If I appear distracted, disengaged, unfocused today, it is only because I am hyper-vigilant in search of poetic moments. *
*my facebook status from Dec. 2, 2009
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Checking in with the world
The weekend has felt like such a waste. I basically spent Saturday and a good part of today on bed. I have not felt good for three or four days now but have been in denial of being sick. I'm feeling better this evening. Not sneezing any longer. My sinuses better and my head doesn't feel like it has the weight of cinder blocks in it. I still feel achy and a cross between tired and being tired of being tired.
Of course this sort of conditions leads to the mind going off in left field and conjuring up the strangest things. For example, I was thinking about what if we could construct a transcript of our thoughts without interruption for a whole day. What would it look like? How would we segway from say uncomfortable thoughts into something else?
On a positive note, I woke up this morning in time to listen to New Letters on the Air. Angelia Elam was interviewing Aimee Nezhukumatathil during her trip into Kansas City last spring to read as part of an ethnic poetry series by Park University and the Kansas City Public Library. This must be Aimee week or something because she was also featured on How A Poem Happens. Love in the interview her thoughts on the Villanelle.
Of course this sort of conditions leads to the mind going off in left field and conjuring up the strangest things. For example, I was thinking about what if we could construct a transcript of our thoughts without interruption for a whole day. What would it look like? How would we segway from say uncomfortable thoughts into something else?
On a positive note, I woke up this morning in time to listen to New Letters on the Air. Angelia Elam was interviewing Aimee Nezhukumatathil during her trip into Kansas City last spring to read as part of an ethnic poetry series by Park University and the Kansas City Public Library. This must be Aimee week or something because she was also featured on How A Poem Happens. Love in the interview her thoughts on the Villanelle.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Aimee Nezhukumatathil - How A Poem Happens
Aimee is the author of Miracle Fruit and At the Drive-In Volcano. I've read Miracle Fruit and I’ve witnessed one of her readings in person. Aimee is brilliantly funny and her work commands attention when read aloud or to yourself from a page. What she does with food in words could challenge an Iron Chef.
At the Drive-In Volcano
Miracle Fruit
Fishbone
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Birthday Book
Arriving in the mail today.... Edgar Allen Poe and the Juke-Box - Uncollected Poems, Drafts, Fragments. I've been interested in this book for some time. It's a collection of previously unpublished works of Elizabeth Bishop. I've never read a lot of Bishop but I was interested in this when it first came out. Elizabeth Bishop had a reputation for being a real stickler about her work. Many have theorized that she would not have been happy to see this material in print, but I'm a sucker for things about poets that shed more insight into who they are and what impacts their work. Hence I've taken an interest in to books like Plath's Letters Home, Plath's Journals, Ted Hughes's letters, Anne Sexton's letters, to name a few. Anyway, this was a birthday present that arrived today and I'm anxious to start reading it.
On another note, tonight I saw Gretchen Rubin at the Plaza Library where she talked about The Happiness Project. An overflow crowd. Fascinating woman and story. More on this in the near future.
The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun
On another note, tonight I saw Gretchen Rubin at the Plaza Library where she talked about The Happiness Project. An overflow crowd. Fascinating woman and story. More on this in the near future.
The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun
Poetic Vacuum
I’m in London, or so it would seem. The fog here has settled in this past week like an occupying army. It was cool at first, but the bullet gray is growing old and is quite depressing.
Yesterday I was certain I was coming down with something. Motivation was gone after work last night. Felt better this morning but not exactly great.
It was also yesterday that I felt there was no poetic dialogue going on. I don’t just mean that I felt a lack of connection with any other poets – but I felt there was no internal poetry dialogue with myself. I don’t especially like it when I feel there is a poetic vacuum. Do you know what I mean? Anyone else ever feel this way?
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Recent Journal Bits
• January 6 - note: I'm still having trouble writing this year correctly.
• January 6 - "what I know of you / fits well in my cupped hand / it's all there is."
• January 7 - " Januarys grace is the slowly rising plum of smoke from the fireplace / chimney against the dark blue sky of a children's picture book."
• January 9 - "What do you suppose / the dead take with them / memories caramelized by years / of turning, sautéed in the juices / thank make up life?"
• January 10 - "Venation Blinds have great dexterity... they align themselves so well / precise as the feet of a marching brand / white spats going up and down / in perfect cadence.
• January 10 - quote: "The late poems are the ones / I turn too first now ... they are made of words that have come the whole way" W.S. Merwin - Worn Words from The shadow of Sirus.
• January 16 - add the word pellucid to my word list - admitting the passage of light, transparent or translucent . Transparently clear in style or meaning.
• January 6 - "what I know of you / fits well in my cupped hand / it's all there is."
