Costa Rica Global Network

Mark Fishbein

South Calumet Ave.

Apt.***

Chicago, Il. 60616

646-***-****

************@*******.***

• 1971: BA in English and Minor in Education, CCNY, Cum Laude

• 1972-3: attended Sorbonne, Paris (student riots closed school permanently before I could receive the maîtrise in Literature)

• 1973: Musician, Local 802 New York

• 1974-2000: Founded Screen Place, Inc. and Postmark Designs: The first volume screen print and T-shirt tie-dye factory in America, processing 100,000 garments daily in New Jersey and Costa Rica. 400+ employees

• 2000-2008: International screen print consultant for Gap in Asia and Caribbean

• 2008-2018: Owner Imagine Greenwear, LLC, manufacturing organic imprinted sportswear in Fairfax, Va.

2018-Present, after leaving the textile industry

• 2018: Founder DC Poetry Collective, a weekly poetry workshop. During Covid it went international on Zoom, where it continues, now in its 7th year.

• 2019: Facilitator, Pongo Poetry Project, empowering teens in trauma, grief counselling adults, and refugees to use poetry for therapeutic expression.

• 2020: Creator, Planet Poetry 28, a monthly virtual magazine introducing poets from around the world who uniquely preform their poetry using Zoom Share Screen.

• 2021: A founder of PGN-the Poetry Global Network, a nonprofit corporation based in the UK offering lectures, workshops, events, festivals, publishing and activities for poets.

• 2022: Chancellor of PGN’s Poetry Academy.

• Produced and hosted a hybrid festival event, Afterwords Bookstore Chicago, now in its 4th year.

• 2025: Received an MFA in Creative Writing/Poetry from Columbia College Chicago, to help me reach my goal to teach in lecture or creative workshops. I have 4 poetry collections, including 21 Sonnets, Poems hanging on the Wall and more recently Reflections in the Time of Trumpius Maximus (Atmosphere Press, 2021) and Billboards, Murals and Street Signs of Chicago (ShyHousePress, 2024). I have appeared in Rattle, Allium, and many other journals, as well featured in podcasts and poetry festivals worldwide. Cover letter and letters of recommendation available on request. As a classical guitarist I perform at my reading events. My website: www.poetwithguitar.com