Retired after nearly 38 years as a STEM production editor, trainer, and team leader for a local printer/publisher, I now have the time and energy to pursue my love of writing, music, and other arts. My writing is primarily in the form of essays, book and film reviews, and poems. I am also a musician---a vocalist who plays piano, organ, guitar, and flutes. My music can be found on this page, as well as on Facebook and YouTube.
I am excited, humbled, and proud to announce that my latest poem, “Chaos – 2022” appears today in Minyan Magazine, alongside 9 other excellent poems in issue 5. This poem was originally written in October 2020 (Hebrew year 5781) for the Beth Am Synagogue (Baltimore) annual Poetry Shabbat, which took place during the darkest period of … More Announcement: Poem #11 Just Published!
My third published poem is titled “I Don’t Want to Play The “Capitol” Edition of Clue™”. It appeared on January 25, 2021, in the online journal Oddball Magazine [https://oddballmagazine.com/poem-by-jackie- oldham-2], 19 days after the January 6th Insurrection in Washington, D.C. Like many of you, I watched the Insurrection unfold on live television, and it took … More Fall 2022 Poetry Reading Series, #3
Join me and my Poetry Friend Lynne Viti on Monday, October 17, 2022, 8:00 pm, as we read poems and celebrate The Muse with host, Dr. Anthony Michael, Ingram! Details below…
My second poem, “Just Another Covid Saturday,” appeared in the online journal Global Poemic on October 10, 2020 [https://globalpoemic.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/just-another-covid-19-saturday/], but it was written during the darkest period of the Pandemic, on March 28, 2020, when none of us knew what was happening, and we were all struggling with a life in lockdown. Global Poemic is … More Fall 2022 Poetry Reading Series #2
“Golem Emet,” my first published poem, appeared in the online journal Oddball Magazine on September 24, 2020 [Poem by Jackie Oldham – oddball magazine]. I needed a way to process the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg six days earlier, at a critical point in the 2020 Presidential Election campaign. Then-President Trump … More Fall 2022 Poetry Reading Series #1
Autumn is my favorite season, and October is my favorite month(!), most likely because they’re the season and month of my birth. For much of my life, October was a banner month for birthdays in my family: my Aunt Elnora (October 4th), my little brother David (October 6th), my Great-Uncle Sonny (October 9th), his sister … More October Surprises
A Series of Photo-Essays of Murals – and Landmarks – of Charm City: Part I All photos by Jackie Oldham (aka baltimoreblackwoman). In my travels around Baltimore, by car and on foot, I snap photos of sights and scenes that intrigue, delight, or astound me; and every photo has a story behind it. Graffiti Alley … More Murals of Baltimore
Post UPDATED to correct a misspelling and to add photo credits. On Thursday, June 30, 2022, a bastion of Baltimoreans gathered in a meeting room at the Enoch Pratt Free Library – Southeast Anchor Branch, in the heart of Highlandtown, to celebrate the launch of the book, A Lovely Place, A Fighting Place, A Charmer: … More Baltimore Magic: A Night to Remember
I. After the evening nap Pick up the heavy glass Mount Rushmore mug she bought you many years ago. Pour your favorite libation– Cherry Coke… What is that floating in the soda??? Head smack realization: Several dead petals and leaves from your only dried flower arrangement…. Empty the glass, rinse, Start over. Drink fountain soda … More Mother’s Day 2022 – Insta-Poem*
A LOVELY PLACE, A FIGHTING PLACE, A CHARMER: THE BALTIMORE ANTHOLOGY I am excited to announce that for the first time ever, I will be a “contributor” to this forthcoming book (June 2022), edited by Gary M. Almeter and Rafael Alvarez. How fitting that this book is about all things Baltimore—my hometown, and the source … More New Publication Announcement
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