Martin Willitts Jr.

Poet

Syracuse, NY
New York US

Author's Bio

Martin Willitts Jr is a retired Librarian living in Syracuse, New York. He currently evaluates Prior Learning Evaluations for SUNY Empire State College. He has over 20 full-length collections and 25 chapbooks of poetry including his full-length National Ecological Contest winner,"Searching for What Is Not There."

He is an editor for Comstock Review. He is a judge for the New York State Fair Poetry Contest. 

Publications & Prizes

Anthologies:
Keystone: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania (Penn State University Press, 2025)
,
All Shall Be Well: A poetry anthology for Julian of Norwich (Amethyst, 2023)
,
One Good Memory (Silver Birch Press, 2023)
,
Spirit (White Stag Publishing, 2023)
,
How to Heal the Earth (Silver Birch Press, 2022)
,
Aeolian Harp, Volume 7 (Glass Lyre Press, 2021)
,
Pandemic Puzzle Poems (Blue Light Press, 2021)
,
Remembering Lucille Clifton Anthology (Moonstone Press, 2021)
,
Wayfinding (Finishing Line Press, 2021)
,
Without a Doubt (NYQ Books, 2021)
,
Dementia (Beatlick Press, 2019)
,
Missing Persons: reflections on dementia (Beatlick Press, 2019)
,
An Outbreak of Peace: Responses to the centenary of the end of WWI (Arachne, 2018)
,
Hot Mess (Sundress Publications, 2018)
,
Night Garden Journal (Flutter Press, 2018)
,
Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 6 (Southeast Missouri State University Press, 2018)
,
Survival (Beatlick Press, 2018)
,
Tranquility (Kind of a Hurricane Press, 2018)
,
Cloudburst (Foothills Publishing, 2017)
,
Like Light: 25 Years of Poetry and Peace by Bright Hill Poets & Writers (Bright Hill Press, 2017)
,
The Sexuality Poems (Foothills Publishing, 2017)
,
Water (Beatlick Press, 2017)
,
Nancy Drew Anthology (Silver Birch Press, 2016)
,
Alice In Wonderland Anthology (Silver Birch Press, 2016)
,
Collateral Damage (Glass Lyre Press, 2016)
,
Emergence (Kind of a Hurricane Press, 2016)
,
Shattered (Kind of a Hurricane Press, 2016)
,
Skin Deep Anthology (Glass Lyre Press, 2016)
,
Sugar & Spice (Glass Lyre Press, 2016)
,
Alice in Wonderland (Silver Birch Press, 2015)
,
Bagel with the Bards (ISCS Press, 2015)
,
Weatherings (FutureCycle Press, 2015)
,
Journey Planner and other stories and poems (Cinnamon Press, 2014)
,
Paradise Found (Levellers Press, 2014)
,
Gathered: Contemporary Quakers (Sundress Publications, 2013)
,
Hope Springs a Turtle (Lost Tower Publications, 2013)
,
Reaching Out and other stories and poems (Cinnamon Press, 2013)
,
The Book of Euclid (Cinnamon Press, 2013)
,
The Heart of All That Is: Reflections on Home (Holy Cow Press, 2013)
,
Written on Water (Mayapple Press, 2013)
,
City of the Big Shoulders (University of Iowa Press, 2012)
,
In Terra Pax and other stories and poems (Cinnamon Press, 2012)
,
Jericho and other stories and poems (Cinnamon Press, 2012)
,
Love Notes (Vagabondage Press, 2012)
,
Meditations on Divine Names (Moonrise Press, 2012)
,
A Roof of Red Tiles and other stories and poems (Cinnamon Press, 2011)
,
Feeding the Cat and other stories and poems (Cinnamon Press, 2011)
,
Chopin With Cherries (Moonrise Press, 2010)
,
Glimmer and other stories and poems (Cinnamon Press, 2010)
,
Seasons of Change (Outrider Press, 2010)
,
The Visitors (Cinnamon Press, 2010)
,
VWA: poems for Hati (Caper Literary Journal, 2010)
,
Against Agamemnon (WaterWood Press, 2009)
,
In the Telling (Cinnamon Press, 2009)
,
Journey (Eden Waters Press, 2009)
,
Storm at Galesburg and other stories and poems (Cinnamon Press, 2009)
,
Mint Sauce and other stories and poems (Cinnamon Press, 2008)
,
Confluence; Smoke Signals In The E-Mail (Confluence Anthology, 2006)
,
Hurricane Blues: Poems about Katrina and Rita (Southeast Missouri State University Press, 2006)
,
Carrying the Branch (Glass Lyre Press, )
Books:
Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Still Point Press, 2024)
,
Ethereal Flowers (Still Point Press, 2023)
,
Leaving Nothing Behind (Fernwood Press, 2023)
,
Not Only the Extraordinary are Exiting the Dream World (Flowstone Press, 2023)
,
Rain Followed Me Home (Glass Lyre Press, 2023)
,
Leaving Nothing Behind (Fernwood Press, 2022)
,
All Wars Are the Same War (FutureCycle Press, 2021)
,
Harvest Time (Deerbrook Editions, 2021)
