|
|
Six Ft. Swell Press is run by poets, publishers and pirates, Todd Cirillo, Matt Amott and Julie Valin. We aim to publish one to two full-length books per year along with special projects. Please visit our Books page to see what we have previously published.
We celebrate making connections over drinks or jukeboxes, betting our hearts in a high stakes love game, we believe that heartbreak and happiness are equal in the eyes of the pained, that Otis Redding songs make life better, good poems are like a cherry bomb, providing the biggest bang with the fewest words. We strive to publish poetry that can affect the most people through the use of common language. Six Ft. Swells Press is based out of New Orleans, Louisiana, Grass Valley,California and Portland, Oregon. |
Six Ft. Swells Press began in 2005 on a moonlit night with a cluster of three barstools, many dollars in the jukebox and an open tab. Three friends & After Hours poets–Matt Amott, Todd Cirillo, and Julie Valin–were talking about how poetry can be fun and more accessible to the “everyperson.” After many notes and poems scribbled on cocktail napkins and the shout of last call, Six Ft. Swells Press was born with the mission of bringing our brand of After Hours poetry to truck stops, bowling alleys, bars, couch surfers, soccer moms, and everyone in between. And to have fun while doing it. We believe our poetry readings are a reason for friends to get together and celebrate what the written word can do–with the best music playing, and rounds of the best adult beverages flowing….
Todd Cirillo was born of bastard lineage. He has many books and misdemeanors: Sucker’s Paradise, Burning the Evidence, ROXY, Three for the Road, Kisses from a Straight Razor, and Disposable Darlings. He is editor and co-founder of Six Ft. Swells Press and one of the originators of the After-Hours Poetry movement. Todd is widely known for his poetry performances. He has been published in numerous national and international publications and on cocktail napkins everywhere. Todd lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he seeks out shiny moments and strange wisdom while looking pretty. You can find books, videos, poems at www.toddcirillo.com
|
Matt Amott is a poet, musician and photographer who rambles around the Pacific Northwest. He is co-founder and co-editor of Six Ft. Swells Poetry Press and has been published in numerous collections as well as two books of his own, THE COAST IS CLEAR (Six Ft. Swells Press) and GET WELL SOON (Epic Rites Press). You can view and purchase his art and photographs at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtByAmott
|
Julie Valin has been writing poetry since vinyl records were played on stereos and album jackets were read front to back. Her poems have appeared in The Gasconade Review, The Black Shamrock, The Poeming Pigeon, Chiron Review, Red Fez, and more, plus several anthologies & collections, including the Punk Rock Chapbook Series by Epic Rites Press. Her books of poetry are The Distance Between (Six Ft. Swells Press, 2011) and Songs For Ghosts (Meadowlark Press, 2022), where the poems “soothe and sin like the Blues,”. She the co-editor & book designer for Six Ft. Swells Press and professionally through her website. Julie also moonlights as a library assistant, and member of the acclaimed poetry performance group, The Poetry Crashers. Julie lives in Grass Valley, California. She goes best with a touch of salt and a kiss of lime. www.selftoshelfpublishing.com