Hello again, Friday! I have been in professional development classes most of this week but I took Tuesday off to meet with another writer to discuss the “Farscape” article I am writing and I’m taking today off to “catch-up” before heading over to my MFA school – Queens University of Charlotte – where the final graduating students (including Maureen Sherbondy) will be reading at 5. There are several other events tonight so how many can I make? Alice Osborn is reading at Vin Master at 7 and then there are Queens faculty readings at 8. Oh and dinner in between? I need to save up my introvert energies to make it through all of that tonight!
I did receive some really terrific news this week! My poem “Saturday at Merchant Mill Pond” (appears in Paper House) will be re-printed in the NC Literary Trails series – Eastern NC edition!!! This is a terrific series. You can already pick up the mountain and Piedmont editions.
Also Sherry Chandler was nice enough to write a review of An Amateur Marriage on her blog. Thanks, Sherry!
Have I been telling you some of the things I’m taking for Professional Development? Such a variety from personality tests (DISC is the new one apparently) to teaching students how to learn. I was particularly excited about some ideas I picked up from a session called SCALE-UP which I think will help the workshop classroom I want to develop for the fall. That is if I ever feel confident that our schedule is REALLY set in stop. Yesterday I had a chance to spend time with one of the UNCC Writing Project people again – Dr. Sally Griffin and I learned even more new tips on using daybooks which I want to focus on more for the fall as well. I actually have an extra copy of the textbook on Daybooks called Thinking Out Loud on Paper The Student Daybook as a Tool to Foster Learning. I reviewed this last summer on the blog as well I am going to do this on a giveaway. If you want to be entered for a chance to get this book then email me (before midnight Thursday 5-31-12) and tell me in under 250 words why you’d love to have a copy.
Thank goodness for this workshop on many levels, but in particular because it gave me a chance to just write write write and the poem I am posting today was literally written during that workshop. This was written in response to the Billy Collins poem Schoolsville.
–time to revise! Thanks everyone 
This post is already a bit longer than usual for a Friday so here is the reminder: I post a piece in progress and you are free to comment on it below and/or to post (link) to your own work in progress. All works in progress will be taken down a week from today. Have a great long writerly weekend!
Wow Jessie, this is a day off? lol Just reading about how busy you are makes me want to take a nap. Much respect to you, though, for what you do and how much of it. And that is fantastic news about the poem from Paper House. Yay for writing! Lucky the student who gets to be in that workshop in the autumn. All the very best of luck with that and everything you’re doing.
Matches is fabulous. I’m not going to bang on about my other favourite poet lol, except to say fine choice. Seriously, the image of the smoker is great and I really liked the comparison of yourself to them. I love the phrase ‘some other somewhat guardian’, that’s how to say so much with a few words right there–something i need to practice myself, to be honest.
It’s been a pretty quiet week as far as writing goes really–just the odd draft and some half-formed ideas and that. I did manage to start work on something today though that I’d like to share with you all. I get the audio poem of the day from Poetry Foundation and today’s was ‘Edward Hopper Study: Hotel Room’ by Victoria Chang. A phrase in that poem, ‘Sweet chinks of mandarin’, sparked this little thing I’ve got here.
–and this poem is rounded out
the workshop presenter used the Billy Collins poem. I still need to pick up that book. I’m behind on my contemporary poetry reading!
Thanks for your kind words on my poem. I only made a few changes while typing it up so it feels pretty rough to me. I’m looking forward to working on it.
Enjoyed reading about the glass bowl. Seems it only needs a bit of tightening and focus. You can trim away lines like “All that silence pressing down on you
so heavy I could hardly breathe” because that feels a bit over said. That being said I’m intrigued by the repetition of the idea of breathe throughout the poem. That might be fun to play around with some more. You know what you want to say you just have to fine tune it a bit.
I’d say the same with the end. Perhaps a more subtle way to mention that this was the mother’s bowl – that implication of trust
Yahoo for an awesome start to Make Friday Write!
I’ve been working on every single project in front of me in avoidance of one. It is the last one on the list and I have about an hour. Finally gonna dig in
I liked it Simon! I would trim here and there, but I like the ‘breathe’ aspect of it and almost felt you could mention
pressed together
oceans and time
come together
making glass
at least the glass aspect- also, not sure you know this but lightening makes glass when it touches the sand. where beach glass comes from (okay apologize for geeky tones here LOL)
I guess I thought it might go in that direction.
Simon, I actually held MY breath when the bowl dropped. I think we can all relate to moments like those, mine was with an inexpensive but beloved by my mother set of busts of a boy and and a girl. They sat atop our piano, and one day, whoops. I felt terrible for years, and felt exactly how you describe in your poem, like you lost your mother’s trust.
I think Jessie’s ideas are good ones too for the poem, I really like the idea of repeating the the breath/breathing espcially since at that moment of it slipping you take that deep breath and stop breathing for a moment. It would be a nice way to pace the poem.
But all in all, I really liked it a lot. I like the whole idea of it, and as I said reminded me of my moment like that. I also really liked “willing the bowl to jump back into my outstretched hand” because it’s like time slows down as you picture that bowl falling and we can see what’s in your head at that very split second.
