Tagged with a Poetry Meme

Imagine that!

Thanks to Cindy I have been posed a series of questions. Hopefully the answers will not bore readers to death.

1. The first poem I remember reading/hearing/reacting to was....hard for me to say with certainty but I am sure the first I recall was a nursery rhyme. Probably read by my mother or grandmother. I can recall a big thick nursery rhyme book that they would both read from. My grandmother had enormous influence on me in my early years.

I think I was most impressed by the images of four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. I recall all these people being places and doing things, the King, the Queen, the Maid... counting money, eating bread and honey, hanging out clothes.... I liked how busy it seemed (perhaps a foreshadowing of ADD) but it would be a long time before I would view this a poetry.

Very likely the first poem to really speak to me as a poem was Frost's Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening. Whose woods these are I think I know/ seemed somber and formal and very strong. Still, I think it is these lines, The woods are lovely dark and deep / but I have promises to keep / and miles to go before I sleep / and miles to go before I sleep // that reached my deep and left an impression on me while yet still young. It became a mantra that to this day probably contributes to my uneasiness with aging and death because I feel the incredible drive to make a difference in this world. Which surely accounts for my involvement in politics much earlier in life than most people.

2. I was forced to memorize (name of poem) in school and... I really don't recall a lot about it. I remember thinking it was horrible at the time as did most all the students. I think we were given a choice between several but I have no idea what it was. What I do recall is that whatever it was the poem was about four or five stanzas and that when it came time to recite it I was very uneasy and could only recall about two-thirds of it. Others fell short but I remember several students that memorized very long poems and did them perfectly. I felt terribly inferior but that was not uncommon for me in those days.

To all those who point to such experiences and say being forced to memorize poems turned them against poetry at an early age, I can say in the end, the experience neither helped or hindered my love of poetry.

3. I read/don't read poetry because.... I read it because it speaks to me in a way that reading anything else fails to do. It often captures a spirit within me and causes it to stir. Poetry at times will awaken feelings and emotions to speak to things in my past that otherwise remain locked inside me. It is a freeing experience. Sometimes scary, often times quite enjoyable but always pushing me to think and feel.

4. A poem I'm likely to think about when asked about a favorite poem is ....... Oh wow, there are so many, but one that often comes to my mind is going to sound really funny coming from a guy. It would be The Blue Dress by Sharon Olds. Olds is able to bubble to the surface very deep emotions as though she were pouring peroxide over what appears to be a superficial wound but bring out so much more than you thought was there.

5. I write/don't write poetry, but... I write poetry. Writing has been therapeutic to me, but it is like more than just taking medicine for something it is also like a vitamin and mineral supplement. Even when it is not emotionally healing, it is strengthening.

I seriously believe that it also helped me deal with my issues of mortality. It is the best, no, the only way I know to beat death. Create a part of you that death cannot have.

In more recent year I have come to embrace the artistic value of poetry. Something I did not recognize in my younger writing. In this way, what and how I write have evolved and continues to change in voice and content.

6. My experience with reading poetry differs from my experience with reading other types of literature.....for several reasons. I like that when I read poetry it speaks to me on a level different from anything else. But I also enjoy reading poetry because my eyes are not as good as they used to be and sometimes I tire easy of reading longer material, which frustrates me. Especially since I am also learning that I am not as broadly well read as I would like to be. I do think this hinders to some degree my own writing.

7. I find poetry...... (chuckling here) much to the dismay of my family, I find poetry in almost everything. They do not share passion for poetry. Don't get me wrong, they are very supportive of my writing.

I see poetry in a 6-4-3 double play. I see it in an empty baseball diamond. I see it in my backyard, the kitchen, in politics, in the silence of the night. This can be troubling to some. ( smile)

8. The last time I heard poetry.... I suppose it was myself reading out loud from a manuscript before I sent it off yesterday. Trying to reassure myself I suppose.

I used to go to readings fairly regularly. And last year I was reading every month someplace and sometimes two or three times in a month. It has been a while since I've done that. I do listen to poetry as well from various podcast sources.

9. I think poetry is like... life itself. I think it's like complexities reduced to simplest terms. It is an affirmation of magic. Evidence of a higher power. It is the closest thing to a universal language of the soul. It is where the heart and mind meet and a great fission occurs that produces the art of ourselves in language.

Ah... now who to tag with this.....? Deborah, Robert and Kelli.

Relief

Relief~ is seeing your manuscript to the Poets and Writers - Writers Exchange contest off at the post office.

You "proof" and have others do the same. You make sure all the rules have been followed. You count and recount... check the page order, recheck the address, secure the mailing and see it off like it were your son or daughter heading off to school the first day.

~0~

Our weather here turned nasty yesterday. Rain and sleet and finally ice. We wait now for the next wave that is supposed to be snow. They say we may get noting and we may get 6 to 8 inches.

tags:

Wednesday Poet Series No.9 Mbembe Milton Smith

The poet I've selected for this week was a local Kansas City area poet. He would have been 60 this month had he not taken his life at age 36.

He grew up on Kansas City's east side during the 1960's civil rights movement. His poetry resonates the struggles of black urban America in those times and to some extent is very relevant today.

Initially he was self-taught but he eventually became the first person to receive a double major in English and Creative Writing in the Master's program at UMKC.

In the 1970's Smith took the name Mbembe, Swahili for "smooth-tongued one."

Mbembe was more of a locally known poet, though he did move to New York and was in Chicago at the time of his death. He did publish a couple of books. He also went on to teach. His work left a major impact upon a number of people. Had he lived longer and had greater exposure, he quite possibly would have achieved more national recognition.

There was a lot of goomaterialal presented on our local NPR affiliate station KCUR and I am simply going to link to it.
You can hear the segment by Sylvia Marie Gross with Mbembe reading as well as interviews and other material on him. [ click here ]

Tags: Mbembe Milton Smith NPR KCUR Wednesday Poet Series

We Have A Lot of Thought Police These Days....

I'm sure there are incidents many of us never hear of, but two situations of recent times have become high profile enough to make the news.

On a 3-2 vote, the town council in Pahrump, Nevada, (town of about 30,000 near Las Vegas) passed an ordinance that makes it illegal to display a foreign flag unless an American flag is flown above it. Those in violation face a $50 fine and 30 hours of community service.

Meanwhile, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, the Loma Linda Homeowners Association decided Lisa Jensen could not keep her holiday wreath with a peace sign on her home. Bob Kearns, president of the Loma Linda Homeowners Association sent her a letter that said the association "will not allow signs, flags etc.That can be considered divisive." He has threatened to fine her $25 a day until she removes it.

Have we not progressed any further than this? That people in roles of authority are still trying to mold everyone into the same shape, the same thought process and tell us what is and isn't "correct"? Can a great nation lacktolerancee? Isn't that what this nation was founded upon? People came here because they did not want to be told how to worship.

