This week I set up a separate Facebook Writer's page. I say separate because it differs from regular Facebook format because it is intended for individuals who are especially interested in poetry in general and what I'm up to . Announcements about readings, newly published items, recommendations of other poets and books I think are worthy of mention. If this sounds like information you'd like me to share with you then by visiting the page and clicking on the LIKE button you will there be kept abreast of my world of poetry. You must have a Facebook account to do this. You can make this poet a happy poet by going here and clicking on the "like" this page button.
Thanks in advance!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Confession Tuesday - Saint Monica of the Console Edition
It's that time again. Yes, it's been a week since my last confession. A week in which I laughed at Father's lame jokes during Mass, cleaned the dog-do off my wife's tennis shoes and swore life was too short to let other people's crap bring me down, and then I promptly let it. Now for the record, the crap I'm referring to was not what I scraped off my wife's shoes. Now to the confessional....
Dear Reader:
I confess that I'm worn slick by the drama of others. I've looked for ways to shake the negative drama dust off me but it seems to blow back with the wind. It gets all over other people, even people in our household, people you love just carry in (not wanting too) it just comes in on their shoes, in their hair, on their shoulders like it were dandruff. There is no shampoo for it, and this stuff ain't magic glitter!
And who swiped my creativity? I confess I've gone through a week of such lousy writing that this morning I wanted to post lost posters on poles asking if anyone has seen my missing creativity. I confess that I suspect a linkage between the drama dust and the absence of my creativity. It may also have been responsible for burnt corn dogs and the shocking escalation in grocery prices at Hy-Vee.
None of these things I've confessed are personal failings mind you, but I have another confession. The confession of a sneaky poet, a conniving poet, but a well meaning poet just the same. There is no one in my family who shares my appreciation or love of poetry. I'm not sure any of them suffer from metrophobia, that's quite severe, but they are clearly lacking the poetry DNA in their blood.
So this morning as we were driving into the city for work I carried out to the car my copy of Saint Monica (chapbook by Mary Biddinger) and strategically placed it on the faux turtle shell console between my place on the driver’s side and the passenger seat that would soon be occupied by my wife. I've done this before... a sneaky way of putting poetry out there within her reach. This time, I stopped at Quick Trip for my 52oz Diet Coke (what else?) and upon returning to the car, she was caught! Red handed! There she was reading, Saint Monica! She had finished one poem.... Saint Monica's Sweet Sixteen. I'm not sure but she may be scared.
Tomorrow is our 37th wedding anniversary. I confess I’d like a do over. The deal is I want all the same players for the repeat 37 years. Same awesome woman… the same children. I just want to relive those years again with them!
That’s it for today. Until next week, shake off all the negative dust!
Dear Reader:
I confess that I'm worn slick by the drama of others. I've looked for ways to shake the negative drama dust off me but it seems to blow back with the wind. It gets all over other people, even people in our household, people you love just carry in (not wanting too) it just comes in on their shoes, in their hair, on their shoulders like it were dandruff. There is no shampoo for it, and this stuff ain't magic glitter!
And who swiped my creativity? I confess I've gone through a week of such lousy writing that this morning I wanted to post lost posters on poles asking if anyone has seen my missing creativity. I confess that I suspect a linkage between the drama dust and the absence of my creativity. It may also have been responsible for burnt corn dogs and the shocking escalation in grocery prices at Hy-Vee.
None of these things I've confessed are personal failings mind you, but I have another confession. The confession of a sneaky poet, a conniving poet, but a well meaning poet just the same. There is no one in my family who shares my appreciation or love of poetry. I'm not sure any of them suffer from metrophobia, that's quite severe, but they are clearly lacking the poetry DNA in their blood.
So this morning as we were driving into the city for work I carried out to the car my copy of Saint Monica (chapbook by Mary Biddinger) and strategically placed it on the faux turtle shell console between my place on the driver’s side and the passenger seat that would soon be occupied by my wife. I've done this before... a sneaky way of putting poetry out there within her reach. This time, I stopped at Quick Trip for my 52oz Diet Coke (what else?) and upon returning to the car, she was caught! Red handed! There she was reading, Saint Monica! She had finished one poem.... Saint Monica's Sweet Sixteen. I'm not sure but she may be scared.
