MAD SWIRL PRESS
Founded in 1999, Mad Swirl was created as an arts & literature creative outlet. Mad Swirl is a platform, a showcase, & a stage for artistic expression in this mad, mad world of ours; a diverse collection of as many poets, artists, & writers we can gather from around the world; from Nepal to Ireland, from England to China, from California to New York City & all the places in between. Mad Swirl Press produces & publishes our annual anthology, “The Best of Mad Swirl.” In addition, Mad Swirl publishes books from our Contributing Poets & Writers.
The Best of Mad Swirl : v2025 is a 111-page anthology featuring 52 poets, 12 short fiction writers, and four artists whose works were presented on MadSwirl.com throughout 2025. Our editors reviewed the entire year’s published poems, stories and art to ensure this collection is truly “the best of” Mad Swirl. This annual collection represents a worldwide representation of the diverse voices and vantages which speak to all aspects of this crazy swirl we call “life on earth.” This anthology is an excellent introduction to the world of Mad Swirl!
Back issues of “The Best of Mad Swirl” (2017-2024 also available here)
Son of a Chicken Killer by Tyler Malone contains piles of words that worm their way through a “perpetually imbalanced existence.” Tyler shows the reader a wasteland of recall, dotted throughout with little oases of hope and “routine dopamine anticipation.” He does not look for healing but clarity, “the curse of awareness.” So, let the reader beware and read if you dare (but read, you must). ~ MH Clay, Poetry Editor, Mad Swirl
Mirador, the second collection of original poetry and songs by Chris Zimmerly. The first section, Mad Swirl, includes all his published poems at Mad Swirl (madswirl.com), inspired from 20 years as a regular at the monthly Mad Swirl Open Mic in Dallas. The second section, Hootenanny NOW, contains poems published in Tartan, The Word, Post Amerikan and a haiku read on “Travel with Rick Steves” Radio Show; rounded out with a few never-before-seen poems. The last section, Song Bag, is his song lyrics, a nexus of Texas Rock, Blues and Americana played in bands: Hootenanny Campfire, Pecan Tree and Sasquatch Grandma.
Angst, by is a collection of poetry that surveys the bounteous wasteland of contemporary mores, resisting the silky allure of the evidentiary for the rock, crag, and jagged nail of faith. Clawing against the petty and the merciless in all their guises, these poems oppose power with power: the muscle of refrain, the corrosive power of anathema, the simple profound grace of “we” and “our.”
Black Sparrow Dress, a poetry collection by Dallas poet and spoken word performer, Opalina Salas and illustrated by Madelyn Olson, is “about recalling the past and letting go. It’s about the town I call home and the poets I call friends. It’s about love and remorse, outrage and abandonment, but also hope. It’s about a woman’s journey through changes; aging, addictions, laments, misgivings, to eventual empowerment.”
Not So Super After All, by Josh Weir, is a collection of poems by an observer of truth in the most Zen meaning of it. Josh’s work smelts the meaning of life into imagery that will stick with you. He writes in raw emotions without ever becoming maudlin or preachy. He doesn’t yell his words out from the top of a mountain, but they carry the volume and weight that makes them worthy of such. There is significance in his work. There are vitality and life within these pages. If you’ve been hankering to read some raw poetry, some honest poetry, some poetry with ‘big glorious balls,’ then read this book.
BLOODSTONES represents Rob Dyer‘s strongest work: his remarkable voice, his sometimes elliptical, sometimes searing, always bone-honest insight into the mystery of meaning: his ferocious, relentless focus on the small human questions with immense and all-too-often painful answers. This collection is his legacy of sacred stories, told in whispers, revealed in roars.
Mad Swirl started with ink on paper. Our very first issue, a self-titled zine was published in 1999 and consisted of 32 glorious Xeroxed pages filled with poetry, prose, art and a whole lotta miscellaneous madnesses. Thru the years we published six issues of our Mad Swirl zine along with a handful of poetry chapbooks for a few local loco DFW poets. Sadly, those projects are now out of circulation… HOWEVER, we’ve digitized these back issues for your trip down memory lane.