I expect this kind of rule in closed societies. Such coercive measures as censorship and forced subordination are trademarks of totalitarian rule. In thesesocietiess, free expression, the arts, the free exchange of ideas and knowledge arecontrolledd or restricted altogether. Yet, there are people who seem to feel this is the only way that they can protect this country. They feel the urge to "clean" and "purge" it of whatever they fear. Have we not learned lessons from the past? From the histories of Hitler and Stalin?

tags: Bob Kearns totalitarian Pahrump, Nevada Pagosa Springs, Colorado Linda Homeowners Association

*[Note - picture above is a photo taken recently along the bank of the Missouri River]

Unconscious Mutterings week 199

1. Rhyme:: Dime
2. Substantial :: Raise
3. Instant :: potatoes
4. Greed :: land grab
5. Brad :: Pitt
6. Season :: Seasoning salt
7. Accomplished :: musician
8. Invite :: dinner party
9. Sparkle :: cake decorations
10. Rainbow :: somewhere over the rainbow

Get your own list here

Did I mention the rolls were awesome?

Four day holiday over. {sigh}

Wednesday night I took the family out to Longview Lake for the annual Christmas in the Park - sponsored by Jackson County. Great night.... Tremendous fireworks display that the lit up the sky and rained comets upon the lake. We all enjoyed it except for the long lines to leave.

Thursday - we had our traditional thanksgiving meal - only lighter this year. We cut backs on extras like stuffing and sweet potatoes, etc. Just Turkey, Mashed potatoes with gravy and home made rolls which were to die for. It was nice Not pigging out. Of course we were all waiting for Friday and what has become a Wells family tradition... turkey flautas. Later Thursday Meghan and I went to the movie to see Bobby. Friday we went to my son's house and my wife worked her flauta magic to everyone's satisfaction. Two wonderful relaxing days.

