Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere Election Started Today

Voting has started today for Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere. This is the fourth year the election has been held.

I [ Michael Wells ] was nominated for Stick Poet Superhero, and am on the ballot along with 22 others. Last year over 800 votes were cast for this. The candidate had to have been blogging on poetry for at least a year. You can see all the candidates and cast your vote by going to this site

Poetry news bits...

The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Michael Dirda who writes for the Washington Post on books, literature and the likes, talks about staying power of Contemporary Poetry.

Louisiana Poet Laureate Darrell Bourque travels the state making a tough sell to young people.

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Hass sheds new light on a world of relationships.

I'm still sending out my Poetry Month broadsides on request. Received the following kind note this week from a recipient:

Your broadside arrived safely. It's absolutely lovely! Your graceful poem
and the image of the coffee cup stain marry perfectly. Thank you so
much!

2008 Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere

Almost forgot.... Nominations begin today for the 2008 Poet Laureate Of The Blogosphere. This will be the fourth year for the elections. There are some minimal qualifications - such as having been a poetry blogger for no less than one year as of March 1, 2008. Anyway, the nominations can be made at this site.

Poet Laureate of the Blogisphere and other things...

Thanks to Jilly, I caught this note on the 2008 Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere. Click on the link to see details about nominations, etc. Last year I didn't catch it until nominations were over, but I did make it in time to vote. Previous winners:

Amy King, Ron Silliman, and Jilly Dybka.




On another note..... China Resists Human Rights Link to Olympics

By Sam Beattie Beijing - 27 March 2008

China hosts its first-ever Olympic Games, in just five months. In Beijing, people are working hard to clean up the city and to get ready to host the world's most prestigious sporting event. The city has undergone enormous changes in the seven-year build-up to the event, but human rights activists say the government has failed to live up to some Olympic promises. Sam Beattie reports. Full Story

Poetry in the News - Etc.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota didn't like the idea of a State Poet Laureate in 2005 and he vetoed legislation calling for one. Now he has tapped for that position, perhaps the most widely recognized poet in the state's history- Robert Bly.

At age 81, Bly has authored 19 poetry books, 7 anthologies, 13 translations and 7 non-fiction books and was a National Book Award winner in 1967.

Bly was an outspoken critic of the war in Vietnam as well as the Bush invasion more recently in Iraq. As poets go, he is perhaps the closest thing to a household word.
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And this from Michael Silverstein (The Wall Street Poet) : A Call For More Political Poetry On America’s Op Ed Pages.
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Congressman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and fellow U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), have written the Justice Department and asked them to look into Roger Clemens' testimony before congress on performance enhancing drugs. I'm having a little difficulty with the priorities here, We have a bold face lying President and Vice President, a Justice Department riddled with scandal, e-mails missing from the White House that were asked for in an investigation, all kinds of corruption in the present administration in the White House and they want Justice to look into this? Who gives a rats ass? Justice is riddled with people paid by the taxpayers who have lied to Congress under oath and no one holds them accountable?

Hearing The New Missouri Poet Laureate

Tuesday night I attended a reading locally by Walter Bargen, the new, and I might add first Missouri poet laureate, as well as Kevin Rabas a poet who makes his home in neighboring Kansas.

The event was well attended. In fact additional seating had to be added. It was my first experience hearing either of these poets though I have read some of Bargen’s work since the announcement of his selection to the post.

Rabas was enjoyable enough. He has a lot of energy and the substance of what he read was far superior to the manor in which it was delivered. I felt he was rushing to finish each poem.

Bargen was well received. I would like to have heard more poetry, but I'll admit I as well as everyone else in the room seemed to be enjoying the antidotes related to his new found fame as poet laureate.

My early impressions of our new state poet laureate are positive ones. The Governor's selection was an individual whose body of work is impressive and his delivery in public is adequate and with time will likely improve. I especially like that from what I have thus far been exposed to of his work, it appears quite eclectic, and he will likely embrace a wide range of poetics as his own work covers a wide spectrum. This is encouraging to me.


