If you are interested in joining The Polkadodge Organization, please send a brief biography, photograph of yourself, and a link to your blog/website to polkadodgeorganization@gmail.com for consideration. Due to the high frequency of emails received, there is no promise or guarantee of acceptance into the organization.
Staff:
Joshua Robert Long: Founder/Creative Director
Robert High: Admissions Councillor/Email Correspondent
Madeline McGraw: Editor/Website Maintenance
Martin Harold Benedict Borchers: Editor
Zach Reneau: Editor
Contributors:
Clint Irwin, in his own words: “I wear silly hats. Strategy of Numbers is my debut novel, embodying my love of storytelling and my fascination with history, folklore and religion. I graduated from Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus Ohio, with a degree in video and advertising, but most of my energy is devoted to writing and thinking about my upcoming sequel, In the Country of the Moon. Raised in every state from New York to Florida to New Mexico, my writing reflects my diverse life experience. I am still a bit of a vagabond, but my current location is in the Bronx, New York.” You can check out more of Clint by visiting his blog: clintirwin.tumblr.com
Madeline McGraw completed a dual-focus BA in Early Medieval Hagiography & Museum Studies at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. Creatively speaking, she spends a lot of time crafting embroideries and handmade jewelry, though she also plays her hand in the crafting of poetry. She operates a blog entitled “Daisy Doeling,” which can be found here: thedoeling.tumblr.com
Sasan Mousavi: 19. Student, writer, actor, musician, and aspiring polymath. Purveyor of unusual ideas. Enjoying the ride that is life. You can check out his blog at: wherelovediedlaughing.tumblr.com
Jacob Dobson: Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. He attends Florida State College at Jacksonville, works in a grocery deli, drinks too much, and is married to an artist named Casey. He was the first and so far only writer to be featured by the South East Art Collective (SEAC). You can find his blog here: andsoithasbeenwritten.tumblr.com
Mackenzie Leigh Whitehair is a 19-year-old poet from Pennsylvania, best characterized by the following vague and hackneyed epithets: folkster, college sophomore, nerd, comedian grave-digger, romantic, and introvert. When she’s not excelling in the art of self-deprecation, she likes to fancy herself an adequate wordsmith; however (most ironically), she is markedly incapable of describing herself. You can find her blog at: afancifulflight.wordpress.com
Andy Kubai is a writer and incorrigible dreamer. A transplant from Madison, Wisconsin, he now resides in Austin, Texas. He is pursuing a degree in Creative Writing from St. Edward’s University, and a well-examined life. He is also working on a book of inter-connected flash fiction. In his spare moments, he explores the sonic landscape of Austin, and posts short nonsense to lifeencoded.tumblr.com
Elisabeth Pfeffer grew up on the outskirts of Wellington, on
a small country farm. Moved to Palmerston North in 2011 to study nursing at Massey University. You can find her blog at: elisabethpfeffer.tumblr.com
Mike Hilbig is studying English and Creative Writing at
the University of Houston Downtown. He has been previously published in PenSpark and The Bayou Review. He writes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. He also enjoys chain smoking and clubbing baby seals. You can read his blog here: pedanticpersiflage.tumblr.com
Zach Reneau is an English major at the Ohio State University, with a focus on post-modern literature and deconstruction. In his own words, his work is “a surrealist and existentialist wet dream, heavy on the absurd.” He has been published in the journal SpokenWar, WP’s Fresh Fish, and the Hog Creek Review, and won their Arbuckle Award for Poetry in 2010. When Zach is not writing, he enjoys reading, playing bass, and playing board games. Check him out at zachreneau.tumblr.com
