Monthly Archives: August 2012

Thursday Poem Share

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Welcome back to Thursday Poem Share my friends! I have had very little to write over the last week, but I’m posting a poem below, and then I’ll continue my discussion below it. I did send another version of my 3rd poetry manuscript out this week to another contest. I’m making a list of publishers who take online submissions as well as poets with more than one book. Individual poem submissions? Need to write more to get some out there!!!

–and that poem is gone!

I actually have some slight formatting on this, but I don’t think it is all that important to your reading of the poem. In fact, I find this poem quite disappointing. It felt good to write – something, but this isn’t a poem I think I’ll keep. Why? Maybe it is obvious. But – for me – there are two issues: 1 – the poem kind of bores me so why would it interest a potential audience? 2 – it is very similar to some other poems I have written in the past; there is nothing new here (thus the boring?)

I had some ideas for some fiction projects recently, but along with them and this poem I found myself tired and bored. I want something new and fresh to say (in fact how boring is it that I just keep saying boring?). I’m fighting for it. I worry that maybe I’ll never get back to finding words that are “unique” or that interest me, but then I have to remember that writing is my lifelong path. I want to be like the sushi chefs in Jiro Dreams of Sushi
forever trying to improve.

There is actually a good article in the new issue of Poets & Writers – the MFA issue about whether or not creative writing can be taught. So much of it is desire and practice. I need to work on both of those to keep myself on this journey.

So that’s what I’m challenging all of us with this week: to just keep trying. Sometimes I feel like giving it up, but I remember the years I didn’t write at all and they were truly boring, far more than the quiet of my “muse” right now.

Write on :)

Taking a Break

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I’m a taking a break from all the prep work, grading etc to say hello. Hope everyone is doing well, and staying busy. Although perhaps I’ve been a little too busy as I came down with a cold on Friday, and it is still lingering. One of those sore throat icky colds that isn’t bad enough to make you stay at home.

My comp 1 students have been journaling, and starting to pre-write their first personal essay which is a narrative/reflective type essay connecting to whatever theme they picked for the class. My comp 2 students, face 2 face, are refreshing their ability to research for an in-class debate next week. My online comp 2 students are researching literary terms and defining them in their own words. All these little steps towards writing bigger, and brighter things.

On my end the writing and reading are a bit slow, but I have watched quite a few things, possibly because of the cold? We went to the movies to see Beasts of the Southern Wild which I already know I’ll probably need to own because there are so many layers to it. It already has me wanting to write some fiction which I haven’t wanted to do in a very, very long time.

To be very meta we have added quite a few documentaries to our Netflix queue that relate to movie making. One that we watched was called Machete Maidens Unleashed. Who knew there was a whole industry of cheap horror flicks made in the Philippines? Even though I’m not a fan of those types of movies the documentary itself was still really interesting.

Funny note on the complication of titles is that I watched another documentary about roller derby this time one called Hell on Wheels, and around the same time we watched an episode of the AMC show of the same title which is about the rolling city that was called “Hell on Wheels” when the transcontinental railroad was being built. The TV show – eh?

I did finish one book Reflections on a Gift of a Watermelon Pickle . . . which I’m a bit torn on. It is more modern poems for younger readers, but I wasn’t really drawn to that many of them to be honest with you. Perhaps I’ll donate it to a library? Although the final poem (the title poem) is brilliant, and the book was a great reminder about how wonder some of William Carlos Williams and ee cummings work can be for a variety of readers.

One hour before my next of two classes for the day. Back to work :)

Thursday Poem Share

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That’s right! Thursday poem share is back :) I won’t be doing Make Friday Write anymore because my teaching/life schedule just makes it a bit easier for me to do two blogs a week: Tuesday and Thursday. So Tuesday will be miscellany like reviews, interviews, general thoughts while Thursday’s will be the usual place to share. I’ll post a work in progress (doesn’t have to be poetry as the title says), and I’ll take down my work and any you post a week from today.

Today I’m actually going to post a fragment. I haven’t been writing much, and I had to force myself to do SOMETHING. So I decided to take a little poem character I had created, and I added him into a limerick. I have two stanzas in limerick form, and we shall see where it goes in the future. Anyone else played much with light verse? Not normally my thing.

–and the poem is outta here!

I’m hoping before my last class of the day i will also have time to work on submission packets or I won’t send any work out this week. It looks like the manuscript I sent out last week may have gone to a contest that is actually for first books. Um. When I looked it up I made a point of looking for that and I didn’t see it anywhere on their site. Hopefully I can get a refund. Le sigh.

Nothing published recently, but I did find out I will be moderating a panel at AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) which is in Boston this time around. March 2013 that is. My panel is “Stranger in a Strange Land? The Poet in the Composition Classroom.” I have lots of time, but I’ll have to start the planning process, especially if I want to do any research.

I did finish a new to me literary magazine recently popshot. It is out of the UK and works off themes with poetry and illustrations tied together. There are also a few interviews with poets. Nice slim magazine with a great look. I loved the interviews, but I didn’t find myself blown away by the poems exactly. Whenever I try to work too hard on a particular theme I have trouble coming up with a “strong” poem. I also see that when submissions come in to Referential that are trying to hard to refer to a specific piece. Just my subjective thoughts on it.

Hope you guys have had a great week, and that you have some work in progress to share and/or thoughts on the world of writing. I’m here :)

Two Days a Week?

