Poetry News

A few poetry items:

• John Ashbery Reads at Haverford (story)
• Robert Frost's Dartmouth Lectures Published (story)
• ‘Living In Storms. Contemporary Poetry and the Moods of Manic Depression’ (review)
• Ezra Pound's birthplace in central Idaho draws poetry pilgrims (story)
• Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet and Essayist W.S. Merwin to Lead All-Star Cast at 2008 The Kenan Writers' Encounters 'Earth: Writers and Artists Engage the Environment' April 12-22, 2008 (information)

Thumbs Down

The end of the Bush Administration can hardly come fast enough. Even as it seem there is a light visible through this dark 8 year long tunnel, this one man continues to trash the reputation of this nation as a moral example to the rest of the world. His veto this weekend of the Congressional bill banning waterboarding as an interrogation method only continues erosion of U.S. credibility on human rights.

Check these out...

It's Friday, and while I like to take my Friday evenings a little on the lighter side, especially after a challenging week, I read a remarkably powerful poem by Jilly title Poem By an American. Needless to say, it's not on the lighter side. She acknowledges she may not be finished with it, but it is well worth reading. It's really quite different from anything of her's that I've read.

Also, Aleah Sato has poetry up at k a l e i d o w h i r l - winter 2008 edition. Her work is generally well worth a read.

The Endorsement

Here we have George "W" Bush and the GOP Presidential nominee for 2008 John S. (W, II) McCain.

What McCain brings to the table is a slightly more effective version of the same disastrous Bush policies. There is not much more to say.

Understanding

"What one has not experienced, one will never understand in print." ~Isadora Duncan

I saw this quote and though what a curious thing to say. It may reveal much about my my own personal view of poetry.

There are two separate points to be made here. One is the untellable aspect that if you haven't lived my life - what I write will not mean the same to you as it means to me.

The other is that deeper aspect that sometimes what we write from the soul we don't even fully recognize ourselves. Sort of the duende that Federico García Lorca spoke of. I firmly accept the premise that there are truths from deep within that we are occasionally able to unearth in our poetry or art that remain somewhat of a mystery us and therefore cannot easily be explained to others.

Sunday night

It reached at least 72 today in Kansas City. The wicked wend of the North West is pounding us and storms moved in tonight. Alas, snow is in the forecast for drive time tomorrow morning.

A few journal bits from this past week:

• unshaven legs, suctioned to a convex view /
• repetitive days in a mirror judgement / till there is glitter in the Coral Sea /
• a crooked scalp line parted the hairs / rising from the banks of regression /
• cut stone, linear and stacked / forged four corners / below the surface
• my son says my equilibrium /is off and that is why I can't stand / neocons-

Stats update

Time for me to take mental note of what I have and haven't achieved so far over the past 12 months.

Pending responses: 11
Submissions sent last 12 months: 47
Submissions sent this month: 2
Acceptance ratio: 10.71 %