Saturday and Sunday however we turned the house upside down cleaning, rearranging, making messes and cleaning some of them up. I think we were all pretty whipped last night. I have mussels this morning hurting in places I didn't know existed. Above is a picture taken in my office. Should have done a before and after shot. On second thought... nah.

~~~~0~~~~

Any writers looking for a pad? The family of Stanley Kunitz, who received every possible prize and praise before his death in May at 100, is selling his co-of for $2.25 million. It’s located in Butterfield House, a graceful 1962 building by architects William Conklin and James Rossant. (Paul Goldberger has called it one of the best postwar buildings in the city.)

Here is a list of poetry for just about everyone on your gift list.Complementsss of Kelli Russell Agodon.

Rogue Poetry Announcement

Wishing all of you a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving with friends and family.

~

Please take a moment over the holiday to stop by and see the exciting announcement at

Rogue Poetry Review.

Happy Holidays

from

Stickpoet

&

Rogue

Wednesday Poet Series No 8 - C.E. Chaffin

Another Wednesday has come. They seem swoop in so fast since I've been doing this series. Almost too fast at times. The selection for today was made really upon reading one poem. There are some topics that even exceptional poets must have nightmares about writing. They are so often attempted and seldom is justice done to the topics. One of them is war.

The first poem of C. E. Chaffin's I read was At the Vietnam War Memorial . Perhaps it was the opening lines: Black granite stretches its harsh, tapering wings / up to pedestrian-level grass / but sucks me down, here, at the intersection of names. I've seen the memorial and those lines brought me back to my own experience. Coming from the "Vietnam" generation I can appreciate the upheaval, the unreconciled in this poem. Towards the end, Chaffin profoundly writes, It's said you cannot write a good poem / until recollected in tranquility. / Let this then be a bad poem, bad as the war, / dividing author from reader and reader from page. I appreciate the fact that he did not wait for tranquility, this poem may never have been written.

Chaffin was born in Ventura, California, in 1954. A graduate of UCLA in 1976, While he won honors in English, he also received awards in medical school, in psychiatric residency, and later as a medical director. He went on to teach Family Medicine at UCI but retired at age 40 as a result of chronic spinal pain and manic-depression. It was in the early retirement that the literary pursuit took off.

He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in by Rose and Thorn. His only book, Elementary (Poems) from 1979 is out of print, as is The Best of Melic, 2003, which he edited. I was amused by his bio at Melic Review....

He has never been published in Poetry, Ploughshares or The Paris Review, has no personal website, and lives mainly in his head but resides in Long Beach, CA, presently on disability for manic-depression and intractable spinal pain. In other words, if he were a horse, he'd be shot. But he is a happy horse, with three young fillies from previous stud duties and a beautiful new mare.

Besides poetry Chafffin has written fiction and reviews. Ah yes, poetry reviews. He fears he may be remembered more for the reviews than his poetry.

A few of Chaffin's poems:

A Time to Weep At the Vietnam War Memorial

The Obesion Last Poem of my 45th Year

Chaffin's blog

Tags: C.E. Chaffin Wednesday Poet Series Vietnam War Memorial

"Did I mention the free wine?"

Felix Dennis - his list of experiences might look something like this:

• former crack-cocaine
• prosecuted for obscenity
• sex
• facing a life-threatening illness

So Dennis, who now has amassed a significant wealth has turned to what else? Poetry!

Intriguing story about a man who has turned to poems and buying up land under pseudonyms, and planting forests on it.

Long Time Since....

It's been a long time since I resorted to Unconscious Mutterings or subliminal on here. But I will undertake Week 198 ~ with one hand tied behind my back. Here goes:

1. Teacher :: teacher, teacher I declare
2. Fifty :: fifty is nifty but forty is better
3. Crossword :: The New Your Times Crossword
4. Stuffed :: Cabbage not animal heads
5. Family :: Family Affair
6. Purr :: After the purr you are never in control
7. Toad :: The Toad in the road got mowed (down)
8. Cocktail :: Shrimp Cocktails are just little bitty ones, right?
9. Insecurity :: Insecurity gripped her
10. Magical :: The magical mystery tour

The words courtesy of Unconscious Mutterings.

And the Short Week Begins ~

Took number three daughter on a picture shoot this weekend. I shot some stuff myself with far less sophisticated equipment. Meghan really seems to enjoy not only shooting pictures but the process of manipulating images later.

We had a good time - went through some wooded area along a river, part of the Louis and Clark Trail. We had to do lots of climbing and balancing to get some of the shots, all in the name of art, we kept telling ourselves. Then we drove back a ways to another location and shot some railroad pictures. I'll have a few more pictures to grace the blog for a while.

Friday night, Cath (wife) and I went to the movies, browsed at Barnes & Noble then made a Cold Stone Creamery run. The movie was Stranger than Fiction... The Cold Stone flavor pumpkin pie.

I'm pulling together 10 pages of manuscript to submit to a Poets and Writers Exchange contest. Decisions, decisions. I need to be finished with this by the end of the week. Really like to be done with it by Thursday just to be safe. This would also be a good week to get more submissions off - hopefully on their way to new homes.

Now to Tackle the week....

Inventing One's Self

I was reading this quote by poet Philip Levine, "I have a sense that many Americans, especially those like me with European or foreign parents, feel they have to invent their families just as they have to invent themselves," when I realized how much I identify with this.

Growing up I had an overwhelming awareness, almost haunting, that there was a mammoth void in my life. That void was not only the absence of a father but perhaps more dramatically the absence of any knowledge of that whole paternal lineage. It is as though my father were a test tube as was his parents and theirs and so on. I think the fact that this whole genetic side was scrubbed from any existence was the most disturbing aspect. It in fact tended to support the feeling that I was significantly different from others. A difference that as a child was not framed in the context of something special, but rather something unusual, something defective, something amiss.

I have to admit as I grew older it was necessary to keep reinventing myself as I struggled to figure out who I was. To fill in the holes. This struggle to reinvent myself continues to a lesser degree today. I have to credit poetry to some degree for allowing me to explore attitudes, fears and expectations in ways I would not have before. It is through such creativity that the void is being filled. Mostly now, I am working on pot holes.

New Plath Poem

Saw the film trailer for Happy Feet this morning. What an enticing few moments of video to perk up my Friday morning.

• Teacher Observation (here) on Crag Hill's poetry scorecard - I say ditto!
• Thanks to Bloggingpoet.com for the plug!
• What a coup for Blackbird -an online Journal of Literature and the Arts! Anna Journey, Contributing Editor of Blackbird made a remarkable discovery concerning a poem Sylia Plath wrote as an undergraduate. The poem had never been published. Blackbird was granted the first serial publication rights to the poem "Enuui" by estate of Sylvia Plath, Frieda Hughes, and Ros Edwards of the Edwards Fuglewicz Literary Agency. The poem and Anna Journey's insightful findings are here.
• At 79, the poet W.S. Merwin shares his craft the elegance that has marked his poems for half a century.
• Denise Low, interim dean of the College of Humanities and Arts at Haskell Indian Nations University to become the next Kansas Poet Laureate.
• Thirteen are nominated for the State Poet Laureate position in Oklahoma.

tags: Sylvia Plath Anna Journey Enuui Blackbird Literary Journal W.S. Merwin Denise Low Poet Laureate Kansas Oklahoma Happy Feet

Wednesday Poet Series No. 7

To be able marvel as the world passes before us is a good thing. Of course some things rise to a higher level of marvel then others. This morning I marveled at the $51.1 million price tag the Boston Red Sox agreed to pay the Seibu Lions of Japan for the rights to "talk" to their pitching ace Daisuke Matsuzaka. I repeat talk to. Then it could easily take another $30 million plus to sign him. If the Sox cannot sign him, they will get their $51.1 million back. What has this to do with poetry you ask? I believe it is critical for poets to always be open to the possibility of astonishment in whatever form it comes along. It is a process of exercising our perceptive instincts.