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I’ve looked over how my semester is going, and I think I’ll be moving to a two day a week blog schedule unless I have some kind of special post. That means Tuesday’s will be for reviews, summaries, sum-ups, and interviews while Thursday will go back to being Thursday Poem Share. Hope that works out well for everyone else :)

The only book I have finished recently was Syren by Angie Sage. This is a young adult series I have been reading for a while, but I don’t know that I’ll read the last book. Still a decent series, but I think I’ve grown a bit bored with it. Especially given that two new books were out and I didn’t even realize it!

Apparently I’ve been more wrapped up in getting things ready for classes, and watching more film such as Why We Laugh which is a fantastic look at the history of African-American comedy. I can think of ways to use that in class. Everything seems to come back to that for me, most of the time, but especially during the semester.

Like watching the movie Everything Must Go and realizing it is based on a short story by Raymond Carver which could work really well for literary analysis discussions! Also, for you guys, just good reading/watching to see how stories are adapted for the screen. Always an interesting topic for me.

We also went to the theater and had a good laugh at ParaNorman although, for those with young children, I say it should be geared towards older children.

I have a few other ones I could mention, but I have class in – um – like 15 minutes so perhaps I should get ready for them. Just kidding – I’m SO ready :)

And it involves candy.

Make Friday Write

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I’m ducking my head in as my first week (well half week) of classes finishes up. I have some notes that I want to work on for a possible poem, but I don’t actually have a new poem to share with you. Sorry! That happens :)

I did have some poems rejected recently from another journal I really love that had personal comments so that was terrific news to receive. Funny the one they commented on I still felt was strong so I sent it back out without any other revisions. I think the right editor will take it, someday.

I had double good news from “Wild Goose Poetry Review” this week in the form of one of my own poems appearing in their virtual pages, and a review of An Amateur Marriage. You should stop by to read the issue, and I bet you’ll find some other very familiar names there. I also read the latest issue of decomP online. But, mostly I’m just getting back into the swing of the semester. My last class of the week is in 30 minutes, and then I need to finish some prep work before I can head home and start on one of my other jobs which involves laundry. LOL.

I still hope those of you who might have poems to post this week (or other genres) will feel free to share in comments. I will still take them down a week from today. I’m also looking at potential textbooks for new writers so if you have ever used a multi-genre (or two-genre say fiction and poetry) book that you thought was just awesome how about give it a shout out here?

Hope everyone had a great week, and I’ll “see” you soon :)

Back to School

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I thought I’d do a blog post today about the first day back to school :)

  • Up at 7 and out the door by about 7:40 because there is so much construction around campus related to interstate 85 work. Managed to get some Starbucks breakfast (need my tea!) and was in my office by 8:10am.
  • Caught up on some email etc before my first class at 9am. Comp 1. Hurrah for 100% attendance on the first day of class!
  • Back to my office after 9:52 for office hours from 10-10:50. Checked in on my one online class (comp 2 – Literature Based Research) and thrilled to see a few people have already logged in and are starting to participate in the first Ice Break activity.
  • Good 11am class and now back to my office to update their class notes online and to check in on my online class. Some of the 9am students have already completed part of their Scavenger Hunt first day activity! Way to go guys. One more class to go today, and then registration to help with tonight. So love having an office where I teach because I can grab quick snacks in my room in between classes.
  • Whirlwinded through my 1pm class, and now I’m playing catch up in the office before registration (drop/add) starts at 4:30. I have to help till 6:30 which means today is a day off from working out. Heck. I’m just hoping to feel up to cooking dinner since I won’t be home till 7 or 7:30.
  • Then – start all over tomorrow morning.

On tap for tomorrow is drop/add help from 9-10:30, then two classes and office hours which will have me on campus until at least 4pm. I may have another appointment that will keep me from helping with registration at 4:30 tomorrow (last day of drop/add) so we shall see.

In between I need to keep checking my online class, and grading the scavenger hunts that come in for my comp 1′s. Tomorrow are my comp 2 classes which are longer, but they will already know some of the school basics. Oh yeah – and planning, planning, planning…

Does it stop? :)

Monday Measure Up

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Today is technically a faculty break day. I actually thought about going into the office since campus is open, but then I realized I could get a lot done at my desk at home – so here I am.

And here I am thinking back over the last week. I had a pretty decent week, especially towards the end of the week in regards to working on my healthy lifestyle, but I had a bit of a hiccup in it last night. We were out of town to celebrate my mother-in-laws birthday. We went out to eat. I didn’t make the best choices. I have done so well gathering good things around me in most circumstances, but eating out WITH OTHER PEOPLE is still a bit of a problem.

I could use yesterday’s dinner as an excuse to just give in, but I don’t want to do that. Part of me wants to pout at how hard I have worked this summer with no results on the scale, but I’m not going to let those voices take me over.

What I should measure by, and remember, is how I jogged a mile for the first time in my life. How I’ve removed pretty much anything that has more than one ingredient from the house. How my husband and I often share meals when we eat out. How I finished a whole yoga class without having to stop except for water.

Those are the little measuring sticks I am going to focus on as I finish my late breakfast of grapes and a cheese stick. So good. So simple. So much better than the sad Chinese buffet that was last night’s dinner. How can people enjoy those things? Although, I used to love them immensely and went probably once a week.

Keeping up my baby steps :)