Poet Mom

Slouching Toward Starbucks

2012-01-27T19:17:00.001-05:00

Hello luscious! I've missed you.

All day I have been waiting to get a few hours to myself at my friendly neighborhood Starbucks. I take a sip of my venti hot chocolate and my whole body says, "Thank you!"

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What a week! With teaching, working my desk job, and Mass Poetry biz--oh, and being a mom--I'm wiped out. Just one more week of this madness and I'll be done with the desk job. Extremely bittersweet to leave the people I work with at Babson--my second family.

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Decided to blog a little, then answer a few emails, and then start a poem or two while I'm here. Amy Winehouse plays on my first-gen iPod (there's no school like the old school). Very crowded at my Starbucks. Not sure if it says more about the patrons or me on a Friday night.

We've got another kidtastic weekend on the books, so I'm happy for the only respite scheduled for the next 48 hours.

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I'm on Boston.com!

Carolyn Forché Reads at Babson: February 8

2012-01-27T04:59:00.001-05:00

The 2012 Charles D. and Marjorie J. Thompson Visiting Poet is Carolyn Forché.

Who: Carolyn Forché, award-winning poet
When: Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Sorenson Center for the Arts, Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts
Info: Admission is free; the public is welcome.

Forché's books of poetry include: Blue Hour (HarperCollins, 2004); The Angel of History (1994), which received the Los Angeles Times Book Award; The Country Between Us (1982), which received the Poetry Society of America's Alice Fay di Castagnola Award, and was the Lamont Poetry Selection of The Academy of American Poets; and Gathering the Tribes (1976), which was selected for the Yale Series of Younger Poets by Stanley Kunitz. She is also the editor of Against Forgetting: Twentieth-Century Poetry of Witness (1993). [Photo credit: Emma Dodge Hanson]

Hope you can make it!

Confession Tuesday

2012-01-24T05:47:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday, folks! Time for your confessions. Unburden yourself. Share a little piece of your life and we promise to do the same.

I saw this tagline attached to a Crest toothpaste ad:

Life opens up when you do.

It’s the simplest little thing (and I’m not sure what it has to do with cavity protection) but it’s true. The past two years have been about change. If you had told me I would be teaching in a classroom and running a major festival, I wouldn’t have believed you. No way. Yet I have tried to stay open to all possibilities, trying to match my voice to my values. And here I am, still standing, a little more tired than usual. I am here.

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I was inspired this morning by Carolee’s post. I understand exactly where she is right now. Go over and give her a little encouragement. Making a life difficult change and coming out the other side in a good place is worth celebrating.

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For the next week, I will continue to transition from one job to the next. It is really too much of a balancing act to stretch myself this thin. But once it’s over, I’m looking forward to having new routines. Being able to set my schedule, spend more time with the kids, and carve out time to exercise and write—I can’t wait!

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As I type this, I can hear my daughter singing in the other room. She is the other early bird in the house. I am thankful for those little moments. Collect enough of them and they make a life.

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My creative writing class will be writing their first poems to hand in this week. So I’m going to try to complete one by Thursday. It will be my first poem of 2012. *sigh*

To-do list:

1. Write one poem
2. Submit to two journals
3. Mail in contract for second book and manuscript revisions
4. Start reading a new poetry collection
5. Take more photos. My blog has been seriously lacking photos
6. Clean my desk

If I don’t create a list, nothing gets done.

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Mass Poetry wrote a nice five-question interview with me. And, here’s a preview of what’s coming for the April festival.

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Thanks for all the messages and emails of support. I’m a bit overwhelmed but will try to get to all of them this week.

A Quickie

2012-01-23T07:37:00.000-05:00

Mass Poetry Website has a new look. Check it out the features to the left and the most popular on the right for stories you may have missed—lots of good content there. Also, check out the article on the Student Day of Teaching with Lisa Stott.

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Congrats to Yusef Komunyakaa and Aracelis Girmay, who received National Book Critics Circle nominations!

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I have a head cold. And, I’m a little disappointed that my writing is taking a back seat. It will be this way for another week or so. I am, however, taking advantage of freewriting in the classroom. More on all of this tomorrow for Confession Tuesday.

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Go PATS! I don’t like football but let’s not kids ourselves: Tom Brady is a tall drink of water!

The Meaning of Life

2012-01-20T14:38:00.001-05:00

So ...

Toi Derricotte is now a chancellor of the Academy of American poets, Natasha Trethewey has just been named poet laureate of Mississippi, and Sonia Sanchez was recently named poet laureate of Philadelphia. Love, love, love when good things happen to good people. Let's not forget Nikky Finney's National Book Award win.

Good lord, there's something in the air ...

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Thanks to Dan Nester for including me in his article, "I, Literary Tourist," at the Poetry Foundation's website. Go read it right now!

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After my first full week of teaching at Salem State, working at Babson, and trying to get a handle on the Mass Poetry Fest, I'm pooped. The weekend can't come fast enough. And you know what I'm most excited about this weekend? Waking up early to get organized around Mass Poetry and planning next week's classes. Yes, I'm excited about work!

Yesterday, I was honored with many of my Babson coworkers at our annual Service Awards. I was recognized for my 10 years of service to the college. It was a gratifying yet bittersweet experience.

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As you know, I am in love with my iPhone and with Siri. Today, a friend of mind asked Siri, "What is the meaning of life?" Here's her response:

That's exactly the answer I would give. Thanks,Siri.

Poem Flow: Toi Derricotte "Elegy for My Husband"

2012-01-18T07:09:00.001-05:00

Congrats to Toi Derricotte, Cave Canem cofounder and my former professor, on being elected a chancellor to the Academy of American Poets!

Toi's new book is called The Undertaker's Daughter.

Toi and me, AWP DC, 2010

Confession Tuesday

2012-01-17T07:13:00.003-05:00

Confession Tuesday ... you know the drill.

7:10 a.m

Today is my first day of teaching! So forgive this quick and somewhat incomplete post. This is a full day for me: Salem State, then Babson, then Mass Poetry. But what I think I'll do is blog a few times today and make it a full day of confessions. So check back in later for updates.

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Shout out to Colleen for leaving a yummy soup on my doorstep for lunch today. And thanks to all the well wishes.

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Mom: chocolate and Tylenol. Done!

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It's a snowy day in New England. And, I can feel a scratchy throat coming on. Great.

More to come!

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1:49 p.m.

Colleen, the African sweet potato and peanut butter soup is ... was ... delish!

