May 2023 - The ACA Poetry Workshop Testimonials for 2023 are in and they are lovely! If you have a moment, you can check here to see what the participants had to say. 

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Apr. 2023 - Writing the tops of their heads off!!! A record number of poets and writers came out to Harris House this year to make the ACA Poetry Month series a huge success. Info about the series can be found at Atlantic Center for the Arts. Stay tuned to hear from the poets.

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Mar. 2023 - M.B. is excited to announce that Kelsay Books will be publishing her newest book of poetry, Smiling at the Executioner. The release is scheduled for later this year in November.

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Mar. 2023 - The ACA poetry workshops scheduled for April are sold out. You can send an email to mbmclatchey@gmail.com if you would like to get onto the standby list.

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Feb. 2023 - It's almost that time of year again! April is poetry month and that means poetry workshops at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. See why some are calling these the best poetry workshops in Florida. M.B. will host the workshops every Wednesday evening throughout April. Admission is free but space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot soon. You can find out more and register today on ACA's poetry page.

 

Jan. 2023 - M.B.'s poem “Rate My Professor: A Rebuttal" has been published in the 2023 Winter Issue of Sky Island Journal. Thank you to its wonderful editors, Jeff Sommerfeld and Jason Splichal.

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Jan. 2023 - It is with heavy heart that we notify you that local poet Robert Calabrese has passed away. Highly admired by all who knew him, Bob had a gentle soul, was a dear friend to all, and without question, was a highly gifted poet. Bob and his poetry will be remembered at this month's Open Mic Poetry Night at The Hub on Canal on January 21st.

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Dec. 2022 - M.B. is honored to announce that her poem “Rate My Professor: A Rebuttal" has been accepted to appear in Issue #23 (Winter 2023) of Sky Island Journal, to be published on January 21, 2023. A warm and heartfelt thank you to Editors Jeff and Jason.

 

Dec. 2022 - Join M.B. In Miami to attend a SWWIM poetry reading with poets Traci Brimhall and Silvia Curbelo at The Betsy-South Beach Library. Wednesday, Dec. 14th, 7:30 PM EST.

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Dec. 2022 - M.B.'s poem "Inventory" has been published in the Fall issue of Southern Poetry Review. Begun in 1958 by Guy Owen and now based in Savannah, Georgia, SPR is the second oldest poetry journal in the Southeast. Thank you to Editor James Smith and Associate Editor Tony Morris.

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Nov. 2022 - Atlantic Center for the Arts has announced dates for their annual poetry workshops for poetry month next April (2023) at ACA Harris House in New Smyrna Beach. M.B. will host four workshops over the month with the theme "Freeing our poetic voices the formal way". Explore how writing in poetic forms – chants, odes, haikus, epistolary poems, and more – can unleash our most authentic voices. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Sign up on ACA's website.

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Oct. 2022 - The Florida State Poets Association held their Annual Fall Convention this week in Daytona Beach, joining old friends with new, and sharing the stage this year with several nationally acclaimed SLAM Poetry legends. M.B. hosted a panel of SLAM poets to help introduce the audience to SLAM poetry. The panel included SLAM greats Bob Holman, Kevin Campbell, Ed Mabrey, and Shawn Welcome. Events concluded with the Blackberry Peach National Poetry Slam competition.

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Oct. 2022 - Chancellor, Florida State Poets Association.  It is with great honor, appreciation, and respect that M.B. accepts FSPA’s recognition and lifetime appointment as FSPA Chancellor. She will be joining a distinguished group of poets and writers living in Florida that are recognized by FSPA "to be among the finest poets in the nation". Previously appointed Chancellors include Lee Bennett Hopkins, member of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, Peter Meinke, Poet Laureate of the State of Florida, Lola Haskins, Carol Frost, Silvia Curbelo, Denise Duhamel, Virgil Suárez, and David Kirby. All are longtime residents of Florida. More about them here.

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Sep. 2022 - M.B.'s poem "Calendar Plans" has been published in the 2022 edition of Relief: a journal of art and faith dedicated to human flourishing through literature. Thank you to poetry Editor Julie L. Moore and Editor in Chief Daniel Bowman, Jr.

