Better Than Starbucks
Poetry & Fiction Journal
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November 2022
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Autumn 2026 | Vol 8 No 1
Anthony "Uplandpoet" Watkins (August 4, 1959 - December 10, 2025)
highly regarded, beloved, and missed
Anthony “Uplandpoet” Watkins was a prolific, American poet whose voice became a beloved constant in online poetry communities, most notably the global ModPo (Modern & Contemporary American Poetry) program. Over more than a decade, he emerged as one of ModPo’s most active and engaged participants posting daily poems, sparking dialogue across differences, and welcoming newcomers with his trademark warmth and curiosity. Even during the final months of his illness, he continued writing “at least a half dozen poems daily,” a testament to his devotion to the craft and communities he helped shape.
Anthony described himself—modestly—as “uneducated” and “self‑taught,” though those who knew him recognized a deeply reflective, widely read thinker whose humility was part of his charm. He approached poetry with “mindless courage” writing with emotional directness, humor, and words without pretense. His personal website and public posts reveal a writer fascinated by rivers, bridges, overflowing landscapes, and the small, human truths that run beneath them.
Beyond his writing, Anthony was a connector. He loved conversation—ethical, political, personal—and especially loved talking “across differences” building unlikely friendships through shared curiosity and respect. That instinct for connection led him to found Better Than Starbucks, a literary journal that grew from a small, passionate project into a vibrant international platform for poets and writers of every style and background. Under his leadership, the journal became a rare space where formalists, experimentalists, modern artists, haiku poets, and emerging voices from around the world could appear side by side, each treated with equal dignity and enthusiasm.
On ModPo, his weekly “hopelessly lost” thread became an institution, a gathering place for learners worldwide who found in him a guide, a companion, and friend. Through both his poetry and his editorial vision, Anthony created rooms—real and virtual—where people felt seen, welcomed, and encouraged to keep writing.
His work has appeared in Penumbra, Poetry Super Highway, Mockingheart Review, Stella Showcase, San Pedro River Review, and others. As a publisher, he has published Scene-Arts of the Treasure Coast; Abundance-A Harvest of Life, Literature and the Arts; Better Than Starbucks Journal; and Better Than the Times.
Anthony is survived by his soulmate, Suzanne Robinson, and children, Bart, Dylan, and Hazel Watkins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Don and Georgia Watkins.
Anthony leaves behind not only a body of poems but a legacy of generosity, conversation, and community. He was a poet who believed in people, who wrote daily because life demanded it, and who helped teach poetry to thousands simply by showing up—open, curious, and unafraid to be himself.
I walk into the morning
and the morning walks into me.
We trade a little light,
a little warmth,
and go on our way—
both of us better
for the meeting.
~~ Anthony "Uplandpoet" Watkins, 2024