MB McLatchey Poet Writer Teacher Poetry Workshops Florida M.B. McLatchey is an American poet living in Florida. Winner of the 2011 American Poet Prize, she is Professor of Humanities at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Chancellor for the Florida State Poets Association, Arts Ambassador for the Atlantic Center for the Arts , poetry reader for the Miami-based journal SWWIM , a uthor of six books, and f ormer Poet Laureate of Florida's Volusia County. Welcome to her website. More About Books Poetry IN THE NEWS Aug. 2026 - Summer is winding down and f all is nearly upon us. For M.B., this means a new academic semester as well as exciting new poetry events throughout Central Florida: M.B. will join a meet-the-authors panel at the New Smyrna Beach Library on Aug. 29; she will emcee a discussion of poetry topics at the annual FSPA Conference in Sanford on October 3; she is guest reader at Cinematique of Daytona on November 21; and, she will be reading at an Advent event in Vero Beach on December 17. Look for details on these and more on her events page . May 2026 - M.B. is thrilled to announce the release of " Grading on a Curve " and "Last Lecture ", both published in Saw Palm: Florida Literature & Art . Thank you to everyone in the Creative Writing Program at USF and for all the kind words from other writers at her reading in St. Pete. May 2026 - Poetry Reading - St. Petersburg . Come join M.B. for an evening of poetry on Monday May 4th, 6-8pm to celebrate Saw Palm's 20th anniversary issue launch party . The event will be held at Book + Bottle located at 17 6th St N in downtown St. Peterburg. Apr. 2026 - Poetry Reading - Vero Beach. As Poetry Month 2026 comes to a close, come enjoy the evening with poets Sean Sexton, Janna Schledorn, Christine Light, Patricia Mary Draper, RoseAngelina Baptista, and M.B. at the Center for Spiritual Care on April 25th at 6pm. Apr. 2026 - ACA Poetry Month . The Atlantic Center for the Arts is kicking off another series of poetry workshops hosted by M.B. throughout the month of April. The workshops will be held on Wednesdays at 4:15pm at the Yurick Studio on Douglas Ave in New Smyrna Beach. Mar. 2026 - Poetry & Music. View M.B.'s poetry reading in Vero Beach with organist Dr. Su Lee. Attendance was wonderful and the music was breathtaking. Thank you to organizer, artist, writer, rancher and friend Sean Sexton and to all who attended. Mar. 2026 - Poetry & Music Series - Join M.B. this month for a Lenten celebration of her poetry and the music of organist Dr. Su Lee at the Community Church of Vero Beach . All are welcome. When: March 19, 11am - noon. Details here . Feb. 2026 - M.B. is honored to announce that five of her latest "teaching" poems will be featured in an upcoming publication titled Fictional Classrooms: Reflecting on Teaching through Literature and Film . The publication explores "how fictional representations of teaching in universities and colleges can serve as a lens for reflecting on our own practices as faculty, educational developers, and higher education professionals ." Thank you to editors Robin Sutherland-Harris & Matthew Dunleavy. Jan. 2026 - M.B. is thrilled to start off 2026 with the release of "Palinode ", published in the current issue of Neologism Poetry Journal . Thank you to editor Christopher Fields for his search of "ways to feel something new from old words and poetic forms". ~~~~~ Dec. 2025 - M.B. is delighted to announce that her poem "Illuminator " has been published in Porcupine Literary . Thank you to editors Jared Beloff and Melissa Fite Johnson. Oct. 2025 - Poetry Workshops . The Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach will be celebrating National Poetry Month again next year by sponsoring a four-part series of poetry workshops hosted by M.B. every Wednesday in April from 4:15pm until 6pm. Signup details coming soon. Oct. 2025 - M.B. is delighted to announce that her poems, "Grading on a Curve " and "Last Lecture " will be appearing in the next issue of Saw Palm: Florida Literature and Art . Thank you to Managing Editor Ben Sperduto and the Creative Writing Program at the University of South Florida. Oct. 2025 - M.B.'s poem "Academic Calendar " has been published in The Soliloquist , a newly founded journal whose mission is "to provide a platform for poets to share their innermost thoughts, emotions, and reflections." Thank you to their editor, Martha. Oct. 2025 - M.B. 