JASON BLAKELY OF POETRY IS

Jason Blakely stands on the dock at Summit Lake on April 20, 2021. Photo by Ilenia Pezzaniti. Jason Blakely thinks of a moment he’s proud of at Summit Lake on April 20, 2021. Photo by Ilenia Pezzaniti.

Jason Blakely offers area poets voices with heart through Poetry Is Life Publishing

by Marissa Marangoni

If there is one thing that Jason Blakely has, it’s heart. That heart is behind everything he does at Poetry Is Life Publishing (PILP), his independent publishing company. Inspired by a dry, impersonal rejection he received after submitting a manuscript he had poured his soul into for publication, Blakely felt a calling to buck the standards of the traditional publishing industry. He started Poetry Is Life Publishing in 2004 to give voice to poets whose voices are often unheard.

Poetry Is Life Publishing is a unique small press. Unlike other publishing companies, there is no slush pile, no folder full of backlogged submissions, no pile of writing that is unread or unappreciated. Every piece of writing submitted to PILP is carefully reviewed and handled with respect.

“Poets take the time to be vulnerable and share parts of their lives with me. Just because I’m an editor, [that] doesn’t give me the right to ignore their experience like it didn’t exist,” Blakely says.

No one’s story is ignored at PILP. All writers have an equal opportunity to publish, giving the company an impressive record of diverse authors. From a compilation about the Black experience to a chapbook inspired by the loss of a child, PILP publishes the work of real people. If you look around the PILP website, you’ll likely run across the line, “Now! They will listen to us!” When I ask Blakely what that’s about, he explains, “Where I come from, there’s an idea of who gets to say what and whose voice matters and whose voice doesn’t.”

According to the 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey by Lee and Low Books, in the writing world, white people make up 76% of published writers. Blakely, however, opens his arms to all writers, including writers without industry connections, without formal education, and without polished, perfect manuscripts. He dedicates his services to “…People who are grinding, who are honest, sincere.”

When I say that Blakely dedicates himself, I don’t say it lightly. Blakely spends one-on-one time with writers who approach him, helping them shape their work into something they are truly proud of by the time he prints. As he says, Blakely offers writers “Genuine connection…They can call and ask me about anything, and I’ll answer. I always want to be accessible to the people who trust me with their work.” He goes above and beyond to, as he says, honor artists. This is evident, especially when he tells me he once rode his bike in the snow from one side of Akron to another to answer a writer’s questions about his process and make sure she felt heard. The respect and support that Blakely gives to writers is unmatched in an industry known for callous, cold rejection.

Poets who choose to take their writing to PILP work directly with Blakely himself. They don’t need an agent to connect with his company, nor do they need to figure out how to take their Word document and make sure it’s properly aligned for printing. Poets who approach PILP work with Blakely to establish a budget for their project and determine the services they want PILP to provide to them.

From editing to cover design and marketing, Blakely offers writers a complete publishing package with a rare personal touch. Blakely takes his time to talk through the poet’s manuscript with them, making sure he understands their vision for their work and even helps them through their writing before guiding them through the final steps of the writing process. Blakely offers writers another set of eyes and ears to make sure what he publishes is exactly what they want. only have the support of themselves. Poetry Is Life Publishing offers writers a third option with built-in support.

The publishing industry is brutal and can take a toll on a person who is unfamiliar with what to expect or how to navigate the system. Rejections are a big part of a writer’s reality, but the blow can be lessened when a response to a submission is personalized. However, personalized rejections are rare, and most rejections are the same: A “Thank you for submitting,” and a “Good luck.” Sometimes, there isn’t even that. As Blakely says, “No response is a response.” With PILP, there is always a response. When rejection must happen, Blakely takes the time to contact the writer personally and explain his decision.

The passion Blakely has for publishing is evident through our conversation. His involvement in the local writing scene is heavy. Poetry Is Life Publishing holds several annual poetry contests, features poems of the month on the website, and even sells a calendar that features several of Akron’s own poets. Being a writer himself allows Blakely to appreciate and respond to the trials writers face when pursuing publication.

Jason Blakely holds a sign that reads, Support All Akron Poetry, at Summit Lake on April 20, 2021. At Poetry Is Life Publishing, all writers have an equal opportunity to publish their work. Photo by Ilenia Pezzaniti.

need to hear in a different way that may open them to doing things differently. However, before this can happen, all artists’ voices must be welcomed in Akron. He says, “There was no Black history poetry, no national women’s month poetry, but April is National Poetry month—and I bet there’s going to be a ton of poetry then—but what about the rest of the year?” From what I can tell, Blakely tries to answer that question, using PILP to celebrate diverse voices year-round.

