Poetry
POLLY ALICE MCCANN poet, artist, dreamer says that POETRY saved her life. She began writing professionally after a cold January trip to the desert sleeping on the hard desert floor with only a book for a pillow. She studied poetry under Julia Kasdorf and many other narrative poets including her creative thesis on poetry and short fiction under Jacqueline Briggs Martin, and her critical thesis in Biography and the subconscious writing process with Claire Rudolph Murphy, to receive her M.A. in writing at Hamline University in St. Paul.
Polly’s lyrical narrative poetry, explore her family’s Midwest oral folk tradition, the role of women, and small meditative studies on the clash of faith, nature, and everyday items-- for more work by this author. Polly has been published in Naugatuck River Review and Arc 24. She is the owner of New Thing Art Studio in downtown Overland Park, KS.
Polly Alice says her greatest poetry moments so far:
Once I had the honor of handing poetess, Marilyn Nelson, and I enjoyed several workshops with the amazingly dark and humorous poet, Ron Koertge. I once gave a glass of water after a reading. My best-viewed item on my first poetry blog was an interview with former Poet Laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera, about keeping your poems warm (2016) that also inspired a street art show I curated, and a new collection of poets I edited coming out in 2020, "The Very Edge." It took me twenty years to write my first collection of poetry, two for the next, and one year or the third collection. My once a day poetry blog became a lifeline and direction for my creative and personal work, then after a master's in writing, and ten years of poetry blogging, I started my own press and began helping other poets. My first time at the Fountainverse Poetry Festival in Kansas City as a publisher and poetry editor, we had this amazing poetry reading at a lovely bookshop/ cafe and it was the first time, I finally found it easy to call myself a poet. When the first poetry collection I edited that wasn't my own became an award-winning performance, I really felt like editing poetry and sharing poetry with the world was one of my most favorite things to do.
Find her poetry books online: “Kinlight,” “Tea with Alice” and 2020 release “Puss ‘N Böotes: Dark Poems. She is the founder and managing editor of Flying Ketchup Press. As a poetry editor since 2018, she’s seen her poets gain awards and new audiences for their work.
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PUBLISHED POETRY
Polly Alice
356 DAYS ANNUAL JOURNAL
KANSAS CITY 2020
BLUE CITY POETS
Kansas City 2019
July blue
Honey Suckle City
Steam and Vapors
Prairie Winter
THE VERY EDGE
Flying Ketchup Press 2020
Metro Stop Communion
The Path of Birds
Rainbow Mandala
Pensée Little Violet
Excelsior
arc-24: People, Places, Prayers, Peace
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IAWE TEL AVIV 2015
NAUGATUCK RIVER REVIEW
Westfield, Mass. Summer 2015
BETHLEHEM WRITERS ROUNDTABLE
Pennsylvania, 2015
PUSS ‘N BOÖTES: DARK POEMS
Flying Ketchup Press 2020
Lately poems are knocking on my door.
FIRE
Tree Dream
Winter Whales
Librarians
Shoots
How to Make a Poem Dive
Fire Keepers
Eve
Gas Light
Easter Egg
CAVE
Wolf
Night Blooming Flower 2006
Spade
White Cat
Battle Dress
Gerda & The Mirror
Castillo
EARTH
How Many Times a Robin
Vine
Puss 'N Boots
Downward Barking Dog
Bridge Dance
Corona Borealis
Daisies
unedited prayer garden
SKY
Swift
What if
Sequins
WWDD
(Boötes)
July Blue 1986
Echo
ROSE
Grace
Valentine’s Day 2020
Lemon Moon
Bodhicitta
Easter 2019
Macaroni
Gathering Lines
Wild Rose
Visited by an Angel
Embrace
Easter 2020 Stay at Home
Cat Princess: Cruce del Rio
The Great
TEA WITH ALICE: HIERLOOM POEMS
Flying Ketchup Press 2019
SCRUBGRASS
Gazing at the Windwisps
At My Grandfather’s Funeral
Pigeon Holes
For a Place
Fence Post
Bath Lady
CAST IRON
Attic
Last Farm: Food Revolution
Cast Iron Pearls
Grandma Inside the Wolf
Mittens We Have Lost
TIN
River
Bust lines
Decadillion Stars
Sugar Cookies
Easter Basket 2012
Spaghetti
WOOL
Tea with Alice
Fleece 2014
Two Kinds of Blue 2015
Pieced Dream
Ballet
ETHER
To my Children
Happy Meal
Easter 2017
Church on Sunday
unedited prayer garden
Easter Basket 2018
Excelsior
Tulip
KINLIGHT: HOMEGROWN POEMS
Flying Ketchup Press 2017/2019
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GREY
Jacob’s Song
Ash Wednesday Bird
Waiting Tree
Icarus
Easter Basket 2001
When We Had Little
Redland PA
Easter Again 2004
SMOKE
To My Daughter
Seed of Fire
Dream Landscape
Sails
Ten Ten
GLASS
Shards
Daughter’s Dream
Rosemary for Remembrance
Pilgrimage to the Grotto
Paper House
Over the Arch
Egg Moon
VAPOR
Stuff
Done
Frost
Tattoo
Onions
Purple Cabbage
EGG
Easter Time 2015
Cadbury Crimes
Black Walnut
Easter Sweetness 2016
Like Weeds
Jasper Sky
ELEMENTS
HAYWARD, CA VOL 1 & 2 2004-2005
Mourning
Pink Salmon
LINDEN AVENUE
DIXON, ATHENA VOL 2. 2012
For a Place: River
JOHNSON COUNTY LIBRARY REVIEW
NATIONAL POETRY MONTH 2010
Mittens We Have Lost
POETRY.COM
WEB, PRINT, & MUSICAL/ VOCAL CD 2001
Servants Songs
MINEMINGO REVIEW
Grantham, Pennsylvania Ed: Vol. 10 # 2. 1999, VOL. 10 #2 1999