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I am at job #2 eating lunch before I work through a few projects on my desk.

What can I say, I really enjoyed teaching! You would think that an 8 a.m. start would be a bad thing. But the students who come out for such a class really make an effort. I appreciate that. I'm teaching two classes: comp and creative writing. The comp is the one I'm less comfortable with, but I know I can do it. For me, it's a terrific one-two combination. And, I was able to get some freewriting time. Woo hoo!

Couldn't help but think how lucky I am that this is where my life has taken me. Feeling mighty grateful to the universe today.

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This past weekend I received the contract for my second book. Very cool. Also received news that I have been recommended to attend Bread Loaf. I'm thinking of applying. The universe is calling.

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Biggest worry with all this activity? How to stay organized.

One more post to follow.

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7:16 p.m.

Sitting in a way cool conference room in Somerville, MA, for a MassPoetry planning meeting. This is our meeting to discuss all parts of MassPoetry: the festival, LEAP, and poets in the schools. Still hammering out festival features. Working on a fundraising and volunteer plan over Indian Food.

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10:32 p.m.

I'm officially wiped out--it's been a long day's journey into night. Should I stay up and watch The Broken Tower, James Franco's movie about Hart Crane? Maybe I'll save it for tomorrow night.

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I'm a professor and an executive director. Wow. I'm still taking it all in.

Mass Poetry Festival Update

2012-01-16T07:26:00.000-05:00

From time to time, I will post updates for the Massachusetts Poetry Festival here. This update was sent to our email lists last week (here's the abbreviated version).

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The fourth Massachusetts Poetry Festival will be held on April 20, 21, and 22. Once again, it will be held in downtown Salem at a number of venues including the amazing Peabody Essex Museum. Our program committee is hard at work trying to determine how many and which of the 123 program proposals (yes, 123 proposals—all of them good) we can actually fit into three days!

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Joy Harjo and Shapeshifting

The Massachusetts Poetry Festival, in partnership with the Peabody Essex Museum, is proud to announce feature poet Joy Harjo for the 2012 festival. Harjo will be reading in conjunction with the exhibition “Shapeshifting: Transformations in Native American Art.” Opening Saturday, January 14, Shapeshifting is one of the largest Native American art exhibitions to open in North America in the past 30 years. Spanning vast cultural, historical, intellectual, and aesthetic terrain, Shapeshifting offers a new approach to Native American art by exploring the conceptual underpinnings and artistic intent of contemporary and historic artworks alike.

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Student Day of Poetry

This year, the Student Day of Poetry will be held Friday, March 30, and is being hosted by MIT in Cambridge. Students from across the Commonwealth will have the chance to work with a variety of terrific Massachusetts poets in small workshops as well as participate in a great assembly with special guest poets and performers. The workshops will run the full range from spoken word to sonnets and sestinas. As we are the guests of MIT, we hope to add some very cool science and poetry features. Once again, our own Regie Gibson will be our host. The day is free and is designed for both middle schools and high schools.

Register your school and reserve a space as soon as possible to make sure that your school is included.

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Announcing the Launch of Massachusetts Louder Than a Bomb

MassPoetry and Mass LEAP are proud to announce the first Massachusetts Louder than a Bomb teen poetry festival, modeled on the Chicago program of the same name. It was the subject of the documentary shown at the 2011 festival.

This first year, we will limit participation to 24 school and community based teams--Already,we have 15 teams signed up to participate. We are looking for 9 more teams.

Teams need an adult sponsor/coach and generally meet once or twice a week after school up until the festival to write, practice and receive feedback on their poems/performance. MassLEAP can provide curriculum, information, and guidance on how to manage a team but it does involve work. The deadline for Team registration is coming up fast. If you are interested in forming a team or attending the festival, please email the Festival Coordinator Amanda Torres (torres@masspoetry.org), or Tournament Director Alex Charalambides (LTABmass@gmail.com) for more information.

Hello, It's Me

2012-01-16T07:23:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've been on vacation from the blog. Trust me, that's not the case. I've been working hard putting together syllabi and picking texts to teach my first classes at Salem State. Woo hoo!

Thanks to everyone for all the kind words and support. I am so full of gratitude today I can hardly express it.

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Since I'll be working three jobs--my current job, teaching, and running the Mass Poetry Fest--the next few weeks be about maintaining some sort of balance. (Balance ... ha!) So the house may not be as clean, we'll have breakfast for dinner, and five hours of sleep will feel like 20. Most important to me right now is keeping the work flowing, the kids happy, and making the poems happen. That's not too much to ask, right?

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It's MLK Jr. day here in the states. Thinking about all he did so I can be here doing what I do. I want to give my kids a little education on the man and his life's work--they are more than ready. I'm also going to teach the "I Have a Dream" speech in my classes tomorrow. Again, I'm feeling very grateful today.

More to come. Wish me luck.

The BIG News!

2012-01-13T07:40:00.003-05:00

Drum roll, please ...

I am leaving my job as Senior Writer/Editor at Babson College to become an Assistant Professor of English at Salem State University AND Executive Director of the Massachusetts Poetry Festival!!

(… which explains why I haven’t been blogging this week. I'm prepping for classes.)

I’ve been at Babson almost 11 years. It’s not easy to leave this family to start a new one. But when Salem State came calling, they made an offer I couldn’t refuse.

I will be teaching two classes, comp and creative writing. The rest of my time will be spent coordinating all of the poetry festival efforts, from marketing and promotion to fundraising, logistics, and programming. I’m looking forward to getting from behind the desk and in the classroom. And being able to help the festival grow and thrive and become sustainable ... YES!

This is all new territory for me, and for the next few weeks I’ll be working at both institutions until February 1. Classes at Salem State start next week! It will be busy to say the least, but I am more than ready for the challenge. I mean really, this is my dream job. And it doesn’t hurt that Salem State is about six miles from my house. Anyone who knows me knows my commute to Wellesley, MA, is 40 miles, door-to-door, on one of the worst highways in North America. Goodbye long commute!

Too many people to thank for making this happen. You know who you are. Thank you for your continued support.

*Me doing the dance of joy!*

Confession Tuesday

2012-01-10T06:42:00.006-05:00

It’s Confession Tuesday. You know the drill!

What a surprise it was to wake up this morning to find snow on the ground! Just a dusting, but enough to make the kids go crazy.

My daughter was so disappointed that we didn’t have a white Christmas. Fortunately for me (unfortunately for her), the high temp will be 46 degrees. So far, this has been the mildest New England winter I’ve seen in the 15 years I've lived here!

