May 28, 7 p.m.


David Oates


at MOTR

DAVID OATES is a writer and teacher. He’s the host and producer of Wordland, a radio program of poetry, stories, and comedy, and the former host of Great Apes (comedy), both on WUGA, Athens GA’s public radio station. He ran the Athens poetry slam and was editor and publisher of Monkey Magazine (slam poetry and satire, mostly). His books are Night of the Potato (fiction and poetry), Shifting with My Sandwich Hand, Drunken Robins and, The Deer’s Bandanna (the last three, haiku). He is a member of the Haiku Society of America; the British Haiku Society; Word of Mouth Poetry, Athens; and Los Donderinos writing group. His stories and poems have been published in numerous magazines, newspapers and websites. Oates wrote for the comic strip Shoe in the ’80s. His degrees are in writing from The Univ. of Chicago and the Univ. of Illinois–Chicago. Former jobs include reporting, radio announcing, proofreading, and Burger-Chefing. His website is https://davidoatesathensga.com.
 

all over the city
windshield wipers remove
dogwood petals
 
newborn brother
“take him back--
he squeaks!”
 
old woman
on her bedside table,
Bible, gun, Marlboros 
 
walking at night
the sound of wind
through unseen leaves
 
following a fire truck
into our street
did I turn off the stove?
 
courtroom
juror distracted
by a crooked painting
 

Launched by poets Mark Flanigan and Jim Palmarini in 2014, Word of Mouth  was inspired by the late Cincinnati poet Aralee Strange. Poets of all stripes are welcome to show up, listen, and mouth off.

MOTR Pub, 1345 Main Street, Cincinnati