Most publishing companies are focused on financial gain, which is directly impacted by the satisfaction of their readers. Poetry Is Life Publishing, however, is focused on writers, giving them a different path to get their words out into the world. Blakely says that the writers he works with are “People who fall down and stand up stronger and keep moving forward.” They’re people who are all too familiar with rejection, and instead of serving them up more of it, Blakely offers them a hand, asks them about their story, sits beside them as they write it, and, when they are ready, he puts it on pages so people can read it.

// Marissa has been writing for the Devil Strip since 2015. She’s an instructional designer / technical writer by day, creative writer by night, and really loves popcorn.

Jason Blakely holds a sign that reads, Support All Akron Poetry. Jason created Poetry Is Life Publishing to provide equal publishing opportunity to all poets. Photo by Ilenia Pezzaniti.

A hand-sculpted statue awaiting final touches at Bethel-Miller Memorials’ warehouse. Straps used to lift cuts of marble and granite at Bethel-Miller Memorials production facility in Canton, one of three locations Conti owns and manages.

A story in stone: North Hill Marble & Granite serves Akron families for more than a century

North Hill Marble & Granite owner Larry Conti uses software to design a custom memorial stone.

Bethel-Miller Memorials production facility in Canton, where marble and granite are still hand-sculpted for clients at all three Conti Memorial Group locations.

Sculptors’ tools at Bethel-Miller Memorials production facility in Canton.

Writing, reporting and photos by H.L. Comeriato

For more than a century, North Hill Marble & Granite has had the same address.

At the corner of North Howard Street and Frederick Avenue, the company’s showroom overlooks the city’s skyline.

When Fred Giacomini and Gaetano Buzzi founded the company in 1918, Akron was in the midst of the Spanish Flu epidemic, which killed more than 600 Akronites by the end of 1919.

From their shop in North Hill, the business churned out custom, handcarved memorials and monuments designed to help Akronites honor and commemorate loved ones who had succumbed to the disease.

Today, owner Larry Conti and his team of artists and designers hold tight to that history as they help clients navigate the process of designing and creating memorials and monuments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I grew up here on North Hill,” Conti says. “My grandparents had a house on North Hill. My parents had a house on North Hill. I’m actually the first one in my family to move off the hill.” In 1998, the descendants of the Buzzi brothers sold the company to Rock of Ages Corp., a national quarrying and supply company looking to try their hand at retail. Based in Vermont, Rock of Ages sells granite and marble exclusively to franchised companies like North Hill Marble & Granite.

“It’s not a franchise you can buy,” Conti says, but rather a status awarded to monument and memorial dealers based on their workmanship and reputation. Every stone Conti helps create is reviewed by a Rock of Ages inspector.

Conti worked for Rock of Ages for the next decade. When the company decided to abandon the retail side of the memorial and monument business in 2008, they sold Conti the three locations he already managed.

When Conti started working at Portage Marble & Granite in 1971, he never imagined he’d own the business himself but says he’s happy to have played a part in reverting North Hill Marble & Granite to a smaller, family-owned business.

“We went from a family business to a large corporation, back to a family business,” he says. Conti’s adult children, Scott Conti and Kelly Adams, both work for the business, along with his nephew and son-inlaw. Kristin Buzzi-Feora, a fourthgeneration descendant of company founder Gaetano Buzzi, manages the company’s North Hill location.

“I’ve got five children and 14 grandchildren,” Conti says. “So it’s a family business — somehow, someway, they’re all [involved].”

For Conti, those generational ties are paramount when it comes to helping families honor their loved ones in personalized and innovative ways.

At a conference table in North Hill Marble & Granite’s showroom, Conti drags floral designs over a computergenerated headstone on a flatscreen TV. Nearly a decade ago, Conti invested in design software that allows families to design memorials in real time — changing shape, color and lettering until the design feels perfect.

Over the years, Conti says custom, personalized designs have become the company’s specialty.

“A lot of times people will design it themselves,” he says. “We’ll start doing different things with them and they’ll say, ‘Well, let’s move the flowers over here, or can we add a ‘57 Chevy or a bag of golf clubs?’ We can do anything like that. We can personalize it any way imaginable.” their interests are, what their hobbies are, if they’re a religious family. Whatever’s important to them, we try to design the memorial,” Conti says.

Whether the design is a small, flat marker or a large family mausoleum, Conti says he and his team of artists and designers strive to treat every client with the same respect — regardless of the price tag.

“When a person comes in, we explain to them the cost so they understand everything,” he says. “If I need a TV, I want somebody to explain everything about it. It’s the same with memorials. We do take the time to explain it so they make the best decision for them.”

That quality craftsmanship is part of the company’s history, says Conti, and certainly part of its future: “That’s the highlight of our [work] — when a family walks off feeling good about what they’re doing. We help people at the most trying time in their life, and we try to do it in an easy, peaceful way for the family,” Conti says. “When you’re telling that story in stone, it’s really for the living, and for generations to come.”

// H.L. Comeriato covers public health at The Devil Strip via Report for America. Reach them at HL@ thedevilstrip.com.