(Wait. I've been in New England 15 years? How did that happen?)

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As important as my writing is to me, it’s the one thing I always manage to put off. Why is that? I’ve got to end this bad habit soon before the year gets away from me.

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Much of this year has been about clearing out clutter around the house. I'm going through old manuscripts, copies of poems (that I have electronically), journals and books I've never read, bills, kids schoolwork. It all adds up. But if I don't do it now, it will never get done.

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Feeling like a bit of a crankypants this morning. Too much on my to do list, not enough time. And there’s not much I can put off until later. Sometimes the only way out is through.

I’m in a bit of a holding pattern in some other parts of my life. But one I get some clarification I can move forward. Lots of good things waiting around the corner. Sorry to be so vague.

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I’m keeping this short so I can get a freewrite in before work. Time to stop complaining and start writing.

Happy Tuesday, folks!

Monday, Monday

2012-01-09T07:55:00.009-05:00

Week two into the New Year and I have yet to write my first poem. I did revise my first poem of 2011 yesterday. That's got to count for something, right?

The next two weeks are going to be hectic. Lots of Mass Poetry Festival responsibilities due this week, including reviewing program proposals. I’m looking forward to all of it, I’m just trying to not work into the wee hours of the night. This poet mom needs her sleep. And, I would like to find time to write my weekly poem.

I know. I know. I can always find 10 minutes in the day to write.

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This past Saturday, I attended a lovely brunch thrown by Danielle Jones-Pruett for members of the Salem Writers Group. Poetry, friends, and food—what could be better! Thanks, Danielle.

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The beautiful and talented Erin Dionne is one of three local authors featured in a Sunday Boston Globe article.

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Congrats to Marilyn Nelson for receiving the 2012 Frost Medal from the Poetry Society of America. Also, congrats to Kwame Dawes for being named the 2012 recipient of the Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award by Poets & Writers. Woo hoo!

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Elizabeth Alexander is now on Twitter! She’s created The Twitter Poetry Project. Throughout the year, she will be regularly writing and tweeting poems using the rules of Twitter as a poetic form or catalyst. Follow her at @ProfessorEA.

CKP at Fairfield University

2012-01-06T17:25:00.018-05:00

Yesterday I traveled to Enders Island, just off the coast of Mystic, CT, to speak to students at Fairfield University's low res MFA program. CavanKerry Press authors Joan Cusack Handler, Judith Hannan, and Joseph Legaspi (pictured above) also spoke as part of a panel on getting your first manuscript published.

We read on the last day of their 10-day residency. Instead of meeting on campus for the classroom portion, the program meets twice a year (January and July) at St. Edmund's Retreat, which is a lovely campus about 75 miles from the college. Program participants stay on site the whole time, working and writing together in this unique setting. Having the ocean as your backdrop makes for an intense learning experience.

To hear the students talk about this program reminded me of my days at NYU. So much energy and excitement in the air. It was truly wonderful to spend the afternoon with such a talented group of students and professors.
Can we come back in July?

On the Set with Nick Flynn

2012-01-04T16:26:00.002-05:00

Playwright/poet Nick Flynn speaks to us from the set of the Focus Features film based on his memoir, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City.

Kibbles and Bits

2012-01-04T07:49:00.004-05:00

Two kids + one stomach bug = no writing (or rest) for mommy.

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Tomorrow I'm speaking on a panel at Fairfield University with CavanKerry Press authors on getting a manuscript published. The talk will be geared toward fiction and nonfiction writers in their low-residency MFA program. There's a Q&A and reading to follow.

I'm thrilled to be there with CKP founder Joan Cusack Handler, Judith Hannan, and Joseph Legaspi.

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Just booked a reading for 2013. Wow!

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In the words of Sam Cooke, "It's been a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come."

Confession Tuesday

2012-01-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

Happy 2012! This is my year! I suspect it's your year, too. Share a little of yourself with us as we make our first confessions for Twenty-twelve!

The new me:

This is me on New Year's Eve before our city's annual parade. It's part of our First Night celebration. The costumes are mostly made of paper mache and created by the woman standing behind me. It was a perfect night. No snow. Moderate temps. The events are geared toward families, so we saw lots of friends, neighbors, and classmates from Alex and Ella's school. I'm a Virginia girl at heart, but it's nights like this that makes me love living where I do.

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I love, love, love the idea of new beginnings. Maybe it's because the root of January is Janus, known as the Roman god of beginnings and endings.

Besides my poetry goals outlined in my PAP, I have a few other goals I'm working on for 2012.

Fitness: A healthy outlook plays so much into everything I do. Eating well, getting enough rest, and exercising are essential for my total well being. To help this along, I've signed up for yoga classes, which I hope to start near the end of the month.

Save Money: This is my line-in-the-sand year when it comes to this goal. I'm making moves that will help me save a decent emergency fund and secure my family's future. Gosh, Alex will be college age in 10 years--I'd like to be able to help both kids pay for a portion of it, while paying off my mortgage early. But short term, I need to get my spending in check.

Patience: As the kids get older, I am finding myself less patient with them. These are the people I care about most, so I need to remember that we're all doing the best we can and not put too much pressure on them to do more. I think yoga and working on my other goals will help with stress.

I have a lot of balls in the air to juggle. But I'm excited everything that's coming our way in 2012.

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Change is in the air. That's all I can say for now.

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January poems written: 0
2012 poems written: 0

Working on a new poem now.

Fire on Her Tongue Is Published!

2012-01-02T09:03:00.000-05:00

What a way to start off the new year!

Congrats to Kelli Russell Agodon and Annette Spaulding-Convy, co-editors of Fire On Her Tongue: An eBook Anthology of Contemporary Women’s Poetry. Created for e-readers in mind, this anthology has been entirely produced with a zero-carbon footprint. ZERO. And as of January 1, it was the No. 1 poetry title at Amazon.com. I'm thrilled to have my poems featured in this collection.