Tomorrow is our 37th wedding anniversary. I confess I’d like a do over. The deal is I want all the same players for the repeat 37 years. Same awesome woman… the same children. I just want to relive those years again with them!
That’s it for today. Until next week, shake off all the negative dust!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Confession Tuesday - Where is my book edition?
It's been one crazy fantasy baseball week since my last confession. My team worked it's was to 4th place briefly and tumbled back to 8th place out of 12 teams.
Dear Reader-
Patience is not one of my strong points. Oh I can be patient about some things... actually many things, but never when I've ordered a book.
It's one of the reasons I often order from Amazon. They tend to get be relatively quick to ship. I guess I had a soft spot and ordered direct from a publisher recently. I thought hey, let's support the small publisher. I confess I am however sitting here tonight thinking, where's my book! And yes, I did check my mail box first thing. Ok, I admit I was wanting my book a hour after ordering. I know I'm unrealistic. It's a sickness I have when I want a book. I won't even suggest that I'll try to be more patient in the future. I swear on a stack of poetry books I cannot lie.
~0~
As you can see from the intro to this post my fantasy league baseball team has been on roller coaster ride. It's a new week and my team goes head to head against another team. I'm reminding myself the academic lesson of baseball managing in real life and fantasy league. The season is too long to get hung up on highs and lows. Things change. I confess I've been repeating this over and over all weekend.
~0~
I saw a poem on a poetry site recently that I had written several years ago, I confess that while I recognized the title and my name appeared attributed to it but it read better then I remembered it. I actually had to go back and find a copy of it I had save just to make sure it wasn't another Michael Wells that had authored it. Boy do I feel silly.
~0~
I confess that I'm all confessed out. Thanks for stopping by - See you next week! Be safe & have a good week!
Dear Reader-
Patience is not one of my strong points. Oh I can be patient about some things... actually many things, but never when I've ordered a book.
It's one of the reasons I often order from Amazon. They tend to get be relatively quick to ship. I guess I had a soft spot and ordered direct from a publisher recently. I thought hey, let's support the small publisher. I confess I am however sitting here tonight thinking, where's my book! And yes, I did check my mail box first thing. Ok, I admit I was wanting my book a hour after ordering. I know I'm unrealistic. It's a sickness I have when I want a book. I won't even suggest that I'll try to be more patient in the future. I swear on a stack of poetry books I cannot lie.
~0~
As you can see from the intro to this post my fantasy league baseball team has been on roller coaster ride. It's a new week and my team goes head to head against another team. I'm reminding myself the academic lesson of baseball managing in real life and fantasy league. The season is too long to get hung up on highs and lows. Things change. I confess I've been repeating this over and over all weekend.
~0~
I saw a poem on a poetry site recently that I had written several years ago, I confess that while I recognized the title and my name appeared attributed to it but it read better then I remembered it. I actually had to go back and find a copy of it I had save just to make sure it wasn't another Michael Wells that had authored it. Boy do I feel silly.
~0~
I confess that I'm all confessed out. Thanks for stopping by - See you next week! Be safe & have a good week!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Poetry Helps Us Connect
[I received this as an e-mail today - passing along]
by Michelle Obama, U.S. First Lady
When I was young, I was a passionate creative writer and sort of a poet. That's how I would release myself. Whenever I was struggling in school, or didn't want to go outside and deal with the nonsense of the neighborhood, I would write and write and write and write. I think it was my writing that sort of prepared me for so much of what I've had to do in my life as an adult.Robert Frost once wrote, "A poem begins as a lump in the throat." In writing poetry, you all put words into that kind of emotion. You give voice to your hopes, your dreams, your worries and your fears. And when you do that, when you share yourself that way, and make yourself vulnerable like that, you're taking a risk. And that's brave. Read more
Let me recommend a blog...
If you have a spare moment this weekend and you have not already seen this blog, I recommend it. For several weeks now I've been reading Writing with Celia. Her Friday post was really a good reminder of things I should know and need to keep reminding myself. The post Poetry Revision 101, Lesson Four: Do I Sound Fat in This Poem? As the title implies she has been doing a series of these poetry revision posts.
