5 Things You Didn't Know About Jimmy Broccoli

Hi All

I thought it might be fun to post something different (it's not poetry) today.

Last year a reviewer of my poetry collection "Rabbits" referred to me (within the review) as an enigma - it's a word that has been used to describe me more than a handful of times.

Over and over, poets who get to know me seem surprised to discover I have a sense of humor (and, despite the "dark" and "raw" content I write), I'm very laid-back, not dramatic, I am a BIG believer in being kind and empathetic to all humans and animals, I'm easy to approach and get along with, and I (mostly) enjoy life. And - I'm an extrovert - which nobody expects (an extroverted poet - what does that even mean? - Haha).

So - just for fun - here are 5 Things You Didn't Know About Jimmy Broccoli (me) - and, I hope you enjoy the read! ______________

5 Things You Didn't Know About Jimmy Broccoli [To Include a Few Mistakes That Were Almost Made]

1. When deciding upon a pen name, Jimmy Broccoli almost wasn’t chosen. Until the very last minute (before creating a Facebook account and joining the online poetry community) Jimmy Broccoli was J. J. Momohead – the name that had been chosen 2 months prior. After saying both names aloud that morning (of launching the page/account), it was decided Jimmy Broccoli was the better and more memorable name.

2. Almost immediately after the Jimmy Broccoli Facebook page debuted, readers were referred to as Florets (this term quickly faded away). Originally, readers of Jimmy’s poetry were going to be referred to as “Hookers” – based on hit TV show True Blood’s character Lafayette referring to just about everyone on the show as “hookers”. One of Jimmy’s family members stepped in and strongly suggested readers would most likely not enjoy being referred to as prostitutes. “Florets” lasted for about a month – then the term was scrapped permanently.

3. The original title of Jimmy’s first collection of sample poems, “My Anxiety Wants Ice Cream” was “My Penis Wants Ice Cream” (the title was meant to be humorous and juvenile - and to be the opposite of the "dark-themed" poems inside). Like the pen name change, the title change was made at the last moment - the morning the sample collection was given to Staples (it was very DIY – with side-staples) to print off 200 copies. A consultant to the Jimmy Broccoli Project (who is still a consultant) strongly objected to the title – so it was changed - and thank goodness it was!

4. About 1 year into the adventure, Jimmy planned to create and offer a 12-month wall Calendar of male poets posing in their underwear (all proceeds would go to charity). The poet “models” could be of any height, any weight, etc. – it didn’t matter – as long as they were poets - they would be accepted (the first 11 – with Jimmy being the “model” for January). Jimmy had a friend take photos of him in 2xist trunk underwear in preparation of creating the Calendar. Due to the very good advice of Jimmy’s graphic designer, the project was abandoned. She (the graphic designer) recommended fully-clothed male poets pose with puppies for the Calendar – a much better idea – though, that didn’t happen either.

5. The in-person launch of Jimmy’s second poetry anthology, “Encore”, bombed. After deciding Pets Are Loving Support (PALS) would be the charity to receive the proceeds from the sales of “Encore”, an in-person launch was scheduled at local restaurant and entertainment established Lips, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. After much promotion and fanfare, the event was a total flop. To happen alongside PALS’s monthly bingo event (attracting approximately 300 participants), Jimmy’s launch party was all but ignored. Bingo ended and 4 times the number of people drunkenly bumped into Jimmy’s promotions table on their way out than the number who purchased the anthology (8 and 2). Three weeks prior, “Encore” was the second best-selling poetry anthology in the United States (Amazon.com) – during the “official” in-person launch party, the audience couldn’t exit the building fast enough.

Photo: Jimmy Broccoli.