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Sep. 2022 - The Healing Power of Mindfulness: Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention. Sponsored by AdventHealth and Atlantic Center for the Arts, the free event will feature physicians practicing mindfulness activities through meditation, expressive writing (with M.B.), and a healthy dinner and refreshments. Open to the public. Details here.

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Sep. 2022 - Thank you to the Wheaton Writing Academy and its members for a delightful poetry workshop this month. M.B. and the attendees had a fun and productive time online while unleashing  poetic voces, making new friends, and even completing new poems. Plans for M.B. to host another session with the Academy are forthcoming. Stay tuned!

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Aug. 2022 - Register now! Florida State Poets Association (FSPA) is partnering with the National Federation of State Poetry Societies for this year’s fall convention in Daytona. The event this year will include the Blackberry Peach National Slam Poetry Competition. M.B. will moderate a panel of Slam Poetry enthusiasts as well as announce some exciting news. The three-day conference is October 21-23 at the Marriott Residence Inn Daytona Beach Shores. Details here.

 

July 2022 - M.B. is honored to serve once again as Grand Prize Judge for the annual poetry contest hosted by California's Ina Coolbrith Circle. ICC is the oldest continuously-running poetry group in the nation, founded by California's first poet laureate, Ina Coolbrith. Results will be announced in December. 

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July 2022 - Results of the InterBoard Poetry Competition for May have been released, along with commentary from M.B. as Guest Judge. Congratulations once again to the winners.

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June 2022 - M.B. is delighted to announce that her poems "The Shadow Maker" and "War in Eurasia" have been published in Issue 32 of Sequestrum. Be sure to check out M.B.'s responses to Q&A on the Contributor Spotlight page. Many thanks to Managing Editor, R. M. Cooper, and the team.

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May 2022 - Results of the InterBoard Poetry Competition for April have been released, along with commentary from M.B. as Guest Judge. Congratulations to the winners.

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Apr. 2022 - M.B. will serve as Guest Judge for the InterBoard Poetry Competition this summer. The mission of IBPC is "to provide assistance, incentive, and an environment which is conducive to the continual growth, in both quality and popularity, of poetry on the Internet." 

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Apr. 2022 - Celebrate National Poetry Month this April with Atlantic Center for the Arts. M.B. is hosting poetry workshops every Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:30 pm at ACA's Harris House in New Smyrna Beach. More info here.

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Mar. 2022 - M.B. has accepted an invitation from nationally-recognized Wheaton Writing Academy to host a three-hour online poetry workshop next fall. Beginners to advanced-level poets will all be welcome. See date and time details in the Events section.

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Mar. 2022 - M.B. is pleased to announce that her poem "Calendar Plans" has been accepted for  publication in the Spring 2022 edition of Relief: a journal of art and faith dedicated to human flourishing through literature. Thank you to poetry editor Julie L. Moore and editor in chief Daniel Bowman, Jr.

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Feb. 2022 - M.B.'s poems, "The Shadow Maker" and "War in Eurasia" will be featured in an upcoming issue of Sequestrum. In their words, "We publish concise, evocative writing that couldn’t exist in any other form, yet reminds us of the breadth and scope of longer works... We believe good writing deserves recognition and are a paying market for new and literary-heavyweights alike." Thank you to Sequestrum editor Ralph Cooper.

 

Feb. 2022 - M.B. is delighted to announce that she has been invited to join the staff at SWWIM (Supporting Women Writers in Miami) as poetry reader. SWWIM continues to be the Southeast's premier online poetry journal as well as host of the very popular poetry reading series at The Betsy Hotel on Miami's South Beach. M.B. looks forward to working with editors Jen, Catherine,  Caridad, and Alexandra. 

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Feb. 2022 - M.B. is pleased to announce that her poem "Inventory" has been accepted for  publication in Southern Poetry Review. Begun in 1958, "SPR publishes poems from all over the country as well as from abroad and maintains a worldwide readership." Thank you to editor James Smith.

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Jan. 2022 - M.B.’s poem, “The Wisdom of the Cave," has been published in South Florida's favorite online journal -- SWWIM (Supporting Women Writers in Miami). A warm thank you to their editors Jen, Catherine, and Caridad. Be sure to check out SWWIM's list of upcoming events and readings at The Betsy Hotel in South Beach, Miami.