Look at the poets in Fire:

Kim Addonizio, Deborah Ager, Ivy Alvarez, Nin Andrews, Betsy Aoki, Elizabeth Austen, Lana Hechtman Ayers, Dorothy Barresi, Judith Barrington, Mary Biddinger, Elizabeth Bradfield, Ronda Broatch, Gloria Burgess, Jill Crammond, Barbara Crooker, Rachel Dacus, Madeline DeFrees, Susan Elbe, Patricia Fargnoli, Annie Finch, Kathleen Flenniken, Rachel Contreni Flynn, Rebecca Foust, Suzanne Frischkorn, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Maya Ganesan, Arielle Greenberg, Kate Greenstreet, Lola Haskins, Eloise Klein Healy, Jane Hirshfield, Erin Coughlin Hollowell, Anna Maria Hong, Holly Hughes, Ann Batchelor Hursey, Luisa A. Igloria, Jill McCabe Johnson, Tina Kelley, Janet Norman Knox, Keetje Kuipers, Dorianne Laux, Jenifer Browne Lawrence, Kate Lebo, Carol Levin, Rebecca Loudon, Erin Malone, Marjorie Manwaring, Frances McCue, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, January Gill O’Neil, Alicia Ostriker, Nancy Pagh, Alison Pelegrin, Susan Rich, Rachel Rose, Natasha Sajé, Peggy Shumaker, Martha Silano, Judith Skillman, Patricia Smith, Ann Spiers, A.E. Stallings, Joannie Kervran Stangeland, Marilyn L. Taylor, Molly Tenenbaum, Ann Tweedy, Nance Van Winckel, Katrina Vandenberg, Sarah Vap, Kary Wayson, Katharine Whitcomb, Wendy Wisner, Rachel Zucker.

Go to Amazon or your favorite bookseller and buy this book now!

Poetry Action Plan 2012

2011-12-31T07:29:00.053-05:00

It's the last day of the year! Time for merriment and a little reflection. In other words, it's time to list my poetry goals for the upcoming year. I call this my Poetry Action Plan (PAP).

A PAP is simple way to structure your writing goals so that they goals become habit. Your plan should be flexible enough to morph and change as your life changes. Here are a few tips on how to do just that.

Define your goals. What is most important to you as a writer? Is it practicing your craft? Do you want to read your work in public? Is this the year you finally complete your manuscript? Whatever it is, name it, claim it, and put it at the top of your list.
Be realistic about what can you achieve. Having a focus is essential. Pick four or five goals and stick to them.
Track your progress. It’s one thing to make goals, and another to keep them. List items you can quantify so you can gain momentum as you reach your next goal (ex. submit to 25 journals, write two poems a month, etc.).
Prepare for setbacks BUT be open to opportunities wherever they appear. Small acts, such as jotting down a word or phrase or mailing one submission to one publication, will keep you moving forward through times of uncertainty.

In 2011, my goals were to:

Write a Poem a Week
Not so much. I’m finishing the year at 38 poems.

Support the Massachusetts Poetry Festival
Achieved! This should count for two goals.

Support Manuscript #2
Achieved! Misery Islands will be published by CavanKerry Press in 2014. Woo hoo!

Start Manuscript #3
Not so much. This project requires research and time—two items in short supply in 2011.

Attend a Weeklong Workshop
Not so much.

Continue to Support Underlife
Achieved! It’s taken two years but I think I’m nearing second print run status. Maybe.

In 2012, my goals are to:

Write a Poem a Week
The writing comes first, no matter what.

Read a Book a Month
Poetry books I read all the time, but not reading other genres is embarrassing.

Support the Massachusetts Poetry Festival
I know I can do this. The challenge becomes how can I do it better and smarter? How can I help produce a top-notch event more efficiently? How am I contributing to the event’s success, and how can I help make connections that will benefit the festival in the future?

Start Manuscript #3
This project I will start now but not flesh out until the summer. The topic is race relations and busing in 1960s Boston. I’ve decided not to push it through but really use this time as an opportunity to learn about myself, my surroundings, and my history.

Attend a Weeklong Workshop
C’mon, FAWC. Don’t let me down again.

This is the roadmap. I encourage you to modify your writing goals throughout the year. Good luck, and Happy New Year!!

What Are You Doing New Years Eve? by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-L...

2011-12-31T00:07:00.000-05:00

Speak Up!

2011-12-30T08:08:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night, I read at the Speak Up Spoken Word Open Mike Series with two of my most favorite people in the world, Colleen Michaels and Kevin Carey. The series, held at the Walnut Street Coffee Cafe in Lynn, is run by storyteller extraordinaire Tony Toledo. An award winning storyteller in his own right, Tony makes everyone feel welcome, from poets to musicians to people who just want to share a story.

The crowd for this weekly Wednesday night event is a loyal one. It is an amazingly friendly, quirky, box-o-chocolates kind of happening--a cool series to close out 2011.

Tony Toledo

Clay on the guitar.

Joe spins a story for the crowd.

When we read "in the round," one of us leads off and the poet who follows has to come up with a poem that loosely flows with the first poem. So if Poet 1 writes a poem about a yellow bird, Poet 2 scrambles for a similar poem. Usually, you hear Poet 2 saying something like, "I don't have a poem about a bird, but I do have a poem with the color yellow ..."

Anyone who reads after me knows my poems are short. In the words of Mr. T, "I pity the fool who has to follow me in the round!" (I'm really the fool in between these two talents!)

At the end, we received the customary container of Fluff, signed by the audience.

(Did you know Fluff was created in Lynn? Well, now you do!)

Confession Tuesday

2011-12-27T08:07:00.002-05:00

Happy Tuesday, folks.

Here we are, the last Confession Tuesday of 2011. Let’s make every word count!

I hope you all are enjoying the holidays. My parents have been here for a few days; it’s been nice spending time with them and watching them play with the kids. We tend to do a lot of prep work before the holidays so I'm wiped out. Now I’m hoping to slow down and really enjoy this time with family and friends.

I want to spend the last week of the year living in the moment. I want to be present with the people who truly matter.

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This time last year, I was digging out of a massive snow storm along with the rest of New England. But in December the temp has hovered in the mid-40s. Go figure. Let’s hope the mild weather continues. No one has been more disappointed than my daughter, however, who wished for a white Christmas. I, for one, am thrilled I'm not firing up the snow blower.

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Poetry? What’s that? Yeah, it’s been that kind of a week. Looks like I’ll end the year with 38 poems, which is nowhere near the poem-a-week pace I set out for myself last January. Oh well, that’s what the new year is for—to start fresh and begin again.

Also in 2011, I will finish the year with less than 300 blog posts. At some point, I made a conscious effort to post less and to not explain myself. Yet, I’ve never missed a Confession Tuesday.