A few poets I have read this week: Cecilia Woloch, Kelli Russell Agodon, Gloria Vando, Edward Hirsch, Catherine Daly, John Ashbery, Janusz Szuber, and Donald Hall.

My selection for this weeks Wednesday Poet Series is: Kelli Russell Agodon

Kelli Russell Agodon is 37 and she hails from the Pacific Northwest. She was born in Seattle, Washington and was educated in the Northwest as well earning her bachelor's degree from the University of Washington and an M.F.A. from the Rainier Writers Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University.

As I read through a number of her poems I was struck by the versatility of her subject matter. Every once and awhile I struggle to broaden my own subject matter so I always respect those who have been able to successfully do so.

Obviously others have noticed her work favorably. She has received The James Hearst Poetry Prize, the Lohmann Prize, the William Stafford Award, the Carlin Aden Award for formal verse and grants from the Washington State Artist Trust as well as the Puffin Foundation. Her book Small Knots, was a finalist for the 2004 Cherry Grove Poetry Prize and Geography, winner of the Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Award.

Her work has been featured on NPR's "The Writer's Almanac" with Garrison Keillor, The Raven Chronicles, Literary Salt, Branches Quarterly, The Poet's Canvas, the Alsop Review, and The Adirondack Review (which nominated her for the Pushcart Prize 2002).

Kelli was anthologized in the book, Poets Against the War edited by Sam Hamill. A lot of her writing energies seem focused on peace and utilization of poetry as an instrument of peace. For example, she edited the Poetry Broadside Series: The Making of Peace, which was displayed international throughout National Poetry Month this year and she has served as the Regional Coordinator for Poets for Peace.

According to her own web site, she is involved in writing workshops and provides one-on-one consultation.

Here are a selection of some of the poetry of Kelli Russell Agodon:

Neruda's Hat <- I particularly enjoyed this one. A Mermaid Questions God

Of a Forgetful Sea

Three Poems <- Reading Poetry to Cure Insomnia, It is Easy to Wake Up in Someone Else's Poem, and Limbo

Two Poems <- Reality Cooking Show ( a favorite of mine), and Picking Cherries ( enjoyed the Catholic touch here)


Tags: Kelli Russell Agodon Gloria Vando John Ashbery Catherine Daly Cecilia Woloch Wednesday Poet Series Janusz Szuber Donald Hall Edward Hirsch

An Interesting Consideration...

Had it been up to the poets,

perhaps peace between Syria and Israel

would have been established long ago.

Read: Poetry As A Common Language

I have often said that I firmly believe that through poetry we are able to create greater understanding and break down barriers. It seems only natural to me that it can serve as in instrument of peace.

Why Do You Write Poetry?

You write poetry because...

• 
  
  Your attention span prevents longer lines.


• 
  
  You like to get together with friends in the garage for a little enjambment session.


• 
  
  Your body is posessed by a dead poet and you have no choice in the matter.


• 
  
  You are hopeful it will impress someone... anyone.


• 
  
  It is the supreme sign of your non-conformity.


• 
  
  You haven't the foggiest idea.

view results

Emerging Voices

This months Poets & Writers magazine had a letter from a Massachusetts woman who was bemoaning the emphasis on young writers in the magazine. She wondered if there wasn't anyone over sixty that was an emerging voice? While I am not sixty, I am certainly aware of the difficulty associated with developing into an emerging writer after starting later than many.

Ironically, this same issue of P&W has their selection of 12 emerging voices this year. How nice it was to see an 80 year old among the group. Landis Everson - winner of the Poetry Foundation's Emily Dickinson First Book Award.

tags:Landis Everson Poets & Writers Magazine emerging writers

Bling!

Was looking at my submission tracker the other day and one of my submissions was flagged for query. For some reason, I always hate to query on work I have already sent out, but I did. The response was "are you sure you sent it to us? We don't see it." So I dutifully resubmitted yesterday, and received this reply this morning, "Well, Michael... We like it! Very Much! We want to include it in our winter issue..." Sure beats the hell out of a rejection letter.

Rogue Poetry Review

• Just an FYI - Reading will begin tomorrow for the January Issue of Rogue Poetry Review.
• Anne Sexton brought to life on stage at CSU.
• Deborah reports the new 32 Poems is out and it is now Perfect Bound.

On a more personal note, my wife has created her own little political dynasty. She now controls a block of 20 votes for Dancing with the Stars. She exercises her control to deliver them all for Emmitt.

Tags: Rogue Poetry Review 32 Poems Anne Sexton Dancing with the Stars

Wednesday Poet Series No. 6

One of the things that has impressed me about this weeks Wednesday Poet has been the gift of her art to others; teaching children, young people, professional writers, educators, senior citizens and inmates at a prison for the criminally insane. Cecilia Woloch is the author of at least three poetry books. They are Late, Tsigan, and Sacrifice.

The poet Maxine Kumin said about Woloch and her book Late, the newest of the three, "To write movingly about love in an era infused with hate requires a special gift: nostalgia hard-edged with realism. She has that gift."

Woloch's talent has not only been directed to the printed page, but has been transformed to instruction with others through her many teaching and workshop assignments.
Those include University of the Redlands, New England College MFA Program in Poetry, Emory University, The Cider Press Review, California State University at Northridge, and Western Connecticut State University. She is the founding director of Summer Poetry in Idyllwild and the Paris Poetry Workshop.

Her credits are extensive - Nimrod, New Letters, The Chattahoochee Review, Zyzzyva, Good Poems for Hard Times, edited by Garrison Keillor to name a few. Her poetry has been translated into at lest three other languages, German, French, and Polish.

Woloch has received numerous awards for her work including:

• Pushcart Prize Nominations: 1999 (awarded Special Mention), 2000, 2002, 2003
• California Arts Council, Artist-in-Residence Grants, 1987, '88,'89, '91, '92, '93
• 2004 Georgia Author of the Year in Poetry, Georgia Writers Association for her book Late
• 2001 Anhinga Prize for Poetry, Finalist
• 2000 CEC/ArtsLink International Grant
• 2000 Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers Fellowship
• 1999 Sue Saniel Elkind Poetry Prize, Kalliope Magazine, Finalist
• 1995 Literal Latte Poetry Competition, First Prize
• 1994 Marianne Moore Prize for Poetry, Finalist

Here are a few of Cecilia Woloch's poems:

1. On Faith
2. The Pick
3. Burning the Doll
4. The Gypsy Poem
5. Slow Children at Play

You can find more on Cecilia Woloch at these sites:

• Cecilia Woloch's Official Site
• Cecilia's Blog - Catching up with Cecilia

Tags: Wednesday Poet Series Cecilia Woloch

Election Day

No matter where you live in U.S. there is a House seat up for election and in many states there are important Senate races as well as other State and local measures. If you have not voted already, please get to the polls today and cast your votes.

A little election poetry here

Passages

"A poet must leave traces of his passage, not proof." ~ Rene Char

I cannot pretend to speak for this poet, but I find a commonality with these words in more than one way. First of course in verse itself. I am a firm believer in the magical mystery of poetry. To those who take the strong belief that poetry must be crystal clear I say hogwash! As children and then again as parents we often cheer the magical nature of children's literature, of movies that are presented as children or family oriented. The idea that as we grow old we should cast all which creates an atmosphere of wonderment to the wind and get totally serious about everything is crap. I like to see poetry that evolves into something that still clings to the notion that you or I can add our own finish or spin or derive something very personal from it that the author could not even possibly know about.

But I like to believe too that poets themselves in their work leave traces of who they are behind. Just a bit of themselves in written passages to contemplate in amazement. The very personal side of their work.

Put your ear down close to your soul...

Sent off three more submissions yesterday. I am hoping this gets way more habit forming during the next year.