On another note... weather turned out fine for last reading last night in Excelsior Springs.
On another note... weather turned out fine for last reading last night in Excelsior Springs.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Bubble Wrapped Morning
When I started the day it looked like the near future had rain in store for us. Suddenly the sky got the green light and the rain came. Tonight I am supposed to be in Excelsior Springs for a reading. North of Kansas City - more small townish than urban and what seems to be a somewhat well beaten path for sever storms that pass north of Kansas City.
My fingers are crossed that the weather isn't cause for people staying away from the event.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Of Ponderance and Brain Freeze
Great questions posed by Jeannine - Relative Success, Relative Failure - Life as a Poet. Lots of food for thought. No easy answers to these questions. Also the dialogue Nic Sebastian has been having on exposure for poetry - (see her post at Want Poetry Readers? Publish in multiple formats - some free) gives poets a lot to think about. Then I read an article today... The author as entrepreneur, and the dangers it poses. The author talks about a program similar to Kiskstarter but specifically for writers.
There are just so many things for writers to ponder today.
There are just so many things for writers to ponder today.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Everyday Saint
After absorbing the Mary Biddinger interview that appeared Febuary at The Fine Delight - Catholicism in Literature the newly receased chapbook has moved on my radar from want to read to must read!
It seemed to me upon reading the interview that (the idea) Saint Monica came to Mary in almost a casual way and I find it fasinating - the transformation from this inception into a series poems bringing the saint into the everydayness.
I've only read one of the poems at this point but have seen the titles of a number of them this has been enough to hook me. That and the cultural aspect of Catholicism and poetry molded together. The book just came out on June 1st and is available at: Black Lawrence Press or Amazon.
It seemed to me upon reading the interview that (the idea) Saint Monica came to Mary in almost a casual way and I find it fasinating - the transformation from this inception into a series poems bringing the saint into the everydayness.
I've only read one of the poems at this point but have seen the titles of a number of them this has been enough to hook me. That and the cultural aspect of Catholicism and poetry molded together. The book just came out on June 1st and is available at: Black Lawrence Press or Amazon.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Confession Tuesday - Daydreaming Edition
It's been a week since my last confession and I'm back to lay everything out in the open.
I confess that as I was driving this evening after work I was daydreaming.( For the record, this was before I picked my wife up. She thinks I can't drive and do anything else safely.) At the right you will see the Center for Preforming Arts here in Kansas City that is under construction. This morning as I passed it I wished I had taken a picture of it so tonight I did. And as I proceeded to drive I thought about what a cool place if will be to attend the Symphony Orchestra. Then a funny thing happened. I suddenly got to thinking about the building filled to capacity for an event. Actually it was an unlikely event. Yes, I pictured thousands of people, myself included attending a poetry reading at the new facility. Can you picture this? Wouldn't it be awesome?
I'm not sure what brought this on. Maybe it's because I've had readings on my mind lately. But I admit it would be cool to see a packed house in a building this size taking in poetry. I understand that in Russia they have filled stadiums for poetry readings. I confess I wish more people valued poetry in America they way they do in many other countries.
On a side note I have been in a pretty good sized theater for a Mary Oliver reading that was packed. Nothing the size of the Center for Preforming arts though.
Monday, June 06, 2011
What am I Doing this Week?
It is the function of art to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we cease to see. The writer shakes up the familiar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it. ~ Anais Nin
It's a new week. I'm thinking about Anais Nin's words. I'm thinking about the difference between writing and writing that is meaningful. Note to self... Step back and look at what you write and revise this week. Even if it is about the familiar, how does it offer a fresh perspective, a different view or image. Am I writing or is this meaningful. If it is not meaningful can I call it art?
It's a new week. I'm thinking about Anais Nin's words. I'm thinking about the difference between writing and writing that is meaningful. Note to self... Step back and look at what you write and revise this week. Even if it is about the familiar, how does it offer a fresh perspective, a different view or image. Am I writing or is this meaningful. If it is not meaningful can I call it art?
