Social Possibilities – Poetic Voices of Hope is the result of a submissions call with the focus about possibilities to improve society. We asked the question” ” How can we bring hope?”
Zaneta V. Johns, Contributor and Co-Editor says it best with her introduction:
“Social Possibilities”is a literary sanctuary at a time of heightened uncertainty and distress. We assembled global poetic voices to ease our growing anxieties. We are faced with conflicting perspectives and occasional despair. This anthology is filled with thoughtful optimism. Rather than ignore the challenges facing our humanity, we lean in to acknowledge them while remaining hopeful. Poetry promotes understanding, empathy and compassion, which are crucial to bridging social and political divides. Featured poets illuminate a path to help you uphold justice. Similarly, we encourage you to challenge the status quo and not remain silent. Silence does not promote justice for the underserved. With unwavering devotion, please share your voice and light for the betterment of our global community.
This collection features poems that address themes of unity and serenity, ranging from calm to intense. From the first poem, “I Let Go,” through the last poem, “Into the Light,” these expressions are a compelling call to action. You will find personal insights, reassurance, and invaluable alternatives to fear and adversity. We celebrate these profound aspirations for a future of social connectedness.
It is not too late for The Beloved Community, envisioned and coined by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Armed with these impactful messages, let’s normalize kindness as an essential initial step toward harmony.”
Thank you to all the contributing poets for their prolific work.
You will find the links for purchase on ProlificPulse
This Poetry Collection is available for purchase through online stores. Born from a shared love of dark humor and playful wordplay, Seesaw is a delightful balancing act of wit, whimsy, and poetic mischief. Ken Tomaro and Nolcha Fox first crossed creative paths in the Thursday Night Poets group, where their mutual knack for quirky, offbeat humor sparked an unexpected collaboration. What began as playful exchanges-plucking words and phrases from each other’s poems to craft something new-quickly evolved into a collection that swings between the light and the dark, the serious and the absurd. Seesaw is poetry at its most spontaneous and fun, a reminder that even in life’s heavier moments, there’s always room to laugh, twist the narrative, and dance on the edge of meaning. Dive into this collection and let the playful push and pull of their voices keep you balanced right in the middle of the seesaw.
About the Authors
Ken Tomaro Never until recently did he consider writing poetry. Not when he slid from the womb. Not when he felt the first tingle of teen hormones. Not after he got married, divorced, moved to another city, lost a couple jobs, moved back. It just sort of happened. Ken Tomaro, self-proclaimed poet laureate of the Cleveland sewer system, has been writing poetry for a few short years. He’s not famous, rich, recognized or read in schools across America. He has been published in several literary journals, done a couple podcasts, started the YouTube channel, Screaming Down the Poetic Highway KenTomaro.com
Nolcha Fox’s poems have been curated in print and online journals. Her poetry books are available on Amazon and Dancing Girl Press. Nominee for 2023, 2024, and 2025 Best of The Net. Nominee for 2023 and 2024 Pushcart Prize. Editor of Chewers by Masticadores. Co-Poetry Editor of LatinosUSA. Websites: https://bit.ly/3bT9tYu and https://nolchafox2.wixsite.com/nolcha… Facebook: / nolcha.fox
It was tough call to decide on the top three poems for the “Seesaw Quirky Poems” competition, held during National Poetry Month. Ken Tomaro, Nolcha Fox, and I came to a consensus and here are the three winners:
These three winners are placed as #1 choices.
Loralee Clark for “A Lost Umbrella”
Tina Hudak for “Atrium”
Margaret Gibbons Kiernan for “Cranked the Metals”
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the contest. The three winners will receive a paperback copy of “Seesaw – Quirky Poems” and the runners up will be provided a Kindle copy of the same.
If you would like a copy of “Seesaw – Quirky Poems” you can go to this link and find the online stores where it can be purchased. Starting today and for a week, the Kindle copy is available for .99 in the US and UK.
Poets and Writers AKA PW.org has a variety of groups, including online critique groups. You can check them out here: https://groups.pw.org/browse-all-groups
There are others, I have no doubts. Just ask around and I bet you find a group. Anything I have worked on via a critique group has been published and rather quickly.
Poetry Editors can also be helpful. You will have the advantage of 1:1 feedback. It takes a bit of time to find that right match. This is often a paid service unless you work out a mutual feedback relationship.
