Richard Robbins, Thomas Mitchell, and Michael Todd Gallowglas

On the 6/14/23 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Richard Robbins and Thomas Mitchell, upcoming featured poets at the Poetry Night Reading Series, join us in the studio to talk about the survival of live storytelling, location in poetry, the confluence of athletic and poetic goals, sustaining productivity, and more. Robbins shares a poem which inspires discussion of the poet’s role in posing questions. Mitchell shares a seaside poem with a wishful and evolving narrator. Rounding out the hour is poet and storyteller Michael Gallowglas, who gets us excited for his upcoming reading at the Sacramento Poetry Center.

Richard Robbins was raised in California and Montana, taught in Minnesota for many years, and recently returned west to Oregon. In 2017, Lynx House Press published his sixth book of poems, Body Turn to Rain: New & Selected Poems, and in February 2023 it published his seventh, The Oratory of All Souls. Over the years, he has earned awards or residencies from The Loft Literary Center, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Society of America, the Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers, and Willapa Bay AiR. From 1986-2014, he directed the Good Thunder Reading Series at Minnesota State Mankato, where he continued to teach in the creative writing program until retiring in May 2021. 

Thomas Mitchell is the author of a new book, Where We Arrive from Lost Horse Press, as well as two previous books of poetry, The Way Summer Ends and Caribou. He studied at CSU Sacramento with Dennis Schmitz, where he received his Masters. He earned an MFA from the University of Montana, where he worked with Richard Hugo and Madeline De Frees. His poems have appeared in many journals, including The New England Review, New Letters, Miramar, and Valparaiso Poetry Review. Most recently he has been selected as the Featured American Poet in The High Window (United Kingdom).

M Todd Gallowglas is a hybrid-author (traditional and self-published), storyteller, and educator from Northern California. He has written over 20 books including novels, short story collections, poetry collections, and two non-fiction books. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from Sierra Nevada College. His traditional storytelling show at Renaissance Faires, Celtic Festivals, and geeky conventions has mesmerized audiences for thirty years. When not writing, Gallowglas is an avid gamer, enjoys ballroom dancing (swing, blues, and tango are his favorites), and adores coffee.

Richard Robbins and Thomas Mitchell will read at the Poetry Night Reading Series on Thursday, June 15th, 2023.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.