Joshua Robert Long is a writer from Yellow Springs, Ohio. He studied English & Creative Writing at The Ohio State University where he received a Bachelor’s Degree. He is the author of three books: Leaving Frost Upon the Walls, Translating The Avenues, and Mixtape (featuring Justin David Koontz). More information can be found about him at his blog/website: joshuarobertlong.com
Yosef Johnson: Raised and birthed in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Aged 21 years. A so-called “writer”, currently living life in Columbus, Ohio. By day, he sits and sometimes works; by night, he drinks, writes, and tends to the lady. He is currently finding his voice in every aspect of life, you can dwell deeper into his brain at johnsonyosef.tumblr.com
Marshall Philip Carney is from Enon, Ohio. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from The Ohio State University. He makes things. He does things. Most of these things involve writing, video production, and digital art. You can find his blog at: marshallcarney.tumblr.com
Eric Boyd does writing, photography, and one-line drawings. He is currently the lit editor for Pork & Mead Magazine, and is soon-to-be editing for Newer York literary magazine. He was the winner of The Pen American Center’s 2012 prison writing contest (fiction category), and his first collection of short stories, WHISKEY SOUR is in its second printing at Nervous Puppy Publishing. His work has appeared in host of publications including: Velvet Blory (UK), Fourth River, the Rusty Nail, Hillbilly Magazine, and Prototype Magazine (UK). You can find his blog here: EricBoydblog.tumblr.com
Dennis Dubay, in his own words: I’m known for my raw, emotional writing. A former part-time sports writer, I now reside in Decatur, Illinois where i’m trying to sell my second book of poetry to a publishing house. My influences are Bukowski, Thompson, Cash and Eminem. For more information on him, or his first book, The Bar Stool Prophecies, visit his blog: thevagabondking.com
Cody Raul Cardeas, in his own words: I was once a boy named Cody Raul Cardeas. Now they occasionally call me Cutter. I was lost and never found. My skills set includes a little bit of everything, a mash-up of creativity that mainly depends on what’s in my hands. I’ve drawn, stenciled, sculpted steel and glass, seen the world through the lens of a camera, and nothing would be complete without written word. I don’t have much going on, I’m just filled to the brim with wanderlust. You can find some of his work at: www.flickr.com/photos/cardenas/page1/
Kristen Paige is an artist/painter currently working her way through a Fine Arts education. According to her, “octopi, butterflies, and horror-based subjects” done “usually” in a surreal setting are her specialty. You can check out her blog, where she usually shares her works that are currently for sale by visiting: reversedrainstorm.tumblr.com
Tim Ascough, in his own words: “I am a 41 year old Englishman, live in the UK (Manchester) and work as a Psychotherapist. I am a recovering addict and have lead a varied life, travelling extensively in the US and Europe, having married a girl from New Orleans at far too young an age. I live in a room with a sloping roof, which contains two lamps, underwear and a bed. I smoke like a man possessed. Plus, I drink coffee and milk.” You can read Tim’s blog at: drummerboy1970.wordpress.com.
Tracy Ann Conklin is a 27-year-old writer from the Boston, MA area. She has a BS in Professional Writing and Marketing and works a day job as a paper-pusher in a sales office. She writes poetic prose and poetry and makes lists about every little thing. She loves fashion, volunteers at a cat rescue shelter and couldn’t write a happy ending to save her life. You can read some of those un-happy endings at her blog: http://tiredfoxes.tumblr.com
Jamie Tyson, in his own words: “I aspire to become an independent filmmaker, but in my spare time I write poetry about myself and the world around me. I grew up in Waldwick, New Jersey, and currently reside in Altoona, Pennsylvania (where I am studying film production).” His work can be found at http://www.sundaynightat8on.tumblr.com
Steven Aliano, in his own words: “20 years old. From Waldwick, NJ. Studying Communications at Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ. An open book with empty pages. Enjoys basketball, video games, spaghetti westerns, stand up comedy, garage rock music, smoking, being a cynic, loving.” You can find his blog at