• January 7 - " Januarys grace is the slowly rising plum of smoke from the fireplace / chimney against the dark blue sky of a children's picture book."
• January 9 - "What do you suppose / the dead take with them / memories caramelized by years / of turning, sautéed in the juices / thank make up life?"
• January 10 - "Venation Blinds have great dexterity... they align themselves so well / precise as the feet of a marching brand / white spats going up and down / in perfect cadence.
• January 10 - quote: "The late poems are the ones / I turn too first now ... they are made of words that have come the whole way" W.S. Merwin - Worn Words from The shadow of Sirus.
• January 16 - add the word pellucid to my word list - admitting the passage of light, transparent or translucent . Transparently clear in style or meaning.
Unconscious Mutterings Week 364
You say and I think....
1.Weak :: knees
2.Flashy :: bling
3.Sack :: sad sack
4.Business :: listing
5.Purple :: heart
6.Fan :: baseball
7.Airline :: ticket
8.Guide :: TV
9.Lunch :: box
10.Exercise :: aerobic
get your own list at Unconscious Mutterings
1.Weak :: knees
2.Flashy :: bling
3.Sack :: sad sack
4.Business :: listing
5.Purple :: heart
6.Fan :: baseball
7.Airline :: ticket
8.Guide :: TV
9.Lunch :: box
10.Exercise :: aerobic
get your own list at Unconscious Mutterings
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Some cheery news
After a two year absence from New York busses and subway, Poetry in Motion is returning. Poetry in Motion had been in opperation for 15 years and became a model for other such programs in other cities.
For a glimpse of what commuters will see in 2010 - some Emily Dickinson, a 10th century Japanese poem, a 9th century Aztec poem and a "cheeky, chiding poem" by Stevie Smith called Deathbed of a Financier among other works.
Source
For a glimpse of what commuters will see in 2010 - some Emily Dickinson, a 10th century Japanese poem, a 9th century Aztec poem and a "cheeky, chiding poem" by Stevie Smith called Deathbed of a Financier among other works.
Source
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Your three words for 2010?
Last night I did something I’ve been intending to do for some time now. I got comfortable on the bed and pulled out a file folder with some of my poems and began separating them into stacks based on how I thought they might work into a manuscript idea that I have. I found some that I believe will work as they are. Another group that I believe could work but I feel require anything from some minor tweaking to more involved rewrites; however I can still see working. Then there are the rest of them.
I would like to have had more that I thought would be a good fit, but I still have some material that was not printed out in that folder. I have material in a couple of other places, like our desktop that I don’t use for writing any longer and just some hard copies of work that I’m not quite sure where the original files are. Fortunately I’ve gotten better about how I retain my work, but there are things that fall into the hole of historically I’ve not always been so good about it.
I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty details of what my goal is here, but I did set some general timelines back in September about a manuscript and I am working to stay focused on this project.
Contrary to my norm, I did make some new years resolutions and I am happy to say that at this tinder age of 2010, I’ve stuck to them.
This has nothing to do with my specific resolutions, but I was trying to think if I could select a three year mantra for 2010, what it might be. There were several things that came to my mind, but in the final analysis, I chose these: “Read, write, more.”
What three words define what you wish for in 2010?
I would like to have had more that I thought would be a good fit, but I still have some material that was not printed out in that folder. I have material in a couple of other places, like our desktop that I don’t use for writing any longer and just some hard copies of work that I’m not quite sure where the original files are. Fortunately I’ve gotten better about how I retain my work, but there are things that fall into the hole of historically I’ve not always been so good about it.
I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty details of what my goal is here, but I did set some general timelines back in September about a manuscript and I am working to stay focused on this project.
Contrary to my norm, I did make some new years resolutions and I am happy to say that at this tinder age of 2010, I’ve stuck to them.
This has nothing to do with my specific resolutions, but I was trying to think if I could select a three year mantra for 2010, what it might be. There were several things that came to my mind, but in the final analysis, I chose these: “Read, write, more.”
What three words define what you wish for in 2010?
Monday, January 11, 2010
Gretchen Rubin: The Happiness Project
Power Money Fame Sex: A User's Guide
Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill: A Brief Account of a Long Life
Forty Ways to Look at JFK
A Missourian by birth...
Tree Swenson, Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets, announced today that Naomi Shihab Nye and Marie Ponsot have been elected to the Board of Chancellors, the Academy's advisory board of distinguished poets. Nye is a Missourian by birth having been born in born in St. Louis in 1952. She makes her home in Texas now but has been described as a a citizen of the world. Her poetry often crosses borders and fosters understanding. I know little of Marie Ponsot but Nye is truly a wonderful ambassador for poetry everywhere.
