Pencil Sales Soar to New Hai(ku)

A book of poems caused sales of traditional wooden pencils to soar by nearly a third in the past few months. [story]

If you are in the Fan Francisco or East Bay areas, PLEASANTON POET LAUREATE Cynthia Bryant will hold an all-day poetry workshop:

The City of Pleasanton Civic Arts-sponsored poetry workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 8 at the Pleasanton Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. The workshop fee is $50 and includes continental breakfast and a box lunch. Call Michelle Russo at 925-931-5350 to make a reservation or e-mail her at mrusso@ci.pleasanton.ca.us.

Sometimes the poetry is in the pauses - "A Little White Shadow" is Mary Ruefle's experiment in "found poetry" in which she recreates the ravages of time formally. [story]

Bits from my journal:

• "...clutch the remote in a whiteknuckled figment of a controlling imagination grip."
• "...upon my windshield, each lull a momentary reload of Orval's finest."
• Name and origin uncertain, but you know nothing good ever comes of it."

I sent an entry of three poems off yesterday to a contest that this past year I was a runner up in. Now the wait. :::sigh:::