's poem "Palinode " has been accepted by Neologism Poetry Journal and is scheduled for publication next February. Thank you to Editor Christopher Fields for his comment: "I appreciated [the] carefully-measured style in these poems." Oct. 2025 - M.B. is delighted to announce that her poem "Dream Song " has been published in the Fall issue of Teach. Write. - A Literary Journal for Writing Teachers . Thank you to Editor Katie Winkler for her dedication to teachers and their writing. Sep. 2025 - M.B.'s poem "Illuminator " has been accepted for publication in Porcupine Literary : A journal by and for teachers . Sep. 2025 - Poetry & Music Series - All are welcome to join M.B. and other nationally recognized poets throughout next year's Lenten season at the Community Church of Vero Beach. Poetry readings and music will be held every Thursday at 11am. See pages 18-21 in the online brochure for details and a list of other poets. M.B. will be reading on March 19, 2026. Aug. 2025 - M.B. has announced that after completing two five-year terms as Poet Laureate of Volusia County she is respectfully declining a re-appointment to the position so that the honor can be passed along to a new well-deserving poet of the county. Details coming soon. Jul 2025 - M.B. is honored to announce that her poem "We Leave the Beaches for the Tourists, Mostly " will be appearing in an upcoming Florida-focused anthology being edited by Dr. John Fleming for University Press of Florida. The anthology is tentatively called Pushpins of Paradise. May 2025 - M.B. is delighted to announce that her poem "Trojan Horse " has been accepted for publication in an upcoming issue of Amherst College's literary journal, The Common . Thank you to poetry editor John Hennessy for his reach from "there to here ." Apr. 2025 - M.B. will be joining Sean Sexton and Brian Turner as speakers next Fall in Lake Wales at the Florida State Poets Association's annual convention. The event will be held October 24-26 at the beautiful Bok Tower Gardens . Details here . Apr. 2025 - M.B. poems "Ethos, Logos, Pathos ", "Plan B ", and "Is There a Final Exam? " have been published in the newest issue of Azure: A Journal of Literary Thought. The poems were awarded First Place last fall in the Lazuli Literary Group's Fall 2024 Writing Contest . Thank you to editor Sakina B. Fakhri for her kind review of the collection. Mar. 2025 - While visiting Portugal this month M.B. and her husband had the good fortune to talk poetry, travel and politics over dinner with American poet Alfred Corn during his extended travel abroad. M.B. first met Alfred at Goddard College while completing her MFA back in the 90's. Feb. 2025 - Poetry Reading. M.B. will be guest reader at the Crazy Wisdom Poetry Circle event via Zoom next March 26th. Open to all, the reading will be followed by an open mic; participants are welcome to read a poem of their own or a favorite. Details here. J an. 2025 - Poets for Peace . Join M.B., local area poets, and musician Ray McNiece on Thursday January 23 at 7pm for Poetry & Music in Support of the Orphans in Ukraine . The event will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 56 North Halifax Drive, in Ormond Beach. Free admission; donations welcome. For more info, contact Joe Cavanaugh, jcavanaugh1@gmail.com . Jan. 2025 - M.B. is delighted to announce that her Spring semester poem for teacher friends, "Full Disclosure ", has been spotlighted by The Missouri Review as their Poem of the Week . Thank you to editor Kylan Rice . Jan. 2025 - M.B. is happy to announce that her poetry has been included in the recently released book Chameleon Chimera: An Anthology of Florida Poets . Thank you to editor Lenny DellaRocca for celebrating Florida poets this way. Available now on Amazon and other bookstores. Dec. 2024 - M.B. is honored to announce that her poem "For a Dying Child " has won the Rhonda Gail Williford Poetry Prize second place sponsored by International Human Rights Art Movement . Thank you to Founding Executive Director Thomas Block for the focus he brings to social change. Nov. 2024 - We are saddened today, the last day of November, to report that we have lost one of our own. Dr. David B. Axelrod , who has shared the Volusia County Poet Laureate position with M.B. since