The minimal requirements the Governor's office made as far as public appearances is appalling to me. If the Poet Laureate is going to be charged with promoting poetry within the state, there should be far more public outreach than 6 events in a two year term. I'm happy to say that Walter Bargen has been booking events weekly. I hope we will see some kind of public awareness program develop to infuse poetry into our state culture at various levels. At any rate, Bargen’s own reading was enjoyable and provides a basis for optimism about the future course for the position of Poet Laureate in Missouri.

Post Peek

mood: relaxed
listening to: Question 67 and 68 / Chicago


For what it is worth, my one time assessment of my peek biorhythms on the 29th of January was somewhat disappointing. It did seem my productivity in the office was remarkably better, but as for any feeling that it manifested itself in a positive way in terms of quality or quantity of writing, it was unconvincing. I suppose I'll make note of my next optimum period where all the rhythms come together and assess it again.

More rejections yesterday.

Here's an interview with the current U.S. poet laureate: What are you doing to increase the public’s interest in poetry at a time when cultural alarmists insist that reading is on its way out?

Enough blogging - time to write!

MU plans poetry events

Mood: complicated
Listening to: nothing


So begins the day of the last State of the Union Address by George Herbert Walker Bush. A minor milestone. The big one comes when his reign is over. History, kaput!

I received another rejection letter this weekend. Things are bound to turn around soon!

I've noted that Missouri University's Center for the Literary Arts has an ambitious series of poetry events planned. I wanted to give them some props for what looks to be a great lineup of poets.

• Stop Traffic benefit, 8 p.m., Feb. 14, Cherry Street Artisan, 111 S. Ninth St. - *This is to benefit Stop Traffic, an organization dedicated to raising awareness and funding to end human trafficking.
• Terrance Hayes poetry reading, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 20, Reynolds Alumni Center, 700 Conley Ave.
• Heather McHugh poetry reading and lecture, reading 7:30 p.m., March 13, Reynolds Alumni Center, and lecture 4 p.m., March 14, with a location to be determined.
• Major Jackson poetry reading, 7:30 p.m., March 20, Reynolds Alumni Center.
• Kevin Prufer poetry reading, 7:30 p.m., April 24, Cherry Street Artisan. Kevin in the new Poet Laureate from Missouri.

It was nice to see the temperatures warm up a bit. The wind has kicked up too. Almost reminds me or tornado season in these parts but that would be a wee bit premature - at least historically.

According to my biorhythms, I am on the cusp of the convergence of all my positives tomorrow. Nothing like a little pressure.

Missour Now has a first State Poet Laureate

Mood: tired
Listening to: nothing


Walter Bargen, 59, of Ashland, Missouri - a central Missouri community of about 3,000 residents, has been named the first Poet Laureate of Missouri by Governor Blunt.

Bargan may not be a household name, but he is a recipient of the William Rockhill Nelson Award for poetry and has a number of books published including "West of West" (2007) from Timberline Press; "Remedies for Vertigo" (2006) from WordTech Communications; "The Feast" (2004) from BkMk Press-UMKC. While he is not exactly an academic poet has has degrees in psychology and English education.

Here are some links to a sampling of his work:

NEWTON REVISITED

CIVILIZED SACRIFICE

HOUSE OF TURTLE

Looking into the future...

You may not have cracked open your 2008 planner yet, but take note that Oct. 23, 2008 - Charles Simic, current poet laureate of the United States and Pulitzer Prize winner, reads from his work at the Midwest Poets Series on the Rockhurst University Campus. Simic is one of several poets whose work I like to read and reread - especially when I find myself in a writing funk. His work is like a jump start to the creative processes inside my brain.

