Bernadette Geyer

Coming in March - Split this Rock Poetry Festival 2012

2012-01-27T10:11:00.000-05:00

I wanted to pass along this notice about the upcoming Split this Rock Poetry Festival, which is happening in March:

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Split This Rock Poetry Festival
March 22-25, 2012

Washington, DC

Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness invites poets, writers, activists, and dreamers to Washington, DC, for four days of poetry, community building, and creative transformation. The festival features readings, workshops, panel discussions, youth programming, parties, activism—opportunities to speak out for justice, build connection and community, and celebrate the many ways poetry can act as an agent for social change.

As people’s movements ignite here at home and throughout the world in response to economic inequality, political repression, and environmental degradation, the festival will consider the relationship of poets and poetry to power and to the challenges to power. We will also celebrate the life and work of poet-essayist-teacher-activist June Jordan on the 10th anniversary of her death.

Split This Rock calls poets to a greater role in public life and fosters a national network of socially engaged poets. Building the audience for poetry of provocation & witness from our home in the nation’s capital, we celebrate poetic diversity and the transformative power of the imagination.

click here for complete details and information on how to register

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If you use Goodreads, or have a book listed on Goodreads, check this out!

2012-01-25T16:32:00.000-05:00

If you are on Goodreads, you may have already received this notice. If you have a book listed on Goodreads but haven't been following their announcements, please read the following notice, which I received from them today.

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As you may have noticed, Goodreads is transitioning to new sources of data for its book records. For years, we've used Amazon's data, and while they have always had certain restrictions and requirements, those terms have gotten harder and harder to adhere to. We have been working diligently to find a new, independent source of data. Amazon has given us until January 30 to stop using their data, and we have to meet this deadline.

So what does this mean for you, the author? First, please be assured that your books will not lose a single rating, review, or to-read shelving. We know how important reviews are to you, and we promise that 100% of that data will remain after this switch.

A few of your books may need to be rescued, though, to ensure that the reviews and ratings don't migrate, temporarily, to a blank book record. Rescuing a book is easy, especially since, as the author, you own all of your data and don't need to enter a source.

To see which of your books need to be rescued, click the link below:

Rescue your books!

To rescue a book, click on the "Rescue Me!" button to the right of it. Enter the appropriate information, and click "Submit."

Please note: If you are published by CreateSpace, Kindle Direct Publishing, or Amazon Publishing, your books will not need to be saved. We will be getting a direct feed of all books from those sources from Amazon in the future.

So please rescue your books before the January 30 deadline. It takes only a few clicks, and your books will remain on Goodreads for new readers to discover, shelve, and review. Thanks for helping us provide the best and most accurate book data possible!

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I am posting this notice because I have a lot of friends whose chapbooks and out-of-print books may be at risk of being deleted. If you are not a Goodreads user, and don't really care if your book is listed, then never mind. But I have loved being on Goodreads and have found it to be a valuable resource and a great way to keep track of which books I've read -- especially if I've already gotten rid of the book or had borrowed it from the library -- and to see what my friends are reading and what they thought of certain books before I buy them to read.

So please take a look and see if your book needs to be rescued! It's very easy. You just use your copy of the book to fill in a few bits of information and that's it. Then you can be sure your book will remain listed on this great resource for book-lovers!

Setting Goals for 2012

2012-01-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

Over the past week, I've been thinking of some goals for this new year. As January O'Neil said in her 2012 Poetry Action Plan, "Be realistic about what can you achieve. Having a focus is essential. Pick four or five goals and stick to them."

So, I have set for myself five goals for this year, not necessarily poetry-related. In no particular order:

* Figure out a better system for dealing with Frida's papers. I seriously need some way of managing those stacks.

* Begin pulling together my 2nd manuscript. I've been filling some thematic gaps, but need to figure out what's there and what is working together.

* Plant a raised garden bed. Really, I want two raised garden beds, but am realistically setting a goal of establishing one, most likely with the help of my Dad who wants a "project" to work on the next time he comes to visit with Mom.

* Submit poems to more journals.

* Finally, I want to continue to cultivate a well-rounded life of creativity, beyond poetry, to give me a more balanced way of approaching my writing.

Wishing all the best to you in 2012!

The Chair!

2011-12-30T21:03:00.001-05:00

More than 15 years ago, I bought an antique desk chair at the Georgetown Flea Market for $10.00. It was rickety back then, and grew ever more rickety over the years. As you can see, the original finish is badly flaked away. The fabric was threadbare. But I continued to love and use this chair.

Finally, I sent it back with my Dad when he visited this past spring, and asked him if he could refinish it and fix/replace the dowels as my Christmas present. I told him I'd take care of reupholstering the seat if he could just do the rest.

When I went back to Pittsburgh for Christmas and saw what he'd managed to do to revive the chair, I was thrilled! Today, I went to G Street Fabrics and found a fantastic upholstery remnant and recovered the seat.

I even have enough fabric left over to do a small ottoman or pouf!

The chair is now complete, and I'm looking forward to sitting on something stable as I write and revise my way through 2012...

So, how did I do on those New Year's resolutions for 2011...

2011-12-29T15:23:00.002-05:00

So, I took a look at my list of "resolutions" from last year:

1. Go out to lunch/dinner with friends more often.
2. Quality, not quantity.
3. Continue to find myriad ways to express my creativity.
4. "Work it!"
5. Figure out how to use the broiler, for real.

To be fair, I will say that I did a pretty good job at #1-4. Still didn't figure out the broiler. But as far as cooking goes, I did discover the joys of using shallots.

I remember when I was young that someone (perhaps my Mother?) told me that the way your house looks on New Year's Day is the way it will look for the rest of the year.

Because of that insanely sadistic bit of advice, I always get antsy about organizing. Especially now that we have a kid who gets toys with lots of tiny little bitty pieces that tend to get lost everywhere (thank you, inventors of Squinkies!).

So, I am now back from The Container Store where I bought two new medium sized bins and am tackling the coat closet. The baseball hats (really, how many does a person need?) get their very own bin. Winter scarves neatly folded with knit hats laying on top of them in the other bin.

For some reason this has made me supremely happy.

As an added bonus, I discovered a lovely black woolen beret. I have no idea where it came from. If you visited me many years ago and left it here, let me know.

Reading at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts - First Friday Series

2011-12-20T19:49:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends --

I will be participating in the following event down in Richmond, Virginia---

January 6, 2012, 6:00-8:00 pm - Anne Clare Hodge, John Hoppenthaler, Deborah Ager, and myself will be reading at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as part of its First Fridays series. Free and open to the public. 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia. 804-340-1400. Details here.

A big THANK YOU to the lovely poet Shann Palmer for inviting me to participate in this!

I don't give readings very often, so here's a chance to hear me read some new work and some old faves. I hope to see you there!

The Great Blue Pumpkin

2011-11-21T21:05:00.001-05:00

This year, for Halloween, I picked up a Jarrahdale pumpkin from my favorite little market, Maple Avenue Market. The Jarrahdale pumpkin is native to New Zealand and is quite distinctive for its blue-green skin. One of my neighbors is from New Zealand and she remarked that it's the kind of pumpkin she grew up with. I, myself, having grown up with orange pumpkins, could barely wrap my head around a blue pumpkin. Okay, white pumpkins have become very fashionable, so I've gotten used to them.

But blue! Just look at it...

Of course, I took to the internet to find out more about this peculiar (at least to me) squash. The folks at Maple Avenue Market said it would be good for baking and my Googling of the pumpkin backed up that statement.

So, last weekend, I decided it was time to cut into that sucker and roast it up. Here's what it looks like inside. Such a gorgeous orange I would have never imagined!

And how much flesh! My god, that took a lot of sawing. It was my exercise for the day just cutting the pumpkin into thick slices for roasting. And roast it I did...

It smelled so wonderful as it was cooking! But... be warned. If you plan to roast the pumpkin before cubing or pureeing it for freezing, plan on AT LEAST 2 hours of roasting time at about 300-350 degrees. Our oven is less than even in its heating, so I had to be sure to turn the pan occasionally. The sections that got a little overdone ended up caramelized -- Yum!

I carefully measured out 1-cup portions for use in the future, put them in individual containers, and stuck them in my freezer, making sure to leave out the required 6 tablespoons of pumpkin puree for use the next day in some Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies, based on this recipe from Skinnytaste.

They were delicious, by the way.

I hope you have enjoyed the tale of The Great Blue Pumpkin and that you will know to not fear them when you see them around for the rest of the fall and next Halloween!

Shhhhhhh....

2011-11-10T22:55:00.002-05:00

This is my left hand typing. Don't tell my right hand that I've written a few poem drafts this month.

It would TOTALLY FREAK OUT!

Thank you...

Surprise! -- And a "Nose"...

2011-11-03T21:26:00.001-04:00

Earlier this year, I reviewed the poetry collection Barney and Gienka, by John Surowiecki, on the berniE-zine blog.

I admit to being a big fan of Surowiecki's poems, as well as his verse-drama, My Nose and Me, which won the inaugural Pegasus Award from The Poetry Foundation.

I recently learned that the poetry collection from which My Nose and Me was adapted -- Further Adventures of My Nose -- is now available for free as an e-chapbook on the web site of its publisher, Ugly Duckling Presse.

I highly encourage you all to go check it out!

Also, while you're at your computer, check out this essay, by Jessica Winter, about the remarkable story behind My Nose and Me.

No Apologies

2011-11-03T20:59:00.000-04:00

Nope. I'm not gonna apologize for letting one month go since I last blogged. I'm not going to pretend or imagine that you folks are out there, hanging on my every word, wondering when I'll post again.

It's been a heck of a month. I've been:

1. Working
2. Teaching
3. Halloween-ing
4. Raking
5. Commenting on other people's poems (OPP)
6. Living
7. Dealing with painters, plumbers, electricians, dentists, and doctors

If I owe you an email, hang in there... I'm getting caught up on those as well.

One-Day Workshop on "How to Make a Living as a Copy Editor"

2011-10-05T21:18:00.001-04:00

Are you between jobs? Looking for a change in your profession? Do you find yourself constantly pointing out typos in restaurant menus and magazines? I will be leading this upcoming workshop as part of the Professional Development line of workshops through The Writer's Center.

How to Make a Living as a Copy Editor
The Writer's Center, Bethesda, Maryland
October 15, 1:30-4:00 p.m.
Fee: $50.00
Whether you are drawn to the corporate world or a freelancer’s life, this workshop will cover what you need to know to pursue a career as a copy editor. You will learn how a copy editor differs from a proofreader, how to build experience now to make a career switch later, key tips every copy editor should know, and the steps you’ll need to take if you want to work on a freelance basis.
click here for more information or to register

Hear that?

2011-09-28T21:34:00.000-04:00

That's the sound of the new rhythm I've fallen into.

Last Tuesday, I started a new copy editing job. In an office. My first foray back into the office-world since I gave birth to Frida and embarked on a five-year stint freelancing while she was napping or after she'd gone to sleep.

Starting this new chapter of my life has been a surprisingly easy transition. Luckily, the contract is part-time and, if I really need to, I can work from home.

I've been having a blast so far, but the start of the new job was coupled with the start of an 8-week online poetry workshop I'm leading through The Writer's Center. Oh, and did I mention I'm still doing that monthly fuel cell newsletter for my former employers? Yep. That was due this week as well.

So it's been a rough week and a half, working late after Frida goes to bed, and not being able to hang out with Peter and watch football as much as I would like.

But today, after the newsletter was distributed, after a productive morning at the new job, after arriving home with Frida to discover a five-leaf clover in our front yard, after sitting down and harvesting some of the lavender that I've been drying for Christmas present sachets, after commenting on the poems of my workshop participants, I realized that I am doing this. I can do this.

Two weeks ago, I was unsure. But now I know it's all gonna work out just fine.

And I WILL get to bed on time tonight!

In which I discover my inner crafter...

2011-09-14T08:12:00.001-04:00

My husband bought me a sewing machine about 10 years ago (or more!). I had wanted to start making my own clothes. Needless to say, over the past decade, he's probably gotten more use out of it for his reenacting hobby than I ever did.

Until now.

Somewhere over the past several months, I began thinking of projects involving the sewing machine. Perhaps it was the hours of pricking my fingers with a needle sewing a small canvas gym shoe bag for my daughter last year. But I pulled out the sewing machine in June to quickly whip together some lavender sachets as gifts for Frida's teachers, and the machine hasn't been put away since then.

When we were in Berlin back in August, I visited many little boutiques where the clothes were being made in the back room, by the shop owners/designers themselves (Bis es mir vom Leibe fällt, Quasi moda Berlin). Of course, the cost of quality and individuality was certainly a bit higher than for mass-produced goods such as those you find at the large chain stores in malls world-wide.