August of 2015, has passed away. David is the author of 24 books of poetry and has numerous achievements in Florida, New York, and internationally. We will miss his work and good humor. Nov. 2024 - Thank you all for the wonderful turnout of poets, writers, and dear friends at the New Smyrna Beach Library to hear M.B.'s creative writing presentation showcasing National Novel Writing Month . A special thanks as well to McKayla Howard Ely for organizing the event. Well done! Nov. 2024 - The Healing Power of Poetry . A heartfelt thank you to Sonja Jean Craig for her gracious article showcasing M.B.'s talk at the Women's Health and Breast Cancer Care Event last month in Central Florida. The event was hosted by the Atlantic Center for the Arts and AdventHealth and appeared in the November 2024 issue of Of Poets & Poetry . Nov. 2024 - Obrigado!! Thank you!!... for the beautifully crafted translations of M.B.'s poetry into Portuguese by Brazilian-American friend and writer, Kátia B. de Mello Gerlach. Her translations can be found in the current issue of Quiasmo , a Galician-Lusophone journal. "Obrigada Kátia." Nov. 2024 - TBT . Today we throw back to M.B.'s keynote speech at the FSPA annual conference four years ago and to a wildly generous review by Al Rocheleau (then president of FSPA). You can enjoy the speech's celebration of poet Seamus Heaney in this video , adapted from the original keynote. Nov. 2024 - M.B. poems "Ethos, Logos, Pathos ", "Plan B ", and "Is There a Final Exam? " have won First Plac e in the Lazuli Literary Group's Fall 2024 Writing Contest and will appear in Azure next February. Thank you to editor Sakina B. Fakhri for her kind review of the collection. Nov. 2024 - Poetry as a Dream Space - M.B. is conducting poetry workshops at The HUB on Canal in New Smyrna Beach on Wednesdays throughout the month of November. Spots are still available. Sign up soon! Details here. Oct. 2024 - M.B. is honored to announce that her poem "Full Disclosure " will be featured next January in The Missouri Review's Poem of the Week series. Robert Olen Butler calls The Missouri Review "one of the best literary journals in the world.” Thank you to Associate Editor Kylan Rice, PhD. Oct. 2024 - Women's Health and Breast Cancer Care Event. The Atlantic Center for the Arts is partnering with AdventHealth NSB on October 2 for an evening focused on mindfulness and women's health . As guest speaker, M.B. will explore the healing power of creativity. Oct. 2024 - M.B.'s Poem "Invocation Before a Day of Teaching " has been published in the Fall issue of Crab Orchard Review . Southern Illinois University describes its journal as "not just a publication; it's a literary journey that delves into the heart of storytelling." Thank you to editor Allison Joseph. Sep. 2024 - FSPA Annual Conference in October. We're only weeks away from Florida's next annual poetry conference, hosted by the Florida State Poets Association. The conference is located this year on the beautiful St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida, October 25 - 27 , 2024 . M.B. and others will be conducting several writing workshops. Register today! Details and full agenda here . Aug. 2024 - Poetry Workshops at The HUB on Canal . M.B. will conduct a series of her Florida Loves Poetry!! ™ workshops on consecutive Wednesdays throughout the month of November at The HUB in New Smyrna Beach. Register soon! Space is limited. Details and sign up here . July 2024 - Upcoming Workshops! M.B. is excited to announce that she will be offering several workshops this Fall. Locations include: The Hub on Canal (November), The Atlantic Center for the Arts (October), the New Smyrna Beach Library (November), and the Florida State Poets Association's Annual Conference (October). June 2024 - Verse Daily has selected M.B.'s poem "Afterlives " for recognition this month! The poem is taken from her latest collection Smiling at the Executioner . Thank you to editor J.P. Dancing Bear. Apr. 2024 - It's National Poetry Month! M.B. will host ACA Poetry Workshops every Wednesday night this month from 4pm to 6pm at the Harris House in New Smyrna Beach. Feb. 2024 - Poetry Night . All lovers of poetry are invited to join M.B. and Orlando area poets on Wednesday evening, Feb. 28, for Central Florida's inaugural Patio Poets event at the beautiful Venue on Lake Lily in