This was great, Simon . .. the idea and how it came about. My favorite part was trying to inhale all the air in the room. . .loved that! And the ending . . .I didn’t see that coming, the destroying of trust! Wonderful, wonderful . . .so glad you are here again on Fridays!
Hello Jessie and Everyone! Happy Friday!
Congrats on the NC Literary Trails series! That’s so cool. It’s like you are stamped in the history of NC now! The whole thing is pretty neat idea anyway.
Tonight’s events sound great, I hope you get to be at as many of them as you can. You always have so much going on it’s amazing.
The professional development classes you’ve been doing actually sound pretty cool as well. I love that kind of stuff. It’s always great to lean how to do what you do better. Um, unless you are a customer service rep at a dental insurance company, then the classes are tedious. Ha ha. (Thinking of you as claims adjuster in that sentence as well, lol) Seriously though, between you and my Prof friend at CSUN, sometimes I just want to go back to school and take a boatload more English classes and teach too. But then I’d be like 100 years old….so…..
ANYWAY…..
Here’s my poem. I wrote it the day after my court experience this week. The asteriks are only there to let you know those lines should be in italics–they’re not actually part of the poem.
and as usual, when I make long lines, they don’t always fit on here, but you get the idea.
–this poem is out west, with some of mine!
Please imagine it as one big chunky paragraph, no spaces inbetween lines, because it’s meant to be read more like one continuous sentence without all the breaks that show up here. Just sayin.
Oh Val, you are at it again. I just love the language you use . . .vermouth and vodka, big-top of justice, glass drinking bird barometers, to cut and paste a child together. So . . you gonna send it to him?
love it!
Hahahahahaha!!!! Maybe after our final court date!!!!
Love the idea of.working in the big top as an extended metaphor. I think you can okay with it even more! Courtrooms are kind of a surreal circus
I remember my insurance continuing ed very well! The worst was a day long session on flood insurance *shiver *
Hmmm. I will make the other metaphors more circus-y then. Your advice always polishes things up.
Thanks!
Is that the day that you wrote about in that essay that’s up for an award? That essay was awesome.
OMG, I had to re-type my post because the first one just disappeared, and when I re-typed, I totally forgot to mention your poem, Jessie….AWKWARD….
See what I mean? This computer is playing with me today….ugh I wasn’t done! I loved your poem! Even a little rough as you say, it’s great. The descriptions are fantastic, and of course the ending. You always have a way of making the reader relate to everything that’s really great. I always picture your scenes as if I’m standing right there in them.
Congratulations Jessie, on being in the NC Literary Trails series! How exciting is that? And for the great interview by Sherry. And for just being you and doing all that you do, to the best of your ability. You wow me!
The poem was wonderful . .. classic Jessie! I loved the title and the lines about body spray and book learning and “how did I not know I smelled like a bar?” So good!
Haven’t written as much lately. .. again. But not stressing! haha! This is from a few weeks back.
–hope this poem is no longer lonely!
I’ll be back to comment on the other wonderful poems!
Happy Friday!
I love this Debbie! You always say so much in so few words. That final line “by lone increments” is perfect!
My comment from last night did not go through. Ugh. I guess I wasn’t logged in again. Sorry guys.
Val. I always like your stuff, same with Debbie. I wish we could see the actual format of it. It is a prose Val? I agree with Val, Debbie…love the ending. You always get me with those.
I also love the ending on this one! Nice crisp imagery
I’m wanting to work on the linebreaks more in mine because the lines you picked out towards the end are the ones that resonate for me as well.
Jessie, seems I read some of this on facebook and in google+ before hear. Congrats on the poem. I look forward to reading it. I guess all this teaching stuff you do has to bring on a poem such as this. Were you came from to now…lol…I feel that way most times, but embrace some of the poorer habits I still might have
My poem is up with a prompt photo today, so ‘Enjoy’
Hi E
cool how you linked your poem today! I like the idea of your poem–of not remembering the things along the way, but the pictures you have of the destination brings it all back, and that you’ll always have that memory to lock away in your “mental box”….
What a great idea and photo too, to write from! I so want to be able to just touch and retrieve into my memory box! Thank you for sharing with us today! We need you!
I’ll be heading over to check yours out
everytime I think I’ve moved on from reflecting on childhood something or someone brings a whiff of a memory back up!
Great stuff Jessie! Hope you can find more time to relax between all of the Personal Development stuff
I am! No work this extended weekend
Thanks so much Jessie for those great suggestions. I have a few things to play around with there!
E, great idea! I didn’t know about lightening making sand glass, I love it.
I really enjoyed your poem, too. ‘daylight filled landscape, ‘ is great. 
And ah, memory. I had one of those, once. lol
Thanks so much Val. Yep, I reckon it’s happened to a great many of us, in one way or another.
I loved Jessie’s suggestions, too, I didn’t even notice that breathing was a repeated element, but I can see how, now. this poem is fabulous as always. I absolutely love ‘screamed like a freeway billboard ‘, and so much more of the language. Such a powerful poem! 
Debbie, this is awesome. ‘creeping forward by lone increments’ is marvelous.
And thanks so much for your lovely comments. I’m so glad to be back here reading such great poetry. 
And I Love all the smileys