Confession Tuesday -Major Snow Edition

 

Dear Reader:

It's been a week since my last confession.  Come with me to the confessional. 

This morning I awoke to major snow here in Kansas City. It Happens. This was the most severe of this winter. Our street was not plowed.  It is a few blocks off a beaten path, but it is not on the city plow route and I think it is usually plowed by someone in the neighborhood.  I confess that my efforts to get to work were stymied  I got stuck at the other end of the block, and somewhere around an hour and a half later I got the car backed maybe 200 feet from the drive and was stuck again. Eventually, with two very nice neighbors, we got it back safely in our drive. 

After exceeding my book reading goal by 1 book last year, I have upped my goal from 24 to 28 books. I confess I have finished the first of the year. A Biography on Frida Kahlo.  She is a fascinating individual who endured enormous pain in her life and crafted art that was often reflective of her pain. 

AWP is coming fast.  February 7th. I confess I can't believe how fast that seems to be closing in. 

Last night I wrote a new draft poem, working late into the night. I have struggled the last few days to feel effective with my pen. I did three drafts and I confess I believe it is a keeper, however, it still requires a rewrite. 

They have finally cleared the road out front, I confess I feel optimistic about getting to work tomorrow. 

I confess I recall being really angry about something but for the life of me, I cannot recall what it was. 

That's about it for today, my friends.  Until next time, be safe.

Best wishes,

Michael Wells

AWP Is COMING to KANSAS CITY PART 1

 AWP IS COMING - FOLLOW THIS SERIES 

#AWPreading 

Confession Tuesday January 2, 2024

 My Friends:

As a fallen-away confessor, I am back.  I don't have nearly enough digits to count the weeks since I was last in this confessional. I might have given enough for the months, but let's just agree it has been too long.

I confess that today was kind of a slow day at work and it drug on till all of a sudden, I realized it was 4:16 PM and I knew I could make it to the end. 

I actually met and exceeded my reading goal for the month by one book. I confess I was shocked that I reached it.

Believe it or not, poetry was not my number-one reading genre this year. Now I don't count the Poetry books I go back to from time to time for inspiration or to explore what some poets are doing about ampersands, form, etc. I reread parts of many poetry books throughout the year and these are in addition to my totals to meet my goal challenge. I confess I really enjoy memoirs. I think it was Mary Kerr, the poet and essayist that turned me on. to Memoirs. 

I confess that I periodically pinch myself every time I remember AWP is in Kansas City this year.  I will do a series of AWP-related posts in the next couple of weeks, so put on your seat belts and get ready. 

I'm sorry folks, I confess that's all for today. 

Stay safe,  and check back soon. 

#AWP  #ConfessionTuesday  #Reading2023

2023 Is History - Welcome to 2024

 Small Victories 

I ended up reading 25 books last year. My goal was 24. 

What's more, I expanded the reading genres considerably. I generally read mostly poetry, biographies, and memoirs.  This is how my reading broke down :

• Memoir 8
• Novels  7
• Poetry 6
• Historical / Political 2
• Biography 2

Books Read so far this year

 

1. The Tradition - Jericho Brown
2. Deathbed Sext - Christopher Salerno
3. Rough Draft: AMemoir - Katy Tur
4. Lit - Mary Karr
5. Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs
6. Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders
7. And We Stay - Jenny Hubbard
8. The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country
9. Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom - Sylvia Plath
10. The Art of Memoir - Mary Karr
11. Bird Songs in Literature: Bird Songs and the Poems They Have Inspired - Joseph Wood Krutch
12. Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath - Heather Clark
13. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln - Doris Kearns Goodwin
14. The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin - Kip Wilson

* these I have finished there are a number I am still reading at this time. 

Poet Interviews I Saw this Week

 This week I watched several video interviews with two poets.  Actually multiple interviews with each one. 

The poets were Jorie Graham and Mary Karr. I have not read Graham for a while but my exposure to her in the past has been with fascination toward her work.  I did not know that she was raised outside the United States. 

The second poet I looked for interviews with was Mary Karr. There were several interviews a couple of short ones and two longer ones. My interest in Karr is twofold. As a poet and a memoir writer, I have developed an interest in this genre over the past three or 4 years. 

Karr is a captivating individual whose conversation is very easygoing and especially witty. If I got nothing else out of the interviews, the entertainment value alone would make it worth the time. 

But Karr's interest in biographical reading on writers is similar to that of my own. I suppose, like Kerr, that is what has given way to interest in memoirs. The fact that she considers herself foremost a poet in spite of successful books of prose on memoirs makes me feel it is okay to explore the possibilities.

Karr comes across as quite authentic and hysterically funny. The humor is what has convinced me that she is totally cool with herself talking in public. 

Jorie Graham

                                                                       

                                                                         Mary Karr

AWP 2023 From Home or SWAG in a Box

As my regular readers know I did not attend AWP in Seattle this year. Instead, I did the Virtual Conference.

The virtual conference for me this year was a flop. It was not worth the discounted price. 

I did this weekend receive a SWAG care package from my friend and poetry author Marianne Mersereall AKA Wild Honey Creations.  She knows how much I look forward to the swag at each conference, something that doesn't come with the virtual Conference, I have to thank Marianne for this kind deed. Not only a selection of Conference swag but some personal notes on recommended publishers for my work as well   Thank you so much!  (((big hug)))

My eye surgery has greatly improved my sight and cut down on eye strain and headaches.  Working during the day, generally on the computer quite a bit, and coming home it was hard to get back on for school work and writing as well. My good eye, which my doctor says will go the same was as my vision in the right eye was before it was corrected will be going the same way. We will do that one at the end of the month. 

I just want to say one more thing about the virtual conference. There was simply so much that was not available. I tuned into some streaming and pre-recorded conference panels. They were not the ones I wanted to see, and they were honestly not that impressive to me. Perhaps the subject matter had something to do with it, but again, I could just not get the panels I wanted. 

#AWP23