,
Meditations on Thomas Cole’s Paintings (Aldrich Press, 2021)
,
Harvest Time (Deerbrook Editions, 2020)
,
Unfolding Towards Love (Wipf and Stock, 2020)
,
Home Coming Celebration (FutureCycle Press, 2019)
,
News from the Slow Country (Aldrich Press, 2019)
,
The Temporary World (Blue Light Press, 2019)
,
Unfolding of Love (Wipf and Stock, 2019)
,
The Uncertain Lover (Dos Madres Press, 2018)
,
Dylan Thomas and the Writer’s Shed (FutureCycle Press, 2017)
,
Nasturtiums in Snow Understand Green Is Coming (Foothills Publishing, 2017)
,
Three Ages of Women (Deerbrook Editions, 2017)
,
How to Be Silent (FutureCycle Press, 2016)
,
God Is Not Amused with What You Are Doing in Her Name (Aldrich Press, 2015)
,
Before Anything, There Was Mystery (Flutter Press, 2014)
,
Irises, the Lightning Conductor For Van Gogh's Illness (Aldrich Press, 2014)
,
Searching for What You Cannot See (Hiraeth Press, 2013)
,
The Heart Knows, Simply, What It Needs: Poems based on Emily Dickinson, her life and poetry (Aldrich Press, 2012)
,
The Hummingbird (March Street Press, 2009)
,
Farewell--the journey new begins (www.languageandculture.net, 2006)
Chapbooks:
You Enter, and it All Falls Apart (Flutter Press, 2019)
,
Nasturtiums in Snow Understand Green Is Coming (Foothills Publishing, 2018)
,
You Enter, and It All Falls Apart (Flutter Press, 2018)
,
Martin Willitts Jr's Greatest Hits (Kattywompus Press, 2016)
,
The Wire Fence Holding Back the World (Flowstone Press, 2016)
,
The Bird” Parker and the Members of Birdland, in Take-Three (Kind of a Hurricane Press, 2015)
,
A is For Aeorta (Kind of a Hurricane Press, 2014)
,
City of Tents (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2014)
,
Swimming in the Ladle of Stars (Kattywompus Press, 2014)
,
The Way Things Used To Be (Writing Knights Press, 2014)
,
William Blake, Not Blessed Angel But Restless Man (Red Ochre Press, 2014)
,
How To Find Peace (Kattywompus Press, 2012)
,
Playing The Pauses In The Absence Of Stars (Main Street Rag Publishing Company, 2012)
,
Secrets No One Wants To Talk About (Dos Madres Press, 2011)
,
Why Women Are a Ribbon Around a Bomb (Last Automat Press, 2011)
,
The Girl Who Sang Forth Horses and other poems (Pudding House Publications, 2010)
,
Vsn Gogh's Sunflowers For Cezanne (Finishing Line Press, 2010)
,
Baskets of Tomorrow (Flutter Press, 2009)
,
Garden of French Horns (Pudding House Publications, 2008)
,
Lowering Nets of Light (Pudding House Publications, 2007)
,
Falling In and Out of Love (Pudding House Publications, 2005)
Journals: ,
Adelaide Literary Magazine
,
Alexandria Quarterly
,
Amethyst Review
, ,
Anti-Heroin Chic
, , , ,
Bent Pin Quartely
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Big Bridge
,
Big City Lit
, ,
Blue Fifth Review
,
Blue Heron Review
,
Blue Lyra Review
, , ,
Caesura
,
California Quarterly
,
Can We Have Our Ball Back
,
Cider Press Review
,
Conclave: A Journal of Character
,
Connecticut Poetry Review
,
Conte
, , , ,
Ekstasis Magazine
,
Empirical Magazine
, ,
Flint Hills Review
,
Flutter Poetry Journal
, , ,
Homestead Review
,
Illya's Honey
,
Images
,
Infection House - A COVID-19 Journal
, ,
Iodine Poetry Journal
,
January Review
, ,
Kentucky Review
,
Kyoto Journal
,
Language and Culture.net
, ,
Literature Today
,
Loch Raven Review
,
Midnight Circus
, ,
Muddy River Poetry Review
, ,
Nebo
, ,
New Mexico Review
, ,
Nixes Mate Review
, ,
Numinous: Spiritual Poetry
,
Octavo
,
One Art
,
Origami Poems Project
,
Panoply
,
Parting Gifts
, , ,
Pebble Lake Review
,
Perfume River Poetry Review
, ,
Plainsongs
,
Poetic Diversity
, ,
Poetrybay
,
Poppy Road Review
,
Postcard Poems and Prose
, ,
Presence
,
Queen City Review
, ,
ragazine
, ,
Red Booth Review
,
Red Earth Review
,
Red Ochre Lit
,
Red Wolf Journal
,
Rhubarb Magazine
,
Rise Up Review
,
Seven Circles Press
,
sidereality
,
Sin Fronteras
,
Slow Trains
,
Soul-Lit
,
Sparks of Calliope
, , ,
Stone's Throw
,
The Broadkill Review
,
The Centrifugal Eye
,
The Cherry Blossom Review
,
The Comstock Review
,
The Inflectionist Review
,
The Lampeter Review
,
the new renaissance
,
These Fragile Lilacs
, ,
Trouvaille Review
,
Turtle Island Quarterly
, ,
Verse-Virtual
,
Walnut Literary Review
, ,
Xanadu
, ,
Zingara Poet
Prizes won: 