Maitland, Florida. M.B. will Guest Poet at 7pm, immediately followed by an Open Mic for all Florida poets until 9pm. Admission is $7. Come help make this new monthly event a huge success and show everyone how much Florida Loves Poetry!!! . Location : 641 Maitland Ave S, Maitland, FL 32751 Jan. 2024 - With over fifty attendees present, The Hub on Canal featured M.B. at this month's Open Mic Poetry Night for a fun night of friends, poetry and wine. Thank you to Pamela and Mary Jane for hosting and to all the wonderful poets that showed up for Open Mic. Jan. 2024 - M.B. is honored to announce that her poem “Pop Quiz " has been published in the Winter 2024 issue of Sky Island Journal . A warm and heartfelt thank you to Editors Jeff and Jason. Florida Loves Poetry !! ™ 2026 - ACA Poetry Month at Yurick Studio 2024 - The Healing Power of Poetry Loving Poetry at The HUB on Canal Barnes & Noble 2023 - Book launch and signing Writing the tops of their heads off at Harris House Sean Sexton, M.B. and Brian Turner at Bok Towers 2025 FSPA Fall Convention Poetry month 2023 at Atlantic Center for the Arts Events Older News Older News

Upcoming Events: August 29, 2026 - Meet-the-Authors - New Smyrna Beach Library . M.B. and other local authors will share insights into their latest works, discuss their creative process, and welcome questions from the audience. The event is open to the public on Saturday, Aug. 29, 10am-12pm. Details here . October 3, 2026 - Florida State Poets Association - Fall Conference M.B. will emcee a panel of guest poets on day 2 of the 2026 FSPA Conference . The conference this fall is located in Sanford, Florida. Pre-Register here . November 21, 2026 - Poetry Reading - Daytona Beach M.B. will be featured poet for the "Calling All Poets Open Mic" gathering hosted by Cinematique of Daytona. More details coming soon. December 17, 2026 - Advent Poetry Reading - Vero Beach Details coming soon. Previous Events: May 2026 - Poetry Reading - St. Petersburg . Come join M.B. for an evening of poetry on Monday May 4th, 6-8pm to celebrate Saw Palm's 20th anniversary issue launch party. The event will be held at Book + Bottle in downtown St. Pete. April 25, 2026, 6-8pm - Poetry Reading - Vero Beach Enjoy the evening with poets Sean Sexton, Janna Schledorn, Christine Light, Patricia Mary Draper, RoseAngelina Baptista, and M.B. at the Center for Spiritual Care . Refreshments will be served. April 2026 - Poetry Workshops - Atlantic Center for the Arts ACA is celebrating National Poetry Month by sponsoring a four-part series of poetry workshops hosted by M.B. every Wednesday in April from 4:15pm until 6pm. SOLD OUT March 19, 2026 - Poetry Reading & Music Join M.B. for a Lenten celebration of her poetry and the music of organist Dr. Su Lee at the Community Church of Vero Beach . 11am - noon. All welcome. View video here . Oct. 24 - 26, 2025 - FSPA Fall Convention M.B. will be joining Sean Sexton and Brian Turner as speakers at the FSPA poetry convention next Fall in Lake Wales. The event will be held at Bok Tower Gardens . Details Here . March 26, 2025 - Poetry Reading M.B. will be guest reader at the Crazy Wisdom Poetry Circle event via Zoom. Open to all, the reading will be followed by an open mic. Details here. January 2025 - Poets for Peace Join M.B., local area poets, and musician Ray McNiece on Thursday January 23 at 7pm for Poetry & Music in Support of the Orphans in Ukraine . The event will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 56 North Halifax Drive, in Ormond Beach. Free admission; donations welcome. Contact Joe Cavanaugh, jcavanaugh1@gmail.com November 23, 1-2pm - Let's Talk Poetry! M.B. will host a creative writing discussion on Saturday afternoon during National Novel Writing Month at the New Smyrna Beach Regional Library, 1001 S. Dixie Fwy, NSB. Details here . November 6, 13, 20 - The HUB on Canal M.B. will host Florida Loves Poetry!! ™ workshops on three consecutive Wednesday afternoons this November (2024) at The HUB on Canal in New Smyrna Beach. Sign up here . October 2024 - FSPA Fall Conference The annual Florida State Poets Association Fall Conference will take place October 25 - 27, 2024 at the Quality Inn & Suites Palatka Riverfront in Palatka, Florida, on the beautiful St. Johns River. M.B. and several others will be conducting writing workshops this year. Details and