Confession Tuesday - I Dance for Books Edition~

Dear Reader:

It has been untold weeks since my last confession.  I truly have been a fallen-away blog confessor, but I'm back.

I confess that as I write this, I have a handful of Brach's Peanut Butter Cup Candy Corn.  I recall a brochure in today's mail from my health insurance provider suggesting it would be a good idea to add just one more veritable a day to our meals. Candy Corn qualifies as a vegetable. Right?

Since my last confession I attempted to update my eye glasses, now several years overdue. Upon going to the eye doctor they decided that I needed some holes in my eyes to relieve pressure to help prevent angle-closure glaucoma. This procedure was done with laser to make tiny holes in the iris. This procedure pushed back a couple of weeks getting new glasses. Now I am awaiting my new ones to arrive any day. I am anxious because reading with my currently outdated glasses makes my eyes tired and that sucks when you want to read a good book for very long.

Yesterday, I was elated to receive a copy of Ada Limon's new book Bright Dead Things in the mail.  I was first introduced to Limon's poetry a couple years back via an NPR segment that featured her book of poetry titled, Sharks in The River. I very much loved the title poem from the book.

As an extra bit of excitement, I saw last night that Bright Dead Things was on the list for National Book Awards for Poetry. How cool is that!  Congratulations Ada Limon!

I have 4 more books that should arrive from Amazon tomorrow. I confess that I have become spoiled by Amazon Prime; especially since I waited over a month recently for a chapbook direct from a press. I would be on cloud nine if my other books and my new glasses were to both arrive tomorrow. I think I would be downright giddy with excitement. If you see me doing the Snoopy Dance, you know they came.

So, I suppose you have heard that Facebook is getting a Dislike Button. I recall in my early days on Facebook I so wanted a Dislike Button. Hell, it seems like everyone did. But I grew out of it over the years. Or, maybe I'm just so tired of the fact everyone seems not to like this or that, or this person or that person and after a while I just get drained by all the negativity.  I've been an opinionated person all my life. I suspect I verbalized which baby foods I liked and disliked with great expression as an infant. Well, it wouldn't surprise me. I've been a politically active and engaging person since even before I was voter age. I follow issues especially those on a national and international level.  I confess that this election cycle that is unfolding is one of the harshest I've ever witnessed. I'm not even talking about "dirty politics." No, what I am referring to is simply how negative some candidates and voters are in terms of some hot button issues. With all the various problems facing America today, to invest such negativity and hate in the direction of immigrants is sickening to me. This whole mindset has me wondering how likely I am to go nuclear with a Dislike Button.

I confess that I have the cutest little writing companion curled up on my left. I confess that Madison makes me smile.... most of the time.  ;-)

Until next time ~ be safe & happy!

Magpie 284 - The Elixir of All Things Living

Magpie 284 writing prompt

Here,

we've come to fullness.   We come to the clay shaped 

by the hands of God.      To folds of earth, to mountains chiseled, 

                                                                 to white vapor on blue linen.

  

        We taste the sky, the earth in alchemy...  

                     salt, the shaker,            the maker of all things green.

The sweetness of grass, 

                        the sent of moss, 

                the raw of iron

             and we taste an elixir of something monumental in the air;

                                                                             sweet nectar of God.  

Magpie 284

Michael Allyn Wells

Labor Day Weekend DIY Writing Retreat

Starting this afternoon I am dog sitting for a family member and starting a Labor Day Weekend Mini Writing Retreat. I have reading material and essential writing material all ready. I want to focus hard on cranking out some new poetry. 

A few of the books I'm taking along...

• Creative Journal Writing - Stephen Dowrick 
• Stones of the Sky  - Pablo Neruda  / James Nolan Translated
• The Children's War and other poems -Shaindel Beers
• Trauma Mouth - Jessica Smith
• The Art of recklessness - Dean Young
• Hourglass Museum - Kelli Russell Agodon
• The Routledge Companion to Experimental Literature

I hope to be able to report this was a success come Monday night.

Summertime & Reading = Poets Crush List Time

If you are looking for poets to read this summer I offer you my 2015 Poets Crush List.  These are poets who I presently cannot get enough of.  I haven't done a PCL since 2013 - for some reason I missed last year but here goes....  the envelope please. (these are in no special order because they are all special.

