July Shameless Self Promotion

A poem I wrote several years ago found a home in River Poets Journal  Spring-Summer 2012. At this link you will find a a pdf file of the entire publication. My poem titled Night Wish can be found if you will scroll to page 7- bottom right column. 

Realizing Our Bearings

It's seems to me that times like these often become a compass  for us.  The tragic Colorado shootings reach beyond victims and family and seem to touch us all. Communities expand and become more inclusive. We all share (perhaps in different ways) the pain and sadness but we also find our bearings. We see with more clarity. We come to understand what exactly our values are and the gray lines become more focused. 


Realizing the fragility of life changes everything and even the little things with loved ones suddenly rises to the top. I'm thankful for our health. I'm thankful for times of laughter. I'm thankful for the poetry I see in everyday life, in nature and on the page.

Brandalism: Street artists hijack billboards

Street artists are targeting advertising billboards in a new movement nicknamed 'brandalism' for a Subvertising Campaign.  And what has this to do with poetry?   [READ THE STORY HERE]

Congratulations to Jeannine Hall Gailey

Jeannine is the new Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington a city just a stones throw from Seattle, Washington.  Speaking of throwing stones, Jeannine comes from a part of the country that you can't cast a stone without hitting a poet. I think it's especially cool considering how how poetically inclined people in Washington seem to be.

The Washington State Poet Laureate did a blog feature on Jeannine today that can be found here.

Confession Tuesday - Yes, I was Naughty Edition

Well, it's been a week since my last confession. Shall we head to the box?

Dear Reader:

It's been a strange week. Some highs and lows but mostly everything evens out. So that said I will get down to the ntty gritty.

I confess that when I left the office today my desk was in great disarray. My desk reflects far too many projects going on, but my job is crisis driven so that's pretty much what I deal with all the time. Of course I periodically restore some order to it but daily it seems to resist order. I confess it's a constant battle.

I confess that I found a writing fellowship that I felt was perfect for me. That was till I realized how much time I would need to be in the LA area next year. I confess that I scrapped my plans to apply. There may come a time when one such program will be a good fit and all-round and when that happens I hope that I have the ability to apply.

Off and on during this past week I've wondered about the Higgs particles but I must confess having them on my mind has only resulted in mass confusion.

I confess that three times (count them), three times this week I've checked in on Scarlet the rat to make sure she is okay.  Scarlet is my daughter's rat and she has been under the weather. I've never been a fan of rats since as a kid growing up in apartment near Hospital Hill I would see rats big as cats when I too the trash out. Still, I confess that Scarlet is kind of cute. In an rat creepy sort of way. Yes, I want her to get well.

I confess I had a rejection letter for three of my poems this week including one I truly believe in. I confess that I'm confident it will find a home.

I confess to drinking Arbor Mist Peach Chardonnay this week. It's not exactly like drinking quality Chardonnay but it feel kind of naughty like drinking semi-frozen Ripple or Boon's Farm Wine as a teenager. Hey, it goes down smooth. 

Well there, I guess a naughty confession is a good place to stop. Even if it was a bit peachy as well.

Can I get an Amen!?

Love this description of what a word does...

Utility is the dream of every poem, large or small. Does each word carry, embryonically, the intent of the entire poem? Dave Smith, Local Assays, 1995

Picturing a word embryonically carrying intent... how awesome is that!