withknowledgeofthesituation.tumblr.comJenny Lee-Song, in her own words: “M
ore known as ambiguous-transparency. I study at the University of Texas and spend most of my time writing and daydreaming. I’ve drawn, I’ve danced and now I’m writing. I’m mostly known for writing about my experiences and feeling with a psychotic twist in poetry form. I tend to write my first draft with my cigarette smoke in the night sky. For the most part, I like to be ambiguously transparent and my poems are a jungle of metaphors, riddles to interpret in any way the reader desires.” You can find her blog at: http://ambiguous-transparency.tumblr.com/
Christopher Rife, in his own words: “I am currently a junior in college, studying Creative Writing and Communication and Media at DePaul University in Chicago. I am a co-founder and head writer of Quarter Life Crisis, a sketch and short form improv comedy group. I also am the co-founder and Editor in Chief of N/A Literary Magazine (formerly “No Assholes”, which can be found at NoAssholes.tumblr.com). On top of all of that literary nonsense, I am currently a programming director at 826CHI, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creative writing workshops for kids aged 6-18. When I am not doing those things, I am catching grapes in my mouth, making mix CDs, wearing fake mustaches, and performing unsolicited karaoke.” Find more of him at: http://www.onehundreddollars.tumblr.com
Adam Quenton Goes, in his own words: “I’m sitting in a padded computer chair and I’m irritated. I’m drinking coke. [But that’s more current] ….I was born San Diego, California, and am graduating with a bachelor’s in history. Irritated that no one told me a humanities degree was a bad idea.” Adam is the author of
Songs From the Passenger Seat, a book of poems released by Walleyed Press last year (
Click here to purchase a copy).
Dominic Rocky Trombetti, in his own words: “I am a 21 year old with a romantic heart and an empirical mind. I reside in the underrated city of Sacramento, California as a philosophy major at UC Davis. I spend my days playing the blues, reading philosophical works, and drinking beer.” You can read Dominic’s blog at: necrotaco.tumblr.com
Vina Nguyen is currently a (relatively) young co-habitant of an apartment in grey Edmonton, Alberta. She recently experienced a transformative, transient state of turmoil, wherein she was forced to reexamine her purpose in life. She is now found. To get to know Vina check her musings at: vingthings.tumblr.com
Florencia Soledad comes to Polkadodge all the way from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In her words, “a piece of paper says that I’m a journalist,” though she is currently in pursuit of a degree that will end up making her an art critic. She, like many of her peers in this organization, finds herself with a huge curiosity about life and where that leads. She enjoys “writing and teaching as much as dancing,” she says. “These things let me express the hidden feelings inside of my spirit”. You can find more of Florencia at her blog:
nooneknowsnothing.tumblr.com
Sarah Lucille Marchant is primarily a writer of poetry and short stories, though she also dabbles in other mediums like graphic design and painting on occasion. She is currently doing a double major in journalism and literature, and is the copy editor of her university’s newspaper,
Horizons. She is also the creator and managing editor of the college art & literature magazine
Heartsong. Both her poetry and flash fiction has been published numerous places both in print and online. To know more about Sarah, visit
sarahmarchant.com or
sarahlucillemarchant.tumblr.com
Martin Harold Benedict Borchers is a Yellow Springs writer/artist/musician/filmmaker in between muses and in search of that alluding “it” factor that will make all of his pursuits come together in a coherent aesthetic. Failing that, it is hard to feel too bad when there’s whiskey on the tongue and Borchers is always happy to join interesting people for drinks and declare it academia. You can discover more of Martin’s creation by going here.