It reinvigorated my view of making clothing by hand. I saw that it could be much more than following a Vogue pattern picked up at the fabric store. Just as I am fond of winging it when it comes to making dinners (soups, stews, and quiches are what I love to experiment with), I realized that if I could learn the basics of some of the stitching techniques I saw used by the boutiques in Berlin, and by awesome Etsy clothiers I just discovered (such as Brooklyn's Fink) I could begin experimenting at home.

Until then, I am starting slow. My first, and biggest, attempt so far has been this overnight bag I made for my neice's birthday. Monogrammed, as well! I have enough material left over to make one similar for my daughter. I think for my daughter's, I will skip the top drawstring handle, and do a simple tote handle and snap closure to see how that works.

So, just as I was feeling high on my achievement with my niece's overnight bag, we received this week a lovely package of goodies from a friend who knits, crochets, and makes little stuffed animals. She had made a "yarn" out of plastic grocery bags and crocheted it into a tote for me! And now I am in awe about how much there is to learn, and how with a firm foot in the basics, you can experiment and go anywhere with your craft.

Maybe for Christmas, I'll be asking Santa for a Sewing Machine 101 class at G Street Fabrics...

A Call for Mindful Consumerism

2011-09-12T07:46:00.000-04:00

As we get back into our work routines following the end of summer and our nation’s observance of Labor Day, our leaders resume their debate over exactly how to help turn the economy around. While they argue and delay, the situation stagnates. We, as consumers, have the ability to start action whenever we want, simply through the choices we make, in deciding how to help the businesses we most value.

One major contributor to our trade deficit has been Mindless Consumerism: buying without considering where our money is going and who it is going to. While the original impetus for more Mindful Consumption and Mindful Consumerism has largely been focused on environmental issues, I think the movement should be broadened to incorporate all the benefits that can follow when we simply pay attention to where we spend our money.

Every so often we hear of “gas free day” -- when we are told to not buy gas that day as a way of “punishing” oil companies for their practices. But the problem with that meager act of rebellion is that everyone goes out and buys gas the very next day from the very same oil companies they were trying to punish the day before. Boycotts of individual mega-mega-corporations along these lines seem to come and go with little effect. What we really need to do is change our way of thinking as consumers.

Consumption is not bad in and of itself. We need food. We need shelter. We need to replace worn out clothing. We need a way to get to and from our jobs since mass transit is not available everywhere and for everyone. We need to fix or replace things around the house that break.

But what we need to do a better job at is examining the choices we make in response to fulfilling our basic needs. And if we are lucky enough to have some money left over at the end of the month, we need to do a better job at spending our “play money” wisely.

In looking at your own basic needs, here is a brief list of questions to ask yourself:

What do you really need?
Are there retailers you can support by buying what you need from them?
Are there manufacturers who produce these goods in the U.S.?

We need to completely eradicate the idea that owning a lot of cheap stuff is better than owning fewer high-quality items. Just watch any of those TV shows that go into people’s houses and help them fight clutter. Those are the ultimate “Mindless Consumers.” Ask yourself: Do you really need fifteen cheap novelty t-shirts made in a sweatshop in China, or would you rather have two or three high-quality shirts made in the U.S., with the added benefit of helping the economy?

When you have determined what you really need, think about the variety of options for purchasing what you need within ten miles of your house.

Clothing:

Big mall
Big box store
Small locally-owned retailer
Small locally-owned consignment shop
Thrift store chain
Small locally-owned thrift store

No matter what your income level, there is likely to be a small, locally-owned shop that you can support.

The same goes for food:

Big box wholesaler/warehouse club
Chain grocery store
Small locally-owned grocery store
Farmers markets

Buying locally-grown foods has added benefits:

Food does not have to travel as far and is fresher than in big supermarkets
Supporting small, local farmers keeps them in business and reduces the amount of farmland lost to giant housing developments, which in turn reduces suburban sprawl and traffic congestion
Money stays in your area

And when it comes time to treat yourself, your family, or your friends, think about all of your options:

Big box store
Chain store
Small, locally-owned store
Craft fair vendors who are local artisans

What we really need is a national call for Mindful Consumerism that looks at the greater benefits to the U.S. economy. Consumers should make sure that they are supporting the companies they feel good about supporting. Would you rather have a variety of stable, small businesses on your main street, or would you prefer to drive ten miles in traffic to a large box store and have a deserted downtown main street? The town I grew up in is an example of the latter but, when I was a kid, it used to be the former.

I don’t have to tell you how depressing it is for me when I go back to visit my parents and see what has become of the town – an abundance of vacant buildings and vandalism. You probably know a town just like it – if you don’t already live in or next to one.

I find it ridiculous that our leading “economic indicators” rely on new housing starts and car purchases – two items I know my family doesn’t constantly purchase – to determine the health of our economy. A better measuring stick would evaluate whether our nation has a thriving variety of small businesses and thriving downtowns.

We hear about the importance of diversity when it comes to our retirement/investment portfolios. We need to value that type of diversity in envisioning our main streets as well. If small towns don’t foster a variety of small businesses on their main streets, they will be forever looking towards decentralization as more space is needed on the outskirts of town for big box stores. They will be dooming themselves to becoming large-diameter circles that are hollow inside, like donuts, with sprawl and increased traffic as the icing and sprinkles on top.

To help our nation get back on its feet and to foster a thriving economy we need to pay closer attention to where we are spending our money. Take pride in your purchases. Take pride in your locally-owned businesses and in U.S.-made goods. And when you find a great local business, tell your friends about them.

Become a Mindful Consumer!

Links to Made in America lists and information:

American Made: Products and Services - http://www.madeinusa.org/
Made in America: World News with Diane Sawyer - http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/
Made in USA Certified - http://usa-c.us/p/index.php?lang=en
Still Made in USA - http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/
Toys Made in America - http://www.toysmadeinamerica.com/

Also, US-based crafters can easily be found online through sites like these:

Etsy – http://www.etsy.com/
The Crafter Marketplace – http://www.craftermarketplace.com/
Primitive Crossroads – http://www.primitivecrossroads.com/craftmalls.htm

If you are thinking about starting a small business, or if you are a small business owner looking for resources, check out the web site of the U.S. Small Business Administration, which provides a wealth of resources for small business owners. http://www.sba.gov/

Ask yourself why you want to publish a book...

2011-09-08T11:49:00.003-04:00

Sandra Beasley provides a good overview of the BlazeVOX controversy and injects her own, valuable perspective.

As a poet who agreed to purchase 100 copies of my chapbook up front (at a 50% discount off cover price) as part of my publication agreement with a press, I especially agreed with this point by Sandra (click on the quote for the full blog post):

To object to providing $250 support because it is in hard money is to get distracted from the overall point. $250 = cost of travel for two events (traveling cheap) + postage for 5 potential reviews + postage for 5 reading opportunities + a box of promotional cards. If you're not prepared to pitch in this amount three times over in the first year of publication, then ask yourself what your goals are with publishing a book with a press.

Are you looking for the validation of seeing your words in print? Then self-publish. Are you looking for the validation of being associated with a certain editorial imprint? Then respect the thousands of dollars of man-hours, comparatively, someone has sunk into building that reputation. Are you looking to sell some books and maybe even make money back? Again: be prepared to invest three times over, and then some.

In the first year following publication of my chapbook, What Remains, I scheduled 14 readings and mailed about a dozen of my chapbooks to potential reviewers. I sold out of my copies, bought more, scheduled more readings, etc. Needless to say, I made that $400 back and then some.

I was asked by a poet if that was considered a "vanity press" since we had to pay to get published. I said no. First of all, the press didn't just publish anyone who sent them a chapbook and agreed to buy copies. Secondly, I told the poet that many people whose books are accepted for publication at other presses didn't get copies up front. If they did, they were lucky if it was 10-25. They would have to buy their own copies from the press to sell anyway. Since I needed copies to sell at readings, why should I balk at buying a quantity up front? And this was pre-Facebook, pre-Twitter, pre-blogging. Just think how much easier it is for authors now to reach a wide audience of potential buyers!

Anyone who has ever worked a job where they had to have something printed - from a tri-fold brochure to a perfect-bound book - knows that the higher the print run, the cheaper it is per unit. Having a larger initial print run meant it cost less per book to print, enabling a steep 50% discount for me to buy my copies. Of course, the problem seems to be with writers who know nothing about the publishing industry.

It's like the owner of a factory who complains about the cost of operations without ever having stepped foot on the factory floor to see how his plant actually functions. Shouldn't you be aware of what it takes to publish and promote your book before you start submitting it?

And if you don't want to go through the effort of getting your book into people's hands after it's published, that's unfair to the press that accepted your book.

I can say that in all earnestness because, for several years, I volunteered for a few presses. I saw firsthand the people who, after having a book published, never put any effort into actually promoting it through readings. Some of the poets whose books and chapbooks I saw published seemed to disappear off the face of the earth after their books came out. Never published in a single journal, never scheduled a reading beyond the launch reading set up by the press. Google their name and you won't find a web site or blog. They "don't do" social media. And, of course, their books languish unsold in boxes stored in some editor's basement. Or the press pays fees for storing all of these unsold books at a big facility.

Thank goodness for the advent of POD.

Again, I stress that if you are going through all the effort of finding a press to publish your book, it is unfair for the press for you to then run screaming from putting in some effort to sell your books. Isn't the ultimate goal to get your poetry into the hands and hearts of readers and not just into the catalog of a publisher?

A Post-Labor Day Shout-Out to Some of My Favorite Local Businesses

2011-09-06T13:13:00.001-04:00

Hot on the heels of Labor Day weekend, I want to simply say THANKS to some of the local businesses (Vienna and Oakton) I love. And I want you to love and support them, too!

Maple Avenue Market (local produce, meats, cheeses, grocery) - http://www.mapleavenuemarket.com/

Out of Site Wines (wine) - http://www.outofsitewines.com/

ReFind Consignment (household items, furniture) - http://refindconsignment.blogspot.com/

The Soundry (art, coffee shop, music, events) - http://www.soundry.net/

Beekman Place (antiques) - http://vienna.patch.com/listings/beekman-place

Once Upon a Time (toys, children's gifts) - http://www.once.uponatime.com/

Toy Corner (toys, children's gifts) - http://toycorner.reachlocal.com/

Norm's Beer & Wine (beer & wine) - http://www.normsbeerandwine.com/

Silva's Patisserie (cookies, cakes, breads, pastries) - http://www.yelp.com/biz/silvas-patisserie-vienna

In Defense of the Cash Economy

2011-08-29T13:59:00.000-04:00

We recently returned from vacation in Berlin, where they operate pretty much on a cash basis. Many stores don't accept credit cards at all. While this was a pain in the neck to have to carry a bunch of cash on hand at all times, I realized that it made me a lot more aware of how much money I was spending. Which means I probably spent much less than I would have otherwise.

It was really when I bought a sweater at a little boutique and wanted to pay with my credit card that I found out one of the main reasons stores prefer cash -- the high fees charged by the credit card companies. Because I was not from Europe, the store was very accommodating to accept credit card payment from me.

I returned home still thinking about this whole issue of credit card fees, and two days later received notice from my bank that it would be ceasing its whole Rewards Program (you know, the ones based on how many points you rack up using your check card or credit card for everything?). And of course my bank blamed recent legislation limiting the fees they charge retailers for the fact that they could no longer sustain the rewards program.

Well, good riddance. I will not miss saving up 10,000 points just to get an electric toothbrush.

But the main point I wanted to make about this whole thing is that small retailers are really hurt by these fees. Especially if you walk in to make a $10 purchase that they have a $1.00 margin of profit, and then have to pay 30-40 cents to Visa for your use of a credit card. Plus, they pay a monthly fee for the ability to accept credit cards.

So, if you would like to know a simple way to support the small businesses you love, I encourage you to pay cash at those businesses. You are helping them with their bottom lines!