Poetry's PR chick in New Zealand

Michele Leggott is the new poet laureate for New Zealand, but Leggott's husband "rudely fell about laughing" when he heard that his wife had been picked. [story]

Looking For The Right Poet

KCUR News
Search for First Missouri Poet Laureate Continues- Laura Spencer [ click here ]

Defining the inner life through poetry

Marvin Bell is gray haired and bearded. The 70 year old is Iowa's first Poet Laureate. In the mid 1960's Bell was an army officer so it is perhaps not at all surprising that he has written on the subject of war extensively. Of his 17 published books of poetry, many deal with war.

In a recent Des Moines Register interview I was particularly struck by his response to the question, "What is the role of art in war time?" Bell's response seems particularly relevant to writing in a broader prospective about any social concern, not just war. He said, "Poets talk about current events, just as everyone does, but some of us also embed it in our art. Poetry doesn't change minds. However, it becomes part of the consensus. It finds words for what it feels like during wartime. That said, there is no one way to write and no right way to write. A poet is perfectly within his or her right to graph the inner life without reference to outer events."

It seems that poets have long been charged with defining moments in the use of language. It is the utilization of individual words and phrases that bring "feeling" into better focus. This not only gives greater clarity to the feelings but the words themselves. I've had times and I am sure I am not alone, when I have felt some way that I was not able to adequately describe. That ability to graph the inner life is one measure of exceptionally good poetry.

Missouri to Appoint a Poet Laureate

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt has announced that he will name an official Missouri Poet Laureate.

Blunt said, "Missouri has a rich cultural heritage of men and women in the arts, by naming a poet laureate, we will help continue this tradition for future generations of Missourians."

Jay Barnes of the governor's staff asked for your nominations by December first.
They are looking for a poet who is local, renowned, and wholly well-versed. The Missouri Poet Laureate will be responsible to help promote the arts in Missouri by making appearances at public libraries and schools across the state. The poet will also be called upon to compose an original poem in honor of Missouri and to perform the poem at an event commemorating the new position. Gov. Blunt will accept nominations through December 1, 2007. Nominees must be a current resident of the state. The governor encourages Missourians to think of poetry in its broadest sense when considering potential candidates for this new position.

The governor will work with the Missouri Center for the Book to select the Missouri Poet Laureate. He plans to announce the honoree in mid-December. Missourians interested in the position or who would like to nominate a candidate should visit the governor's Internet site at gov.missouri.gov/MPL.htm for more information. Submissions must include the poet's name, city of residence, contact information and writing samples.

Poet's Pulpit

So you wake up one morning and "poof" you're the poet laureate. Okay, it didn't quite happen that way. First you get a call from out of the blue and you mull the offer around in your crowded head, bounce the idea off family and finally call back and say, "yes, I'll do it."

Then comes that fateful morning when you realize "you are it!" This has come and passed for Charles Simic. So what's going on with him?

For all the fan fair and hoop-la about raising the interest in poetry in this country by recent past laureates, Simic is not as passionately optimistic. He views Americans as a people who are not particularly proud of our literature and he is not inclined to believe you can force the issue. Oh, I'll admit that a part of me wants to be more idealistic about the picture than that, but perhaps Simic is more reality grounded here. At any point, we all really do know that the evangelism of poetry is not going to bring everyone the their knees in verse.

If I were asked to do a state of the union on poetry, I believe first of all, not a lot of people would tune in. There is a large segment of society who really could care less. Still, for a good many people poetry remains a valued commodity. And like the American economy, the leading indicators here are truly mixed.

It seems fewer presses are turning out poetry. Yet we are seeing poetry all over the Internet. There are few economic success stories among contemporary poets, yet MFA programs are everywhere. To be sure, there are a significant number of people who do in fact turn to poetry, but it is also true that this is a representatively low percentage of the American public. Simic is right, as a nation we do not proud of our literature, poetry or otherwise. Our interests are splintered and divided among so many possibilities it is like vying a piece of the Nielsen ratings.

Of course I want to see poetry promoted. And I am already pleased to know from things Simic has said that he is not about to set out to define what poetry is or should be to readers or poets. To create "ramps for poetically handicapped people" (borrowing a phrase from Billy Collins) is not going to bring America to some profound awakening about poetry. The best we can do is to support the art, gain exposure for it, and let it reach those who are receptive to it.