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Last To-Do List for 2011

Write one poem
Send out two submissions
Clean office and basement
Get organized around Mass Poetry
Write end-of-year blog posts

Poets in the Round: Speak Up! December 28

2011-12-26T08:06:00.001-05:00

Speak Up features: January Gill O'Neil, Colleen Michaels, Kevin Carey

December 28
Speak UP! Spoken Word Open Mike Every Wednesday Evening, 7:30 p.m.
Walnut Street Coffee Cafe
157 Walnut Street
Lynn, MA 01905-1168
781.596.1690

Ladies and Gentlemen of Speak Up, we are closing out 2011 with a BANG!For the first time in our Speak Up history we are featuring three poets in the round.

Each person in their own right is a poet wonderful. Each poet has already been a Speak Up Feature on their own. The three of them are fast friends. They have been given the green light to cut loose, to raise hell, to whisper, to yell, to cuss, to declare they are wearing no underwear. It will be a night to remember.

Come watch the fireworks with Kevin Carey, Colleen Michaels and January Gill O'Neil. Some things make me grin just thinking about them. This is one. See you Wednesday.

Poems by Jan, Colleen, and Kevin online.

Speak UP! Spoken Word Open Mike meets every Wednesday at the Walnut Street Coffee Cafe, 157 Walnut St, Lynn, MA. Come to the Walnut Street Coffee Cafe this Wednesday for the best in poetry, storytelling, jive talking, ranting, listening and just hanging out with each other. Sign up for the open mike lottery starts at 7 PM with the actual talking kicking off at 7:30 PM. Jim Chalmers, the owner of the cafe, is delighted to host Speak Up. He has bought a PA, installed lights and moves the chairs around for us.

If you enjoy Speak Up please buy a beer (or a coffee or a dessert) this Wednesday. It helps his bottom line considerably. Thanks.

At 7:30 all the folks who want to speak will be in a lottery that decides the speaking order. The Featured Performer for the evening goes on at 8:30. We pass the basket to get them gas money home. Folks are invited to share a poem they have written, one they love, tell a story, read a memoir, talk about your week, talk about what pisses you off, share who you love, cuss up a storm, or blow kisses at the crowd--Speak UP! is a Free Speech Zone. We have a three obscenity minimum. Say what you have to say-in five minutes of course.

ciao,
Tony Toledo, SPEAK UP! EMCEE Coin giver
Excuse me, are you going to finish that pie?

Happy Christmas Eve Day!

2011-12-24T08:02:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness. Not since age 13 when I woke up the day before Christmas morning thinking it was Christmas have I been so excited about the holidays! The house has been decorated for a solid month. The presents are wrapped and and waiting to be opened. And the kids are more excited than ever.

This year, we'll be tracking Santa's journey through NORAD, having crab cakes made my yours truly, and decorating cookies before Santa shimmies down the chimney.

Note to self: Don't light the fireplace tonight.

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Since my parents came into town on Wednesday, it’s been a mad dash to finish up the Christmas shopping. I’m almost done. Will stop by a local store to get the last gift.

It’s been fun watching my mom and dad spend time the kids. Wonder if they will enjoy playing on the Wii tonight?

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While my parents are here, I’m hoping to get in some writing time as well as getting back to a workout schedule. Also, I haven’t had a vegetable in three days. Ugh. My body HATES me.

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After Christmas, I will hit the ground running with Massachusetts Poetry Festival planning. It is on like a mofo. Lots of moving pieces I have to corral. But, the festival is shaping up to be OUTSTANDING! So much to look forward to in 2012!

Why I Write #75

2011-12-21T08:03:00.001-05:00

Why I Write

2012 Book List

2011-12-21T07:34:00.006-05:00

Every year I say I'm going to read a ton of books, and every year I fall flat. Can't remember the last time I plowed through a fiction title that wasn't a Captain Underpants or Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. I read a few poetry books a month but other genres collect dust on my shelves.

These books, however, I'm really looking forward to reading. Some I've carried over from past years.

1. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn (memoir)
2. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halprien (nonfiction)
3. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (biography)
4. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (fiction)
5. The Financial Lives of Poets by Jess Walter
6. The Gift by Lewis Hyde (nonfiction)
7. The Anthologist by Nicholas Baker (fiction)
8. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (nonfiction)
9.Street Shadows: A Memoir of Race, Rebellion, and Redemption by Jerald Walker
10. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (classic fiction)
11. Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne
12.

Poetry
13. Skin, Inc. by Thomas Sayers Ellis
14. The New Black by Evie Shockley
15. The Undertaker's Daughter by Toi Derricotte
16. The Book of Orgasms by Nin Andrews
17. Flood by Kathleen Flenniken
18. Blue Front by Martha Collins
19. One with Others by C.D. Wright
20. Nox by Anne Carson
21. The One Fifteen to Penn Station by Kevin Carey
22. Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
23.
24.

My poetry list is dominated by women. Any suggestions for good reads on either list? That reminds me, I need to update my Goodreads info.

Confession Tuesday

2011-12-20T07:56:00.003-05:00

Ho Ho Ho! It is the holiday edition of Confession Tuesday. Naughty or nice? This is the stuff we want to hear about. Share a little of yourself today or expect a lump of coal in the mail from me!

Since my writers’ retreat a little over week ago, I have not written any new poems. Not one. *sigh* What can I say? The holidays have taken over. But tonight, I’m going to my writers’ workshop and I’ll bring one of my poems written during the retreat. Thankfully, po-biz stuff--sending out a few submissions and getting a grant application together--has kept me busy (and sane). Feels good to have poems out there working for me. Will try to send a few more poems to publications this week. Also, Mass Poetry Fest planning is kicking into high gear.

On Wednesday, the Calvary (read: my parents) arrive. And Thursday is my last working day of 2011, so I’m planning on getting organized and doing as much writing as possible by the end of the year.

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I’m cautiously optimistic about some exciting news coming my way in January. Fingers crossed. Will reveal the details when it’s official.

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Just downloaded Amy Winehouse’s posthumously released album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures. Love it. I wish Amy had given us a fully fleshed-out album in the years after Back to Black. But it’s nice to have one more collection of her work in the world. Such a loss.

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What’s up with the Elf on the Shelf craze? Isn’t Santa enough? Moving around a toy elf to keep the kids guessing equals one more thing I have to keep up with on a daily basis.

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Ella and I were talking about Santa while I was on Twitter. She asked me, “Do you tweet with Santa?” So I said, “Yes, and I can tell him if you’ve been naughty or nice.” Santa is on Twitter, at @santa_claus and @noradsanta.

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I’m keeping this blog post short in anticipation of my year-end wrap-up/looking ahead posts. Happy Tuesday, folks!