agenda here . Oct. 2024 - Women's Health and Breast Cancer Care Event. The Atlantic Center for the Arts is partnering with Advent Health NSB on October 2, 2024 for an evening focused on mindfulness and women's health . As guest speaker, M.B. will explore the healing power of creativity. Details here . April, 2024. National Poetry Month ACA Poetry Workshops - Get ready to embrace National P oetry Month in April, 2024 by signing up now for Florida Loves Poetry workshops and see why poets are calling these "the best poetry workshops in Florida!" M.B. will host four consecutive Wednesday night classes, 4pm to 6pm, at the Harris House in New Smyrna Beach. Free of charge. Beginners to advanced are welcome, but seating is limited. SOLD OUT Wed., February 28, 2024 7-9pm Patio Poets - Maitland - M.B. will Guest Poet for the evening at the Venue on Lake Lily in Maitland. Her reading will be followed by an Open Mic for poets. All poets are welcome.. January 20, 2024, 5:30-7:15pm The HUB on Canal Poetry Night . M.B. will Guest Poet for the evening during The Hub's open mic monthly event. For info, contact Mary Jane at 386-214-6409. Nov. 19, 2023, 10:30am to 4pm Fall Festival of the Arts - Deland . Poetry readings, open mic, and poetry slam. M.B. and Volusia Poet Laureate Dr. David Axelrod will both read from their works at noon on Sunday at the Chess Park Stage next to the courthouse in downtown Deland. Oct. 25 - Nov. 15, 2023 Poetry Workshops at The HUB on Canal . M.B. will host four poetry workshops that will run on consecutive Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6pm starting on October 25. Serious poets and writers of all skill levels are welcome. SOLD OUT Sept. 16, 202 3 Refreshments and Readings - Barnes & Noble, Tomoka Town Ctr., Daytona Beach, Saturday, Sept. 16. at 2:30 pm. M.B. will be joining author Ginger Pinholster to read from their upcoming works. Ginger will be launching her book Snakes of St. Augustine and M.B. will read from her newest collection, Smiling at the Executioner . Please respond to the evite to reserve you spot. April 2023 ACA Poetry Workshops - SOLD OUT Atlantic Center for the Arts will host their annual poetry workshops at ACA Harris House in New Smyrna Beach throughout poetry month next April. M.B. will host four workshops over the month with the theme "Freeing our poetic voices the formal way". Admission is free. Sign up on ACA's website . UPDATE : The ACA poetry workshops are currently sold out. You can send an email to mbmclatchey@gmail.com if you would like to get onto the standby list. Oct. 21-23, 2022 Florida State Poets Association - Annual Fall Convention The Florida State Poets Association (FSPA ) will hold its annual fall convention in Daytona, Florida at the Marriott Residence Inn Daytona Beach Shores. M.B. will be moderating a panel of experts on the topic of Slam Poetry. Details here. Sep. 22, 2022 - 5:30 - 7:30 PM Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention Free event sponsored by AdventHealth and Atlantic Center for the Arts. Experience mindfulness activities through meditation and expressive writing. Includes a healthy dinner and refreshments. Open to the Public. Details here. Sep. 27, 2022 - 7:30 PM Miami Poetry Reading J oi n poets January Gill O’Neil and Susan L. Leary at The Betsy-South Beach Library in Miami for an evening of poetry hosted by SWWIM . Arrive early with M.B. to meet the artists at 6:30 PM. Details here . September 10, 2022 (Saturday) Wheaton Writing Academy - Online Workshop Nationally-recognized Wheaton Writing Academy will sponsor a three-hour online workshop, “Unleashing Our Poetic Voices”, with M.B. as host. Beginners to advanced-level poets are all welcome. Time: noon - 3pm. To register or for more info, email wheatonwriter@gmail.com . April 13 - 14, 2022 Miami Poetry Readings Check out SWWIM's list of upcoming events and readings at The Betsy Hotel in South Beach, Miami. April 6, 13, 20, 27 - 2022 ACA Poetry Month Workshops Celebrate National Poetry Month in 2022 with Atlantic Center for the Arts! M.B. will host poetry sessions every Wednesday at 3pm throughout the month of April at ACA Harris House in New Smyrna Beach. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Sign up here . November 3-5, 2021 HundrED Innovation Summit 2021. Join M.B. and education experts from around the world to talk about the future of education. The three days of expert panels, live workshops, and networking with industry representatives are free to all and completely virtual. Details here . November 10 & December 15, 2021 SWWIM (Supporting Women Writers in Miami) will host poetry readings at The Betsy Hotel in South Beach, Miami at 7pm. October 2021 The 10th Annual Winter Park Paint Out International Poetry Competition is about to begin. Join other poets in creating your own ekphrastic response to a contestant's painting. Find out all of the details here . Entry is free, but, you need to hurry. Sept. 28, 2021 Florida State Poets Association Zoomies ( Originally scheduled for 9/14/21 ) Join the FSPA Zoomies and M.B. for a special presentation at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. M.B. will read from her new book Beginner's Mind and speak to the topic of "poets writing prose". If you have a question you'd like her to respond to during the presentation, you may email her in advance at mbmclatchey@gmail.com. Attendance is always free for these events. Details here . June 9, 2021 M.B. will be featured as a guest reader for the Midsummer Night's Pensive Reading , 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. May 15, 2021 Beginner's Mind - Book Release. Now available from Regal House Publishing and your favorite book suppliers. May 1, 2021 For a behind the scenes look at M.B.'s new book, Beginner's Mind , check out her interview in the May/June issue of Florida's premier poetry magazine, Of Poets & Poetry . Spring 2021 Fresh Perspectives in Poetry In partnership with Atlantic Center for the Arts and with sponsorship from The Florida Humanities Council, M.B. is hosting a four-part poetry series on Facebook. From the comfort and safety of your home or workplace, join M.B. on a journey of learning from the world's most notable masters. Free of charge and open to the public. Details here .

Award Winning Poetry Winner of the 2011 American Poet Prize 1-800-THE-LOST The weight of the receiver in my hand: the down bird in my palm first lifting you. The counselor’s words: rehearsed, a burlesque bland... 2011 American Poetry Journal Pushcart Prize Nominee 2020 Best of the Net Nominee 2021 Smiling at the Executioner Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations As if the open barrel were a lotus; its roots anchored in mud. How undeterred... 2020 Sky Island Journal Winner of the Lazuli Literary Group 2024 Writing Contest - 1 of 3 - Plan B I watch them settle in. David’s Death of Socrates on the projection screen... 2025 Azure: A Journal of Literary Thought Winner of the Lazuli Literary Group 2024 Writing Contest - 2 of 3 - Is there a Final Exam? This was always the plan. The day and hour, of course, is out of our hands: Dickinson’s Carriage Man; Shelley’s desert sand... 2025 Azure: A Journal of Literary Thought Winner of the Lazuli Literary Group 2024 Writing Contest - 3 of 3 - Ethos, Logos, Pathos Because we are different from our dogs that leave their scent on white fence posts; the raised hind leg, the pioneering boast. Because... 2025 Azure: A Journal of Literary Thought Featured in Verse Daily - 2024 Afterlives Only faces in little boxes now; blinking and peering into a starless space, not knowing what to do except perhaps, wave... 2020 Pensive: A Global Journal of Spirituality and the Arts Winner of the Folio Editor's Prize Ode for an Ode on a Grecian Urn Ode, let your sorrows go. Let brides be ravished, trees forsake their leaves, let lovers kiss and fade, daughters age. 2019 Folio Winner of the Annie Finch Prize On Recognizing Saints As if to find new icons for her life or as if - piece by piece - to dismantle mine she scans our purchases too consciously... 2005 National Poetry Review Winner of the New South Writing Contest Amber Alert A white Ford, black gate, Georgia plate, squeezes into our lane. In the back, a Whitetail – tagged and slashed from her chest to hind legs... 2013 new south: Georgia St. Univ. Journal Robert Frost Award Sugaring Sestina for an ill boy A loyal maple lingers by your bed: nature fiercely altered. Its sugar finds your pulse, then trickles in with a rhythm partly boy, partly tree. For comity we call it Mr. Pipes... 