Chad Parenteau's Lost Causes, 7-16-25

Even the lines in our drawn hearts are broken

Chad Parenteau: Poet for Hire

Jul 16, 2025

There’s been so much heartache this summer, and yet I can barely stand still for any of it.

I’m erasing and fixing errors from the last couple of weeks.

I’m feeling better and more energized to keep writing.

But I’m also checking in on friends. Catching up where I can. Preparing apologies before they pile up any higher.

This year, I feel I’ve been failing in every aspect of my life.

I hope to correct that before the summer is over.

I’m not going anywhere this summer, and yet I’ve never felt busier.

Come to the Boston Poetry Marathon This August!

The Boston Poetry Marathon is taking place on Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 17. And better, it will be in person once again at the Community Church of Boston at the Community Church of Boston at 565 Boylston Street smack dab in Copley Square.

I am grateful to be organizing this event alongside Christina Liu and Xtina Strong. If you'd like to volunteer, please let us know by emailing thebostonpoetrymarathon@gmail.com at your earliest convenience.

Visit the Boston Poetry Marathon 2025 website, which will be updated in the coming days.

Buy My Two Books

My two collections All’s Well Isn’t You and Cant Republic: Erasures and Blackouts are available for purchase on the site that won’t be mentioned. For an alternate, you can also pay me $15 directly through Venmo (@Chad-Parenteau-1) to get a signed copy of Cant Repbublic. I hope to have my own copies of All's Well Isn’t You to sell soon.

I appreciate your support.

Stone Soup Poetry

Nice open mic last week. Still catching up Stone Soup Crouton poems. Read the latest from June 25th, “Renewal.”

We have M.P. Carver featuring tonight. We should be announcing next week’s feature tomorrow.

Oddball Magazine

Click here to read poetry by Jose Argueta, Marsha Johansen and Alina Zollfrank with artwork by Edward Michael Supranowicz, Edward S. Gault and Mark Blickley.

This Monday was a little fuller. We jad to return of essayist Grady VanWright with returning photographer Jack Marty. Janet Ruth contributed clever COVID commentary through poetry, photogrpahy and orinthology. I’m also happy with cartoonists Anne Skove (“She Who Laughs Lasts”) and Comics Spotlight Andrew Newall.

This week, Jason Wright’s Jagged Thought poem column came out with an audio version this past Tuesday. Come back on Thursday and Friday for poem columnists James Van Looy (It’s All One Thing), Janet Cormier (Bamboozled No More!) and Bruce Wise (Wise Words).