Cookie Monsters

2011-12-19T07:49:00.012-05:00

This weekend was a tale of two cookie decorating parties. Here are a few photos from the one I held on Saturday for Alex and Ella's classmates and their parents.

And photos from Colleen Michaels' cookie decorating party yesterday:

The "Rihanna" cookie

That Colleen knows how to throw a party! Her gathering was a mix of friends and serious cookie decorators, young and old. Colleen made the icing and cookies from scratch, and if she could she would have made the sprinkles and toppings herself!

Both parties were special, and served as reminders of how blessed and nurtured the kids and I are by this community. It's fun to get together with friends, eat, and make a big ol' delicious mess!

Rita Dove on PBS Newshour

2011-12-18T08:20:00.001-05:00

Watch In Anthonogy, Rita Dove Connects American Poets' Intergenerational Conversations on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Rita Dove discusses the new Penguin Anthology.

All the Lonely People. Where Do They All Belong?

2011-12-15T07:07:00.003-05:00

While I haven’t been back to The Cave this week, I have been sending out submissions. It’s been a productive week. Sent a copy of Underlife out to be reviewed, submitted poems to two journals, and prepared a grant application.

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The Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Artist Fellowship Grant online application is now available.

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Today is the last day to submit proposals to the 2012 Massachusetts Poetry Festival. Submit!

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Have you been reading Jericho’s pieces at Best American Poetry? Silly question. Of course you are!

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Apply to the 2012 Kundiman and Cave Canem retreats!

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Poetry books on my holiday list:

Toi Derricotte, The Undertaker's Daughter
Nin Andrews, The Book of Orgasms
Kathleen Flenniken, Flood

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Current spin: "Eleanor Rigby"

Miracle Blanket by Erika Meitner

2011-12-14T08:13:00.002-05:00

Watch Weekly Poem: 'Miracle Blanket' by Erika Meitner on PBS. See more from PBS NEWSHOUR.

New Poem

2011-12-14T05:46:00.000-05:00

A new poem from the poetry retreat. Still raw. Line breaks need work. But here it is.

Thinking of Lucille Clifton’s “if i stand in my window” at the Convent

—St. Marguerites Retreat House, December 10, 2011

Who wouldn’t want to lower her nightgown
or raise her blouse and push her breasts,
nipples tight as a raisins, against the frosted window,
forming rain drops around dark clouds on a cold December morning.
No thing to bear witness accept the 100-year old pines
and a stray doe anticipating the startle of human.
I think of the women here who married God, to have and to hold no other,
their black habits draping down to the floor, and the young girls who stayed here
when the convent was an orphanage, the childhood of girls lived in dorms,
learning to love each other like family with God as their father.
Did they peer out the window down to the lonely bench
and wish for the startle of a boy? A mother’s call? Or a life beyond this?
A breast on glass is nothing but a marker of time.
Who wouldn’t want to raise a blouse and announce
to the world, “I am here?” I am here.

This is the best link I could find to Ms. Lucille's original poem. (Watch out for pop ups.)

The Painted Word Series

2011-12-13T13:26:00.000-05:00

Painted Word Poetry Series - January Gill O'Neil from Zach Despart on Vimeo.

Painted Word Poetry Series - Deborah Landau from Zach Despart on Vimeo.

Thanks Major and UVM for allowing us to share our words with your community.

Confession Tuesday

2011-12-13T07:24:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday, folks. It's not just any Tuesday ... it's Confession Tuesday! Time to unburden yourself. Share a little piece of your life with us and we promise to do the same.

I am basking in the afterglow of the weekend retreat. My hope is to sit down and write tonight after the kids go to bed. The problem is that I'm so tired at the end of the day, I can barely make it past 9 p.m.

"What a drag it is getting old."

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On Saturday morning, I took the first of three workshops with Maria Mazziotti Gillan. She opened her session by talking about a metaphorical creature called The Crow. It sits on your shoulder and reminds you of all your insecurities. Everything, from you're no good as a writer, you have no value, no one will ever want to hear what you have to say, to you're stupid, your parents never loved you, you're too fat ... You name it, The Crow has something to say about it. The Crow also protects The Cave, that place where all your secrets lie--in the pit of your stomach.

For this weekend, Maria gave us permission to knock The Crow off of our shoulders and go down into The Cave to release those terrible stories. It's been a while since I had written pieces that surprised me as much as these did. I was thankful for the experience. "Write first, edit later," I kept telling myself. And it worked. I even wrote a poem about The Crow--one of my best poems from the weekend.

Not ready to post my Crow poem yet because it still feels raw. I have to make a few choices about what to leave in and take out.

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Yesterday, I wondered if my power animal is really a crow or a dog. A power animal, as I understand it, an animal spirit that protects and guides you in life (feel free to correct me). So Googling for power animals, I found this description about The Crow:

As a Crow, you are analytical, adaptable, and exceedingly clever. You like solving problems, sharing a hearty laugh with friends, and most of all, enjoying a good meal. Your inquisitive, philosophical nature leads you to constantly question authority and the status quo, sometimes just for the sake of asking, "Why?"
Best matches: Foxes, Wolves, Swans
Watch out for: Wolverines, Bears, Hawks

Yep, my power animal is a Crow.

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Will post a poem from the retreat tomorrow.

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I also came to the conclusion that while I like writing a poem a day every six months, I much prefer the steady pace of writing a poem a week. So I am determined to keep up the habit in the New Year. I realize that the poems I write daily lack soul.

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Have a good week!

In Retreat

2011-12-12T07:58:00.003-05:00

Get ye to a nunnery!
(Heard that line a lot this weekend.)

L-R: Colleen, me, Dawn, Cindy, and Kevin

Back from my retreat and it’s official—I have written my way home. The retreat, run by Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Laura Boss, was absolutely terrific.

Red wheelbarrow, anyone?

My traveling companions to St Marguerite’s Retreat House were poets Kevin Carey, Colleen Michaels, Cindy Veach, and Dawn Paul. Since we knew it would be a large group attending this time (29 participants), we went early enough to get the rooms we wanted, which were all on the same wing of the house. The winter retreat is located on the convent grounds of Saint John the Baptist in Mendham, NJ.

From Friday night to Sunday afternoon, we were in six workshop sessions that, for me, produced six poems—all of which I will develop. I say that because last year I wrote as many poems and didn't revise any of them. After writing 20 soulless poems in November, these poems went deep. DEEP! Surprised myself each time. One of the workshop participants said about his experience, “ Being here … it makes writing fun, not like something that you have to do.” I knew exactly what he meant.