This Fall at The Writer's Center

2011-07-22T20:32:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be leading three workshops at The Writer's Center this fall:

The Art of Revision - 4 Tuesdays, Bethesda - 9/13/2011-10/4/2011

Poets often have folders full of poem drafts they’ve abandoned because, while they believe the draft has promise, they can’t seem to figure out how to move the draft in the right direction. In this workshop, we will explore ways to “rethink” stubborn drafts in order to breathe new life into them and ultimately—as Samuel Taylor Coleridge said—put “the best words in the best order.” click here for more info

Online Poetry Workshop - 8 Mondays, Online - 9/19/2011-11/7/2011

Don’t just sit around waiting for the muse. For eight weeks, this workshop will provide inspiration for generating new poems as well as ideas for resuscitating and refreshing old drafts. New “lessons” will be posted weekly, featuring example poems and links to additional reading. Participants will share and comment on each other’s work and will receive individual feedback from the workshop leader. click here for more info

How to Make a Living as a Copy Editor - 1 Saturday, Bethesda - 10/15/2011

Whether you are drawn to the corporate world or a freelancer’s life, this workshop will cover what you need to know to pursue a career as a copy editor. You will learn how a copy editor differs from a proofreader, how to build experience now to make a career switch later, key tips every copy editor should know, and the steps you’ll need to take if you want to work on a freelance basis. click here for more info

Seasons and Tone

2011-07-17T11:43:00.001-04:00

Every summer, I tell myself I will not worry about composing any new poem drafts. And, usually, I stay true to my word. I focus on the outdoors, planning fun outings for my daughter during the week and helping come up with family fun ideas for the weekends. I don't do very much in way of submitting poems to journals. I try to not even think about ordering manuscripts.

But, for the past three summers that I've attempted this "break" from poem-ing, July has surprised me with an idea or two that simply must be written down. The past two days have been like that for me. I love when that happens.

What I realized this year, looking at what I wrote and thinking back to the poems that came about the previous two summers, is that the tone of all of my "summer poems" has been one of weariness. The voice has a melancholy about it, and a sense of surrender.

I think this mood-shift in my poems correlates to my feelings about the heat of DC summers. By mid-July, I just admit to the defeat and hole up either in the blessed cool of the air conditioning, or head to the swimming pool. I do only what is necessary.

And sometimes, what becomes necessary is writing. Whatever it takes to get me to September.

Attitude Adjustment Day

2011-07-14T10:08:00.002-04:00

I admit I've been doing a lot more work this summer than I usually care to. Also, driving my daughter back and forth to camp for the past four weeks has taken its toll on my nerves due to the wretchedness that is DC-area traffic.

However, yesterday I dropped her off with her grandmother, who was taking her to a performance at the Smithsonian Ripley Center. Rather than heading back home to "do work" I decided to take the day off and stay downtown to visit the many free galleries that are the DC area's greatest attraction for me. In the past, when I've taken my (now) 5-year-old with me, we end up walking short amounts, resting quite frequently, and I have to endure much tugging and "how-much-longer?" distractions. We usually end up looking at exhibits geared towards children.

So, yesterday I had the ability to wander galleries and museums filled with famous paintings, sculptures, and artists I had not seen in probably a decade. I was able to wander at will. Thither and yon. For hours. Photograph at leisure. Be moved by a Renoir. Read the Hesse biography I brought with me as I ate lunch at the Pavilion Cafe (a lunch space I highly recommend!).

As I wandered the National Gallery Sculpture Garden, with its enormous Claes Oldenburg eraser and its trick-of-the-eye Roy Lichtenstein house, it struck me how grateful I am for artists who bring joy and humor to art. I remembered an exhibit at the Corcoran -- featuring Walt Disney, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol -- that highlighted their work to make art that could be appreciated by anyone, and not just rich collectors (though originals of their work do sell for a pretty penny now!).

But it makes me think about parallels in the poetry world -- poets who are damned for being accessible, for not being "academic" enough. I believe there is room for all varieties of art and writing, and that the key is fostering a love of something because of the pleasure it brings, not just its usefulness or practicality or difficulty or exclusivity. As Oldenburg pointed out with his sculpture, and Warhol showed with his Campbell's soup cans, there is beauty in even the most mundane objects. Sometimes it just takes an artist to point it out to you.

Language is Fascinating

2011-07-08T11:30:00.000-04:00

Many of you who know me personally also know that I am learning the German language. Because it is so new to me, I'm enjoying noticing how close some words are in spelling, yet how different their meanings are. A couple of examples:

Mond - the moon
Mund - mouth

Lied - song
Leid - grief

Escapism

2011-07-06T11:42:00.001-04:00

Summer always strikes me as the time to shake one's self out of routine. Get out more. So, I took the opportunity the past two weekends to "escape" my routine.

I headed out of town for less than 48 hrs during which I wrote 2 book reviews, 3 poem drafts, and revised 2 additional poems. I also read Into Perfect Spheres Such Holes Are Pierced, a powerful and moving collection of poems by Catherine Barnett, which focuses on the death of her sister's husband and children in an airplane crash. Here's an excerpt from the poem "Evening in the Garden":

At the edge of the field where rare species
had overgrown a corner of the school playground,
some kind souls built a garden.

They made a spiral path with sea glass
the children separated by color,
one boy sorting each kind of green

from every other. I looked hard for something
to like because I thought my sister,
leaning against the marble wall where her daughters' names

were carved, might want me to find beauty there.

This past weekend, I escaped to Pittsburgh for a family reunion/picnic and a thrilling day at Sandcastle Water Park, where I rode a 60-foot-high water slide, my husband braved the 85-foot-high water slide, and our daughter discovered the joy of the Wave Pool.

I admit, I'm dreaming of escaping more...

Rereading Old Journal Entries

2011-06-25T14:14:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I have to wonder when I read some of my old journal entries:

4/30/2009

Frida's Drawing & Dream

One-eyed man with two eyes
MOTO
One hand bigger than the other
He had a hip
and a fire-badge
He couldn't carry anything else
So he took off to the marshmallow room
and colored the Poho.
Signed up. CO.

Basically, Just Row.

2011-06-24T10:54:00.000-04:00

This weekend, I will be focused on writing. And when I finish writing one thing. I will write another. I have some ideas about what I want to work on, but we'll see what comes out over the next 48 hours.

So, it is very timely that I read an old essay by Julianna Baggott, one of my literary heroes, in which she dispels a few myths about writing. Particularly, the Talent Myth and the Inspiration Myth. Here's what she says about Inspiration:

I tried to tell them -- while giving credit to all those who have been encouraging as well as those who spurred me on because I wanted to prove them wrong -- that I don't rely on inspiration. If I did, I'd like sit around most days in a hammock not writing anything at all. I'd start a lot of books and never finish them.

I explained that writing is work, that I dig in, and make stuff up then work and rework.

I have given them the old Chinese proverb, "When there is no wind, row."

But with my grad students, I go a step further. "When there is no wind, row. And when there's wind, row. Basically, just row."

I love this because, as the mother of a 5-year-old, I don't always have time to write when an idea occurs. I have to scribble it down on whatever is handy and shove it in a journal for reference later. Sometimes much later. And, when I find myself with time to write, I can't just "wait for inspiration to strike"... I have to write RIGHT NOW!

So I am embarking on a 48-hour rowing mission. I will row when there is wind and I will row when there is no wind. And, hopefully, by Sunday afternoon I will have gone somewhere with my little boat.

Denali Artists-in-Residence Program

2011-06-23T14:02:00.001-04:00

Here's a great Residency opportunity! Sure wish I could be there right now instead of in the 90-degree heat of the DC area...

---------------------------------

Denali National Park and Preserve Seeking Artists-in-Residence for 2012.

National Park Service - Denali, Alaska—Artist-in-Residence Program—The Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National Park began in 2002, and offers professional artists the opportunity to pursue their work amidst the natural splendors of Denali Park.

Denali National Park and Preserve is seeking applications from visual artists and writers for the 2012 Artist-in-Residence Program. This will be the first season with an open call to writers to submit for a residency. The program is in its eleventh year at Denali, and many of the works created by artists-in-residence from previous years are on display in the Denali Visitor Center and the Eielson Visitor Center.

A link to the online application and more information about the program is available at http://www.nps.gov/dena/historyculture/arts-program.htm. Applications for the 2012 season must be submitted by September 30, 2011. Notification letters will be sent out by December 15, 2011.

Selected artists reside in the historic East Fork cabin, located 43 miles into the park, for a ten-day period between June and mid-September. In return for their residency, each artist donates a piece of artwork or written piece that was inspired by their time in the park, to the park’s collection. Artists also offer a public presentation for visitors at the end of their residency.

Submit Your Photo to Wave Books for a Chance to Win

2011-06-17T08:54:00.000-04:00

Wave Books has a great promotion going on right now ... the Summer Reading Project is posting pictures of people reading poetry books. If your photo is posted, you'll be entered in a drawing to win a 2011 Wave Books hardcover subscription!

Recent photos include: Jill Alexander Essbaum and Reb Livingston reading Lea Graham...
http://wavepoetry.tumblr.com/post/6463434552/reb-livingston-and-jill-essbaum-reading-lea

Recent titles from Wave Books include Selected Poems, by Mary Ruefle; Destroyer and Preserver, by Matthew Rohrer; and the forthcoming Notes From Irrelevance, by Anselm Berrigan.

So go get your picture taken reading poetry, and submit!

Birdhouse in My Soul

2011-06-11T19:12:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I picked up this sweet birdhouse at a store in Lucketts, VA. Not because I have a bird, but because I have cats. And because I wanted to grow an herb or two indoors on my windowsill, but wanted to protect my plants from the cats.

So, here is my little potted and caged basil, which I look forward to making many caprese salads with:

My New Crazy Summer Project

2011-06-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

I may have mentioned in the past that I am growing lavender. Well, I've decided to also harvest and dry it this summer and see what I can do with it. I'm already researching syrups, jelly, and teas. Thinking sachet gifts for family members for Christmas.

I'm harvesting on Mondays, allowing the flowers to dry during the week, then removing the dried florets on Sunday evenings. After only two weeks, this is how much I have... and the bush in the back yard hasn't even begun to bloom yet.

Tuesday Confession

2011-06-07T21:28:00.000-04:00

I confess that I cannot make gazpacho without thinking of Pedro Almodóvar's movie "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown".

I confess that I make a pretty mean gazpacho.

I confess that I have never put sleeping pills in my gazpacho.

Poet's Market Becomes a Market for Poets?

2011-06-01T08:09:00.000-04:00

In a very "meta" move, the publishers of the annual Poet's Market (Writer's Digest) will be publishing 20 poems in the 2013 edition.

Robert Lee Brewer, editor of the annual market compendium, posted the announcement on his blog yesterday.

Poets may submit up to 3 previously unpublished poems. Simultaneous submissions are allowed as long as you notify Brewer should any of the poems be accepted elsewhere. Poets whose poems are accepted for publication will receive $50.00 plus a contributor's copy of the 2013 Poet's Market.

When I first started sending my poems into the world, the Poet's Market was like a bible to me. I poured through the pages for weeks after getting a new edition, making notes and putting stars next to the publications to which I wanted to submit poems. The articles and interviews were always very insightful. I even reviewed the 2003 edition, edited by Nancy Breen.

Over the past four or five years, I've developed my own list of publications in which I want my poems to be published, but sometimes I'm completely blown away reading the poems in new publications like Think Journal and String Poet, and wonder why I've never heard of them before. Perhaps picking up a new edition of Poet's Market would be good for me...

Recipes for Poets (and others who want fast, healthy meals)

2011-05-19T21:32:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Deb Ager of 32 Poems for suggesting this Recipes for Poets event on the blog of 32 Poems magazine.

Many of you might think we poets have all the time in the world to sit around thinking & putting commas in then taking them out again before cooking ourselves elaborate meals that involve unusual ingredients we tried on our last writer's retreat in exotic location X.

Well, you'd be wrong. Most of us have day jobs. Many of us have families as well. This leaves little actual time to write.

As Deb says in her blog post: "Since most poets have other work that takes their attention away from art, it’s important to have time management skills. One of the many ways I save time is by cooking healthy meals that do not take long to prepare."

So, we participating poets are posting healthy meals that take 20-30 minutes or less. Here is one of my favorites that I invented (serves 2 adults and a child):

Linguini with White Bean Puttanesca Sauce

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
½ can (15.5 oz.) small white beans, drained
½ cup baby spinach leaves, roughly torn
¼ cup sliced olives
½ tsp. dried minced garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. dried oregano (or 1 tsp. minced fresh)
1 tsp. small capers (optional)

½ lb. linguini pasta, cooked

1. Cook pasta according to directions.

2. While pasta is cooking combine all the other ingredients in a large sauté pan.

3. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Pour sauce over noodles and stir to combine.

5. Enjoy!

Getting Back to Writing

2011-05-10T07:50:00.000-04:00

Beauty is beauty, no matter what you are creating. It's all good. But, that said, I think I need to stay out of the garden for a few days and work on my writing.

This picture is of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail visiting the azaleas outside the window next to my writing desk. You wouldn't believe how many pictures I had to take before I managed to get this one.