• Dean Young - I first met Dean Young in Kansas City as I was monitoring a Masters class at UMKC.  I read is 2011 book Fall Higher and was very taken by the abstraction of his writing. I was further intrigued by the class which lead me to purchase his book, The Art Of Recklessness. A truly cerebral examination of the art of poetry. I still pick up these books and read from them from time to time.
• Sandra Beasley - I read Sandra's blog (Chicks Dig Poetry)  for a number of years now. She is not near as active a blogger as she once was but I got to hear her read this spring in Minneapolis where she was a featured reader at AWP15. Upon returning  home I read her book Theories on Falling. This dead to the purchase of I Was The Jukebox, and her most recent book Count The Waves. Her approach to the craft of poetry leaves you feeling  excited. 
• W.S. Merwin - This man is like one of the Deans of contemporary poetry. A national treasure that I return to reread frequently. He has historical ties to some many ineradicable poets who have since left us. I believe this must inform his work in some way. I own two books of his many. They are Migration and The Shadow of Sirius. His work feels very organic to me. 
• Kelli Russell Agodon - wow! The energy, the inventiveness, Poet and Editor. She is co-editor of Two Sylvias Press which she claims happened as an accident, This Press is doing some magnificent things including but not limited to the Poet Tarot Cards. But that's not why Kelli is on this list. She has published one Chapbook and three poetry collections. All three noteworthy in my opinion. Letters From The Emily Dickinson Room, her second collection really resonated with me. So much so that as her third collection was about to be released I knew it would be good but could it top Letters. Well it did! Hourglass Museum was an adventure that rocked my world. It's a journey both through her museum between pages but a life study of what it means to be an artist/writer/poet! I wish all good things for her growing press, but I hop it never takes her away from her own writing. 
• Marry Biddinger - Mary is another editor and writer. I saw her at AWP15 and have three of her books that have been very much to my liking and she has won me over as a fan of her work. The first Saint Monica and the second  O Holy Insurgency grabbed my attention as they both were rooted in Catholic culture which I enjoyed. The most recent A Sunny Place with Adequate Water merged the pas and the present in surrealism. 
• Jessica Smith - I can thank Jessica for my somewhat new interest in experimental poetry. I own two of her books, The Organic Furniture Cellar and her newest Life-List.  Jessica is also a birder, which is pretty cool. I got an opportunity to meet her at AWP15 as well. 

There you have it.  If you have not read any of these poets or their books, there is still time to incorporate them into your summer reading.

Meet Madison

Madison has a new home with us. He is a a long haired Dachshund that is approximately 2 months old. He is a rescue dog that we adopted.

Madison has a lot of energy. Sometimes he will climb up in a chair in my writing studio and keep me company as I write. Sometimes he prefers to take the approach, Writing? I think not. I want to wrestle with you and sharpen my baby teeth on you arm, elbow or whatever I can get my mouth around.

Madison is a kisser and not at all bashful about it. This may be a normal Dachshund trait because over the years we have had two others. Barron and Barry. We lost Barry just this last year.

Madison and Silas, our German Shepard rescue dog both seem to agree with each other. So far they play well together.  Right now, his favorite things seem to be eating, licking, and making sure his teeth work.

I predict that he will learn to like poetry, support me in my writing, and enjoy watching San Francisco Giants Baseball with me.

The Liquid Soul...

“How we need another soul to cling to, another body to keep us warm. To rest and trust; to give your soul in confidence: I need this, I need someone to pour myself into.”  -Sylvia Plath

Confession Tuesday - The Wednesday Edition

Dear Reader:

I realize it's Wednesday but let's just pretend for a moment it's Tuesday. I'm not asking you to to relive a work day for a second time, the Monday through Friday stretch is bad enough. Just allow me to back date my Confession Tuesday. Sort of like special dispensation.

Friends, it's been like 5 weeks since my last confession. This It's been a hot wet mess of a 5 weeks. While it's been cooler the past two days, rain remains in the forecast ahead. I confess I at done with it!

In the day before my last confession I very excitedly ordered a book from a small press. I had discovered another really remarkable poetic voice and wanted to read their book. So that's been five weeks ago. Call me spoiled by Amazon two day shipping but I am really bummed out awaiting for the book five weeks later. I'm not going to name the press because I understand that many small presses are understaffed and we need to support these independent presses.  I'n not worried about getting the book. I have communicated with them by e-mail and I understand that is should be shipped this week. Sometimes it is just hard to contain the excitement when you discover another poet you want to read. There are some small presses out there I have had excellent experiences with. White Pine Press, Black Lawrence Press, Two Sylvias Press to name a few. I confess the best way to buy books is at a book table at AWP. You get to walk away with them, and if you are fortunate, you can get them signed. You can start the book before you leave on on the flight home.


There has been an aspect of these past couple of weeks that has been difficult. I mean more so than disappointment over the long wait for a certain book.

We lost a very special dog in our household. Klaus was a struggler and a survivor. He overcame so

much in the years he was with us, including paralysis.  He was my daily shadow and I miss him. On Saturday I confess that I lost it and broke down in tears. Saturdays I often was the only one here during the day and he stuck to me like glue. I was lost without him.

There are several triggers in the house that tend to make me think of him and I choke up.   It's going to be so hard without him.