This retreat is laid back with writers at all skill levels. From the first prompt, something in me opened up and I was in the poetry zone. I don’t think I have hit that zone at all this year! Maria and Laura put the emphasis on getting the poem down on paper first, then editing later. I think everyone in my writers group felt maybe we tend to edit too much in the beginning. Maybe we kill our poems before we give them a chance to live.

There’s one TV on sight, which I don’t think anyone every turned on while there. The rooms are Spartan to say the least. Plenty of grounds to walk around, contemplate your naval, and then write about it. The food, which is prepared by church workers and nuns, was plentiful, and every meal with lots of fruit and snacks in between.

For us, it was a chance to do something purely for ourselves. We bonded over poetry, of course, but who knew Dawn was good at ping pong? And after our group poetry reading on Saturday night, the Massachusetts crew, as we were referred to often, stayed up late with Bob, another friend and participant (not from Massachusetts), who played his guitar into the wee hours. Who knew an acoustic version of “You’re So Vain” could bring out the Carly Simon in all of us?

Bob and Kevin

By Sunday, I couldn’t have written another poem if I tried. I was happy to get home and see my kids. Now the trick is figuring out how to bottle up those good feelings and access them again and again and again.

Labyrinth

Writing My Way Home ... Again

2011-12-09T05:24:00.000-05:00

Today I am off to a weekend writers’ retreat called Writing Your Way Home: A Poetry Weekend Intensive. Located at an an English Manor House in Mendham, NJ, the workshops are run by Laura Boss and Maria Mazziotti Gillan. Woo hoo!

The purpose of this retreat is to give writers the space and time to focus totally on their own work in a serene and beautiful setting away from the pressures and distractions of daily life.

This time around, there will be five of us from the Salem Writers Group attending (read: road trip!). Looking forward to hanging out with my poet friends in this idyllic setting.

I wish I could attend a weeklong class or retreat to do a deep dive into my work, but being a single parent makes it difficult to leave home for even a week. So this little getaway will help me center myself, especially with the holidays upon us. I attended last year and felt renewed and rejuvenated. Now if there was a spa on site that would be perfect!

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I need this weekend like I need plasma.

10 Questions for Poet John Ashbery

2011-12-08T07:22:00.001-05:00

The interviewer calls Ashbery, "America's Most Important Living Poet." Maybe one of the most important, but the most important? Hmmm ...

Confession Tuesday

2011-12-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

If it’s Tuesday, it’s time for your confessions! Share a bit of yourself with us and we promise to do the same.

First Tuesday in December and I am recovering from another kidstastic weekend. Alex and Ella had seven play dates between them. Great weekend, but man am I beat. I even cooked meals for two of the seven get togethers. Whew!

I have a habit of saying yes to opportunities and clearly I may have overdone it. But we had fun. Can’t say I would have done it any differently, I guess.

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Still thinking about my reading with Afaa on Friday night. Specifically, I’m thinking about how to bridge old, established poems with work from my second manuscript.

Have you ever been to a poetry reading where a poet reads from a new book but hasn’t found the rhythm between poems yet? He or she doesn’t know where to pause. Or worse, hasn’t considered the order so the reading seems like a mishmash of disconnected pieces? Well, I do not want that to be my story, which is why I’m testing the waters in every reading with new work. I want to get my timing down before Misery Islands is published, figure out what to say in between the work.

And of course, with the difficult subject matter or divorce and repair, reading these poems give me an opportunity to redefine myself.

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I’ve been wondering if the lettered shirt I wore on Friday night was overkill.

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This weekend, I’m traveling with friends from my writers’ group to Mendham, NJ, for what is turning out to be our annual writers retreat run by Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Laura Boss. I’m looking forward to getting away from the daily distractions and focusing solely on my work. In other words, mommy needs a play date of her own.

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“The universe does not like status quo.”

Afaa and Me

2011-12-05T07:39:00.002-05:00

Every now and then I get these great reminders of how wonderful it is to be a poet. Friday night was such a night, when I had the honor of reading with Afaa Michael Weaver at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop in Cambridge. Afaa has been a friend and mentor for years, so any opportunity to hear him read is one I cherish.

If you've never been to the Grolier, it is a postage stamp of a bookstore, with walls and walls of poetry books lining the vertical shelves. On this night, 30 audience members crammed in for an evening of verse.

I was nervous about the reading. This was my first reading after the announcement of the publication of my second book, Misery Islands (CavanKerry Press 2014). The night before, I decided to read some poems from Misery--the divorce poems. I wasn't sure how they would be received or how they would work with poems from the first book. But I did it, and I think the new work was well received. But my stomach was in knots up until I took the podium.

Afaa read from two new manuscripts. One of which, The Government of Nature, will be published in 2013 by University of Pittsburgh Press. He weaves his poems together with the history of someone who has "been there and done that," giving voice to people and experiences that make you realize the things hidden inside all of us are universal and profound.

I told the audience I was reading one more poem and then sitting down to listen to Afaa. After which, he chided me, saying I should never defer to the next poet, no matter what. Lesson learned!

We took questions from the audience, and then the conversation turned to Cave Canem (CC) and the state of African American poetry. It's always good to talk about CC, how the organization has grown from its humble beginnings. We shared a bit about the difficulty writers of color have had navigating the publishing waters, and how poetry as a whole is strengthened by diversity of thought and experience.

The conversation was much deeper than what I described. Many in the audience were moved by Afaa's words. Sorry, you just had to be there to take it all in.

Many thanks to the staff at the Grolier for taking us in.

If these walls could talk, what would they say?

Behind the Improbable Scenes

2011-12-02T16:36:00.004-05:00

Want to know more about the Improbable Places Poetry Tour? Watch this short compilation put together by Colleen Michaels and Montserrat College of Art.

Very cool!

TGIF

2011-12-02T07:49:00.000-05:00

This is the picture I did not post on Thanksgiving. I walked to the beach and snapped this shot near a lighthouse. It's been so warm the trees just don't know what to do.

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TGIF! It's been a long but productive week. Productive with everything but the items on Tuesday's poetry to-list.

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I've been playing around with my new iPhone 4S. It is wicked cool, especially to someone who just gave up a first-gen iPhone. The customer service rep called it a "Silverback" and told me I have "evolved." Get it?

Despite it's coolness, rumors of the lack of battery life are true.

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Check out a terrific interview with Nikky Finney on NPR's Talk of the Nation.

