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Award Winning Poetry - 2004 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, stony limbs? To tell the history of our grief we settle for an empty doorway and a maple leaf or a woman with neckcurls, named Jane, changed by her poetry teacher’s love to a wren wound in light. Shimmering anodyne. Elegies so resolute in wood or wings that we forget the truer measurements of unfinished things: the distance between two disappearing habits; the echo of a promise lodged in a warbler’s throat; the length of a dreamy boy swinging from his favorite limb; the ragged patch below — our ground for spotting him. If grieving is a way of working wood, building thresholds, wrapping birds — then hands will keep us tending things too near. What if this June air should circle, not fall on, our copper chimes with the passiveness of prayer? What if the breeze that would carry a bird’s perfect sorrow were to kneel at the base of an oak, and refuse to rise? Copyright © 2004 M. B. McLatchey. All rights reserved. Published in National Poetry Review , Fall/Winter 2004. Featured in Verse Daily ® with permission, 2004. Previous Next

Primary Sources Great Works of Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and Middle Ages by M. B. McLatchey As a supplement to the wide variety of textbooks that students use in their Humanities courses, this collection of primary sources exposes readers to the original voices of the past. Primary Sources is a compilation of the most representative works from the Ancient Period through the Middle Ages, with annotations and introductions throughout to assist the reader. Significant readings from the modern era are also included to encourage the student to examine connections between ancient and modern ideas as well as discover the larger social and political questions that have defined Western civilization. Available on Amazon Book Details: Paperback: 282 pages Publisher: Independently published (July 10, 2012) Language: English ISBN-13: 979-8632406376 ASIN: B088BBNZVQ Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.6 x 10 inches Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Index Previous Next Winner of the 2019 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. Let loss be the elixir that induces a new legend, new urn-dream: Forests that seed, mature, starve, and reseed without our overtures. Let wanting, waiting, pacing be the rings in carbon dating. A new museum piece. Imagine yearning bigger than an urn, bigger than god; desire out of bounds, desire crowned. Paint it fulfilled, the turning back of hounds. What good is song if not the end of one man’s wish, what-ifs? I died at twenty-five. So many do. Urn, make your story new: Beauty is truth when sung to a priest’s staccato voice and tone near a young marine’s too-heavy, too mature, burial stone; when love betrayed makes lovers stutter phrases – sweet clichés – that they used to say alone. Put it in stone: Beauty is truth when sung to the beat of a child’s quiet feet leaving home; when aging lovers sing to one another: Remember when we used to rock in one another’s arms and we knew god and the devil’s charms? . Copyright © 2019 M. B. McLatchey. All rights reserved. Winner of the 2019 Folio annual Editor's Prize for Poetry . Published in Folio Volume 34, May 2019.

Amber Alert 2013 New South Writing Contest Winner “Amber Alert" is a poem that is so compressed it fools us into thinking it's only going to be about a road and a deer. The clean lines hold so much more – movement, murder, youth and sensual beauty stolen, worlds of boys and girls in collision, the hunter, the hunted, rituals, and poetry inside poetry – a "hunter's nectar." In the end, the poem offers a saving grace – “her heart.” -- Judge, Marilyn Kallet 2013 New South Writing Contest new south : Georgia State University's Journal of Art & Literature

The Healing Power of Poetry - Women's Health and Breast Cancer Care Awareness Women's Health and Breast Cancer Care Awareness - 2024 Sponsored by Atlantic Center for the Arts and AdventHealth This article first appeared in Of Poets & Poetry , Nov/Dec 2024.

The Arrangement 2012 Robert Frost Award First Runner Up A poem that pays tribute to the power of art in a time of grief. The art here is a painting by an unidentified artist entitled “Flowers in a Vase.” The thick yellow paint of the petals reach down and stay with the speaker as young girl on a class outing. The yellow paint is suddenly everywhere: in the child’s starched uniforms, on the perfect walls, on the road and on the river as seen from the bus as she travels home. Was the surreal nature of the paint’s effect a sign of what would come? Or did she sense the turn of events about to happen, was she left susceptible to a visceral effect of the thick yellow paint, in a sense, the power of art? Once home, she finds family members assembled and her father in grief. A special connection is made with her mother in the form of a gesture, that of pressing foreheads to connect with another in grief, something she learned from her mother, the deceased. There is a wonderful link to the painting made in the last few lines as the family turns from grief to decide “where the visiting aunts would sleep/ and “who would order the flowers.” A deftly written lyric narrative with questions left open for the listener. --Judge, Kathleen Aponick 2012 Robert Frost Award Robert Frost Foundation

Upcoming Events: April 2026 - Poetry Workshops - Atlantic Center for the Arts ACA will again be celebrating National Poetry Month by sponsoring a four-part series of poetry workshops hosted by M.B. every Wednesday in April next year from 4:15pm until 6pm. Signup Details Here . Previous Events: 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 .

Index Previous Next Winner of the 2013 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 – looks back at us. Her eyes a dark glass. Opening day for deer hunting. Cars pass and pass. In a field, lightning bugs darted and flashed in your hand. Half-girl, half-doe, you started and stopped, palms cupped. Someone carried you off and we cheered for the boy in the clay, his heel on home plate. It was a beautiful steal. Did he thank the deer for her head when he knelt above her? When he opened her middle to empty inedible parts? When, for a clean job, he severed her windpipe and – hunter’s nectar – he saved her heart? . Copyright © 2013 M. B. McLatchey All rights reserved. Winner of the 2013 New South Writing Contest. Published in new south : Georgia State University's Journal of Art & Literature , Summer 2013. Judge's Review

Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Award Winning Poetry - 2020 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 by murky water, it submerges and reblooms: petals like crystal glazed and without residue. As if you never felt something move: no welcome and prescient ache, no sudden flexing, no cycle taking shape. No memory. No calendar. No yield – because you are the bullet’s shield. As if you have nothing to lose. As if all that you have learned to love: the beating heart; the mythic glove of a palm blooming in the womb; the scent that follows touch – is suddenly dust. Just the open-grinned, white-toothed stare down this time; the stayed and steady practice on your knees of mastering someone else’s pleas. Copyright © 2020 M. B. McLatchey. All rights reserved. Published in Sky Island Journal , Summer 2020 Pushcart Prize Nominee 2020 Best of the Net Nominee 2021 Editor's comment: ...the epitome of what we consider powerful poetry to be. Vivid, palpable imagery saturates the perfect pacing of this svelte, knife-like piece. Full Review Previous Next

Index Previous Next Cues I got rid of my landline when my mother died. ― for Gina Line in a fertile, buzzing ground; twine like the curled, life-giving cord whose length in a chamber of membranes and underwater sounds once matched mine from rump to crown. Deliverer of sustenance; mythic shield maker; fashioner of a perfect air; perfect cosmos, perfect sphere. And from me to her: wastes to be purged, calls for defenses from a viscous, Delphian orb of still-blooming limbs and senses. It is dots and dashes now. A relapse or a renewal of where we started: your profile in a passing car; a cashier who recaptures your knowing glance; the chance sound, in a crowd, of a woman’s laugh – then your signature sighing. Presences like parting joys. Cues that the dirge is the wedding song – as perhaps we’d known all along: the sudden breeze that catches us off guard; the dog’s inexplicable bark; the smell of rain drying; stars at their brightest before expiring. . Copyright © 2019 M. B. McLatchey. All rights reserved. Published in The National Poetry Review , Fall 2020

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