Monthly Archives: April 2011

Friday Wrap-Up

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For some reason I feel if I say “whew! what a week!” I’ll be repeating myself . .. but, that’s how I feel today!

This was the last full week of classes. We’ll be back on Monday and Tuesday for final “stuff” then exams will start, but I – of course – will be doing my best to focus on my teaching demo for Wednesday. I have lots of ideas for it, but I need to take my normal weekend class prep time to prep the demo.

I managed to work on submission packets today after one class this morning, a good walk and then an even better (but oh so filling!) lunch with a fellow poet and teacher friend.

  • Submissions:  6 sets of things between non-fiction, fiction and poetry. No fiction chapbook out today (no where to send) and I was too lazy to do special formatting so no pictures went out. I also didn’t have a publisher or contest that was due this week for my manuscript so that is waiting for more things to open in May.
  • Accepted: more details soon but my 4th chapbook was accepted for publication! Waiting on contract before it is all official, official
  • Rejected: 5 although one of these confused me and was one I had already pulled from 2009!. The rest all had comments which was really great, including a note from the wonderful Beloit Poetry Journal!!

On a side note on the publication path, my first full length Paper House now has the option to buy a signed copy and receive a free digital copy. I’ve updated my Paper House page on this site but that link takes you through to my publisher. Neat! Paper House has been out for a year now. Can you believe it? I can’t! It has also been three years since my first chapbook was accepted for pub and almost two since the first two came out. Time flies!

So exhausting, yet amazing, week. Time to unpack my school bags and crack open a root beer I think.

Did you guys submit your work this week? Any news on the items you did send out?

You know I’d love to hear from you :)

Have a great weekend.

Thursday Poem Share

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For some reason, wordpress turned off comments on my post yesterday? I fixed that in case you guys had any questions on that. But, on to today.

I can report in that I have a poem in the new issue of Georgetown Review. Lovely looking journal that I can’t wait to read. Print so think about support a college lit mag?

Last night I read through the last 12 pages of The ECCO Anthology of International Poetry which is the last book I had from my trip to Boston and the wonderful Poetry Only Bookstore Grolier’s.  I found a lot of new international poets to admire with one of my favorites being the Japanese poet Kazuko Shiraishi. This will be a great book to go back to but perhaps too many poets to admire for me to add everyone to my Goodreads list just now!

What to post for you today? Let’s go to the pending list!

–and now I’ll go translate that poem :)  

and when I say this poem is from Salman Rushdie I mean I randomly pulled words from a short story of his I was reading for my World Literature 2 class. I’m not even sure what words I pulled now!

As always, feel free to comment on my poem and/or to comment on the poems that others post (or link to) in comments. I will remove any poems next Thursday so you don’t have to worry if you are sending them out for submissions.

For those of you finishing up NaPoWriMo (and Poem a Day Challenge) stick with it! We are almost there.

And, for everyone else, why not finish poetry month with reading a poem a day?

I’ll be hearing some poetry tonight at the Concord Writers Night Out starring Helen Losse!

Writing Wednesday

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First off, slightly off topic, why don’t you stop by the Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere poll and vote? I MAY be up for it! My chances look pretty slim but I appreciate, most of all, Robert Lee Brewer nominating me for it! Have you guys been keeping up with the NaPoWriMo prompts over at Poetics Aside?

I haven’t had much time to write this week, although I have kept up -albeitly without much I’d call a “keeper”- with the Poem a Day writing. Even if, once in a while, it means two a day to make up for a missed day. Any writing energy has been focused on thinking of what I’ll present for a teaching demo I have next week…

But, I like that one of our new commentors, Catherine, mentioned this to me in comments: Why don’t we do the five words as a writing prompt?

I’m going to randomly pick five words for you. You do not have to post the results here or tomorrow on Thursday poem share although it would be interesting to see all the variations that people come up with!

Your 5 words are:

  • nest
  • driven
  • tear
  • road
  • poke

How did I find these words? I went to an issue of bear creek haiku (a little lit mag) and randomly pulled words from different haikus.

Good luck!

Tuesday Shout Outs

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Can you believe it is almost the end of the month? Those of us who get paid once a month do… ha!

