Confession Tuesday

Happy Confession Tuesday, folks! This is the ides of March edition. Share a bit of yourself with us and we promise to do the same.


I confess I am all over the place with my confessions. Forgive the randomness. Such is my life these days.

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Gave my kids okra for dinner last night. They do not praise okra the way I praise okra. In fact, my son said, "I love your poem about okra, but I hate okra!" OK, I can deal with that.

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Have you read Jennifer Jean's post on Literary Citizenship for The Mom Egg? She talks about doing her part to plan the Massachusetts Poetry Festival while being a wife, mother, and artist.

Jennifer and I were sitting around my table after 10 p.m. last night--kids fast asleep, me with another cold, she just back from a weekend retreat--trying to get a handle on all of the festival details. Jennifer reminds me that I need to hold onto my creativity and nurture myself while trying to plan this large-scale event. It's hard being a literary citizen with a head cold.

But I think it's important for the both of us to try and nurture our whole selves in the midst of family, work, commitments, etc. Guess that's true for all of us, even when it seems nearly impossible.

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Check out Doug Holder's interview with Mass Poetry cofounder Michael Ansara and me about the festival.

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This Saturday, I'm appearing at the Virginia Festival of the Book! This is my first reading in my home state, and my parents will be there so I'm very excited about the entire weekend. Here's my session description:

Poetry Reading: What Women Want
Sat. March 19th, 2011 - 2:00 PM
New Dominion Bookshop
404 E Main St, Charlottesville

Delve into women's lives with Jehanne Dubrow (Stateside), Erika Meitner (Makeshift Instructions for Vigilant Girls), and January Gill O'Neil (Underlife).

Yahoo!

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I did not receive a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship. Most of the grants and fellowship programs I've applied to in this cycle I have not received, but this one I wanted. Oh well. Maybe next year.

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New to-do list coming this week. Should I try to write a poem a day in April while helping to plan a festival? Am I a glutton for punishment?

Comments

Sandy Longhorn said…
Oh, January, sorry about the disappointing news from the fellowship committee. You are remarkable in so many ways. I know your time will come.
I'm debating about the poem a day thing too.

Hmmm!

Even though you didn't get it, congrats on trying for it. I think our attempts at bigger things need congrats and to be acknowledged.

xo
Anonymous said…
i'm not sure about poem-a-day either. but here's what i'm thinking: 20 minutes a day. if i put parameters on it, it's manageable. pen to paper for 20 minutes. no pressure to post.

we'll see!!

here are some confessions from me:
http://caroleesherwood.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/this-mom-goes-back-to-work-more-tuesday-confessions/
Jennifer Jean said…
thanks for the shout out jan!
January said…
My pleasure, Jennifer!

Carolee, I'm coming over right now.

Kelli and Sandy, thanks for the support. Ugh. Oh well. There's always next year.

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