Nominated for 17 Pushcart and 13 Best of the Net awards. He provided his hands-on workshop “How to Make Origami Haiku Jumping Frogs” at the 2012 Massachusetts Poetry Festival. 20 years experience in presenting writing workshops.

Winner of the 2012 Big River Poetry Review’s William K. Hathaway Award ; co-winner of the 2013 Bill Holm Witness Poetry Contest; winner of the 2013 “Trees” Poetry Contest; winner of the 2014 Broadsided award; winner of the 2014 Dylan Thomas International Poetry Award; Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge, June 2015,Editor’s Choice; Editor’s Choice; Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge, Artist’s Choice, November 2016, Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize, 2018, Blue Light Prize, 2019, Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge, December, 2020, 2022 Sejong Writing Competition, First Place. 

He won three Central New York Individual Artist Awards providing "Poetry On The Bus" which had 48 local poems in local buses including 20 bi-lingual poems from 7 different languages seen by thousands of bus users and people attending the New York State Fair.He won a Central New York Community Artist Award providing "Poetry about Cancer and Cancer Survival on Postcard"s, 2020. He won a Central New York Individual Artst Award to produce an anthology of Onondaga County poets.

He is the judge of the New York State Fair Poetry Contest.

National Ecological Award winner for “Searching for What You Cannot See” (Hiraeth Press, 2013); National Turtle Island Editor’s Choice Award for his chapbook, “The Wire Fence Holding Back the World” (Flowstone Press, 2016). Blue Light Press Award for "The Temporary World" (Blue Light Press, 2019).

 

 

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
White
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Born in: 
East Syracsue, NY
New York
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Jan 03, 2024