This is Arick Unger. Arick writes, photographs, and does other things, and he leads the traditional varied life. This is Arick Unger in his own words: “I exist in Philadelphia, where I study English at some university, take long walks and go on bike rides, and read mostly boring books by mostly dead people. My father and mother had me a bit upstate, in a small section of suburbia with nothing to do or eat. The first chance I got to move to any city was the only one I needed. I’m basically a young nobody with somebody’s brain, surviving in a state of urban decay. This is where you can find Arick’s blog: tehstillness.tumblr.com
Veronica Boyer is a lawyer by profession & an artist by trade. She’s 30 years old and spends much of her creative life writing poetry, short stories and prose. You can find Veronica’s blog at
dearnoniska.tumblr.comIn her own words: “Noelle Wonder does not actually exist. She’s just a figment of your sick imagination. If she was a real person, she would be a shameless trans-dimensional paradigm jumper, always hanging out on the outer edge of reason, in constant danger of plummeting into the endless void of introspection.” You can find more of Noelle via ordinarywonder.net and noellewonder.info
Rose Quezada grew up in the town of Paramount, California and has studied Literature, Writing, & Linguistics at Marymount College Palos Verdes, Regents College London, and The University of California at San Diego. According to her, “poetry makes her blush more than anything else”, and “Language innovation, acquisition, function, spontaneity, propriety, translation, transformation, configuration, histories, and echoes” are all in the game for her. She is an intern at the Poetry & Art Series at the San Diego Art Institute and a regular contributor at Mania Magazine, UCSD. You can read her blog by visiting
http://rosequezada.wordpress.com
Geof Lusins is a twenty eight year old New Zealand based writer. He self publishes small runs of his poetry and sends them out for free to his ever growing mailing list. Geof has a close relationship with his cat which is visible in many of his poems; he also is an active street artist and is on probation for graffiti. Geof doesn’t like poems about beauty, rolling mountains or anything pretty. He writes about lost love, suicide, solo living, drugs, drinking and his cat. You can check out Geof’s blog by visiting geof666.tumblr.com
Grady Dean Falco, in his own words: “The Dean is disputably after James Dean. I consider myself a poet, it is my main passion although I “dabble” in music, painting, making t-shirts and other things. My eventual goal is to bring about a new movement in the poetry world. I hail from the Pacific Northwest where crazy people congregate. I enjoy feigning ignorance. I am 21 years old and getting older.” You can check out Grady’s blog by visiting thegreatgradsby.tumblr.com.
Courtnie Cottrill, in her own words: “I have been in this body for 22 years now. I have no useful skills other than those given to me by mother hood and the Air Force; the latter of which contributing much less of course. My only real hobby I’ve ever had is reading. I’ve recently fell in love with hula hooping, and out of love altogether. I enjoy writing poetry and other dreams whilst listening to good music of any sort. I am very interested in many things but none of them very interesting.” You can check out her blog by visiting charo937.tumblr.com/
Natalia Tsay is a writer, actor, singer, insomniac, confidante, bohemian, traveler, therapist, idealist, etc. based out of New Jersey. She wears just as many hats as the next twentysomething trying to figure out his or her place in the world. You can view Natalia’s poetry and music at: thegreatestactor.tumblr.com.
Mik Mcdade, in his own words: “I am a single father living in Glasgow, Scotland. If I am honest I am uncomfortable with words. I draw. mostly. I also like to worry. When I worry I like to talk. About anything and everything. If I can’t talk to someone I will usually just grab a pencil and escape into my artwork. However, there are some times when I really want to say things and can’t ignore the ramblings in my mind, so I write it all down. Usually it’s just a mess, like most of my early drawing ideas, but sometimes I get something right first time. When I do I don’t usually take credit for it. I post them as Anon on my own blog as if they are the words of others. Now I think its time for people to read about the things I think about that can’t be drawn out in a sketch book. I blog here : http://mikmcdade.tumblr.com/ and I put my artwork here : http://www.facebook.com/ThingsIDoodle”
Kristen Brida, in her own words: “
My name is Kristen Brida. I am a sophomore Creative Writing major with minors in Advertising and Editing & Publishing at Susquehanna University. Previously, I have been published in Catfish Creek Literary Journal, Pressboardpress, Blue Lake Review, as well as the literary journal that circulates around my university, RiverCraft. Besides writing poetry, I can be found taking photos at abandoned places, eating peanut butter from the jar, or talking sarcastically.” You can check out her own blog by visiting kissthebrida.tumblr.com
