high school and actually start doing it again.
August 7, 2007
A sparkling review of Teaching Metaphors appears in this week's Hippo Press. I assure you, I'm not related to the reviewer. http://www.hippopress.com/books/Teaching%20Metaphors.html
My poem "The Drunkest I've Ever Been" appears in Pearl Magazine. This particular piece took years of field work and dedication to compose. Check out their website at: http://www.pearlmag.com/
I'm working on scheduling some reading for Fall 2007. Keep checking my "Readings" page for updates.
July 26, 2007
I will be reading at The Out of Blue Gallery in Cambridge as part of The Dire Literary Series on Friday, August 3. Joining me will be writers Ted Pelton and Nina Shope. For more information and directions, visit their site: http://www.direreader.com/ I hope many of you can find to time to join me. I will be breaking out a new ribbon dance routine I've been laboring over and slowly perfecting this summer. Also, I wrote about my last reading in Portland, Maine on my blog. The link is top of this page.
There was a review of Teaching Metaphors printed in The Somerville News. Check it out: http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2007/07/somerville-smal.html
Finally, an archived audio of my appearance on the Portsmouth Community Radio show Writers in the Round hosted by Deidre Randall can be heard on-line. I appeared with two very cool musicians Tim Cahill and Mary Gatchell. If you have an hour to kill, give it a listen: http://www.archive.org/details/WritersOnTheRound62707Wsca-lp106.1fm