The early afternoon is sweetly fall. Wife and I took the dogs for a walk earlier and while it was cool, it was most comfortable. The trees are looking elegant in the breeze. This is the kind of afternoon when the world around seems still. It brings to mind these words of Anne Sexton, "Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard." This is the kind of day when the soul is much easier to hear. A day perfect for poets and lovers. I suppose lovers of poetry as well. ~0~

Jilly is forever finding interesting and worthwhile items. This one on literary wills is worth looking at. Complete with a PDF file of a sample will form.

I was delighted to learn that Poet Laureate Donald Hall will be coming to Kansas City the latter part of January.

tags: Donald Hall Anne Sexton literary wills poetry Writing

Is it Tuesday yet?

Reverse Psychology

Poet Nikki Giovanni toned it down a bit in her first public appearance since the ruckus she caused on October 14th at the dedication of Fountain Square. [here]


You knew it would happen... Poetry Reading Phone Line. [here]

Amanda Shipman: To read or not to read at poetry open mic. [here]

Eileen Tabios Wants you to ask her anything. [here]

Poetry Portal: Arteroids - Yes another fine job Cindy has done at finding procrastination tools for those in need. [here]

Tags: Eileen Tabios Nikki Giovanni

Wednesday Poet Series No 5

The Wednesday Poet Series was due for a female poet this week. I do hope the female readers of Stick Poet will indulge me while I take the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Howl to feature poet Allen Ginsberg. I promise to do back to back women to even the series out.

Allen Ginsberg is perhaps the most noted of the beat generation poets. These would include Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs among others. They came into prominence in the late 1950's and early 1960's and represented a counter-culture that was given to spontaneity, open form composition, in their work and a rejection of what they believed was the psychological repression of their times. There were a number of other attachments suggestive of these writers and their friends and followers, many which were negative. Among them was a drug culture. But the writings and works of these people, and most assuredly Ginsberg would have a lasting effect, not only upon poetry and the arts, but significant impact on other areas of American culture.

I am presently reading:The Book of Martyrdom And Artifice - First Journals and Poems 1937-1952. The first thing that struck me about young Ginsberg is the degree to which he was exuberated with himself. Yes, I know there is a common belief that we poets are all about ourselves, but in all seriousness, the degree to which Ginsberg, as early as 1944 outwardly projected extreme confidence in himself was striking. He clearly was intellectually astute and very well read. He had an opinion on just about everything and was not timid in sharing it.

His best know work, Howl, a work that combined biographical references and abstractions. It was first publicly performed in San Francisco on October 7th 1955. Sometime thereafter, Lawrence Ferlinghetti published the work. He was part owner of City Lights Bookstore, a small press publishing house. In 1956, a reporter for the NY Times wrote a piece on the new poetry scene that helped bring Howl into national attention.

In 1957, copies of Howl entering the U.S. from a London printer were seized by customs officials. Obscenities charges were brought against Feringhetti for the publication. The trial only served to give Ginsberg and Feringhetti more exposure for the work. With the support of the ACLU, the publisher won the legal action. The judge deciding that even with the questionable language in the book, the poem was of "redeeming social importance."

Howl- in all three pasts can be read here. (here)

Here are a number of other Howl related resources you might find of interest:

Howl at Wikipedia

Yowl

Howl at 50 - NPR


The following are some more examples of Ginsberg's writing.

A Supermarket In California America Five A.M. War Profit Litany

Fourth Floor, Dawn, Up All Night Writing Letters Sunflower Sutra Nagasaki Days

I would be remiss if I did not make note that Allen Ginsberg's activism included vocal opposition to the war in Vietnam. This in addition to often targeting institutions in his writing as well as frequent mention of drugs and sex made him an easy target for authorities. Herbert Mitgang wrote a 1988 piece on the FBI and writers. It is interesting and focuses mostly on Ginsberg. (view here)

Ginsberg's poetry clearly has a dissonant style to it. He used his writing to speak pretty much what he felt at the moment.

I have selected a few very telling quotes from Ginsberg to close with. I believe these too will give greater insight to both the man and his writings.

"Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does."

"I have a new method of poetry. All you got to do is look over your notebooks... And think of anything that comes into your head, especially the miseries... Then arrange in lines of two, three or four words each, don't bother about sentences ..."

"Wherever I go I see myself in a mirror- it used to be my own selfblood, now it is god's."

"America I'm putting my queer shoulder to the wheel."


"Fortunately art is a community effort - a small but select community living in a
spiritualized world endeavoring to interpret the wars and the solitudes of the flesh."


tags:Wednesday Poet Series Allen Ginsberg Howl

Blog Milestone (I think)

If my blogger dashboard is correct (and it may not be, it was frozen on the same number for a while) this is my 1200th post to Stick Poet. At minimum it is the 1200th and in fact I may have passed that mark already for the sake of capturing the moment... this is it!

It is hard to believe that October is nearly over. That the year practically gone for that matter. We've had a taste of a few very cold fall days, but yesterday was absolutely beautiful with temperatures in the high 70's. It was actually hot inside the house. My wife and I took the dogs for long walks twice during the day.

Started on a new journal insert the other day and toying with some drafts over the weekend, I wanted to burn it and get another new one. I did however resist the urge.

Wanted to pass along this story for positive human interest value. Always nice to hear stories from people who have poetry experiences that give affirmation to their daily lives.

And here is an insightfully written review of the poet Stephen Dunn. While I have not read a lot of his work, I recall reading several of his poems last fall and agree that he has extraordinary word skills.

Oh, I almost forgot... Condolences to Jilly on the Tigers loss. I was pulling for the Cards but I've been there before, I feel your pain.

Independent Online Edition > Features

Independent Online Edition > Features

Sharon Olds: Blood, sweat and fears -

The American poet Sharon Olds has won international acclaim for poetry of startling intensity. She talks to Christina Patterson about art and life / this is an interesting article that appeared in The Independent. As someone who greatly admires Sharon Old's work, I recommend it.

deseretnews.com | Poet laureate hopes for bit of daily verse

deseretnews.com Poet laureate hopes for bit of daily verse

As Utah's new poet laureate, Katharine Coles hopes to make poetry a part of every citizen's daily life. Coles is the state's first female poet laureate.

article by: Susan Whitney Deseret Morning News

Plath

"I wonder about all the roads not taken and I am moved to quote Frost... but I won't. It is sad to be able only to mouth other poets. I want someone to mouth me." - Sylvia Plath

On the occasion of the Birthday of Sylvia, I'm thinking about the irony of this quote.

SurelyThere Is A Mistake Here

Another Item I suripticiously Extracted from Quotidian Light

Your Ideal Pet is a Cat

You're both aloof, introverted, and moody.And your friends secretly wish that you were declawed!

What's" Your Ideal Pet?

Poetry Notes: Poets raising funds for Darfur

A Pittsburgh poets organization will hold a program of poetry and music to raise funds for relief efforts in Darfur, western Sudan, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Carnegie Mellon University.


Judith Robinson, member of Poets for Humanity, said that a video appeal by Simon Deng, a refugee from the turmoil in his native Sudan, will also be shown. New York Daily News columnist Heather Robinson will introduce the video.

The scheduled poets are Richard St. John, whose work has appeared in the Post-Gazette, Anthony Butts, CMU writing professor, and Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, a native of Liberia.
UMOJA African Arts Company provides the music.

Tickets are $10. The program will be in the Adamson Wing of Baker Hall.
For details and reservations, call 412-681-3018.

Rogue PR visibility

After a week of exposure, I was pleased to see that Rogue PR has had 965 views in the first week since publication. Yeah!