Snippet of a poem for Mother's Day

2011-05-08T15:14:00.001-04:00

I feel like it was serendipity that today I would be reading the poems about motherhood in Aimee Nezhukumatathil's newest poetry collection, Lucky Fish, which recently won the da Vinci Eye Award for cover design. The collection is not entirely of motherhood poems, so it really is lucky happenstance that today, Mother's Day, would be the day I read the section that does feature poems on the subject. I especially love the poem "Birth Geography," which is a multi-segmented poem about the birth of one of her sons. In honor of mothers everywhere on this day, I present section 15 from the poem:

Because I know talk like this frightens you, I will say this only once: If I am ever lost or someone ever wonders if the cause of my death is by my own hand--let it be known that I will never leave you on my own accord. Never. If someone takes me, I will scratch and bite until I gargle soil. My mouth will be an angry mouth if anyone rips me from you. The center of my hands boiled with blossoms when we made a family. I would never flee that garden. I swear to you here and now: If I ever go missing, know that I am trying to come home.

Need-Less-ness and Letting Things In

2011-05-06T18:31:00.000-04:00

Yup. Getting rid of more stuff this week. I took to the consignment store the following:

* Plaster medallion removed from dining room ceiling (it was really not our style)
* Set of crystal/silver coasters I picked up at an estate sale before I met Peter
* Set of mini-martini glasses that we don't need
* Old ash tray (no one we know smokes anymore)

While at the consignment store (ReFind on Church Street in Vienna, VA, in case you are interested in any of the above items), I spotted a lamp that I thought would be perfect for my desk. Good price, even figuring in the cost of having the 1930s plug replaced with a polarized plug.

This is just so you know I am not all about getting rid of things. Just getting rid of the unnecessary or unused things that fill the cupboards and drawers. I'm now taking the advice my uncle once told me: Allow into your life what is useful or what is beautiful.

Fortunately, this lamp is both. Here it is on my writing desk:

Dare I Jinx These Poems?

2011-04-26T17:43:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned before, I decided not to do NaPoWriMo this April because I had so many drafts from last year that I needed to get back to. Finally, last week, I got back to the ones I drafted in November, which are a new series I've been working on.

I am reluctant to say that I am very excited about this series for fear of jinxing the project, but really, I can't help but be thrilled with the way they've been working out. I've got nine solid poems for the series, which are being sent out this week. Probably nine more that might be improved if I give them some good solid attention over the next few weeks.

I'd really like to end up with about 20-25 total poems for the series, which I could then assemble as a chapbook. Any more than that and I think I'd be "pushing it" as far as the theme/form. Definitely perfect for a chapbook, though.

More details to come as the project progresses...

CFS - Court Green is looking for short poems!

2011-04-21T17:28:00.000-04:00

Court Green, the literary journal of Columbia College Chicago, is now reading for its ninth issue, which will include a dossier on the short poem -- poems of one to ten lines in length.

Check out the official Call for Submissions here.

Top 5 Favorite Poetry Books

2011-04-20T15:11:00.000-04:00

Wanna know what my Top 5 Favorite Poetry Books are? Check it out over at the 32 Poems blog.

Every day during the month of April, in celebration of National Poetry Month, 32 Poems has featured the top 5 favorite poetry books of various poets. Of course, as I read the recommendations of other folks, I think "Oh, maybe I should have listed THAT book."

My top favorite books change depending on my mood, just as my favorite song, favorite movie, favorite ice cream flavor, etc., changes.

If you want to follow along, here's a list of who you've missed so far, and whose recommendations are still to come.

Happy Reading!

Another Need-Less Post

2011-04-10T12:46:00.000-04:00

Some days, I think back to when I moved to the DC area, 20 years ago, my only possessions being what fit in the back of my parents' Toyota Starlet. It's truly incredible what you can amass in 20 years of life. But it's also overwhelming, having to find somewhere to store it, having to clean it, etc. This week, I took a look in the back of a kitchen cabinet and into one of the drawers of the desk in the craft room, and here's what I found to put in a box for the next charity truck pickup:

* 8 mismatched old glasses/mug/stemware
* 2 old travel alarm clocks
* An old beer coozie

Happy housecleaning!

Opening Day - Poets and Baseball

2011-03-31T11:07:00.002-04:00

Some might think that poetry and sports are on opposite ends of the spectrum of what human beings can be interested in, but there are a great many poets who are also great lovers of baseball. So, on the Opening Day of the 2011 baseball season, here is a celebration of the tether between poetry and baseball.

The following is from Donald Hall's collection The Museum of Clear Ideas. Hall is an avid lover of the sport, and authored many collections of essays as well as children's books on the subject.

Baseball is not my work. It is my
walk in the park, my pint of bitter,
my Agatha Christie or Zane Grey --
release of the baby animal's
energy into the jungle gym
of a frivolous concentration.
(From "The Second Inning")

In 2007, the Poetry Foundation published an article by Levi Stahl, "Baseball and Verse, from Tinker to Evers to Big Papi," which begins with Walt Whitman and follows through the great litany of poets who have loved the sport, including excerpts from the most famous of all baseball poems, "Casey at the Bat." Stahl, in his article, quotes Frost as saying "Poets are like baseball pitchers. Both have their moments. The intervals are the tough things."

The Poetry Foundation article also features a fantastic photo of Marianne Moore throwing out the first ball on opening day at Yankee Stadium. Check it out here. Moore was a huge baseball fan. According to the biography Marianne Moore: A Literary Life, by Charles Molesworth, Moore's last published prose essay was "One Poet's Pitch for the Cardinals to Win the World Series," which appeared in The New York Times just before the 1968 series began (pg. 428).

Growing up in Pittsburgh, I can't remember a summer when my parents didn't have the baseball game on the radio, perched on the porch railing with its speaker directed wherever in the yard we were playing. I remember my grandmother on the porch of the back house, sitting in her rocking chair, complaining about "Those bums!" whenever they made an error. But no matter how many times the Pirates lost, we still listened. Because that's what you did when you were a fan.

It's a rainy day here in Washington, DC, but to bastardize an old saying "A rainy day at the baseball park beats a sunny day in the office."

Swing, batter!

There. Someone said it.

2011-03-28T08:07:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Kelli Russell Agodon for this great post describing the differences between Facebook and Twitter, and also noting the pros and cons of both social media sites as used by writers. From her post (click on the quote to link to the whole post):

So before we begin, let me get that out of way--

When you plan on writing, stay OFF of Facebook & Twitter. COMPLETELY!

While I do think these websites both have huge benefits to writers, they are also two huge time-sucks in the world that you can avoid by choice.

And here's the toughlove version on that-- If you go onto Twitter & Facebook and are complaining that you don't get/have enough time to write, then I need to be honest with you: it's *your* fault.

First Week of Spring - Preparing for Snow

2011-03-25T21:13:00.001-04:00

After a couple of weeks of warm weather, I jumped right in on the first day of spring and began weeding. Then planted some early herb/lettuce/radish crops. Weeded some more. Taught my daughter to ride her bike without training wheels. Weeded some more. And now I hear we're expecting 1-3 inches of snow Saturday night! Eeek! If only I could be assured that would kill the weeds and not my cilantro!

March has been a busy month. Visitors, travel, and a few teaching gigs to keep me extra busy. While I've already said I will not be doing the poem-a-day thing for National Poetry Writing Month, I am looking forward to April as a chance to get back to my own writing work. There are some drafts that haven't been looked at since I first wrote them back in November. And more scribbles and notes made earlier this year that may one day meld into something resembling a poem draft.

But, in the meantime, I: entertain, finish newsletters for clients, plan the garden, cheer on 5th-grade poets, and take whatever spare moment I have to wander my yard and watch the gradual establishment of the new season.

I can't remember where I heard or read the following quote, but I am reminded of it this week:

"Everything happens suddenly, no matter how long it takes..."

I really should charge for this advice, but...

2011-03-16T11:33:00.002-04:00

For journals, presses, institutions, and any business with a web site, here is a major tip:

You want people to know who you are, to know what to call you and how to spell it, right? Well, then figure out your official name, which parts of it are capitalized, and be CONSISTENT throughout your entire web site in referring to your official name.

The association I used to work for drove me crazy by inconsistently referring to itself in a variety of ways. Other department heads referred to the association in a wide variety of acronyms and nicknames, which annoyed the hell out of me as the Director of Outreach Programs, trying to ensure a consistent image for our organization.

Now that I am a freelance copy editor, which involves much fact checking of publication names and institution names, I find it very frustrating when I cannot figure out the exact name of a journal or college, due to the fact that its web site contains several variations on the name.

For instance:

Ars Medica - I "think" that is the proper name/spelling/case of the journal because that is the way it appears on the cover of each issue. However, the journal's web site at http://www.utpjournals.com/ars/ars.html refers to it as "ARS MEDICA," "ARS Medica," and "Ars Medica" all on the same page. So, which is it?

Shenandoah - Same problem here. On the web page at http://www.wlu.edu/x32980.xml, it is referred to as both SHENANDOAH and Shenandoah, as well as the italicized Shenandoah. But, on the cover of the journal and in the mailing address, it is written Shenandoah: The Washington and Lee University Review. So, what's it to be?

These are just two of many instances that could be cited.

This is not to say that if your organization or journal has a very lengthy "official name," that it cannot be referred to in any other way. In such cases, it would be very useful to have one "official nickname" or abbreviated name, that could be used, and used consistently.

Ensuring your business' "Brand" is all the rage nowadays but even if it weren't the mantra du jour it is still important to be consistent in referring to the name of your publication or institution on your web site and in all of your communications - Facebook, Twitter, and blogs included.

March 15 Deadline for Writer's Center Master Class with Rod Jellema

2011-03-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

The deadline is quickly approaching for applications to participate in this special workshop with Rod Jellema at The Writer's Center:

The Fortnightly Poetry Consortium
Rod Jellema, Workshop Leader
Link: http://www.writer.org/page.aspx?pid=353&__nccssubcid=13&__nccsct=Poetry&nccsm=21&__nccspID=1741

Application for this workshop is free. If you are accepted, you will be contacted for payment. Submission deadline: March 15. Maximum 12 participants.

Between each meeting, members agree to do at least 6 pre-poem exercises, 15 minutes maximum, using a list of recommended exercises. This provides a growing stock of favored words, images, phrases and lines from which each member will make one poem for each meeting.

Members will submit with the poem the initial exercise and a one-page “Work Sheet” tracing the process through which the poem was born. Discussion will focus more on the creative process than on the poem as an artifact. Members will be showing each other the infinity of possibilities and discoveries in creating freely with words.

Fee: $270 (Members receive a 13% discount)

Date: April 2, 16 and 30, May 14, June 4 and 18

Day: 6 Saturdays

Time: 2:00-4:30 P.M.
Genre(s): Poetry
Level: Master Class
Location: Bethesda

To be considered for this workshop, please submit 6 poems to: Rod Jellema Workshop, The Writer's Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20815.

NaPoWriMo 2011 is coming!

2011-03-08T08:57:00.000-05:00

Maureen Thorson has created a new website for the upcoming National Poetry Writing Month, aka NaPoWriMo!

Last year was a very creative year for me. I challenged myself in February, April, and November, to write a poem each day. As a result, I have more than enough poem drafts to keep me occupied for the entirety of 2011, even if I don't draft a single new poem this year (too late, I've already drafted a few).

Needless to say, this means I do not foresee myself participating in any poem-a-day challenges this year.

But, if you're looking to jump-start your writing, you can sign up on Maureen's site to participate, cheer on, and be cheered on by fellow poets participating in the challenge. I have been consistently amazed by some of the poems that have sprung from my poem-a-day challenges.

Even if you don't come up with any gems, you'll at least have gotten yourself back into the writing groove.

I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines this year...

Multitasking - Working Out to Poetry Podcasts

2011-03-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

I've gotten back into an exercise routine this week, starting out slow rowing 2000 meters in intervals. Not much, but I need to start somewhere. Next week I have my annual physical and, though I know you can't make up for 3 months of no exercise over the course of a week and a half, I figure it can't hurt.

But what I've been enjoying most about my workouts is that I take it as an opportunity to listen to poetry podcasts I've subscribed to through iTunes. Here's what's on my iPod:

* Jane Crown's Poetry Radio Show, on Blog Talk Radio - The archives of her show can be found at http://www.janecrown.com/show_download_page.html

* New Letters on the Air - Archives and upcoming schedule can be found online at http://www.newletters.org/onTheAir.asp

* Poetry Off the Shelf - On Tuesday, I worked out while listening to "Facing a Sheer Sky," which looked at the poet Louise Bogan. It looks like they haven't posted any new since the beginning of February. Is it cancelled? I hope not! Archives are online at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/audio.html?show=Poetry%20Off%20the%20Shelf

* The Poetry Magazine Podcast - Updated monthly, usually ties into the issue of Poetry Magazine published that month. This morning, I worked out while listening to the January 2011 podcast, which featured a reading and discussion of Jill Alexander Essbaum's poem "Easter," as well as a long reading-interview with Mark Strand, who is one of my all-time favorite poets. Archives are online at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/audiolanding.html

Are there any podcasts you'd recommend? Let me know your favorites...

