Why Do You Write Poetry?

You write poetry because...

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  Your attention span prevents longer lines.


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


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


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


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  It is the supreme sign of your non-conformity.


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  You haven't the foggiest idea.

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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.