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Influence
The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt. ~ Frederick Buechner
Reading Frederick Buechner's words above struck me tonight in many different ways. While Buechner may well have been thinking more in terms of the example our life leaves for others, I was also thinking about how far our influence goes in other areas such as art. Our own tastes in art. Our own creations in art. The influence of one's creativity on others. Really any influence we have on others can ultimately travel far. When we write a poem - paint a picture or create a song don't we really hope that it touches someone else? The more someones the better.
Reading Frederick Buechner's words above struck me tonight in many different ways. While Buechner may well have been thinking more in terms of the example our life leaves for others, I was also thinking about how far our influence goes in other areas such as art. Our own tastes in art. Our own creations in art. The influence of one's creativity on others. Really any influence we have on others can ultimately travel far. When we write a poem - paint a picture or create a song don't we really hope that it touches someone else? The more someones the better.
Stepping Out
an accordion of dark.
Leaving behind
incandescence,
hope, italicized security.
Each step grayer
in doubt than the last.
Each footing more
to the dark side
a narrowing aperture
a pinhole possibility.
2011 © Michael A. Wells
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Confession Tuesday
It's been one week since my last confession. One week that was shifter to create a 3 day weekend. Let me start by confessing that yes I think all weekends should be 3 days long.
To the right is a picture taken recently of Barry on a walk with me. It's not a great photo but it's a family photo. This brings me to my first confession tonight. Okay, it's really my second for admitting what should be the obvious... 3 day weekends rule! But back to the photo thingy. All my life I've been fond of photos. During my teenage years I started a practice that continued for years. I would shot a roll of film (you remember rolls?) and pitch it in a drawer. This would be repeated many times. Seldom did I unload the camera and run to have it developed. We wouldn't want to do anything rash!
So periodically I would reach in a drawer - usually under some entirely different pretense, but pull out a roll and get it off to process. The beauty of this approach is you were often totally surprised at what you got. Sometimes pictures 4 to 7 years old. Yep! I was that bad.
Imagine how excited I was with digital photography. The only problem is that I recently though about it and I have not been good about pulling all these photo files into a singular location. I'm sure I've lost some on computer drives I no longer have available to me. Or phones... though I think most of them recently I've been able to back up. But this whole worry over photos came about as I was reminiscing recently over photos we shot as the kids were growing up. I confess that I not only want to pull all the digital stuff together, I'd like to (cough!) get hard copies of many of them printed and organized in an album.
~0~
While I've fallen the last 45 days off the submission wagon (this is a confession) - I began my rebound over the weekend. And I've already received a rejection! I think it hit me in the but when I turned around. Alas, I will be sending more this week!
~0~
I spent some time this weekend cleaning out e-mail. Yes, I admit I am an e-mail hog! I confess that I keep e-mail I should delete and it grows overnight in my inbox. I swear it reproduces! Every once and a while I will do a tidy up - but I admit, I would do well to delete daily. Sometimes I just think I may need to go back to something so I don't immediately deal with it. I think it's disease.
~0~
I was at a similar today so I've actually been out of the office since Friday. I confess tomorrow looms intimidatingly close. (sigh)
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week and may your e-mail be under control!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Journal Bits May 8th to May 29th
An overdue sampling from my journal:
- May 7: "The summer sun ray/shifts through a suspicious tree,/though I walk through the valley of the shadow/it sucks the air /and looks around for me" from Noon Walk on the Asylum Lawn - Anne Sexton
- May 15: The evening feels like it is sagging under some melancholy weight. I think about pictures of our past. Pictures in the dining room on Baltimore of Cath and the kids making chocolate candies in the molds.
- May 15: I want sidewalks of ribboned parchment where people stop to take note of thoughts. - I want a big dark riped Black Diamond watermelon for a buck ninety-eight.
- May 17: I confess I'd like to do a writing residency but I don't see that happening anytime soon. ...I would surely be a basket case being away from home.
- May 17: His sigh became mine/in this we found common ground/mine was round and hollow/ringing true to the exasperation...