Checking in

2011-02-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to go all "Father forgive me, it has been nearly two weeks since my last post" on you, but I did want to check in for a moment.

I'm in the final stages of drafting my first review for a print journal in quite some time (perhaps EVER) and I'm pretty excited about it. I'm reviewing two chapbooks by presses that focus on chapbooks, a subject that you well know is near and dear to my heart. If the journal likes the review well enough, I'll be posting more info later.

At the recent AWP conference (was it really almost a month ago?) I attended a great panel - The Good Review:Criticism in the Age of Book Blogs and Amazon.com, which was very thought-provoking and lively (excepting for the random thoughts of one panelist who didn't seem to realize she needed to "prepare" ahead of time and ended up talking about the Dear John movie for some strange reason). Of course, the panel served to invigorate me as I move into a new year of reviewing...

Now, if I can just finish updating links and graphics on all of those archived review pages!

More Need-less-ness

2011-02-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

Still more unburdening... My five things this week:

1. More pillow shams!!! (did not realize how many we had lurking in the linen stack)

2. Two Jackie Chan double-feature VHS sets.

3. Accordion file for recipes.

4. Old pair of pants that are an unmatchable color and don't fit properly.

5. An old Barney Miller DVD that I got for free in a box of cereal many years ago.

What are you getting rid of?

Psst... Wanna be a Copy Editor?

2011-02-09T11:42:00.001-05:00

A reminder that space is still available in this upcoming workshop I will be leading at The Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland:

How2 Make a Living as a Copy Editor
Saturday, February 12, 2011
1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $50.00

Description: Whether you are drawn to the corporate world or a freelancer’s life, this workshop will cover what you need to know to pursue a career as a copy editor. You will learn how a copy editor differs from a proofreader, how to build experience now to make a career switch later, key tips every copy editor should know, and the steps you’ll need to take if you want to work on a freelance basis.

If someone you know is looking at a potential career change, pass along this information!

Take a deep breath.

2011-02-02T11:34:00.001-05:00

I'm seeing a lot of FB updates and blog posts from people who seem to really be freaking out about this whole AWP Conference.

Really. There's no need.

Maybe I'm just jaded from having worked trade shows for 10 years for my previous job. Heck, I don't even pick up 1/10th of the swag I used to. (Though I will be tracking down some alien swag from Martha Silano!)

I am excited to be staying in a hotel, despite the fact I live only 10 miles from the conference site. Why? Here are a few reasons:

It's a tax-deductible vacation for me. As a freelance writer who claims income/expenses, I will be writing off everything except the cost of the books and litmags I buy. Actually, I could write off the cost of the litmags as "research" for potential markets for my writing, but I don't usually because I actually enjoy reading them for their content. Not as "research."
As a work-at-home-mother (WAHM!), it's a break from mom/house duties. I get 4 days to just be me. Wake when I want. Go to bed when I want. Eat when I want. Stay out late if I want. Sit in my room reading/writing if I want.
I'll be able to walk longer than 10 minutes without someone asking me to carry them.
I have only purchased one book in the last 6 months and am looking forward to buying books by some very good friends who are celebrating their new releases.

If you are not an exhibitor -- with stresses about setting up, breaking down, shipping leftovers home, making sure people show up for their table-sitting duties -- and if you're not organizing a panel -- with half of your panelists stranded at their respective airports -- really, there's nothing to stress about.

Walk around. Or don't. Buy books. Or don't. Go to panels. Or don't. It's not that big of a deal. Just chill out.

Join Us for this AWP Off-Site Reading on Friday, Feb. 4

2011-01-24T15:02:00.000-05:00

Join the editors and authors of Drunken Boat, Defunct Magazine, Born, and 32 Poems for an evening of readings and revelry.

WHEN: Friday, Feb. 4, 8pm-11pm
WHERE: The Biltmore, 1977 Biltmore St., DC

WHO: With performances by Ander Monson, Lia Purpura, Melanie Henderson, Patrick Rosal, Garret Socol, Don Share, DeLana Dameron, Daniel Nester, Bernadette Geyer, and others, including special guests.

DRUNKEN BOAT is one of the oldest online arts journals, dedicated to exposure of literary, visual, digital, and cross-media work from around the world. http://www.drunkenboat.com/

BORN MAGAZINE is an experimental venue marrying literary arts and multimedia. http://www.bornmagazine.org/

DEFUNCT is a twice-annual publication featuring writing on all things defunct. New issues appear in April and October. http://www.defunctmag.com/

32 POEMS is just that—a journal of thirty-two poems, one to a page. They're available in print biannually, for a total of 64 poems a year. http://www.32poems.com/

I'm thrilled to be reading in support of these literary journals and I hope to see you there!

Need-Less Post #1 of 2011

2011-01-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

"There are two ways to have enough. The first is to get more. The second is to need less." -- Mitch Lansky

Here it is, the first "need-less" post of 2011. I am still on my campaign to get rid of 5 items per week -- be it old papers from a file folder, a broken binder clip, or ill-fitting clothes and unnecessary linens. So, in the first couple of weeks of this new year, I've gotten rid of many items, among them:

1. An old pulse-meter (from the days when I used to have a gym membership).

2. An old pair of sunglasses that just don't look good on me anymore.

3. 2 sets of pillow shams (does anyone actually use pillow shams?).

4. A bed skirt that came with my duvet cover (again, who uses bed skirts?).

5. A couple of old Christmas-themed potholders (I decided I didn't need more than two).

I found several old literary journal copies that I plan to give to friends, and more books to take to the used book store. Since I plan on buying a lot of books at the upcoming AWP conference, I'm making space on my bookshelves now, in preparation.

Happy de-cluttering to you & yours in 2011!

In which I post about -- surprise! -- Snow...

2011-01-12T10:52:00.000-05:00

Today, much of the United States has received snow in some quantity or another. Parts of Europe are still under their own blankets of white. Before I head out to shovel my driveway, I wanted to post the following poem, by one of my all-time favorite poets, Thomas Lux. This poem is from his book, The Drowned River, published in 1990, by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Old Man Shoveling Snow

Bend your back to it, sir: for it will snow all night.
How gently they sink -- white spiders,
multi-bladed bleak things,
these first, into the near mirror
of your shovel's surface. It snows,
lightly -- wide columns
of black between each flake --

but it will snow all night, and thicker.
So you start now and scrape
your driveway of its first half inch.
Every hour you will plow
it down and up again.
It's not a grave
you dig, nor a path to school,

nor is there a dot of philosophy
in this work: you clear it as it falls
so as not to lift the heavy load at dawn.
The lanes behind you whiten,
imperceptibly hiss, and several --
smoke-roses, epaulets -- bite
your back, your closed shoulders.

So soft, stubborn, it falls, parting
the streetlamp's light
harder, larger, and the whole cold neighborhood
bandaged. On the corner
the salt and sand box,
the mailbox (such white
on blue!) could be art

but aren't. You should move
a little faster now behind
the shovel -- push once your twenty feet
of drive and it fills.
Soon it will take two.
Bend your back to it, sir: for it
will snow all night.

First Post of the New Year

2011-01-07T09:38:00.000-05:00

I've been quiet on the blog because of the busy holiday season, but also because I've spent the first week of the year working on New Year's Resolutions.

Oh, and a major update to berniE-zine, the book review blog I publish. I'm fixing links and graphics on every single review page. Yesterday, I counted more than 260 reviews since I started the zine more than 10 years ago. I guess an average of 26 reviews a year isn't too bad.

I'm in the middle of reading Marianne Moore: A Literary Life. I don't plan on reviewing it, but if I did, I'd say it's a bit disorganized. There's a lot of chronological jumping around. But, the fact that it's taking me a long time to read it means I can update the review web site without increasing the backlog of books I've already read that are awaiting reviews.

I'm up to the pages starting with the letter H. Taking today off to blog, read and perhaps even write a little. I did surprise myself earlier this week by penning a few things in my journal. A pretty good start to the year.

If you want to get on the email list or Facebook group for berniE-zine, here are the links:

Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/berniEzine/

Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54473085717&ref=ts

2011 Resolutions

2010-12-28T10:24:00.001-05:00

As I reflect on 2010, I'm thinking positive thoughts about 2011's prospects... the following list will be randomly updated as resolutions occur to me:

1. Go out to lunch/dinner with friends more often.

2. Quality, not quantity.

3. Continue to find myriad ways to express my creativity.

4. "Work it!"

5. Figure out how to use the broiler, for real.

Are you on Mira's list?

2010-12-08T20:57:00.000-05:00

Are you an artist, writer, or musician? If so, you need to check out Mira's List, which provides information on grants, fellowships, residencies, and other resources.

From today's blog post by Mira:

(WRITERS & ARTISTS) Provincetown Residencies—The Provincetown Community Compact is accepting applications for residencies in two dune shacks in the Cape Cod National Seashore (Provincetown, MA USA). These primitive dwellings in a magnificent setting provide one to three week stays, one with a $500 fellowship for a visual artist, and two funded writers' weeks.

There's Still Time to Register for My Workshops at The Writer's Center

2010-12-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

I will be leading three workshops in early 2011 at The Writer's Center. Two of the workshops will have poetry as their focus, while the third workshop will be "How2 Make a Living as a Copy Editor," which was a great success in October.

The Art of Revision (4 Tuesdays, Jan. 18-Feb. 8, 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)
Poets often have folders full of poem drafts they’ve abandoned because, while they believe the draft has promise, they can’t seem to figure out how to move the draft in the right direction. In this workshop, we will explore ways to “rethink” stubborn drafts in order to breathe new life into them and ultimately – as Samuel Taylor Coleridge said – put “the best words in the best order.”

How2 Make a Living as a Copy Editor (Saturday, Feb. 12, 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
Whether you are drawn to the corporate world or a freelancer’s life, this workshop will cover what you need to know to pursue a career as a copy editor. You will learn how a copy editor differs from a proofreader, how to build experience now to make a career switch later, key tips every copy editor should know, and the steps you’ll need to take if you want to work on a freelance basis.

Expressing Yourself through Poetry (4 Wednesdays, March 2-23, 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)
If you’ve considered writing poetry but don’t know the difference between blank verse and free verse, this class is for you. We will start with a discussion of rhyming and “form” poetry and build to an understanding of why “free verse” doesn’t just mean “no rules apply.” Exercises and in-class discussion will be aimed at helping beginners figure out how best to express themselves through poetry.

The Book that Jumped to the Head of the Line

2010-11-29T20:50:00.002-05:00

I am definitely jumping this book out of its place in the long line of books that I have to review, but I feel that I must tell everyone who has a young child or knows someone with a young child to buy THIS BOOK:

The World is Round, by Gertrude Stein (Buy on Amazon, Buy on ABEBooks.com)

My daughter has been requesting that I read this book every night for the past two weeks (we are on Chapter 15, currently). Stein's first children's book, The World is Round centers around a young girl, named Rose (after Stein's real-life niece). It is written very much in the way children themselves think and speak and tell stories, so it's a bit of a trick for a tired parent to try to wrap his/her tongue around the elaborate run-on sentences at times. But the effort is definitely worth it.

The pictures for the book were created by Clement Hurd. Most of you will be very familiar with his work as illustrator for Margaret Wise Brown's classics, Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny.

Here's a sample:

Rose was her name and would she have been Rose if her name had not been Rose. She used to think and then she used to think again.

Would she have been Rose if her name had not been Rose and would she have been Rose if she had been a twin.

Rose was her name all the same and her father's name was Bob and her mother's name was Kate and her uncle's name was William and her aunt's name was Gloria and her grandmother's name was Lucy. They all had names and her name was Rose, but would she have been she used to cry about it would she have been Rose if her name had not been Rose.

I tell you at this time the world was all round and you could go on it around and around.

NovPAD Update

2010-11-19T10:04:00.000-05:00

As mentioned previously, I'm participating in the November Poetic Asides (NovPAD) Chapbook Challenge, sparked by Robert Lee Brewer.

Right now, I am at 19 poem drafts for the month. I've skipped some days, but made up for it on others. Mostly, I'm working on a specific project I've had in mind for a few months, but a couple of non-project-specific poems have popped in unexpectedly.

I love when that happens.

I'm looking forward to coming back to these drafts in January, to see what I've got. As with all of my poem-a-day challenges, I take the following month "off" to let my mind re-set.

And, of course, December will give me plenty of non-poetry distractions...

Veteran's Day 2010

2010-11-11T08:24:00.000-05:00

In remembrance of Veteran's everywhere.

