Marc Jampole (born July 24, 1950) is an American poet, novelist, public relations executive, former television news reporter and political blogger.

Background and education In the 1970s, Jampole taught French and German language and literature and filmmaking at the University of Washington. He also made several avant-garde films that were shown at a number of independent film festivals."Interview with Marc Jampole", Cervena Barva Press

Career Jampole formed Jampole Communications, Inc. in 1989. As principal, Jampole wrote more than 1,800 articles and was a well-known speaker on media-relations and crisis communications. He was frequently quoted in the mass media as a public relations expert.Jampole, Marc. "Smashing Myths: Many public relations people are headed in the wrong direction." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 23, 2004.Sostek, Anya. "Occupy Movement presents tricky public relations challenge for targeted companies." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 30, 2011. Jampole, Marc. "Companies should employ strategies to overcome bankruptcy stigma." Pittsburgh Business Times. December 3, 2001. Lindeman, Teresa. "Some criticize Target's response to breach as too slow." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 20, 2013. Jampole also developed communications plans for more than 100 crises and handled three of the largest Chapter 11 bankruptcies in American history - the bankruptcy of Allegheny International and two Penn Traffic Company bankruptcies.Goins, Tony. "Penn Traffic closing five local Big Bear stores." Columbus Business First. October 10, 2003. At the end of 2016, Jampole sold the operations of Jampole Communications to Pittsburgh-based Wordwrite Communications, where he serves as executive vice president.”Tascarella, Patty. “Longtime Pittsburgh PR agencies combining.” Pittsburgh Business Times. November 30, 2016

Jampole also writes for Jewish Currents and served on its editorial board.Jampole, Marc. "Class Warfare from the Mid-'30s until Today" Jewish Currents. February 18, 2014.

Poetry Jampole has published one book of poetry, Music From Words (Bellday Books 2007).Jampole, Marc. Music from Words Bellday Books 2007. [www.belldaybooks.com] His poems have been published in many poetry journals and anthologies, including The Mississippi Review,Jampole, Marc. "Dot & Sylvia." The Mississippi Review Vol. 31 #1-2. Spring 2003. The Evansville Review, The Courtland Review,Jampole, Marc. "Instead of Sex." The Courtland Review Issue 46. Feb 2010. Vallum, Cutthroat, Slant Magazine, Illumen, Oxford Magazine, Janus Head,Jampole, Marc. "These Are a Few," "Divine Amnesia," "A Brother's Funeral." Janus Head #74 "Addiction 2". 2004. Only the Sea Keeps (2005 Bayeaux Arts Press),Jampole, Marc. "If Nature had a Conscious." Only the Sea Keeps. Bayeaux Arts Press. 2005. Wilderness House Literary Review,Jampole, Marc. "Garbo at 48." Wilderness House Review Vol. 2 #4. Winter 2008. Jampole, Marc. "At the Cocktail Party," "On Manhattan Beach with Love and Thanatos." Wilderness House Review Vol. 3 #1. Spring 2008. Ellipsis,Jampole, Marc. "The Wrestler" Ellipsis #44. Spring 2008 Journey (2009 Eden Waters Press),Jampole, Marc. "A Modern Passion." Journey. Eden Waters Press. 2009. and Acapella Zoo,Jampole, Marc. "The Walk Away." Acapella Zoo #1. Fall 2008 among others. Four of his poems were nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2008.

Slant: A Journal of Poetry references Marc Jampole as a poet whose work verges on the experimental or brash."Slant: A Journal of Poetry." University of Central Arkansas.

Jampole's work is rarely autobiographical. The narrators in his poems are sometimes famous people, biblical or historical figures and sometimes ordinary people at a point of epiphany or anagnorisis. In one poem, a real-estate agent who thinks he's Moses sees the burning bush in an upscale suburb. In others, Gilgamesh gets caught in a traffic jam, Blaise Pascal faces a crisis of faith and faith in reason, a former whiz kid disassociates into psychosis and Hugo Ball, one of the founders of the Dada movement, sells his wife to soldiers. He also writes in reaction to world events, such as the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia.Behe, Regis. "Tsunami project reveals quality of poetry in Pittsburgh area." Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. December 25, 2005.

Novels

In 2021, Jampole published his first novel, The Brothers Silver with Owl Canyon Press. This debut novel follows a pair of brothers as they navigate personal trauma against the backdrop of America’s changing landscape during the latter half of the 20th century. Unlike Jampole's poetry, The Brother Silvers incorporates autobiographical elements. The novel is told through multiple perspectives and explores themes such as trauma, politics, and Judaism.

Reception of The Brothers Silver was largely positive, with American Book Review describing Jampole’s writing as “robust with poetic prose and intriguing characters living in extreme circumstances that most of us will relate to in our own individual ways.” The Vassar Review called it “the kind of book you want to talk with someone about after reading."The Brothers Silver was a finalist in 2022 for the Next Generation Indie Book Award in Fiction.

Works

Books Music from Words (Bellday Books 2007) The Brothers Silver (Owl Canyon Press 2021)

Anthologies The Great American Wise Ass Poetry Anthology (2016) And Love (Jacar Press 2012) Fusion of Form (2009) Bagel Bards IV (2009) and V (2010) Natural Language (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh 2010) Journey (Eden Waters Press 2009) A Poet's Haggadah (Ain't Got No Press 2008) Along These Rivers (Quadrant Publishing 2008) Only the Sea Keeps (Bayeaux Arts 2005)

Literary publications 580 Split Acapella Zoo Big City Lit China Grove Cortland Review Curbside Review Cutthroat Ellipsis Illumen Janus Head Jewish Currents Main Street Rag Miracle Mississippi Review Orphic Lute Oxford Magazine Paper Street Peralta Press Pittsburgh Poetry Review Pittsburgh Quarterly Rat’s Ass Review Recours au Poéme Rune Sin Fronteras Slant: A Journal of Poetry The Evansville Review Vallum White Pelican Review Wilderness House Review Yawp!

Films Landscapes of Desire - 2012

OpEdge Blog Jampole has written the OpEdge blog since 2009. OpEdge discusses the political and social issues of the day from a left-wing point of view, often using academic and secondary research to make the case for his views, including raising taxes on the wealthy, cutting the military budget and turning away from the celebrity-fueled culture of consumption. National Public Radio and other media have frequently quoted or referenced OpEdge articles. OpEdge articles also often appears on the websites of The Progressive Populist, Jewish Currents,and Vox Populi.

References