A Certifiable Contest Head Case

I am not a big contest person. I have entered a few, but they have not been a compelling force in my work. On the other hand, I am fairly good about submitting work to literary venues.

When I do submit to a contest, I usually know well in advance that I am doing it and for some reason, I find myself always scrambling to get the entry off in the final couple of days before the deadline. Such is the case again this month. Here is a contest I’ve known about since, well the last time I entered it a year ago. I’m not waiting to write something new at the last minute. I will send a couple of pieces already written. It is a matter printing out clean copies and doing all the correct cover letters, etc.

I’m not sure what it is about contests that seem unique from other submissions. I’m sure there must be something very psychosomatic about the whole thing. Meanwhile, I have a few poems to pull together and get to the post office…

Ah HA! That's it!

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Art is knowing which ones to keep.

~Scott Adams

Tuesday Misc News...

Poetry fans gather for Ted Hughes's festival.

On a sad note: The poet Rahim al-Maliki wrote about his dreams of Iraqi unity in a place where such appeals are drowned out by daily bombings. One of them took his life on Monday.

NPR feature / More on Guantanamo Poetry. Plus more on the book of poems from Nafeesa Syeed here.

Dick Cheneny fails at American Civics.

Senator Richare Lugar changes tune on Iraq. Lugar called on Bush to "downsize" the U.S. military's role in Iraq and place more emphasis on diplomatic and economic options

Andrew Ervin reviews The Age of Huts (compleat) - By Ron Silliman

Stick Poet went over the 29,000 unique visitors milestone this past weekend. Thanks to all the SPSH readers. By the way, if you are not getting our syndicated feed of each day's posts by email and would like to, see the box in the sidebar to sign up to receive it that way. It's easy.

Reading, Writing and Disc Golf

Sunday I was able to carve out some writing time that was very productive. Worked on some drafts and was happy with what was developing.

Sunday evening I play the disc golf course close to our home. It can be quite rugged in spots as evidenced in the picture here with this post.

It's a 54 par course and I shot a 70 on it in the first time I played it. I was happy with the score given my experience (or lack thereof) and the terrain of the course. From holes 4 through 11 you are playing really rough landscape with lots of trees and few clear shots. My wife and daughter played too. I think everyone had a good time. We're going to check out some of the other local courses.

Late last night a read a few Plath poems. I guess I should say that I reread them. They were not new to me. I like to read stuff over every so often because I believe no poetry is static. A year sometimes even a couple of months ca make a big difference in how one comes to view a poem or any other artwork for that matter. I was reading most stuff that Sylvia wrote in the 1957 - 58 years. Certainly pre-Ariel material.

Our Ancestor's Curse [draft]

Our ancestry placed us in chains
Shackling our imagination to a sinister cellar
Amid the pickling jars and moonshine
Stashed for future need

It is no wonder that our thoughts are always turned inward
And we do not see well beyond the darkness of our desperation
Souls entombed in black and surrounded by things preserved

They are dead to the present
But it is believed their usefulness
Is sometime in the distant future

What are we here for anyway—
We cannot possibly see beyond our means
Past the dead cucumbers of harvest
So many summers ago

Early Residence of Plath & Hughes For Sale

55 Eltisley Avenue, in Cambridge is for sale. The address was the home of poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes from October of 1956 to May of 1957. One of their especially creative and highly productive periods.The property also figures in poetry written by both poets at one time or another.

In the days when the famous couple made Eltisley Avenue their home, the property was divided into two flats.

Today the property is a specious four bedroom home
that is presently listed at $550,000 pounds or about $ 1,098,462.

33rd Anniversary

About this time 33 years ago, I was getting married. Still a beauty today! Happy Anniversary honey!