Poets Dot Org Re-Launches

Poets.org has Re-Launched. The site is the internet home of the Academy of American Poets. Besides a new overall look, the relaunched site has:

• More poems
• A new prose section with some 400 essays, interviews, etc.
• Better poet biographies
• Listening booth with many audio clips that is now both pc and mac friendly
• Downloadable help for starting your own poetry reading club
• National poetry almanac with 365 days worth of highlights
• Discussion Forum has returned after a years hiatus
• New section on writing with advise from legendary poets

This weeks highlights...

Spotlight Essay

Robert Creeley - Picking Up The Painting's Vibes

Spotlight Poet

Arthur Rimbaud - link

Spotlight Poem

Sylvia Plath's poem - Daddy

Com'on Dad - Put it right here!

Barry.kiss
Originally uploaded by stickpoet.

A very friendly Barry to go with the poem I posted recently.

Who or What is the Enemy?

I'd like to take a moment to call to the attention of others who have not seen it, a post by Eileen R. Tabios over at The Chatelaine's Poetics, titled ANTI-FEAR POETICS: MOUNTAIN OR MOLEHILL ON THE POST 9-1-1 TERRAIN?

Unquestionably, Eileen has a wit about her that even allows her to rant on serious topics and make her point. In her Sunday post, she has gone to great pains to make sure that her point is not taken too lightly and I think as we all have to do at time, nudge herself to make certain not to have fallen into the self-censoring mode.

As she states, "The ugly thing about all this Security shit... is that it generates paranoia, distrust, fear of speaking out, etc. I am doubling back to look at how I self-censored a rant and lapsed into humor. I don't like that about myself. I don't want to practice fear as part of my poetics -- it gets in the way of lucidity."

I'm not going to tell her story here... go read her post. There are so many aspects of the post 9-11 that are troubling to me as an American. She has touched on just a small bit of it, but a significantly important bit, none the less.

KC Literary Calendar - May 23-29

Monday - May 23
Regular Monthly Open Mic at the Writers Place - Midwest Center for Literary Arts
3607 Pennsylvania - Kansas City, MO - starts 8pm.


Tuesday - May 24
Regular Meeting of KC Metro Verse - 6:30 contact information.


Thursday - May 26
David and Judy Ray Poetry Reading
Community Christian Church - on the Plaza - starts 7:00PM - details call the Writers Place
816-753-1090.

Friday - May 27
Crystal Field Scholarship Reading
At The Writers Place - Midwest Center for Literary Arts
3607 Pennsylvania - Kansas City, MO - starts 7:30pm.


Saturday - May 28
Poetry Workshop / David & Judy Ray
At The Writers Place - Midwest Center for Literary Arts 3607 Pennsylvania - Kansas City, MO - starts at 10am.

The workshop focuses on seeing as a poet sees, reading as a poet reads, experiencing the world as a poet must in order to fuel and sustain their work.

Cost $30 for WP members and $40 for non-members. Call 816-753-1090 for details.


Sunday - May 29
Reading from the Pit at
PROSPERO'S BOOKS 1800 W. 39TH St. KANSAS CITY, MO 64111
Starts at 6:30pm - continues till everything that needs to be said is said.

Reviewing Kooser Event in Kansas City

Ted Kooser signing books in Kansas City - Rockhurst University Thursday May 19


In a week which has seen an enormous number of poetry events in Kansas City, there was still room for over 600 to squeeze in another on Thursday. The Mid-America Arts Alliance had to be happy with their sponsored event, An Evening With Ted Kooser.

The audience was a wonderful mixture of age groups. While Kooser's selected poems were from a very narrow niche- primarily family inspired work, the overall response was a grateful audience.

The event opened with the unveiling of a new postal commerative stamp honoring the first U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Penn Warren.

My personal preference would have been to hear a broader composite of Kooser's poetry, but night was truly enjoyable none the less. Just the quiet and appreciative audience hanging on to his words was a joy in itself. He has a simple but preciseness in his verse. Though just once, I'd like to have been shocked by something he said. I'm sure that says something about me.

My Dachshund Trumps Your Honor Student

Frenzied fur
On four manic driven legs
Awaits me inside each evening.

My face safe
From an overactive tongue
Only by the sheer height differential.

A dance
I'll call the "scamper"
Tugs my heartstrings.

Hey, look at me Dad!
Intones his little cavort
Daring my brush-off.

Astute as any child would be
He understands how preposterous
It would be to ignore this performance.


[Note: Barry, my long haired Dachshund is 2 years big today. Any resemblance to the character in this poem is purely intentional]

Tonight I Shamble

Ted Kooser is in town. That sounds kind of like announcing the arrival of some gunslinger that just rode in. But he is here, or at least will be by tonight. I'm going to see him at Rockhurst University and I'll take my copy of The Poetry Home Repair Manual for him to sign. I mean after all, he is the U.S. Poet Laureate and he has won a Pulitzer... I mean I might as well have the thing signed.

I got a kick out of Emily Lloyd's post yesterday about Kooser and I have to give serious thought about the implications of shambling up to him afterwards and asking him to sign my copy. Will my shamble mask the truth (that being that I already partake of and write poetry) and give him the false pretext of another convert? Or perhaps my shamble will in fact be lame. Maybe he can spot a fake shamble a mile away. In which case he might say something like, "Nice try with the shamble bit... how long have you really been reading and writing poetry?"