I have enjoyed putting this together - And I will admit it is a chore (and not stress free) but a worthwhile experience none the less. Last week I was thinking that it seemed like a long way off till Vol 2 on mid-January. Now a week later I'm thinking, God, that will be hare fast! At any rate I will not be reading for it till Nov. 15 - so I have a bit of a breather.

Wednesday Poet Series - Break

I am taking a break from the Wednesday Poet series while I work on becoming more acquainted with a couple of poets I wish to feature here. I cannot say that I will be back with the series as early as next week, but that is a possibility. I want the presentations to be more in depth, and I simply cannot do justice to the next few presentations I want to do without more time. In the past, Stickpoet has undertaken some interviews and I am looking at incorporating interviews into this series from time to time, where the opportunity might be available.

Tuesday & Tootsie Rolls

Laurel Snyder's post of October 18th caught my attention. She said she has been busy, among other things thinking about people who have clean houses and how hard it is to trust people with super clean houses. But what really caught my attention was her thoughts on: how a century from now, people will look back and ask themselves why we allowed our government to kill people. They will ask themselves, as we ask ourselves about slavery and the holocaust, "Why didn't they know it was wrong?"

Anyway, I share her view on capital punishment and I would extend this to include how our government treats others it has in detention. Anyway, read her post. BTW - I would like to meet King Arthur too!

Then, the New Zoo Poet asks: What is the longest you've ever worked on one poem? Wow! I wish I could answer that.

Looking forward to tonight's World Series game. Hope Detroit's pitchers leave their Tootsie Rolls at home.

I found this item interesting. The Grand Rounds, is a weekly event at Dartmouth Medical School. It's an academic forum in which physicians and researchers make scientific presentations. Recently, U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall added a new dimension to the forum by reading works about illness, grief and living life fully. Hall is no stranger to these subjects, a cancer survivor himself and of course having lost his wife to that same illness. Dr. Ira Byock, director of Palliative Medicine at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center said that the union between medicine and poetry has great therapeutic potential

Balancing Act

The public clamoring for community poet laureates is on the rise. Almost at an unbelievable clip. Kind of like the Dow Jones average climbing higher and higher on a graph. This has of course given poets and poetry a much higher public profile in recent years. Not only do we have a U.S. poet laureate, but many states, cities and even smaller municipalities are crowning their own as well.

This of course affords these entities someone in an official capacity to represent the community at significant community and or public events and these individuals are often called upon to recite a poem that relates to the community or the occasion that is being acknowledged. Often the poet may write something specific for the occasion.

But poets are a rare breed. And to ask a poet to speak at a public gathering and use their talent to express imagery and emotion can be like striking a match to a stick of dynamite. That is because poets tend to pull from the deepest pool of their inner-self. Therein lies a rich honesty that not all may like.

Last week, the poet Nikki Giovanni was asked to recite at a dedication in Cincinnati and her poem I am Cincinnati was emotionally and politically charged. Her poem struck out at some politicians and was laced with language that raised a lot of eyebrows. I suspect it would have been impossible for Giovanni to have addressed the crowd on this occasion with, shall we say etiquette and social grace; and at the same time remain true to herself. Given this choice to balance, I believe more times than not, a poet is going to remain true to themselves.

There are many instances of poets whose words have fallen on disfavor of certain segments of the public. The poet Amiri Baraka, for example , who was fired as poet laureate of New Jersey after his words in a poem on 9-11 were upsetting to some.

The juxtaposition created by the growing desire for very public and "official" poetry on one hand and the sometimes resulting unhappiness with content of publicly read poems creates an interesting dilemma for the poets and the community at large.

tags: Nikki Giovanni poetry censorship Free Speech self censorship

If this sounds Confusing...

One headline: Staying the course no more - Bush changes policy in wake of pressure as election nears (source) and another, WHITE HOUSE WON'T SHIFT IRAQ STRATEGY- Bush Officials: No Plan for Big Iraq Strategy Shift or Ultimatum to Iraqi Leaders (source). If this sounds confusing to you, then you are not alone. This is a president that has lying and deception down to an art. And my question to you is why, in the weeks before the mid-term elections should we believe ANYTHING that this man or those representing him say?

Tags: Iraq War Bush Republicans GOP elections

Got this from Quotidian Light

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 2,892 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

The Poetry Exercise's Logical Conclusion: New Book of Poems Consists of Exercises for Readers to Write Poems - PR.com

The Poetry Exercise's Logical Conclusion: New Book of Poems Consists of Exercises for Readers to Write Poems - PR.com

Blue lion books believes that an idea, if expressed, should be expressed in its fullest manner. one of our newest books is Catherine Daly’s third book of poetry, To Delite and Instruct, a 276-page romp through the idea of poetry-writing exercises.


tags: Catherine Daly poetry

Olbermann: the beginning of the end of America

A MUST WATCH COMMENTARY

tags: Olbermann Bush Terrorism Iraq civil-liberties habeus corpus

Thoughts on Bly's Archives

Robert Bly is an acclaimed American poet. He is also still very much alive. When we from time to time learn the Nachlass of some poet or writer has come into the hands of a public institution and that always seems to elicit some degree of enthusiasm. Perhaps it is the fact that the The University of Minnesota Libraries have acquired the archives of such a noteworthy living poet that I find his news all the more intriguing.

The reported cost of this acquisition was $775,000, came from private gifts as well as university support. For this sum they will get more than 80,000 pages of handwritten manuscripts, Bly's journal spanning nearly 50 years, notebooks of Bly's "morning poems" As well as countless drafts of translations, and his extensive correspondence with writers James Wright, Donald Hall, James Dickey along with other items.

To me, it is fitting that these literary documents remain at an institution in his home state. But I am especially pleased to see that the plans include having the material digitized and made available for research and study by the university community but also a global audience who by online access. At 79, no one knows how much more material Bly is likely to produce but the acquisition agreement also provide extended opportunity to acquire all of Bly's future creative output.

If I sound excited by all this, it's because I am. For whatever reason I have found it hard to pass over opportunities to look into the goodies of various literary estates. In this case I would be especially interested in Bly's correspondence with James Wright and Donald Hall. I have already seen some of the Wright correspondence that was published in his collection of letters done not too long ago. I read the Plath's journals, Sexton's letters, and now I am reading Journals and early poems of Allen Ginsberg. I guess I am a sucker for this stuff.

I really don't think you can discount the value that knowing more about a poet and his or her life can add to the critical understanding of their work.

Speaking of Ginsberg, if you consider that Stanford University paid $1 million 12 years ago for the Ginsberg archives, the Bly deal almost seems like a steal.

Tags: Robert Bly University of Minnesota Libraries Literary Estates

Vancouver wants own poet laureate

Vancouver wants own poet laureate like several other Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal, Victoria and Saskatoon) . This seems to be a growing trend among municipalities. Even in the U.S.

Rogue Exposure

I'm very pleased with the initial traffic on Rogue Poetry Review. On the day the first issue went up (Tuesday) 324 hits. Yesterday another 211 hits for a total of 535 in the first two days. I have no complaints whatsoever about the exposure it has gotten.

A few thank you notes are in order here. The following have posted links. If I am missing anyone, and I probably am, please let me know.

• THE BLIND CHATELAINE'S POKER POETICS
• Quotidian Light
• Keep Searching For the Pearl

FYI

The Wednesday Poet Series will not appear here today. Instead, I encourage you go to the inaugural edition of Rogue Poetry Review and read the voices represented there. Wednesday Poet will be back next week.