In My E-mail This Morning
- A rejection letter for 3 poems. :(
- Word of the day - dysgraphia. Bad news nearly always follows when dys- begins a word, and so it does here: dysgraphia is an inability to write coherently, either as a learning disorder or a result of brain damage or disease. The Greek roots mean "difficult writing."
- $30 Amazon.com birthday gift certificate. :) Yeah!
- Urgent Attention, I am here on off-shore banks inspection exercise. Based on the report on your abandoned transaction file, only $2M have been approved to your family from the will. [Oh Darn, I was hopeful it would be at least $5M]
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Quote for the week
Unconscious Mutterings - Week 363
Subliminal word associations. You say.... I think:
1.Resolutions :: New Year
2.Page :: turm
3.Narrow :: ruled
4.Refuse :: decline
5.Fountain :: pen
6.Grunt :: strain
7.Construct :: build
8.Nightmare :: dream
9.Inch :: worm
10.Instant :: message
get your own list at Unconscious Mutterings
1.Resolutions :: New Year
2.Page :: turm
3.Narrow :: ruled
4.Refuse :: decline
5.Fountain :: pen
6.Grunt :: strain
7.Construct :: build
8.Nightmare :: dream
9.Inch :: worm
10.Instant :: message
get your own list at Unconscious Mutterings
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Coffee Break - Announcements
Here's an announcement for those in our neighboring state of Kansas.
Kansas Voices writing contested, sponsored by the Winfield Arts & Humanities Council, is back for its 21st year. Authors are urged to submit short stories, prose or poetry. Details here.
Issue 30 of Right Hand Pointing is up.
TWP POETRY READING SERIES @ THE JOHNSON COUNTY LIBRARY
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - 7:00 pm - Johnson County Public Library, 9875 W. 87th, Overland Park, KS
Featuring Jo McDougall and Steve Paul
TWP SALON - Monday, January 25, 2010 - 7:00 pm - Open Mic opportunity hosted by Sharon Eiker
3607 Pennsylvania - Kansas City, Missouri
Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Tails Of The City : National children's pet poetry contest deadline extended
The American Pet Products Association (APPA) will be accepting poems for its 2nd Annual APPA National Children's Pet Poetry Contest through February 15, 2010 at 5 p.m. EST.
Third, fourth and fifth grade students are invited to pen a unique poem about their pets and then post it to petsaddlife.org or mail it to: Pets Add Life, 45 Winter Street, Reno, NV 89503.
Two students from each grade level (six total) will win a $250 gift certificate for pet products, and a by-line in a nationally circulated publication. In addition, the six winning students' classrooms will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to spend on pet-related education.
Posted By: Amelia Glynn (Email, Facebook) | January 08 2010 at 11:40 AM
Tails Of The City : National children's pet poetry contest deadline extended
Technorati Tags: childrens pet poetry
Friday, January 08, 2010
Brrrr...
I've drug out my copy of The Artist's Way again and decided it's time to re-examine what I'm doing for the sake of creativity. Especially since I feel like I'm in a somewhat conflicted state at the moment. I'm trying to look at it positive and a growing place but frustration isn't affording me any particular comfort. Basically I'm trying to project a different style of writing but I'm less satisfied with the results (more often then not) and it wants to pull me back to a more abstract approach. I'm thinking what I really needs is to be someplace between the two. I'm feeling as I move away from the abstract my voice becomes bland. There are other poets I admire who can do this well- I know it can be done.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Attention Metrophobics
"Does the thought of poetry make you nauseous? Does it trigger a dry mouth and clammy hands? Does your heart feel like it’s going to pound right out of your chest? Do your legs turn to rubber bands?" If so, help is on the way. For only $147 you can get a Home Study program of CDs and a Work Book or if you prefer, for the paltry sum of $2497 you can get one-on-one Private Sessions with Board-Certified Specialist to help you eliminate your underlying fear. This according an internet site that can be found here.
I’m so glad there is hope for people suffering from metrophobia. It seems there are so many metrophobics out there. Some of my own family may be metrophobic. This of course causes me to wonder why or how I escaped the condition? Is there a genetic predisposition towards this condition? If so, perhaps we can isolate the gene that controls our poetic responses and tweak it a bit to make poetry a little more palatable. Of course, if such therapy became possible, poetic gene therapy could put the previously mentioned site out of business.
I’m so glad there is hope for people suffering from metrophobia. It seems there are so many metrophobics out there. Some of my own family may be metrophobic. This of course causes me to wonder why or how I escaped the condition? Is there a genetic predisposition towards this condition? If so, perhaps we can isolate the gene that controls our poetic responses and tweak it a bit to make poetry a little more palatable. Of course, if such therapy became possible, poetic gene therapy could put the previously mentioned site out of business.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)