Meet others in common at Poetry Workshops. Chances are that if you put it out there that you would like a writing partner, you will find someone or a group to work with. I participate in a weekly prompt workshop. In this it’s up to you to be prompt centric or to veer off. I tend to veer off. It’s a PW.org group called The Time is Now. It only last about 30-45 minutes and it helps to interact with others.
You have polished your work and now is the time to publish. There are multiple journals accepting submissions. Where do you find them? I use Duotrope. because I like the feedback feature in which you can determine if the publisher is a good match. There is also a tracking feature for all your submissions. As one who runs a Facebook group, I share when I find what sound like good matches. I especially focus on paying publications, preferably ones who don’t charge.
Submittable is another option for finding a variety of places to submit.
As an editor for FineLines.org I recommend this journal, which has been around for 35 years, for submissions of poetry, art, essays, short stories, and photography.
There are also several calls for submissions from poets and writers of which I regularly have contact. Here they are:
Born from a shared love of dark humor and playful wordplay, Seesaw is a delightful balancing act of wit, whimsy, and poetic mischief. Ken Tomaro and Nolcha Fox first crossed creative paths in the Thursday Night Poets group, where their mutual knack for quirky, offbeat humor sparked an unexpected collaboration. What began as playful exchanges-plucking words and phrases from each other’s poems to craft something new-quickly evolved into a collection that swings between the light and the dark, the serious and the absurd.
Seesaw is poetry at its most spontaneous and fun, a reminder that even in life’s heavier moments, there’s always room to laugh, twist the narrative, and dance on the edge of meaning. Dive into this collection and let the playful push and pull of their voices keep you balanced-right in the middle of the seesaw.
Review of “Seesaw” by Ken Tomaro and Nolcha Fox:
“Seesaw” is a captivating and engaging poetry collection designing the collaborative efforts of Ken Tomaro and Nolcha Fox who blend their distinct voices to explore the themes of love, loss, and memory sauteed with a ‘quirky sense of humour’.
“Why am I so hard on myself?
That’s it, today’s the day!
I’m going to write a book called On Being Sympathetic to the Apathetic Empath.”
The same quirky sense of humour flows raw and poignant throughout the pages of the book. Ken Tomaro and Nolcha Fox have done a wonderful job with their shared experiences from the “Thursday Night Poets group”. The poems are arranged in a unique stanza pattern where Nolcha’s right-aligned stanzas complement Ken’s left-aligned stanzas. This visual distinction enhances the reading experience to a lofty level.
“And now I want a sandwich,
but it won’t make itself.
Maybe I can train the rats
how to cook.”
These lines remind me of Remy, the rat in the movie “Ratatouille”.
Celebrating a variety of themes from mundane life struggles to whimsical reflections on human existence this book is punctuated with a playful absurdity. Throughout the collection, the tone oscillates between melancholic and whimsical, giving way to a rich emotional tapestry.
Poems like “All I Can Think of Is Food” and “God Drops the Ball Again” reflect the authors’ penchant for irony and wit. “He is a house” and “I come to a door” permeate a lingering sadness that overshadows my senses for a long time. Poems like “Ghosts Glimmer” and “Where the Wild Goose Goes” evoke a sense of longing and nostalgia while others such as “Chimes” reflect the inevitability of change and the bittersweet rhymes of memories. “As surely as” is an anthem on the ubiquitous power of gravity on us.
The poems are like different strokes of brushes on the canvas of poetic mindscape evoking different colours of human emotions,
“Blue is the sadness
when we say our goodbyes.”
Sometimes the promised humour has turned into a grave philosophic enigma,
“Past and future,
like the branches of a tree
lead to different paths,
sometimes the same regret.”
Ken Tomaro and Nolcha Fox have played on the subtlest of chords to bring out the most mesmerizing music in the world. They play with words with such charisma that ‘sharp words slice the sunlight into little parts of butter’.
This collection is for everyone whose wallet is full of bugs and cobwebs and for those who prefer to slouch on the couch with a ‘slab of apathy sandwiched between their pillows’, or someone infected with flue sharing every small piece of him or her with each cough to this world. Ken and Tomaro have taken their readers through the rollercoaster of raw humour with an urgent poignancy of human passion, where the complexities of our decisions and the ultimate helplessness of our life left us to feel the eternity of a bottomless well.
Munmun “Sam” Samanta, Author of Yellow Chrysanthemum
As a teacher, I will always remain a student. In the classroom of life, l wish to work with and educate others. Whether you’re a teacher, student, or just your average person, here are a few of my "TEACHERble" moments.
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