Lucia Perillo Wins Library of Congress Prize - Free Reading on Dec. 13

2010-11-09T18:16:00.002-05:00

Lucia Perillo has won the 2010 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry from the Library of Congress, for her fifth book, Inseminating the Elephant (Copper Canyon Press, 2009).

In celebration of the prize, Perillo will give a free reading on December 13 at the Library of Congress' James Madison Building in Washington, DC.

Bigger than Bieber?

2010-11-05T12:32:00.001-04:00

I get such an ego boost from teaching poetry to 4th graders. Really. If only I could bottle up that enthusiasm and wild imagination...

4th Grader - Are you famous?

Me - No. I don't think so.

4th Grader - But do you have a book?

Me - Well, yes I do. (I hold up the chapbook from which I read earlier)

4th Grader - Did you write all those poems?

Me - Yep. They're all mine.

4th Grader - Wow! Can I have your autograph?

Me - Um. Sure.

I was then swarmed by 4th graders running up to me and thrusting their notebooks in my face to sign for them. It was very funny. One girl even asked if I felt like Justin Bieber signing all these autographs.

So, for a few scant minutes I got to feel like a rock star today. There were no paparazzi on hand, but photos were taken for posterity and documentation. And to provide a report to Target, whose funding supported the interdisciplinary program "InterAction: Learning Through Art," in which I participated as "the poet."

I will even admit to being humbled by the extraordinary imaginations of some of the students. One's poem described the "elastic field." In another's poem "one tree wanted to be a carriage, carrying kings and queens, while the second tree wanted to carry treasures."

I want to be the tree that dreams of carrying treasures... I want to be that elastic field.

Chapbook News - Nice to See You Again!

2010-11-04T21:42:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's been a long while since I last posted some chapbook love, so here it goes:

As mentioned in a previous post, Robert Lee Brewer threw down a gauntlet with a Chapbook Challenge for November. I'm in and am four-for-four so far.

Over at berniE-zine, I recently posted a review of the poetry chapbook Scavenge, by RJ Gibson.

InDigest has published its "Our Favorite Chapbooks of 2010" list.

Flying Guillotine Press is accepting poetry chapbook submissions until November 15th!

Goldline Press is also accepting poetry chapbook submissions for its contest, which will be judged by Carol Muske-Dukes. Deadline is November 15th.

Seven Kitchens Press announced that guest judge Betsy Sholl has selected chapbook manuscripts by Catherine Staples and Leonard Kress for this year's Keystone Chapbook Prize.

Did you know that Poets House in New York City features a special collection dedicated to chapbooks?

Stevenallenmay of Plan B Press features reviews of chapbooks on the blog CHAP*BOOKS. Most recently featured are chaps by Mike Maggio, Asa Benveniste, and Jennifer Jean.

When the student is ready... the challenge appears

2010-10-25T11:31:00.000-04:00

There is a saying "When the student is ready, the master appears." I love this saying.

In my case, I have had a project in mind for a chapbook. Because of the "subject" and "form" I plan to use, I think a full-length book might be pushing it. And so, as November nears, I find out about Robert Lee Brewer's "2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge"!

10 to 20 poems in a month. Yep. I think I can. If I can't, I'll have fun trying. The subject matter is interesting and I'll have to hit the library to do some extra research, but I feel like the time is right, some projects are coming to an end, and I'm gonna be sure as hell to not let the fallen leaves of November take over my life as they did last year.

If you're up for a challenge, here's the link to the rules. I won't be submitting for the contest, but I'm taking up the challenge to get this project underway.

Who's with me?

So, you don't read reviews...

2010-10-21T16:28:00.000-04:00

I've read a lot of quotes recently by folks who say they never read book reviews. That even if they do read a book review, it never influences their decision on whether to buy a book or not.

I've read that most people rely on verbal recommendations by friends because they don't trust reviewers. I've read quotes by folks that if a review is positive, they don't trust it. Or if the review is negative, they don't trust it.

But then, as one who publishes a web site for book reviews, I have hundreds of emails from authors looking for reviews.

So my big question for all those folks who don't read reviews and who don't trust reviewers is:

Are you out there asking people to review your book when you yourself don't read reviews or trust them? If so, how do you reconcile this disconnect?

I honestly would like to know why folks lament the demise of the book review sections of major newspapers, and the fact that there are so few places that actually review the books of small presses, when so many folks seem to run screaming from book reviews unless the book being reviewed is their own?

All this makes me want to throw my hands up in the air and never write another book review again. Why am I doing this? It certainly isn't to make money. God knows berniE-zine never has, nor will it ever, pay for its own web hosting services.

Why should I continue to bother, if book reviews are so unimportant that no one bothers to read them and, even if they do, they're not influenced one way or the other?

Is there anyone out there who still loves reading book reviews? Hello...? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

To Say the Least

2010-10-15T09:27:00.000-04:00

How did it get to be mid-October? Since Frida has begun her fall school vacation, I've been reflecting on some of the things that have helped the past two months fly by:

Work - When it rains it pours, and I've been kept busy by a nearly steady stream of freelance writing and editing projects. I finished up a draft of an annual report, copy edited a couple of big projects, and completed the usual monthly newsletters.
Teaching - My workshop on "How2 Make a Living as a Copy Editor" at The Writer's Center last week went much better than I could have ever expected. We had lively discussions, and many of the attendees provided valuable information I will be able to incorporate into future workshops. If you missed it, The Writer's Center will offer it again early next year. Next up, I'll be leading five workshops for elementary school students in Fairfax County, and having them write poetry in response to the Freya Grand art exhibit at the Greater Reston Arts Center.
Health - I'm finally getting over a (thank goodness!) mild case of Shingles. I was glad that I didn't have the pain, just the itching. Unfortunately, for the past two weeks, I've looked like I've been walking around with a big hickey on my neck.
Home projects - From hiring someone to take down a big, leaning tree in the backyard to having a toilet replaced, and from completing two front yard planting beds to recaulking a bathtub, homeownership has kept me on my toes and in Home Depot.
Refinancing the house - Rates are so low that we would have been crazy to not jump at this chance to whack a couple percent off our mortgage rate. But the process has taken far longer than expected and I've had too many urgent requests for information following days of silence, and I am just ready for this process to be over.
Being a Mom - I don't think I need to elaborate on how this might keep me busy.

What I hope to spend more time on in the near future:

Poetry - I managed to submit my book manuscript to a few publishers this week and sent some poems to a few journals, but since I can't buy groceries with sonnets and can't pay the plumber with contributors' copies of lit journals, poetry has been on the back burner.
Book reviews - I confess that I will take a notebook with me to Frida's playdate this afternoon, in the hopes that they will keep each other busy enough that I can sit in a quiet room and write a book review.
Family - Actually, I've been doing pretty good about dedicating weekends to my family, but weeknights have found me at my computer more often than actually spending time with hubby. I'm hoping that once Frida's fall break is over and I have time during the day to do my work that I might, gasp, be able to find out what Peter's been up to the past couple of months...

Workshop for Prospective Strauss Fellow Applicants - Fairfax County, VA

2010-10-08T07:41:00.000-04:00

Just a shout-out to all Fairfax County artists - visual, musical, and literary - the Arts Council of Fairfax County will be holding a workshop for prospective applicants for the 2011 Strauss Fellowships on November 6, 2010.

The Arts Council of Fairfax County will conduct a free grant preparation workshop to instruct prospective applicants on how to complete a Strauss Fellowship application. The Arts Council encourages attendance by potential applicants. An applicant’s attendance at a workshop will not affect the evaluation of the application.

The grant preparation workshop will be held November 6, 2010 at 10:30 am.

The workshop will be held at ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center Street, Herndon, VA 20170.

For more details, or to register, click here.

My 2010 Strauss Fellowship has been extremely valuable to me. It came at the perfect time. My fellowship enabled me to send my book-length poetry manuscript to more publishers than I otherwise would have this year. Also, it enabled me to take a long writing weekend with other poet friends, where I was able to get away and have time to focus on my writing.

Fairfax County is one of few areas that has not completely eliminated arts fellowships, although arts funding overall has been cut back dramatically.

If you are a writer or artist in the County, I strongly encourage you to attend this workshop and to apply.

Happy Banned Books Week!

2010-09-29T13:35:00.002-04:00

I'm a little late to the game since it's already Wednesday, but if you're a lover of books, this week is officially Banned Books Week!

For more information on Banned Books Week, including a great map of book bans and challenges from 2007-2010, check out this link.

And if you're interested in the history of book bans, including a look at books that have been banned over the years, check out the Amazon links below.

Defending the Epigraph in Poetry

2010-09-21T09:21:00.001-04:00

The Via Negativa blog features a very civilized and enjoyable discussion of the use of epigraphs in poetry, sparked by an essay by David Orr in the New York Times Sunday Book Review.

I, myself, have a love-hate relationship with the use of epigraphs, primarily because of the few years I spent judging a poetry book contest, where I read many authors who overused epigraphs for a variety of the "wrong" reasons pointed out by the linked discussion. The two that peeved me most were the name-droppers and the over-explicators.

What I love about the Via Negativa post -- and the comments that follow it -- are the very well-thought out examples of how epigraphs can be most useful:

"they situate the poem not merely in a tradition but also within a kind of network of shared wonder at similar phenomena, ideas, or linguistic perversities"

"a way of letting other voices in"

"One other point I would raise with Orr is that his categorization is too serious for some epigraphs; he misses the role of irony and sarcasm in epigraphs. Epigraphs not as explication or homage or commentary, but as humor."

I am not anti-epigraph. I have used them in a few of my own poems, including a poem called "Pearls", where I feel the epigraph worked to bring in that sense of "shared wonder" with another poet.

My favorite comment was from the poet who astutely pointed out that many poets mis-use epigraphs because they don't trust the reader to "get it" -- whatever the poem is about. I feel this is probably the most troubling mis-use I've seen, especially when it comes to book manuscripts.

I recall reading manuscripts that used several epigraphs in the front of the book, then an epigraph for each section, as well as epigraphs on many of the poems (Orr's essay cites a poetry collection by Liz Waldner as suffering from this particular condition).

If you don't have enough trust in the reader's ability to understand your poems without these prefaces, then your poems -- and perhaps your manuscript -- is not fulfilling the potential you envision for it.

And if you are using the epigraphs to "limit" your reader's interpretation of the poems, that does a disservice to both the reader and the poetry.

"The Signal" on WYPR (Baltimore) features a segment on Rules and Creativity

2010-09-13T09:29:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Deborah Ager, publisher of 32 Poems, who invited me and several other 32 Poems contributors (Dan Albergotti, Jehanne Dubrow, William Logan, and Jennifer Militello), to be interviewed and read poems for a feature by "The Signal" contributor Matt Byer, which aired on Baltimore's public radio station WYPR last Friday, September 10, 2010.

From the station's web site promo (click on the text below to go to the page where you can listen to the entire broadcast):

Rules and creativity... From Twitter to poetry, can restrictions fuel the fires of our imagination? Signal contributor Matt Byars introduces us to a new literary journal, "32 Poems," that challenges writers to say as much as they can, in as little space as possible.

My Blog Post at The Los Angeles Review

2010-09-03T16:13:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Kelly Davio at The Los Angeles Review for inviting me to contribute a blog post to the journal's blog!

Let’s face it. We’ve become adept at thinking in 140 character soundbites. Practiced in the art of the pithy or clever status update. One of the first things we do in the morning is jump on the social media sites and type in whatever comes to mind. And if a phrase enters our brain mere minutes later, we’re back at our keyboard or on our cell phone Tweeting it. We’ll post a status update about how little time we have to write, but ignore the sheer volume of words we post on blogs, Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook. It seems, sometimes, our best thoughts are being scooped up and whisked away by a fleet-footed instant messenger.

Potential AWP Reading Venue... International Visions Gallery

2010-09-03T10:31:00.000-04:00

At a luncheon for the Arts Council of Fairfax County last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Tim Davis, Owner and Director of the International Visions Gallery, which is located at 2629 Connecticut Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC. Locals will recognize that this is smack-dab in the middle of where the 2011 Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference will be held in early-February.

Mr. Davis expressed that his venue has been used for readings and other cultural events in the past, and seemed open to the prospect of being contacted by organizations in need of a reading venue for the AWP Conference.

Check out the gallery web site at http://www.inter-visions.com/ for more information, including contact details.

National Book Festival Kicks Poetry to the Curb - Dana Gioia, Where Are You?

2010-09-01T12:25:00.003-04:00

I've taken a look at the pavilion line-up for the 2010 National Book Festival, which will be held on the National Mall September 25, 2010, and have come to the following conclusion: Poetry is getting screwed.