 

Dec. 2021 - M.B.'s poem "Ctrl+Z" has been published in the fall issue of The Florida Review, a publication of the University of Central Florida. The issue includes "our editors’ picks of the very best of our general submissions. No contest, no theme—just the best of the best." Thank you to editors Jake Wolff and Kenneth Hart for their support.

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Nov. 2021 - Atlantic Center for the Arts has announced dates for their annual poetry month workshop series next April (2022) at ACA Harris House in New Smyrna Beach. M.B. will host four workshops over the month with the theme "Unleashing our poetic voices". Discover how writing in traditional forms such as the ode, sonnet, and even self-invented forms can free us to let our unconscious play a role in our art. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Sign up on ACA's website, or reach out by email to M.B. if you have questions.

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Nov. 2021 - M.B.'s article "Innovating Educational Innovation: Introducing Beginner’s Mind into the Classroom" is now viewable on the HundrED Organization's website.  The article speaks to the impact of introducing beginner's mind into the classroom.

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Nov. 2021 - M.B.’s poem, “The Wisdom of the Cave," will be featured this coming January in South Florida's coolest online journal -- SWWIM (Supporting Women Writers in Miami). You can join the SWWIM team and guest poets for hosted readings at The Betsy Hotel in South Beach, Miami on select Wednesdays at 7pm. The next readings are November 10th and December 15th. c u there.

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Oct. 2021 - The 10th Annual Winter Park Paint Out International Poetry Competition has closed and the winners have been selected. From M.B. -- As Guest Judge for the for 2021 Poetry Competition, I have been inspired and uplifted by the verses submitted to this year’s contest. To leave you with Dylan Thomas: The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. For 2022, the contest will return to its usual schedule in April.

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Oct. 2021 - Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) gives tribute to one of its own, highlighting some of M.B.'s recent accomplishments. Many thanks to Ginger Pinholster, Assistant Vice President of News/Research Communications and to Steven Master, associate professor and interim chair of the Humanities and Communication Department.

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Oct. 2021 - M.B.'s poem "Ode for My Department Chair Who Left a Face Shield on My Desk" has been published in the fall issue of English Journal, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English. The journal is NCTE’s award-winning collection of ideas for English language arts teachers in junior and senior high schools and middle schools.

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Oct. 2021 - M.B. is excited and honored to have been chosen as guest judge for the 10th Annual Winter Park Paint Out International Poetry Competition. The autumn event is hosted by The Kerouac Project and the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park, Florida. Poetry competition is organized by poet Mark Andrew J Terry, Director Emeritus for the museum and Vice President of the Florida State Poets Association. The competition begins on October 11. Details here.

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Sep. 2021 - The FSPA Zoomies presentation featuring Beginner's Mind originally scheduled for 9/14 has been rescheduled to 9/28 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. M.B. will read from her new book and speak to the topic of "poets writing prose". Details here.

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Aug. 2021 - Check out the latest release of Avatar Review Issue 23 which contains M.B.'s poem "Another Inevitable Romance at Olduvai Gorge". The poem was originally accepted for publication by Science magazine in 1985 (that's over 35 years ago!) but, sadly, never made it to print. A huge thank you to the editors at Avatar for honoring this ancient gem.

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Aug. 2021 -  M.B. is thrilled to announce that Sky Island Journal has nominated her poem "Smiling at the Executioner" for the 2021 Best of the Net award. The poem appeared in their Summer 2020 journal and was also nominated for the Pushcart Prize. A warm thank you to its editors, Jeff and Jason, for the beautiful work they do.

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Aug. 2021 - Join M.B. and the FSPA Zoomies via Zoom on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 7pm to discuss "poets writing prose" and to hear excerpts from M.B.'s new book, Beginner's Mind. Details of the Zoom session are listed on the EVENTS page.

 

July 2021 - Exciting news! M.B. has been appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the International Organization of Education Innovators called HundrED. The organization is a global non profit with a mission to improve education through impactful innovations. "Everything we do starts with a child in mind and is based on our manifesto. We work with innovators, educators and funders in all continents."

