The Mag 211: House of Simon

Feast in the House of Simon - 1610, El Greco

It was evident Simon's house was the place

to be this day. More then one Apostle scratched

another event from his calendar 

to make an appearance. Even as it was in the house

of a  Pharisee-  they were in the presence of Jesus

and this would be more then a fresco 

more then a story to tell the grandchildren.

Wine was poured and hard rolls plated 

were hardly touched as Simon would offer

up question after question of the one

they called Christ who would with delicacy

of a needle on vinyl respond to each one.  

The Mag 

Michael Allyn Wells

Saturday Comes Early for Me

The Weekend started early for me today.  I took vacation time starting at noon. Stopped and got chicken on the way home and had lunch with my wife.

It's marvelous outside and countless birds are in agreement. I've heard them from my studio chirping and when I walked out to see if the mail had come I sent maybe six birds flying  from a bush out front.

This week I've launched a new blog site. The Journal of Creative Exploration. This site is intended to follow my creative path as a poet using the Poet Tarot Cards from Two Sylvias Press. Right you you can get your own set of Poet Tarot Cards by backing  Two Sylvias Press on Kickstarter.

Looking forward to a busy weekend. As always, tomorrow is Submission Saturday for me.  Expect to do reading and writing this weekend. I'm fired up and ready to burn!

Magpie 210: Urban Decay

Lee Plaza Hotel, Detroit

The floors crackle underfoot with each step onto particles

of wall and ceiling concealing much of what was flooring.

Each breath tastes of  lead paint dust. Curtains cling

to rubble on the floor like shrouds covering bodies 

except not even the dead are found here. Old chairs, 

their upholstery gnawed by time, their insides gushing out

from wounds. Personal artifacts left behind. A television

plugged into an outlet no longer attached to the grid.

Murals of water stain appear overhead;

signed by neglect, utilizing the ceiling as medium. 

Michael Allyn Wells

Mag 210

Celebrating National Women's History Month

A RESOURCE FOR WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

In Celebration of National Women's History Month I've put together a few resources I've found that offer us an insight into some the the accomplished women who have left their mark on history. Women if courage and character who made society a better place by their work.

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH QUIZ   How many of these 50 questions can you answer. These questions reflect some very significant women who have made great contributions with their lives.

THE STORY OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH  A history of the journey to recognize women in history and their contributions to the world.

NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY PROJECT ON FACEBOOK  Yes, Women's History comes to Facebook

A KID LIT CELEBRATION OF WOMEN'S MONTH  Creating a child's awareness early.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AS A HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION   ACLU Blog of Rights.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN  A Resource on Domestic Violence.

SAFEHORIZON  Moving victims of violence from crisis to confidence.

MARGARET ATWOOD ON LITERATURE'S WOMEN PROBLEM  Creating gender blindness in literature.

RESOURCES FOR WOMEN IN ARTS

A ROOM OF HER OWN A foundation for women writers and artists.

I'm sure there are plenty of other good resources that I have missed. But hey, I'm a guy and I'm not  perfect. (insert smile here).

So why  have I devoted a blog post to this subject?  All of us, men and women have benefited from women in our lives and it's way past time that the playing field be leveled. 

Besides of my four children I have three daughters... I guess they have raised me right. :-)

In the Moment

I am careful not to forget
but just as careful not to dwell
in the past-

today is my fragrance of choice.
It is big enough to allow for fantasy.

It is in this moment
we can walk on gravel,
we can skate on ice,
tiptoe through clouds,
and dance on air.

Just Thinking...

"Fridays are susceptible to being more horizontal than vertical." 

Confession Tuesday - Day Late Edition

Dear Reader:

It's been a week and a day since my last confession.

I came home from work tonight and had dinner with my wife and we started watching House of Cards. While doing so I set up my paints and took off my writer's cap in favor of the painter's cap. I started preparing a couple of canvasses with gesso and then began painting  on a canvass that  was already prepped and dry. But  it's after 9PM now and I confess the painter's cap would no longer do and I'm back in  writing mode.

While many writers I know ate in Seattle for AWP I confess I'm feeling a bit envious. I had thought about going but not in a proactive was that I would plan until it was just too late. I will not make that mistake next year.

But next year is a long way off. And next year is Minneapolis and not Seattle. I confess that the difference in my excitement levels on a scale of 1 to 10  is like a 10 for Seattle and maybe a 3 for Minneapolis. So my challenge this week is not to sit and be bummed out about this.

Pictured above is Susan Rich's new book Cloud Pharmacy. My plan is to read this during AWP and to continue my normal writing routine. I have two projects I'm working on presently  so it's not like I don;t have things to do.

I saw an article today with a quote by the short story writer Mavis Gallant who recently died at the age of 91
From a 1999 Paris Review interview Gallant she was quoted as saying, "...I write every day as a matter of course. Most days in the morning but some days anytime, afternoon or evening. It depends on what I'm writing  and the state of the thing. It is not a Burden. It is the way I live." Isn't that a wonderful way to view writing?

I know that this closely reflects what I am feeling these days about writing. I know I am making headway because I've even come to feel good about submissions and I used to really feel they were burdensome. Not any more.

So as AWP 14 kicks off today, I hope all my friends that have made it there or are still in route have a marvelous week networking, hooking up with friends, taking in various panel discussions, attending readings, visiting the book fair and finding lots of exciting books, oh and collecting SWAG. My all your trips home be safe and your suite cases overflow with literature. Meantime, I'll be reading and writing up a storm.