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Poets Crash - News at 10:00

There is a collision that has occurred and I am attempting to identify the casualties.
I don’t see a lot of blood… yet.

Early indications are that it was a head on crash. One vehicle was a hyped up model driven by a poet obviously in a hurry to get submissions out. The other was a family sedan, driven by a poet and companion that was setting on his shoulder distracting him with all kinds of criticism and urging him to take it easy. It appears all survived the wreck, even the critic.

The police were having a difficult enough time sorting out who was at fault. The party with the critic was overheard expressing that he didn’t know if he’d ever get behind the wheel again.

I wonder how this will all be resolved. Who will be cited? Anyone? Will they get lawyers and fight it out in court? Did the first poet miss a submission deadline? Will the second poet every get behind the wheel again?

Alas, my head is spinning.

A Writing Retreat?

Looking for a place to get away to and write? Someplace with a touch of writing history? A site that inspired works of a poet laureate? Got 145,000 pounds burning your pockets? At current conversion rate, that would be only $272,904.28 in American dollars - (minimum bid)

Check out:

1 Aspinall Street, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire

The property contains:

• a large 3 bedroom stone-built home.
• newly decorated throughout
• central heating
• excellent storage space
• a master bedroom & suite bathroom
• large bright loft with exposed beams
• a courtyard to the rear and a village green to the front
• shops, schools and a mainline railway station are about 0.2 miles away
• birth home of Ted Hughes
• seven of his poems were set in the house itself and at least 28 others in the immediate area
• it is about three miles from Heptonstall - the village where Heghes' wife Sylvia Plath was buried

More information on the property - pictures, etc. here

Weekend Writing

Yesterday I stumbled along working on two poems. By evening I had my fill of both. Put them away, my mind away.... Today is another day. One poem has taken shape nicely. The other remains on the back burner- warm in my thoughts but no real action on it yet.

Perhaps I will take it out and play with it a while later. Perhaps not.

Marilyn Kallet

Robert Stewart, editor of New Letters introduced Marilyn Kallet Thursday night as a writer who's poems "wake you up" a quality that he stresses all poems should do.

Kallet, who has been the director of the creative writing program at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, is also the author of a dozen or so poetry books. She was in Kansas City as one of the featured readers at this years Midwest Poet series.

Marilyn Kallet was a lot of things I did not expect, but she was not disappointing. I expected what I suppose was a southern lady. She was born in Montgomery, Alabama. While there was evidence of southern roots, Ms. Kallet is indeed a well traveled woman who's poetic work is not limited by her southern experience.

Her readings were much more akin to performance. Working without text, but not overtly dramatic. There was a comfortable level to her recitations. She is soft spoken, pleasurably so and fortunately the sound system and acoustics were good.

I was not particularly aware of Kallet's Jewish heritage prior to the event and somewhat surprised by the influence it has on her work. She presented a number of holocaust related works which were quite appropriate with the date (anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz)
but what I found most enjoyable about her was the ability she possesses to mix extremely serious poetic commentary with wit and humor. I too often write to those extremes and I like that quality in other poets.

Her reading was really quite unlike others I have experienced. She was so good with her delivery I did indeed feel a disconnect from the poetry itself. Not really from her or her presentation but certainly from the written word.

I intend to review here her book, How To Get Heat Without Fire after I have finished reading it three times. Perhaps then I will feel the total connection with her word.

Poetic License

Tonight, I will be the poet consumer....

I'm going to hear Marilyn Kallet tonight at Rockhurst College. I'm pretty excited about it. There was a really nice piece in the Kansas City Star - art/literary section this past Sunday about her. Plus, I have it on good authority from a friend of Jilly's that she is worth hearing.

Information on Marilyn Kallet