 

July 2021 - Education in Literature Podcast. You can listen to M.B. (Beginner's Mind) and author Kevin McIntosh (Class Dismissed) discuss the philosophical underpinnings of their new education-themed books with Regal House Publishing's Jaynie Royal and Pam Van Dyk.  Jaynie and Pam do a spectacular job of getting to the story behind the stories while also eliciting foundational commentary from these seasoned pros on the challenges and rewards of teaching in today's age.

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June 2021 - M.B.'s poem "The End of Knowing" has been published in The Criterion, a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes theoretical and research articles in English Literature and Language, Humanities and Social Sciences. The e-journal is produced by Rajaram College in India.

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June 2021 - M.B. will be featured as an guest reader for the Midsummer Night's Pensive Reading on June 9th, hosted on Zoom by Northeastern University's Center for Spirituality, Dialogue, and Service (CSDS) and the New England Poetry Club. Readings start at 7pm. RSVP preferred.

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May 2021 - The Authors Guild has featured M.B. and her latest book, Beginner's Mind, in their Member Spotlight section. Check out her interview with this great resource for writers and learn more about why and how writer's write. M.B.'s advice: "Know everything you can know about the rules of writing so that you can comfortably and creatively break the rules."

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May 2021 - IT'S A BOOK - 12.6 OUNCES!  Beginner's Mind was just released today and is available from Regal House Publishing as well as your favorite book outlets.  A long, but much needed journey that takes a fresh look at how we educate our children. "Thank you beyond measure to my publisher, my fellow writers, my two boys, my extended family, to so many new friends, and especially to my husband for supporting this dream every step of the way." - M.B

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May 2021 - For a behind the scenes look at M.B.'s upcoming book, Beginner's Mind, be sure to check out her interview in the May/June issue of Florida's premier poetry magazine, Of Poets & Poetry. Heartfelt thanks to its wonderful editor Mark Andrew James Terry, brilliant interviewer Al Rocheleau, and all at the Florida State Poets Association that make this publication possible.

  

Apr. 2021- Welcome to M.B.'s new and improved website. The transfer of all of her data from the old 2005 Yahoo website to this modern and mobile-device-friendly platform will take several months to complete, but, the core work is done. Please excuse any broken links while the work is completed. 

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Apr. 2021 - Enjoy Poetry Month by watching M.B.'s two latest installments of her Fresh Perspectives in Poetry video series produced by the Atlantic Center for the Arts. The April 7th release can be viewed here, and the April 14th release featuring poet Seamus Heaney can be viewed here. Thank you all for the wonderful and encouraging feedback, and requests for more.

 

Apr. 2021 - Just in time for April's Poetry Month, three new poems from M.B. have been published in literary journals: "Aftercare" in The Raintown Review , "On Forgetting Ash Wednesday" in Iris Literary Journal, and "Invocation" in Cider Press Review. Thank you to the editors for their recognition and support.

Mar. 2021 - M.B.'s poem "Ctrl+Z" has been accepted for publication in an upcoming issue of The Florida Review. The University of Central Florida journal publishes "exciting new work from around the world from writers both emerging and well known." Thank you to poetry editor Kenneth Hart.

Mar. 2021 - Thank you to Readers' Favorite for its Five-Star award to Beginner's Mind!

Mar. 2021 - Exciting news!! Regal House Publishing's upcoming release of M.B.'s latest  book, Beginner's Mind - From Shipyard to Harvard Yard: Embracing Endless Possibilities, is now only 2 months away! Get a preview of the book that parents and teachers have been longing for by checking out the very cool video trailer here. Available now for preorder.

 

Feb. 2021 - M.B.'s poem, "Another Inevitable Romance at Olduvai Gorge", previously accepted for publication by Science magazine in 1985, will reappear this summer in Avatar Review.

 

Jan. 2021 - M.B.'s poem "Ode for My Department Chair Who Left a Face Shield on My Desk" has been accepted for publication in an upcoming issue of the English Journal, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English. English Journal is NCTE’s award-winning journal of ideas for English language arts teachers in junior and senior high schools and middle schools.

 

Jan. 2021 - M.B.'s poem "Before the Common Era" has been published in the Australian journal Quadrant. Thank you to their literary editor, Barry Spurr.