2016 Naugatuck River Review Featured in Verse Daily Against Elegies What if we let you sing first? What if we look for you with Mallarme’s blank stare: birds round an empty dish... 2004 National Poetry Review Winner of the Spoon River Poetry Review Editors' Prize The Rape of Chryssipus She came home bone by bone. First her shin bone, then her skull. In the end, 26 of Molly's bones came home to us. ― Mother of 16-year old Molly Bish, whose remains were found 3 years after she was abducted and murdered in June 2000. For the rape of Chryssipus, King Laius suffered. The gods saw what he took -- a young boy's chance to play in the Nemean Games, to make his offerings... 2007 Spoon River Poetry Review Winner of the 46er Prize for Poetry Bingo Night for Missing and Exploited Children Before we went underground. Before you fell through a gyre with no sound. If one piece were unwound. If you had run. If we had looked for you sooner. If you had screamed. If the gods had intervened... 2012 The Adirondack Review Winner of the Vachel Lindsay Poetry Award Sanriku The game was not to look - but feel - the slow drag, the distant rise and fall, the quiet revolt of crests... 2006 Willow Springs Winner of the Emerson College Original Poetry Award On Rewinding I have been told that by wish and will I fell from His sheep- wool pocket into one dame's arms; and that was birth. I have been told that angels bowl; heaven opens up when the... 1974 Emerson College Review Muriel Craft Bailey Award - Finalist Odalisque Early light, the chill of souls leaving. You draw up the sheet to cover us; the soft of musk, the body's heat from an air pocket, nudged and wayward. The scent... 2006 Comstock Review DISPLAY MORE

Selected Poems 1-800-THE-LOST 2012 American Poetry Journal Display Poem 2011 American Poet Prize - Winner A Drink of Water 2023 The Banyan Review Display Poem A Glass of Absinthe 2005 Anthology of New England Writers Display Poem A Kenning 2005 American Poetry Journal Display Poem Academic Calendar 2025 The Soliloquist Journal Display Poem Aftercare 2021 Raintown Review Display Poem Afterlives 2020 Pensive: A Global Journal... Display Poem Featured in Verse Daily - 2024 Against Elegies 2004 National Poetry Review Display Poem Featured in Verse Daily Amber Alert 2013 new south: Georgia St. Univ. Journal Display Poem New South Writing Contest - Winner Another Inevitable Romance at Olduvai Gorge 2021 Avatar Review Display Poem Anthem 2018 Harpur Palate Display Poem Arcadia 2008 Cider Press Review Display Poem

Item List M.B. McLatchey Associate Professor of Classics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach, FL Member Since: 2012 About: M.B. McLatchey is a recipient of the 2011 American Poet Prize from the American Poetry Journal, and the author of two award-winning collections of poems, most recently The Lame God (Utah State University Press), which was awarded the 2013 May Swenson Prize. Currently a professor of Classics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, M.B. is also Florida state's Poet Laureate for Volusia County, serving as a mentor to young poets and co-facilitating and participating in panels that address the link between citizenry and artistry. She has received numerous academic awards, including the Harvard University Danforth Prize, the Radcliffe Prize for Literary Scholarship, and the Brown University Elmer Smith Award. Photo Credit: Daryl Labello

Index Previous Next The Peculiar Truth Not much has happened since your last letter. I have read parts of it over again and to very close friends. They have felt obliged to say something as you have. They have been good friends. The postcard is to show you The sun-glazed coast of Salthill. But, of course, it is winter here too. I had not meant to carry on about the fog. Though it rubbed out the channel, probably it had no connection with our way of vanishing. Still, you must know how it is here; scraping beans up from Royal Worcester, how the table is set. My foreigner and I sit adjacent to each other swinging our forks, wishing for something spicy. Eventually we make apologies and slip through slender passageways to breathe easier, to feed on candy, to wrap our arms around ourselves the way this country does it. From my window and everyone else’s there is a beautiful garden which is not ours. From here I imagine you looking wiser than you are as if you knew this and that. . Copyright © 1978 M. B. McLatchey. All rights reserved. Published in Grain , May 1985.