Thanks for your understanding - Michael

Rogue Poetry Review

The first Issue is up... I hope everyone will check it out. There are some outstanding poems in this issue.

Michael A. Wells - Editor

tag: Rogue Poetry Review

Dylan Thomas in the News

Dylan Thomas is widely considered one of the greatest 20th Century poets writing in English. The Welsh poet certainly made a mark in the literary would during his short lifetime (dying at age 39).

This week starts off with news that Actor Neil Morrissey is selling a pub that was a hangout of the late Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in Brown's Hotel in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire. The site is near where Dylan and his wife Caitlin raised their family in a boat house.

And speaking of Caitlin... Actress Lindsay Lohan will play the wife of the Welsh poet in a movie with Keira Knightley. Knightely will play the role of childhood friend Vera Phillips. The two women are sexually attracted to one another.

That One Great Poem - What Would It Be Like?

Podcast - That One Great Poem - What Would It Be Like?

Friday the 13th ~

On the heels of my Wednesday Poet feature on Peter Conners comes this item: Poetry: "A Urinal I Invite You To Hang On Your Wall."

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Nice to read of Ivy's exploits with her chapbooks. [here]

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Check out Christine Hamm's - Transparent Dinner / Mayapple Press. [here]

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Then chew in this morsel.............. The head of the British army has said that our troops in Iraq are merely exacerbating the problems there and leading to difficulties for British forces worldwide.


Tags: Transparent Dinner Christine Hamm Ivy Mayapple Press Wednesday Poet Peter Conners Iraq British Army War

And The Winner Is....

The announcement for the winner of the Nobel Prize for literature is out and Turkey's Orhan Pamuk has won for works bridging the east-west divide .

Not surprisingly, President Bush has rejected the findings of the Johns Hopkins Study on Iraqi deaths since the invasion. But the best arguments on the subject I have seen was made here and here. The study provides a significant point at which to judge the impact this decision has had and continues to have on the people of Iraq. Like some many other things, the president is simply in a state of denial.

A Canadian-born, Pulitzer Prize­winning poet survives the tests of time- Mark Strand. Read this article about his new book, Man and Camel.

Always amused by what brings people to this site. Two recent search engine keyword strings used...

• how would I make a Super Hero out of phosphorous
• killing a frog dream

The Chronicle: Daily News Blog: Verse Academics Dominate Poetry Finalists for National Book Awards

The Chronicle: Daily News Blog: Verse Academics Dominate Poetry Finalists for National Book Awards

Four poets with academic ties are finalists for the National Book Awards. Ther are: Louise Glück , H.L. Hix, Nathaniel Mackey, and James McMichael

Bush predicts victory at polls next month

President Bush Continues in a State of Denial

tags: Bush denial Iraq election

654,000 deaths tied to Iraq war

Johns Hopkins researchers now estimate that more than a half-million Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S.-led invasion and its bloody aftermath.

Tags: Iraq Bush War Republicans Republicans Congress

Wednesday Poet Series - No. 4

This week's poet is Peter Conners. He is both a poet and fiction writer who's work has been featured in Mississippi Review, Salt Hill, Beloit Fiction Journal, Luna, Sentence, 88: A Journal of Contemporary American Poetry, Paragraph, and, Quick Fiction, among other publications. Books include, The Names of Winter, While In The World , and he edited PP/FF: An Anthology

What work of Conners I have read seems intricate as to detail. Bite The Pomegranate would be a great example as to his predisposal to catching all that is about and pulling it into his images as he writes.

The Poet Washes Dishes is a favorite of mine. Here he gets a lot of mileage out of his detail.

"The soft downturn of the ladle handle soared and fell like the epic point guard's final jump shot..."

" Water turned from periods to semi-colons and, finally, ellipses."

Here are a few other poems by Peter Conners:

Snowbirds Made of Clay Endurance Poets with alarm clocks in their foreheads

Peter Conners official website - click here

Tags: Wednesday Poet Peter Conners Poetry

Overdue for an appearance here

A few poets I have read over the past week....

1. Susan Hutton in October Poetry Magazine
2. Laura Kasischke in October Poetry Magazine*
3. John Ashberry in The New Yorker - Oct. 9th
4. Jorie Graham in Swarm
5. Frank Higgins in Rockhurst Review of Five Arts - Spring 2006 19th Edition.

* I was really excited to see Kasischke in Poetry Magazine. Reading her book, Gardening In the Dark, I was so impressed with her talent for imagery. I did feel her piece in PM was a bit more abstract and I liked that very much.

A few bits from this weeks Journal

• In the villa of fantasy / The dancers wait, /And the passage of time / Slips through the waist / Of a rose colored hourglass / While the mind elicits / Thoughts to choreograph / In Burberry expressions / Of lust and indulgence //
• We could sit in the faint light forever, though we would be pained by spinal failure and in the end become two puddles of red emollient
• Why the diversion? Why the sudden interest in the hue of other lives.

Managed to recycle a submission to another venue this weekend and I have worked on some draft revisions.

On another note, Rogue Poetry Review should be ready by the weekend. I am excited!

Tags: Poets writing and poetry Laura Kasischke Jorie Graham John Ashberry Frank Higgins Susan Hutton Rogue Poetry Review

Wednesday Poet Will Not Appear Today

Stick Poet's regular Wednesday Poet Series will not appear today - but will resume next Wednesday.
Thank You for stopping by...

~ Michael

OJ

We lost one of our cats yesterday. OJ was 17 years old.

He had an Iconic status within our home. By far the senior cat - a wise old sage. Fiercely independent, he established his own boundaries where the other cats were concerned. The dogs even respected him.

Sometime back - I'm thinking about 7 years ago, he had one eye surgically removed. I recall really feeling sad for him when he lost it, but it was feared his bad eye would rupture so there really was not a choice. He actually seemed to feel much better afterwards and adjusted very well.

He was a strong cat. He had been quite large at one time, but over the past couple of years lost much weight and although he sometimes appeared quite frail, if you wanted to pick him up, he could dig his claws into the carpet and it was coming up too.

At one time he had been prone to seizures. We had to administer Phenobarbital. He grew out of this for the most part, but it was always a possibility that existed. So in many ways, I perceived OJ to be resolute, a tough dude who had endured a lot in his life, but at the same time saw him as fragile.

He is missed!

Poets I Have Read This Past Week

1. Lisa Zaran
2. Richard Wilbur
3. Eileen Tabios
4. Fenny Sterenborg
5. Robert Pinsky
6. Sharon Olds
7. Naomi Shihab Nye
8. Raymond A. Foss
9. John Ashbery
10. Jorie Graham
11. Destiny Dorozan Kappa
12. Cindy Tebo
13. Missi Rasmussen
14. Elizabeth Hykes
15. Sharon Esther Lampert
16. Judith Bader Jones

Sports Utility Poem by Michael Wells

What Time Can Do To The Written Word

I've been focusing on two things. One, pulling together the first issue of Rogue Poetry Review. This is going well and I originally had a target date of Oct.10th. I was hopeful that I might even do one better and complete everything by Monday. This may or may not happen, but I figure either way, I am ahead of myself in terms of original plans.

The other point of focus is trying to better organize my own poetry manuscripts. I am saving them as a backup to a flash drive, but being somewhat selective in that I have a lot of stuff I am not totally pleased with and I am trying to segregate this from the other. Doing so of course this involves revisiting a lot of stuff written long ago. Amazing what time can do.

Tags: poetry writing

As Congress Rushes For Election Break

• US backs 'torture' methods to question terror suspects
• Bob Woodward says Bush "increasingly removed from reality"
• Bush Dishonesty Ratio: 485 to 2

Recycling Poems

• Wednesday, I received rejection letters on two submissions... but they are on material that I am very pleased with and will go right back out. A form of recycling I suppose.
• House Adopts Measure Allowing U.S. Wiretaps Without Warrants The House Leadership is willing to put the U.S. Constitution through a shredder for the sake of doing the ONLY thing they believe they can run on and that is the "fear of terror." These are the losers this country elects.
