A former bar owner in Brooklyn, NY, SM Stubbs was born & raised in South Florida. His first book, Learning to Drown(Gunpowder Press 2025) was selected for CLMP’s Notable Poetry of 2025 list. He has been a staff scholar at Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Nominated for the Pushcart, Best of the Net and Best American. His work has or will appear in Shō Poetry, Louisville Review, Tar River, New Ohio Review, Swannanoa Review and others. More information can be found on his website, smstubbs.com.
Self-esteem’s been on the decline since someone named it. As people burdened with cars and scarves and marred skin we believe we should strive for wholeness, an unblemished state. Yet it’s possible the mission of existence is learning to handle the imperfections we’ve been granted. The Buddhists think maybe we were never meant to be whole, that maybe we were… Read more →