A photo of yours truly

I'll just share one for now, but my friend Ashley Ross has taken some photos of me.  Isn't she great?

Keith S. Wilson in Eden Park, Cincinnati.  Photo by Ashley Ross

For Colored Girls book discussion at Evelyn N. Alfred's blog

I won't lie; I love book discussions.  I would participate in them all the time if I could find one that read things other than best sellers or summer (that is, easy) reads.  So I jumped at the chance to participate in the book discussion Evelyn N. Alfred is leading at her blog and Twitter account.

Okay, jump is the wrong word, since I ended up 10 days behind.  But I went out and bought the book for the discussion (tip:  it's not in the poetry section, it's in the theatre section).  Anyway, now I'm caught up, loving the book, and loving that someone's tackling poetry in book discussion.

Keep an eye on Evelyn's blog; she does stuff like this all the time.  I think I've linked to her before, but this merits a second mention.  Please join the discussion.

My poem "How Like a Potato" has been published in the Fall 2010 issue of Poetrybay.

My poem "How Like a Potato" has been published in the Fall 2010 issue of Poetrybay.

I've been trying to make an effort of announcing my publications here.  I hate doing it almost as much as I hate writing or sharing my bio, but Bianca has been on me about it, and she's kind of right.

Also, I'm not entirely sure when it became available, but one of my poems, "Punch Line" has been printed in the AIDS anthology Spaces Between Us.  This was a particularly proud moment in my poetry career; the poem means a lot to me, as does the intent of the collection itself.  Check it out.

The ever-elusive poet in the workforce

I suggest you read the full post, entitled "Poetic Marketing":

Fellow Affrilachian Poet Crystal Good wrote this particular blog post a while back talking about the role of a poet in a business environment:

Today’s marketing world is built on two-way conversations and third-party endorsements. There is no room for pomp and cliché. If you are stumbling on how to tell your brand story think about the honesty of a poet and then ask yourself if you honestly understand your brand and your customer?

It's interesting that there is such a stigma between business and art.  I understand the philosophy behind it.  But ignoring businesses entirely is no more helpful of a poet than writing nothing but poetry that never makes it out of your notebook.  If there is wrong, do something.

In any case, I love what Crystal is doing not only as it pertains to legitimizing poetic force in the workplace, but also for what she does for the community in general, especially in West Virginia. Let's recognize that poets exist outside the coffee houses and classrooms.

The Affrilachian Poets hit Frostburg State University Part III of III

Sorry for the huge delay between this and the last Frostburg video set.  I essentially lost, for a week, the ability to get the videos off my computer.  But here are the final two videos.  Affrilachian Poets Crystal Good and Ricardo Nazario-Colón.

Be sure to check out Part I and Part II for a selection of the whole Affrilachian performance, which included the poets Bianca Spriggs, Norman Jordan, Ricardo Nizaro-Colon, Mitchell L. H. Douglas, Ricardo Nazario-Colón, Crystal Good, and Keith S. Wilson.



Ricardo Nazario-Colón performing "Witness."