• Interesting fact: Allen Ginsberg's archivist says Ginsberg had more then 300 volumes of journals.

Wednesday Poet Series No 3

This week, the Wednesday poet is one I have greatly admired. Sharon Olds was born in San Francisco. She graduated from Stanford University and the received her Ph.D. form Columbia University in New York and currently teaches creative writing at New York University.

That I am aware of, Olds has eight major works published the first Satan Says in 1980. These were followed by The Dead and the Living, The Gold Cell, The Father, The Wellspring, Blood, Tin, Straw, The Unswept Room, and the latest, Strike Sparks: Selected Poems published in 2004. I am personally most familiar with Satan Says and The Father, both of which resonate with a frankness and detail that is reflected in most everything of hers I have read or heard.

Like Sylvia Plath, Olds seems to push work out from within relating things most personal. I've seen her quoted as saying, "I wish I wrote more about the world at more distance from myself." While she might wish that, her talents have been well served by her approach.

Her first book Satan Says, received the inaugural San Francisco Poetry Center Award. The Dead and the Living won the 1983 Lamont Poetry Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award while her book The Father, was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize and was a finalist for The National Book Critics' Circle Award.

Some of her poems: The Unborn The Borders The Clasp Topography

One of my favorites among her poems is The Blue Dress, which unfortunately I have not found a link for as of yet. If I am able to, I will update this post.

In closing, I suppose I would be neglectful if I did not mention that Olds was the New York State Poet Laureate from 1998 - 2000.

Tags: Wednesday Poet Sharon Olds Poet

Poet tells freshmen to scribble, not Hi-Lite

"The ideal reader is someone who reads with a dictionary and a pencil," he said. "You create a dialogue, a visible one, between yourself and the author," says Billy Collins, imploring freshman at University of Oregon to just say no to Hi-Liters.

I'M READING: an advance reading copy of The Book of Martyrdom and Artifice - First Journals and poems: 1937-1952 Allen Ginsberg / edited by Juanita Lieberman-Plimpton and Bill Morgan.

Boston University Professor to Talk on War and Poetry Sept. 28 ~ Boston University Professor James A. Winn will discuss his current book, "War and Poetry," Thursday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m. in the University of Wyoming College of Business auditorium.

I Missed National Punctuation Day

Sunday was National Punctuation Day and I missed it, which I suppose is not quite the same as missing a period.

Poets I Have Read This Past Week

The following is as near an accurate list of poets I have read this past week as I can recall.

1. Harold Penter
2. Stanley Kuntz
3. Donald Hall
4. John Ashbery
5. Amy Davis ( local KC area poet)
6. Elizabeth Bishop
7. Missi Rasmussen (local KC area poet)
8. Adrean Rich
9. Sylvia Plath
10. Naomi Shihab Nye
11. Eileen Tabios
12. Lucinda Lawson

Tags: poets

The Problem Of Accessibility

The Problem Of Accessibility "In fact, I have always firmly believed that poetry is about communicating an experience through art. The reader necessarily has to bring their faculties to bear, and maybe do some work. But beyond some pretty basic requisites, I've always felt that poems should be accessible. " ~Robert Peake

I often enjoy reading Robert's blog, but I must disagree with him on this point. I see the standard of accessibility as a burden that handcuffs any artist, including poets. To say that what one writes must be accessible is no different that insisting that poetry be written in strict form. Or even that it must be written in free verse. Such limitations are all nonsense.

I don't feel, as some will tell you, that what Billy Collins writes is evil. I do indeed enjoy much of his work. But I an quite frankly tired of the lame game in poetry, those who would insist that it must be this way or that or else!

If poetry is about communicating an experience through art, as Robert firmly believes, why is it the poet cannot choose whatever medium he or she sees fit to best carry their artistic message? Do we tell paint artists they "must use only oils" never pastels or water color? That it must be on canvass? Do we tell musicians that you must play music only in minor keys? That you must have a set tempo and only work with certain instrumentation otherwise it is not art? That photographic art must be in full color no black and white allowed?

I do enjoy Billy Collins. But if all the poetry I read was in the same mold, how boring would that get? And where then would the art be?


Tags: Robert Peake Billy Collins Poetry acessibility in poetry artistic

A Few Friday Fragments

Another perspective on the Best American Poetry story that is going around. The commentary by Collin Kelley.

The recent serialization in The Daily Telegraph of Assia Wevill's tragic life has raised a furious debate .

I was amused by the Quotatian Light educational video for "National Speak Like A Pirate Day."
"Arrgh!" Maybe I can have some of my poetry translated into Pirate Speak.

Sarah Browning writes on a history of poetry and war in Pens Not Swords [here].

Tags: Pens Not Swords Assia Wevill Ted Hughes Sylvia Plath Best American Poetry Collin Kelley

The Wednesday Poet Series No. 2

One of the great things about poets is they seem to come in all sizes and shapes. Well, not really... er, yes really but that is not literally what I meant. Last Wednesday, the poet of my focus for the most part exhibited a voice that was mollifying, pacific, permeated in nature. Today, I've gone a different direction with poet and playwright Harold Pinter.

Pinter is born and educated in Britain and has received a number of awards for his work, much of it in the area of playwrite. In 2005 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

I found a most interesting quote from Pinter on his own web site attributed to him in 1958.

"There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false." It was then followed by this text: I believe that these assertions still make sense and do still apply to the exploration of reality through art. So as a writer I stand by them but as a citizen I cannot. As a citizen I must ask: What is true? What is false?

Harold Pinter has been an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq as well as other hostilities. His anti-war voice has won him acclaim and criticism both. He was awarded the Wilfred Owen award for poetry, given biennially to a writer seen as continuing Owen's tradition for poems observing and distilling what he called "the pity of war".


Pinter's poetry is pretty down to earth. You don't have to read too much between the lines. Examples if this are prevalentnt in all six of his poems found here . His language can be quite dicey as you will see in American Football or Message.

Readers will no doubt find Harold Pinter to be pretty much unmasked in his work. He is the kind of writer that puts himself out there and will never make apologies for it.

Tags: Harold Pinter Wednesday Poet

Coming Soon....

Stickpoet Podcasts

The Bohemian Ball (Blues & BBQ) - Kansas City Writers

The Bohemian Ball (Blues & BBQ)

The Writers Place
3607 Pennsylvania
Kansas City, MO 64111


Saturday September 30th

6 pm - 10 pm

Tickets $20



Don't miss The Writers Place fall fun-raiser!



LIVE MUSIC: The Doghouse Daddies with special guests Brother Iota (www.doghousedaddies.com)



Food & Refreshments: Grilling hotdogs, burgers & veggie burgers; potato salad, baked beans, & more! Beer provided by Boulevard Brewery.



Costumes - Come dressed as your favorite literary figure and win great prizes for the best costume!



Silent Auction - Maryfrances is putting together some a series of wonderful baskets that you will absolutely want to take home with you!



Admission is a bargain at $20! We need your help so the Writers Place can be ready for the high utility bills this winter.



To purchase tickets call 816.753.1090. Tell your friends, buy tickets for your neighbors, help get the word out.

On A Roll

On A Roll

To roll around
as though round were
a continuum

as though it were sound
policy to engage in
such activity

could be the folly
of unbridled youth
in the midst of urban design

or it could just be the
unsteadiness that comes
with age.

Looking Around the Net

A few poetry related items this morning:

• Internet Radio Station Features Poetry
  Eyes Of The Poet Radio, an Internet-based radio station, is taking new audio poetry submissions for broadcast on the station.
• Poets Against the War! – Video Online & Info on Performing Artists
• Poets Have Big Balls (not my title, honestly)
• Poetry Bus Tour 2006 [here]

Just a Tired Thought

I have carried these words around way too long. I'm ready to put them back in the bag and draw new ones.

I Have A Dream