From 2003 through 2008 of the National Book Festival, Poetry had a pavilion of its own, with poets scheduled from start to finish. The National Endowment for the Arts sponsored the Poetry pavilion from 2004-2008.

Last year, the Poetry pavilion morphed into the Poetry & Prose pavilion, still sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Poetry & Prose pavilion featured five poets among the twelve readers, one of which was Poet Laureate Kay Ryan. The rest of the authors were a mixture of fiction, nonfiction, and memoir writers, despite the fact that there were other pavilions specifically for "Fiction & Fantasy" as well as "History & Biography." The slippery slope had begun...

And now, in 2010, the slide continues as the Poetry & Prose pavilion features a mere three poets. No NEA sponsorship. No reading by the Poet Laureate. The other seven pavilion readers are fiction writers, despite there being a separate "Fiction & Mystery" pavilion.

One telling coincidence with the rise and fall of the presence of poetry at the National Book Festival is the fact that Dana Gioia, a poet, was chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts from 2003 up until January 2009. In his role as NEA Chairman, I believe Gioia elevated the importance of poetry to be equal to that of prose in the literary arts. I saw Gioia introduce many of the poets in the Poetry pavilion at past National Book Festivals, and it was always a pleasure to see, through his introductions, how passionate he was about poetry as a literary art.

I find it very saddening that with his departure from the NEA, we seem to be seeing a decline in the Library of Congress' efforts to bring poetry to the general public.

Marketing Brilliance

2010-08-26T11:07:00.000-04:00

Add to my "Why Didn't I Think of That?" list... the folks who brought you stuffonmycat.com have a line of books, including one my daughter picked out at the library the other day:

Stuff on My Cat Presents: Cats A to Z

This is a board book for teaching the alphabet to toddlers. What a brilliant way to use photos they've already acquired, marketed in a completely new format! "A is for alligator" shows a cat wrestling with a stuffed alligator. "Q is for Q-tips" shows a cat liberally peppered with -- you guessed it -- Q-tips. And so on.

OnlineUniversities.com Highlights Their Picks for Top 10 Slam Poets on YouTube

2010-08-24T09:18:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Kaitlyn Cole over at OnlineUniversities.com for highlighting their picks for the Top 10 Slam Poets on YouTube...

Taylor Mali, Beau Sia, Big Poppa E, Mighty Mike McGee, Alix Olson, John Rives, Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, Scott Woods, Rachel McKibbens, and Saul Williams.

Typo Eradication Advancement League

2010-08-22T10:37:00.000-04:00

As a copy editor, I can appreciate what these guys are doing --

"We are with the Typo Eradication Advancement League," Deck said to a surprised waiter at Bistro Bistro in Dupont Circle, presenting a business card. The 30-year-old in the Indiana Jones-style hat explained that he had noticed a missing 'p' in the "red snapper" written on the menu board outside. "It reads 'snaper,'???" he added helpfully.

Reviews N'@

2010-08-12T20:41:00.000-04:00

Many of you already know that I was born & raised in the Pittsburgh area. Most of my family is still there. After two family trips, I'm surprised the phrase "n'at" (trans. short for "and that") has not re-entered my lingo until here.

Despite all of my travels, I've managed to post four reviews on berniE-zine:

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time, by John Kelly -- A compelling work that draws not only on science, history, anthropology, and sociology, but also on the writings of people who lived through this period.
http://rantsravesreviews.homestead.com/GreatMortality.html

The Myth of the Simple Machines, poems by Laurel Snyder -- This collection is enjoyable not only for its inventiveness, but also for its myriad strong, memorable voices.
http://rantsravesreviews.homestead.com/MythOfSimpleMachines.html

The Los Angeles Review, Volume 7, Spring 2010 -- This weighty issue contains an impressive variety of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, as well as engaging interviews.
http://rantsravesreviews.homestead.com/LosAngelesReview7.html

Notes from the Red Zone, poems by Christina Pacosz -- The first chapbook in the Seven Kitchens Press ReBound Series addresses the Hanford nuclear weapons manufacturing facility and the contamination it spread throughout the region.
http://rantsravesreviews.homestead.com/NotesFromRedZone.html

There's also a book giveaway for folks who are trying to quit smoking:
http://rantsravesreviews.homestead.com/WinBooks.html

I have little more than one week until my daughter returns to school. Until then, I'm laying low and trying not to think about all the work I have planned for this fall.

I am chomping at the bit to get started...

Advice of the Day

2010-08-09T21:42:00.000-04:00

From an interview with writer/mother Laurel Snyder over at "No Country for Yound & Old Women":

You can’t have it all. But you can have a little bit of everything. So figure out what bits you’re actually willing to give up. Carve a life for yourself with a razor blade, not a chainsaw.

I’m a great mom, but I don’t bake, or clean much. I’m a poet, but not a poetry scholar. Every time I add something to the list of things I’m not trying to do, I find more energy for the things I do want to do.

Kelly Cherry Named New Poet Laureate of Virginia

2010-08-02T17:48:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Kelly Cherry read as part of The Word Works' Cafe Muse series in Chevy Chase, Maryland. I picked up her book Rising Venus there, and later reviewed it for berniE-zine. Today, I found out that she was named the new Poet Laureate of Virginia, so I am posting a portion of my review below:

Cherry is a romantic at heart, and the ups and downs of her love life provide some good fodder for her poetry. But Cherry is even more brilliant with her wit and playfulness. The first poem of this collection is titled "Adult Ed. 101: Basic Home Repair for Single Women" and provides double-entendre laden insights... (read the full review here)

Thoughts before Heading on a Writing Retreat

2010-07-29T20:47:00.000-04:00

I'm retreating this weekend. Just me and a handful of poet-friends for a whirlwind poetry writing retreat. Not a big fancy castle in the Italian Alps. Just five of us in a small Virginia town, taking over whatever corner of a coffee shop we can find.

Though I've semi-officially "taken the summer off" of writing, I admit to the occasional jotting of a line here and there. Heck, maybe even a draft in there somewhere.

I'm taking one book: Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses.

I admit to reading very little poetry so far this summer. Mostly nonfiction and fiction. It's been refreshing to tackle some longer works that have been on my "to read" shelves (yes, there are two shelves in my house dedicated to books I have not yet read). I'm even contemplating Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, The Unconsoled, as my August reading project.

While we're "retreating" down in Fredericksburg, we will be the featured readers at the Fredericksburg Athenaeum. If you're in the vicinity on Saturday night, check us out!

1st time on Verse Daily

2010-07-23T15:21:00.000-04:00

I was up in the Pittsburgh area for a few days visiting family, so I'm just now getting a chance to update my blog with the news that my poem "Without Warning," published in Volume 9 of Center, was chosen as the July 21, 2010, feature on Verse Daily.

Check it out here...

Winterson On Love and Gardening

2010-07-15T10:51:00.002-04:00

From Jeanette Winterson's July newsletter column:

I garden for 2 hours a day in the summer – an hour in the morning, early, and an hour in the evening before supper. That is like having a gardener two full days a week. But love and gardening have a lot in common – you need to do some every day, not make up for it once a week.

How2 Make a Living as a Copy Editor

2010-07-12T16:56:00.006-04:00

I will lead a one-day workshop (well, 2.5 hrs) at The Writer's Center on Saturday, October 9, from 1:30-4:00 p.m. as part of the Center's new "How2" series of workshops. Here's the promotional blurb:

How2 Make a Living as a Copy Editor
Whether you are drawn to the corporate world or a freelancer’s life, this workshop will cover what you need to know to pursue a career as a copy editor. You will learn how a copy editor differs from a proofreader, how to build experience now to make a career switch later, key tips every copy editor should know, and the steps you’ll need to take if you want to work on a freelance basis.
Visit this page for more information on how to register.

My Week at No Tell Motel

2010-07-08T08:11:00.002-04:00

I enjoyed my week at No Tell Motel. If you missed it, here are links to the five poems that appeared there June 28 thru July 2:

Don't Go There
Egg, Potato, Stone
Oyster Shells
Pieces of Me Die Every Day
Stung

Call for Chapbook Submissions from Pennsylvania Writers

2010-06-29T14:11:00.002-04:00

Seven Kitchens Press is accepting submissions for its 2010 Keystone Chapbook Prize, for an original, unpublished poetry manuscript in English by a Pennsylvania writer.

Prize: Fifty author copies (a $350 value).

Submission deadline: Postmarked or e-mailed between May 1 and July 15 of each year.

Eligibility: open to all Pennsylvania writers. (We consider a "Pennsylvania writer" as one who was born in, or has lived in, Pennsylvania, as well as any writer with a self-defined "Pennsylvania connection.")

Please note that TWO MANUSCRIPTS will be selected as CO-WINNERS: one by a writer with no previous book or chapbook, and the other by a writer with previous book or chapbook publication. The complete and current guidelines are posted on the SEVEN KITCHENS site.

Yet Another Need-Less Posting

2010-06-23T18:24:00.005-04:00

There's nothing like spending a week away from home to teach you what you can and can't live without. Some things I've decided I can live without, which will be in the next charity truck pickup or on Craigslist or Freecycle:

Old, unopened HP 23 inkjet printer cartridge (for the printer we gave away a couple of months ago).
Two bags of play sand (100 lbs. total), which have been taking up space in the garage.
Old side table/wine rack (taking this to the consignment store - ReFind).
Old, cheap clock that was in Frida's room until she found a cute monkey wall clock (at above-mentioned consignment store).
Basic flower vase that came with a bouquet of flowers from hubby (we've already got a few very nice ones... how many do you really need?).
From my closet... 5 or 6 shirts I don't wear anymore.
Old pair of sandals tossed out because I replaced them with a brand new pair.
Five old puzzles that our daughter doesn't play with anymore. She has plenty more to keep her busy.
Four cookbooks that I've never used.

Whew. Sometimes I have to force myself to stop looking for things to get rid of. Well, I'll be watching Clean House tonight with a clean conscience!

Dickens' Dog Bumble

2010-06-15T07:35:00.006-04:00

Another snapshot from the trip:

Tombstone in the Pet Cemetery on the grounds of Swallowfield Park.

Please, can I go back?

2010-06-11T16:01:00.005-04:00

Above: Woodspring Priory, Weston-Super-Mere, UK

Below: Swallowfield Park, Swallowfield (nr Reading), UK

What Happens When You Ask a Poet to Define an IRA?

2010-05-26T09:03:00.006-04:00

From Eric Bourland's post over at the BAP blog (click on quote to read the whole post):

An IRA is a tesseract.

No, that won't do. It is not a tesseract. But it is an imaginary thing like a tesseract or money itself or any conversation between any two people. An IRA is ~~a tesseract~~ an agreement between me and a group of people who have much more money than I. The agreement is, I will give money each month to these people who already have a great deal of money.

Later, I will die.

Can't Keep Up with All the Chapbook News

2010-05-18T09:47:00.004-04:00

I just can't keep up with all of the chapbook news lately. Recently, I got my grubby paws on the following:

Gathering Down Women, by Michael Gushue. Published in 2007 by Pudding House Publications.

They Speak of Fruit, by Gary L. McDowell. Published in 2009 by Cooper Dillon Books.

All the Little Red Girls, by Angela Veronica Wong. Published in 2009 by Flying Guillotine Press.

of go & why, by Daniel R. Collins. Published in 2007 by Plan B Press.

As for chapbook contests, three notices were posted yesterday on the Creative Writers Opportunities List on Yahoo Groups -- Green Tower Press, Burnside Review, and Split Oak Press are all reading submissions.

If you're not already subscribed to the CRWOPPS-B list, go and subscribe now! It's free and extremely useful.

The Difficulty of Writing Personal Poems

2010-05-14T20:53:00.002-04:00

One of the difficult things for me as a poet is handling poems that contain details from my “real life” because, once the poem is out there, one cannot control how the poem is read by every reader. Someone will always see something you didn’t intend, or misread something you did intend.

But this is not necessarily a bad thing. If a poem evokes a reaction, that means the reader was moved by it. If I can move someone with my words, that means a great deal to me.

My poem, “Lessons,” has evoked unexpected reactions from a couple of readers. The main reaction they have had is to see the father in a negative light. As the daughter of the father in the poem, I can only see him as a whole, and not the sum of the two instances mentioned in this poem.

I could have included details about how my father wholly supported my mother’s desire to finish her nursing degree, even at a time when he had just been laid off from his job. I could have included details about the encouragement and support my father gave to me and my sisters to do anything we wanted with our lives.

But then, this would have been a very different poem.

Instead, this is a poem about the ways one learns about the body. Lessons we are taught from books, as well as from real life. That is what the poem means to me.