  • First up I’d like to remind anyone in the area to come here Helen Losse read as our first featured reader at Concord Writers Night Out on Thursday! We’ll be there starting at 5 to chat about writing, but reading starts at 7 with open mike to follow. You have to sign up for the open mike by 6:45.
  • Next up I’d like to mention a new small press/workshop venture by a friend of mine based in the Norfolk, VA area. Stop by and consider submitting your work to Copaiba and/or supporting an organization that has the aim of helping veterans.
  • For another Charlotte area event stop by Green Rice Art Gallery on Friday for the Main Street Rag/Iodine reading. Free wine and cheese with featured readers and the open mike to follow. Starts at 7.
  • Also this weekend is the NCWN Spring Conference! It isn’t too late to sign up and there are also lots of great booksellers there if you aren’t able to attend other events. This event is in Greensboro where I just was on Sunday so not sure if I am making it back for a second visit although it is only an hour or so away . . .
  • And speaking of art and poetry etc why not take a peek at ArtSync Magazine?
I, as it obvious from this list, have not had as much time as I’d like to read and watch TV because I have so few shout outs this week!
But, I’ll keep storing them up and perhaps this summer I’ll just have a ton for you :)

MFA Monday

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For your seminar this morning I’m going back to a topic I advised I would bring up again in variation.

Former NC Poet Laureate Fred Chappell published a book titled Shadowbox. The link takes you to the Google Books version where you can read excepts as well as the theory behind the work that Fred completed with this book. The idea behind Shadowbox is to create poems within poems. This is an intriguing but daunting task.

Below is also a video I took of Fred and his wife reading one of these types of poems:

The goal of MFA Monday isn’t to necessarily say you should write a poem like this, but rather it is so we can discuss.

So here are some questions for discussion:

  • What do you think of the poem Fred invented?
  • Have you ever tried to invent a form yourself?
  • Do you like writing in forms? Why or Why not?

So – let’s get chatting :)

Friday Wrap-Up

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Another busy week for all I’m sure!

I had my phone interview earlier this week and I’m waiting to hear whether or not I’ve made the cut to the next level of the interview process. Nerve wracking, but exciting :) I had a variety of meetings and get-togethers in between classes so it is strange to be off today. I was still up early and I decided to push through some submissions and some grading. I’m done with the submitting for the day, but I’ll be back to the grading this afternoon after a short break. Can I finish them all?

  • Submitted: 4 sets. 1 of photos. 1 story and 2 sets of poems. No books or chapbooks to go out this week.
  • Accepted: Big goose egg on that this week!
  • Rejected:  3. 2 sets of poems and 1 story although two of those are assumed declines at over 6 months. Pulling those items for revision. LOTS of revision going on today!
What have you guys been up to? Any submitting? How’s the writing? I’m pulling things from my notebook but I missed NaPoWriMo last night so I’ll be playing catch up on that.
Also I have a lot of great news over at Referential
And in the interim, SMILE, it is Friday and this is hysterical  :)
Have a great weekend!

Thursday Poem Share

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Hello Thursday poem share crowd! How it is going? Especially those of you doing NaPoWriMo/Poem a Day Challenge?

I have to give a shout out to the winner of the 2009 November Chapbook Challenge from Poetic Asides because I finished Nancy Posey’s resulting chapbook (that is now published) titled Let the Lady Speak and it is fantastic! I actually published one of the poems that appears in the collection titled Hungry over at Referential. This is a really excellent example of a chapbook. Nancy compiled poems that relate, but are not overly themed under the heading of “Let the Lady Speak.” Nancy’s voice is clear and engaging which makes it a great read for women and men of all ages. I think you might see yourself in at least one of these voices (accidentally tie in to yesterday!) that speak in this book which just might also include some famous figures . . . you have to pick up the chapbook to find out.

Speaking of voices and poems not quite like you. I was at a reading and was challenged by another poet to use 5 specific words in a poem. This is the poem (which feels very different from what I normally write) that resulted after maybe two drafts. Can you pick out what words you think might be the ones she gave me?

–and the poem is gone!

-

As always, I want to see your poems or hear about what you are reading/writing below. Any poems posted (including mine above) will be removed next Thursday so you can send them out into the world if you so desire :)