Ruminating Poet Press

SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR

September 24 – Seersucker Live – Front Porch Improve, 210 West Victory - Marc Thomas recognized as "Good Literary Citizen" - Social Hour 6:00 pm, Show 7:00 pm

September 25 - Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home - Peacock Party - 6:30 pm - Regina Coeli Hall, Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist at 222 E. Harris Street

September 26 - HAIKU IN THE PARK - Offering free haiku lessons and selling my poetry books in Forsyth Park, weather permitting - South of the Fountain, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm

October 2 - First Friday in Starland - Selling my poetry books in front of the Water Witch Tiki Bar, 2220 Bull St - 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm

October 3 - HAIKU IN THE PARK - Offering free haiku lessons and selling my poetry books in Forsyth Park, weather permitting - South of the Fountain, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm

October 10 - Book Drive and Local Authors Fair, Johnson Square - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

October 17 - Red Clay Writers Conference, Marietta, GA - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm - both attendee and vendor

October 24 - HAIKU IN THE PARK - Offering free haiku lessons and selling my poetry books in Forsyth Park, weather permitting - South of the Fountain, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm

In my new book, MACHINE LANGUAGE/BODY LANGUAGE, I use poetry to explore how our language and consciousness are rooted in our animal bodies, and question how we are related to "artificial intelligences," and what are our duties to our creations and to each other. I try to be serious, ask the right questions, explore the absurd, and sometimes even to find humor.

The cover painting is by Savannah artist Alejandro Giraldo and is titled "Finish Your Homework, Boy." And there we are, caught between our machines and our social expectations.

Come to the launch! I'll talk about the book a little, read a couple of poems, and we can talk about our AI fears and hopes. There will be snacks and lemonade, and the Bean's bar will be open.

Yesterday, August 13, I received shipment of 100 printed copies of my new book.

I will be working with BookLogix, a small woman-owned Georgia company that printed the book, to get the book available through Amazon and IngramSpark, but in the meantime, I am going to have fun personally selling copies.

In MACHINE LANGUAGE/BODY LANGUAGE, I use poetry to explore how our language and consciousness are rooted in our animal bodies, and question how we are related to "artificial intelligences," and what are our duties to our creations and to each other. I try to be serious, ask the right questions, explore the absurd, and sometimes even to find humor.

The poems contemplate who we are as humans, and how we do and may relate to the artificially intelligent creatures we imagine and create. How is the language we make from our bodies and bodily experience translated into a machine intelligence? Are artificial intelligences persons, simply simulacra of persons, or merely recombinations and presentations of computed texts? How are we related to these machine creatures, and what are our duties are to each other? May they become, inadvertently or by choice, our shadows and our avatars and our fate and our doom and our blessing and our karma or destruction? How we may change each other? 

AND THERE WILL BE A BOOK LAUNCH! 

On Saturday, August 29, we will be having a book launch, with the chance of buying signed copies of my new book and other books, at 7:00 pm at THE SENTIENT BEAN.

I'm back in Savannah, and will be back at the POETRY CO-OP OPEN MIC, which is every Monday at 7:00 pm at the WATER WITCH TIKI BAR.

And as long as it is not too hot or too wet (and yes, humidity counts), I plan to be in the Artists Market at Forsyth Park on Saturdays.

Back to the normal schedule of meeting every Monday.  

Every one gets five minutes. Don't be hateful.

Readers are welcome to read poems, fiction, memoir, diaries, letters, or any other prose. No music or standup.