- May 21: Listing a few words that I'd like to incorporate into writing soon- pollen / flicks / abrasive /preens / condense / peril / khaki /muzzle
- May 22: there was a browning/of mountains that/marched downward...
- May 25: There isn't time to percolate/there's calamity in the cosmos/we should walk it off/crying is for sissies
- May 29: We followed the almanac/in the night sky except/for the ten days we could see/nothing but overcast smokers//breath...
Capturing that Childlike Wonder
"It would not hurt that we live our lives with childlike wonder. Have you asked yourself lately: "When was the last time I saw something for the first time?" ~ Cecilia Borromeo
Saturday, May 28, 2011
A Place to Kill Some Time. You Won't Regret It!
If you are looking for some awesome poetry to read / listen to - I have just the recommendation. Today I settled in and took in Nic Sebastian's Forever Will End on Thursday . Just as Nic had done with the audio of poems by many others, she delighted me with her readings. The writing is strong, the reading is captivating. I've heard so few people even come close to adding such a positive dimension to any one's work orally. Some people are more into spoken word poetry. I don't considered myself one of them. While I personally do enjoy giving readings and going to readings-- if I had to choose between the written word and spoken word I would choose written hands down. I'm pretty visual about poetry in that I like to see how it fills the page. That said, Nic has the ability to make the words on a page mystical.
By the way, one of my favorites among her poems as part of the link above is Oboe. In the Poems II section there are three poems that are titled Places of Happiness (followed by three different places) each of these have such a bright lyrical quality. I can't really do any of these poems justice here... go and listen for yourself! Which ones speak to you?
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Magpie Tales 67 / Poem: Dangerous Liaison
just past the hour of lunacy
I made love on my Mandolin
melody riper then the grapes missed
on the vines
bread broken and settled
the talk fallen to slumber
women seriously quiet
music all there was between us
fools we were drunk on our own
magical creations
2011 © Michael A. Wells
Magpie Tales 67
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Confession Tuesday
Dear Reader:
It's been one week since my last confession. One week of monstrous tornadoes. Here I am tripping over the clock to make it to the confessional before midnight.
I confess that I have the people of Joplin, Missouri on my mind. And those in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and anywhere else that have been faced with loss of life and property due to the mammoth sized tornadoes that have struck this week - more even tonight. I've spent my entire life living in tornado alley so I'm not unaccustomed to tornado watches and warnings. While these were not a threat to our immediate area, when you live in the the states of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma you never take your safety from such storms for granted. A good part of Joplin, Missouri was just decimated and the death toll is something around 120 and people are still unaccounted for. Shocking and sad.
I have to admit I've fallen of the submission wagon. After a really good start to this year I confess I just seem to have fallen and can't get up. Considering I had really good response to my early flurry of submissions it seems like you would think I would learn that submissions are the key to successful publication where as those who don't submit don't publish. Hitting myself over the head - well duh! I confess I need like a week long campaign to get back up to speed. I think I will plan to start that over memorial weekend.
With that affirmation of a plan to do better - I'll call this confession a wrap.
May your week be a safe and productive one.
It's been one week since my last confession. One week of monstrous tornadoes. Here I am tripping over the clock to make it to the confessional before midnight.
I confess that I have the people of Joplin, Missouri on my mind. And those in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and anywhere else that have been faced with loss of life and property due to the mammoth sized tornadoes that have struck this week - more even tonight. I've spent my entire life living in tornado alley so I'm not unaccustomed to tornado watches and warnings. While these were not a threat to our immediate area, when you live in the the states of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma you never take your safety from such storms for granted. A good part of Joplin, Missouri was just decimated and the death toll is something around 120 and people are still unaccounted for. Shocking and sad.
I have to admit I've fallen of the submission wagon. After a really good start to this year I confess I just seem to have fallen and can't get up. Considering I had really good response to my early flurry of submissions it seems like you would think I would learn that submissions are the key to successful publication where as those who don't submit don't publish. Hitting myself over the head - well duh! I confess I need like a week long campaign to get back up to speed. I think I will plan to start that over memorial weekend.
With that affirmation of a plan to do better - I'll call this confession a wrap.
May your week be a safe and productive one.
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