Simic is in his own right a very talented poet. I believe he can be a outstanding ambassador for the art. Like everyone else, we'll have to set back and give him time to develop his methodology.

I will not complete any of those sentences

I was ecstatic at the news the Charles Simic was to become the new poet laureate because I had only recently discovered his poetry and found him to be an excellent read. This week however, I read a piece in the Boston Globe that only accentuated my excitement.

David Mehegan of the globe staff wrote a piece in Simic on August 18 that provided a little more insight into Simic the laureate. Mehegan reports that Simic doesn't yet have a plan for his term but says, "All those sentences that begin with, 'Poetry must...,' 'The purpose of poetry is to... , 'Readers of poetry should...' -- 'I will not complete any of those sentences." I can't say enough about what a delight it is to hear these words.

Even after Donald Hall's tenure as poet laureate, the handcuffs that Ted Kooser slipped around poetry still leave marks on its wrists. Simic is insightful enough to see the divisiveness trying to mold and shape what poetry is or should be has brought to the art. Enough!

The Immigrant Poet Laureate

Jilly presents an interesting take on the selection of poet laureates in the U.S. While this is not totally new information to me, she has presented some good reference material and demonstrates the tendencies toward NE geographies and the male gender. Much will be made of it because much was made of it the last time, a NE male then too.

In my own humble view, there are quite a few women I believe would be excellent candidates. I am perhaps more bothered by the gender issue than the geographical one. Why? I suppose being from the Midwest I should have been jumping for joy at the Kooser appointment. It turns out that his being from a neighboring state meant little of nothing to me.

I believe what may say a lot about the latest selection, and a very positive way to view it, would be that Simic is a first generation immigrant to the U.S. This at a time when our own American culture seems to be at such odds with our own American heritage. Simic was born under the dark shadows of very troubling times in his native land. I've seen in his work a more worldly view of life and I think this is a good time for Americans to experience a poet with such background.

On another note my copy of Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak arrived on Friday.

A New Poet Laureate

It was not long ago that another blogger poet Cindy turned me on to a poet that had somehow slipped under my radar in spite of his acclaim. I've previously mentioned this in earlier blog posts. The poet is Charles Simic. Imagine my surprise when reading my e-mail, I learned that Simic has been named to fill the Poet Laureate post this fall replacing Donald Hall who will only serve one term due to his health.

This is somewhat a bittersweet moment in my view as I have especially enjoyed the Hall period. Hall was such a refreshing voice to me following Ted Kooser. Kooser is enjoyable, but in my view lacking in the depth that Hall's work shows. Additionally, while Kooser was and remains a strong advocate for broadening the consumer base of poetry, I believe he has done so at the expense of dividing those in the literary arts themselves.

Simic is an immigrant. He was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in1938. Living as a child under the shadows of Hitler and Stalin. His family came to the U.S. in 1953.

Like Kooser, Simic is not a difficult read. Like Hall, there is clearly more depth to his work. He is no Bly or Ashbery, but he is a brilliant mind and I have enjoyed what work of his I have read. I believe he'll bring a positive voice to the position.

Well deserved acknowledgement of talent

I suppose one could call it poetic justice.... Maxwell Corydon Wheat is installed as people's poet laureate after all.

Father's Day

Couple of items from Father's Day.... A Waterman Phileas fountain pen -burgundy and black marbled ( picture doesn't do it justice) and my ASU ball cap complete with "Sparky" the Sun Devil. By the way, ASU won their opening round of the College World Series Saturday. They play again tonight.

The pen is from my lovely wife. It is gorgeous and way more pen then I would have bought myself. Writes as smooth as honey. It will certainly make both journaling and hand written poetry drafts much more enjoyable.

Speaking of Father's Day.... Enjoyed this piece about Donald Hall & the poems he wrote on the passing of his father. While he write about the experience right away, the poem took 17 years to complete.