Index Previous Next Winner of the 2011 American Poet Prize 1-800-THE-LOST The weight of the receiver in my hand: the down bird in my palm first lifting you. The counselor’s words: rehearsed, a burlesque bland. The shift in time, the shift to looking through her lens: today you are just one of two hundred lost. My eyes fix on our bright fence. I say your name, but you are no one new – caught in an ancient book that she’ll condense. I want her to discuss you in the present tense. I want the gods to stop pretending love calls the departed home. We called you with our various loves, had hope, hovered over still fields; made wind like the gods do before they come unhinged, let their rage loose on an unresponsive yield. Fields gone deaf and dumb; unshaken, fruitless ground, unmoved by a neighborhood of mothers who left their own to find you – tables, like mine, set. I want the gods to swallow their prayers whole. Choke up my child like the Olympians – a girl, unbruised by her journey down their throats. I want her at my table: fruit, alms that the gods, I see, can give or take – balm for the irritations I caused, or they caused; gifts between us or perhaps among themselves – a girl that they’ll barter away. I’m here. And I’m willing to talk, or trade. . Copyright © 2011 M. B. McLatchey All rights reserved. Winner of the American Poet Prize for 2011 Published in The American Poetry Journal , Spring 2012.

Index Previous Next On Folding a Fitted Sheet One eye looks within, the other eye looks without. ― Henri Cartier-Bresson The art, it seems, is in the ease of mirroring what is measured: at once attending to, surrendering to a set of numbers, a fixed but – when you release too tight a grip – supple and scented plane. Tuck the puckered edges back. Give it a thwack. Let it balloon – a goddess-smelted bloom of what remains after ablution: smoke-colored shadows, the stir of a post-coital myrrh. Hold as one holds a picture you would hang or, as in Prokofiev’s ballet: arms bent and raised, palms open-faced. Fold it until the edges meet – repeat, repeat. Walk it upstairs with the reverence you’d have for carrying your country’s flag. . Copyright © 2018 M. B. McLatchey. All rights reserved. Published in Harpur Palate of Binghamton University, Fall 2018, Vol. 18.1.

Index Previous Next NRR's 6th Annual Narrative Poetry Contest - Semi Finalist The Bath For a foster child The slightest wrong move could mean tidal waves. Certain disaster to a boy with everything resting on delicate tissue – a bruised knee to which you command a corps of plastic ships – an austere but (you promise) heavenly beach where men may lie down in soft sand, a tiny fold in your thigh; write letters and find oranges to eat; plan the next battle. Hard that you know so much about these distances from home. A trumpet blast! You steam your mission out. Predictably bad weather and still another perilous gorge of falls and fleshy islands. The search resumes for citrus or, at least, friendly harbor. I wish you both -- and not another tour of calculations tossed or unchartered, and not this shadowy map on water. . Copyright © 2014 M. B. McLatchey. All rights reserved. Naugatuck River Review's 6th Annual Narrative Poetry Contest - Semi Finalist. Published in Naugatuck River Review , November 2014.

Index Previous Next Calendar Plans For Geoffrey In the living room, a standoff – a deadlock between right and wrong side of the law. A boy bellies forward, holster and chaps, motions invisible troops; his silver gun drawn, waving in the morning sun as if to cut a map through ranges unknown: cushions from a worn sofa, sheer cliffs that fold, collapse, take their toll; his brother content in a sheriff’s badge removable for a change of roles. How our memories tell us what we cannot know. How in retrospect, days and months, our calendar plans were a grace. How stars on straw costume cowboy hats return like figures of forgotten clashes, traces of a shimmering now: a new uniform, new boots, new hat, new vows; occasion for the saints to be called by name. St. Michael, patron of the airborne, stay with my boy tonight, tomorrow, all the days. Know the two disparate tones beneath a skein of geese – their flight so fixed, resolved – when a mother prays, and when a mother calls. . Copyright © 2022 M. B. McLatchey. All rights reserved. Published in Relief , Spring 2022.

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Index Previous Next Snow Globe La Tour Eiffel. An April-snow like pollen covers a patch of stolid tulips. From the first platform, he leans over slick railings, leans as if in Keats’s scheme to drop and drop a red corsage to a woman below. I see it now: this is the one of 300 steel workers, who tumbled to his death clowning around. Her promise is to keep him from his fall by gazing back – his sentinel, his figurine against the filmy wash of elements against the fading colors in a dome. I shake it – not for snow – but to marvel at their hold. . Copyright © 2007 M. B. McLatchey. All rights reserved. Published in Cider Press Review , Vol. 9, Spring 2008.