Still Another Need-Less Posting

2010-05-12T08:56:00.003-04:00

Every so often I come up for air and find a few more items to clear out of the house. Hopefully I am inspiring you to simply look around you and find a few things that can either bring you a little extra walking around money, or that can be donated to a charity or Freecycled. Also, there are often things that sit on a bookshelf for so long that you completely stop "seeing" them. The last one there is a problem I constantly have.

This past week, I:

Filed a few health insurance forms cluttering the dining room table.
Sold the stroller we no longer need to a woman who desperately needed one for her 6-month-old.
Listed on Freecycle and Craigslist an old printer that we're not even sure works anymore, which had been on a desk, unused for at least 4 years, in the craft room.
Listed our Waterwheel table that we bought the first summer in our house and which hasn't been used the past 2 summers and is taking up A LOT of space in the garage.
Finally got rid of a big, overgrown bush that was taking up a prime, sunny space at the end of our driveway. The space is now cleared and ready for me to plant flowers.
I've also hung outside a birdhouse that was a winter painting project and had been sitting in the middle of our basement floor for three months.

NaPoWriMo 2010 - final

2010-05-04T16:54:00.003-04:00

I'm not going to repost previous titles, but here are the final three poem titles to round out my crazy April.

28. His Mouth
29. Acrostic: Field
30. Halfway Up Chimney Rock

I'm already busy "not writing" this month. Sent out some submission packets to journals and presses, but mostly busying myself with yardwork. And more yardwork. Ad nauseum.

I bet if I looked back at my first postings for May last year, they'd say the same thing. I'm a creature of cycles.

Chapbook News - May 3

2010-05-03T07:31:00.002-04:00

It's been a long time since I've announced any chapbook-related news, but here are a few notes:

The deadline is approaching for the Seven Kitchens Press Robin Becker Chapbook Prize. The prize is given for an original, unpublished poetry manuscript, 16-24 pages, in English, by a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered or Queer writer. Deadline is May 15, 2010. $12.00 reading fee. Author will receive 50 copies if manuscript is selected for publication.

The Midwest Chapbook Series, sponsored by GreenTower Press and The Laurel Review, is accepting poetry manuscripts of 20-30 pages from anyone who is living in, from, or closely associated with the Midwest. Deadline is June 1, 2010. $10.00 reading fee. Winner will receive 100 copies and $250 honorarium plus travel expenses for reading in Northwest Missouri State University's Visitng Writers series.

Between April and August, Cooper Dillon Books welcomes submissions of chapbook and full-length poetry manuscripts. Manuscripts up to 35 pages in length will be considered for chapbooks. Cooper Dillon intends to select two chapbooks for publication through this reading period. Deadline is August 31, 2010. $10 reading fee or purchase of book from the press.

My Poem in AJN May 2010 Issue

2010-05-02T17:23:00.005-04:00

My poem, "Lessons," appears in the May 2010 issue of the American Journal of Nursing, which is now on the newsstands. The poem is featured in the journal's "Art of Nursing" section, which is available online as a PDF.

Check it out!

NaPoWriMo 2010 - Update #4

2010-04-28T11:32:00.002-04:00

It's the final days of NaPoWriMo. I know I can get three more drafts, but I'm running on fumes for the next three days. Here's the tally to date:

1. Spring
2. The Fish Luck Caught
3. Poem Beginning with a Line from Houseman
4. "Names" Part IV.
5. Bath
6. Parable of the Fish
7. Temptation
8. "Names" Part V.
9. Cleaning the Windowsills in Spring
10. In
11. Wrong Number
12. Diet
13. Want
14. Love Poem for Serendipity
15. Nature Center
16. Hook
17. To a Well-Manicured Garden
18. Grocery Shopping Alone
19. Asthma Attack
20. Paddocks of My Heart
21. Tastes
22. What She Carried
23. The Scattering
24. Parable of the Harbinger
25. Rain Ghazal (first half)
26. Rain Ghazal (two more stanzas)
27. To the Victor Go the Spoils

What She Said!

2010-04-27T08:34:00.004-04:00

Over at the Harriet Blog, A.E. Stallings has said exactly what I feel regarding the task of "finding time" to write.

Somehow the writing gets done while you are doing something else—walking to the grocery store (or taking, as Ange describes here, a long short-cut), or riding the tram, or washing dishes, rocking a baby during the night feedings, watching children at the park, hanging out the clothes, cooking supper. When you get a spare moment, you jot it down. I am somewhat mystified by correspondences with poets, perhaps fresh out of an MFA program, who have no job or children, and claim they need to come to Greece for a year, preferably on an island, to have “time to write.” Don’t they have the same twenty-four hour days where they live?

During crazy periods in my life, when I don't have time to sit and try to draft an entire poem at once, I compose line by line as I am doing something else. For instance, driving to pick my daughter up from preschool is a good chance for me to be alone with my thoughts. I inherited the handheld recorder my husband no longer needed after he got his MBA and I keep it next to me in the car. When I get a line of a poem in my head, I grab the recorder. Sometimes I will revise a single line several times over the course of my drive, speaking each separately into the recorder and deciding later which version I like best.

If you don't have a little handheld recorder, I strongly recommend it!

How Writing Poems is Like Yardwork

2010-04-26T07:31:00.002-04:00

In honor of National Poetry Writing Month, I have a guest post over at the Peeking Between the Pages blog.

It's lucky happenstance for me that NaPoWriMo coincides with early springtime. I am an avid gardener – both by choice and by necessity – and find much inspiration from the act of tending to the yard. But, gardening doesn’t only influence my poetry thematically. I see many parallels between the ACT of gardening and the act of coaxing a poem from draft to final state.

Contests for Already Published (Poetry) Books

2010-04-22T14:27:00.002-04:00

I've been working on this list for years... it's probably still incomplete. If anyone knows of contests for already published books (or galleys), please post a comment and I will add to the list.

BOOK AWARDS FOR POETRY BOOKS

Note: advice of most of these contests is to submit book as soon as possible during submission period.

ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards – poetry category
sponsor: ForeWord Magazine
cost to enter: $60, plus 2 copies of book
prize: publicity of being first, second or third place in category. Money only awarded to one best “fiction” and one best “non-fiction”
submission/entry by: publisher
deadline: January 15
http://www.forewordmagazine.com/awards/

Levis Reading Prize (1st or 2nd book of poetry)
sponsor: Virginia Commonwealth University, Dept. of English
cost to enter: 1 copy of the book
prize: $1000 & expenses paid to give reading at VCU in Richmond
submission/entry by: author or publisher
deadline: January 15
http://www.has.vcu.edu/eng/resources/levis_prize.htm

The Balcones Poetry Prize
sponsor: Austin Community College
cost to enter: 3 copies of book plus $20 nomination fee
prize: $1,000
submission/entry by: publisher, author or others
deadline: January 31
http://www.austincc.edu/crw/balcones_prize.html

Paterson Poetry Prize
sponsor: The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College
cost to enter: 3 copies of book
prize: $1,000
submission/entry by: publisher
deadline: February 1
http://www.pccc.cc.nj.us/poetry/Prize/2005/2006_Paterson_Poetry_P.html

Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award in Poetry
sponsor: Southern Illinois Univ. Carbondale & GRASSROOTS
cost to enter: $15.00 plus one copy of book
prize: $1,000 & reading at Devil’s Kitchen Fall Literary Festival
submission/entry by: publisher or author
deadline: February 1
http://www.siu.edu/~groots/dkawards.html

Library of Virginia Literary Awards (VA writer)
sponsor: Library of Virginia
cost to enter: 3 copies of the book
prize: $1,000
submission/entry by: publisher or author
deadline: February 5
http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/litawards/index.htm

Milton Kessler Poetry Book Award (book by poet over 40)
sponsor: Binghamton University
cost to enter: 3 copies, plus entry form
prize: $1,000
submission/entry by: publisher
deadline: March 1
http://english.binghamton.edu/cwpro/BookAwards/BookAwards.htm

Grub Street Book Prize (for a 2nd, 3rd or beyond book)
sponsor: Grub Street, Inc.
cost to enter: copy of book, CV, synopsis of proposed craft class, $10 fee
prize: $1000, reading/book party in Boston, all-expenses paid trip to Muse and the Marketplace conference to lead a craft class for Grub Street members.
submission/entry by: author or press
deadline: March 15
http://www.grubstreet.org/index.php?id=24#bookprize

Glasgow Prize for Emerging Writers (poets who’ve only pub’d one book)
sponsor: Washington & Lee University
cost to enter: vita, $22, copy of book, 5 unpub’d poems
prize: $2,500, publication in Shenandoah, and invite to read at W&L Univ.
submission/entry by: author
deadline: March 31
http://shenandoah.wlu.edu/glasgow.html

James Laughlin Award (2nd book)
sponsor: Academy of American Poets
cost to enter: 4 copies of the manuscript
prize: $5,000
submission/entry by: publisher
deadline: May 15
http://www.poets.org

National Book Award
sponsor: National Book Foundation
cost to enter: $100
prize: $10,000 top prize for poetry book; $1000 to each finalist
submission/entry by: publisher
deadline: June 14
http://www.nationalbook.org

Pulitzer Prize
sponsor: Pulitzer
cost to enter: $50.00
prize: $10,000
submission/entry by: author
deadlines: June 14 (for books pub’d 1/1-6/15); Oct 15 (for books pub’d 6/15-12/31)
http://www.pulitzer.org

Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize
sponsor: American Academy of Poets
cost to enter: $25 & four copies
prize: $25,000
submission/entry by: author
deadline: June 15
http://www.poets.org/awards/marshall.cfm

Towson University Prize for Literature (for book by Maryland authors)
sponsor: Towson University
cost to enter: copy of the book
prize: $1,000
submission/entry by: author
deadline: June 30 (submit nomination during June)
http://wwwnew.towson.edu/english/

Kate Tufts Discovery Award (for a 1st book)
sponsor: Claremont Graduate University
cost to enter: 5 copies of the book
prize: $10,000
submission/entry by: author
deadline: September 15
http://www.cgu.edu/tufts/

National Book Critics Circle Award
sponsor: National Book Critics Circle
cost to enter: 1 copy of book to a board member, if they're interested, they will request one for each board member
prize: fabulous publicity, awards ceremony in NYC
submission/entry by: publisher
deadline: December 1
http://www.bookcritics.org

Pushcart Prize (for individual poems from published poetry collections)
sponsor: Pushcart Prize
cost to enter: none (up to six entries from a single publisher)
prize: publication in annual Pushcart Prize anthology
submission/entry by: publisher
deadline: December 1
http://www.pushcartprize.com

Norma Farber First Book Award (for a first book)
sponsor: Poetry Society of America
cost to enter: $20
prize: $500
submission/entry by: publisher
deadline: December 22
http://www.poetrysociety.org/psa-awards_gdln.html

William Carlos Williams Award
sponsor: Poetry Society of America
cost to enter: $20
prize: purchase prize between $500-$1000
submission/entry by: publisher
deadline: December 22
http://www.poetrysociety.org/psa-awards_gdln.html

American Book Awards
sponsor: Before Columbus Foundation
cost to enter: two copies of the book
prize: 10 to 18 awards
submission/entry by: anyone
deadline: December 31
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/iew/beforecolumbus

NaPoWriMo 2010 - Update #3

2010-04-20T21:02:00.002-04:00

Whew. Catching back up. Here's the list of titles. Can I make it to the end? I'm giving it my all...

1. Spring
2. The Fish Luck Caught
3. Poem Beginning with a Line from Houseman
4. "Names" Part IV.
5. Bath
6. Parable of the Fish
7. Temptation
8. "Names" Part V.
9. Cleaning the Windowsills in Spring
10. In
11. Wrong Number
12. Diet
13. Want
14. Love Poem for Serendipity
15. Nature Center
16. Hook
17. To a Well-Manicured Garden
18. Grocery Shopping Alone
19. Asthma Attack

Weekend Writing Break

2010-04-18T21:10:00.004-04:00

I almost didn't draft any poems this weekend. Peter returned from his business trip on Thursday night, so I've been socializing with the family and good friends the past few days. But, thanks to my sleepy family, I had about an hour this morning to read and draft a couple of poems to catch up.

I'll be doing another "NaPoWriMo Update" this week, but with Frida finally starting back to school after her 2-week spring break, I'll be playing catch-up for the first couple of days.

Great discoveries:

Walker Nature Education Center - Located in Reston, Virginia, this relatively new (opened November 2009) center showcases green building and sustainable design practices. Inside is a lovely library and education center with hands-on exhibits. Great trails to hike as well as a gazebo perfect for a picnic lunch. The center will host an Earth Day celebration next weekend.
Pasa Thai - Awesome restaurant in McLean, Virginia. We used to have another "favorite" restaurant for Thai cuisine, but I think Pasa Thai just blew it away!