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Hope you can join me tonight at the Grolier reading with Afaa Weaver. For some reason, I'm a little nervous. Not sure if it's because I'm reading some new work from my second book Misery Islands, or because I'm reading at the Grolier. The bookstore is steeped in history.

Afaa Michael Weaver and January O'Neil: Grolier Poetry Book Shop

2011-11-30T05:49:00.000-05:00

For these who don't know, the Grolier is the oldest poetry book store in North America. Hope you can make it to the reading!

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The Grolier Poetry Book Shop presents
Afaa Weaver and January Gill O'Neil
Friday, December 2
7 p.m.
at The Grolier Poetry Book Shop
6 Plympton Street
Cambridge, MA

A native of Baltimore, Afaa Michael Weaver (born Michael S. Weaver) has been a Pew fellow, a Fulbright scholar in Taiwan, and an NEA fellow in poetry. His first book of poetry Water Son, was published in 1985 by University Press of Virginia. He has had plays produced professionally and worked as an editor and freelance journalist. His short fiction is included in the anthology Children of the Night. His prizes include a Pushcart, the PDI Award in playwriting from ETA Theatre in Chicago, and the May Sarton Award. His 11th collection of poems is Kama i'reeh (Like the Wind)(2010), a translation of his work into Arabic by Wissal Al-Allaq. Weaver works as an editor and a translator, principally in Chinese. He maintains a translation website called Poets Cafe. A major interview with Weaver was published in the Summer 2011 issue of Contemporary Literature. In early 2013 Weaver's 12th collection of poetry, The Government of Nature, will be published by University of Pittsburgh Press. His Academy of American Poets website is http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/170. Weaver lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Confession Tuesday

2011-11-29T05:46:00.000-05:00

It’s Confession Tuesday. You know the drill.

The kids are back after their wild and wacky (and unexpected) road trip. I’ve never seen them so happy to be back at home. It’s kind of nice, really. We finished decorating the Christmas tree, made dinner together, visited with a few friends—they even did their chores without complaining! This is how I know they missed being at home.

What can I say? I missed them and they missed me. And now, all is right with the world.

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I am entering the brave new world of online dating. Maybe it’s not new, just new to me. I’m keeping an open mind about the process. After all, I thought I was done with this phase of my life. The whole idea of entering the dating pool again is exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. My world is pretty full and fulfilling as it is, but finding someone to share it can only enhance it.

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At the very least, I’ll get a few poems out of my experiences.

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We are about five months away from the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, and there are more hands doing the heavy lifting earlier in the process. Currently, we are shoring up the list of headliners and filling in the lineups of panels, sessions, and workshops. The festival marketing, which is my area of expertise, will start to heat up in January, so in December I will get all of the design work and ad specs ready for submission in the New Year.

The deadline for proposals is coming up! Submit!!

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This week’s to-do list:

Revise three poems from the November PAD challenge
Send out submissions to four journals
Scope out my third manuscript project
Start organizing Mass Poetry stuff
Read a fiction book
Work on MCC grant application

All of these things I’ve slacked on in the last month—I really need to stay on task if I’m going to finish the year strong. Not easy to do with the silly season upon us.

Happy Tuesday, folks!

Leftovers

2011-11-27T15:16:00.000-05:00

If you had told me this weekend I would not have blogged or written one poem, I wouldn’t have believed you. But it’s true. I did not write one poem, send out any submissions, or blog. In fact, I stayed away from social media for the most part. It felt pretty good. Guess I needed the break.

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My break took a bit of an emotional detour when I found out, after the fact, that Alex and Ella went to South Carolina for the long weekend with their dad. *big sigh*

I’m just not going there now.

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What did I do with my time? Put it to good use! I finally swapped out my summer clothes for winter wear. Went shopping on Black Friday. (BTW, every day is Black Friday for me.) Raked the last of the fall leaves. Set up the Christmas tree, wrapped presents, and cleaned the house. Also managed to spend a lot of time with friends.

The kids come back in a few hours. Can’t wait for them to decorate the tree!

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It's been 60 degrees for the past few days. My daisies are growing again. No wonder I haven't been in the mood to swap clothes.

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So my poem-a-day challenge ends at 20. Playing catch up now becomes more about completing the task rather than writing good poems. I certainly have enough to work on in December so I’m happy with the outcome.

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I did manage to do a postcard mailing for the Mass Poetry Festival. I compiled a list of all the indie bookstores in MA, RI, and NH. The cards are addressed and ready for mailing. And I did it all by myself. Felt good to do it, but I won’t do it again without help. Now that was work! Good work, but work nonetheless.

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Hello, Starbucks! I’ve missed you.

RIP Ruth Stone

2011-11-24T09:53:00.001-05:00

I had an entirely different post planned, talking about my morning walk to the beach, my new iPhone 4S (it is SWEET!), and Thanksgiving plans. But that changed upon hearing the news poet Ruth Stone has died at age 96.

It was my great pleasure to study with Ruth and Toi Derricotte at Old Dominion University in the late 80s. Her book, Second Hand Coat, was just published during that time. I remember her fiery red hair that went down to the center of her back. I also remember her to be wickedly funny and very nurturing—just what I needed as a young poet. Ruth was a big advocate for writing down poems whenever and wherever they happened. She felt that she didn't write the poems, they moved through her and it was her job to catch them.

After Ruth’s second husband’s suicide, she raised three daughters as a single mother on a farm in Vermont. I remember hearing stories about the hard times when they didn’t have heat or running water. Her life was certainly the meat for her poems, which had elements of science and the natural world. Her husband’s suicide was also a reoccurring theme, as well as aging. Even with her failing eyesight in the later years, she was still writing poems and reciting them from memory.

This morning, I can’t seem to find Second Hand Coat or Simplicity, but I did locate my copy of In the Next Galaxy, for which she won the National Book Award in 1987. Picking up this book is like reaching out to a long, lost friend. In truth, Ruth and I lost touch after college. I’m just thankful for the time our paths crossed for a brief moment in time. She will be missed.

Confession Tuesday

2011-11-22T06:32:00.022-05:00

Happy Tuesday, folks! This is the giving thanks edition of Confession Tuesday. Share a little of your pre-Turkey selves with us an we promise to do the same.

This afternoon, Alex and Ella will leave to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their dad. I admire them. Leaving home is always tough for them (and they let me know it last night). But I know they will have a good time with their father and his new family. So I am thankful that despite the multitude of changes in their lives during the past three years, they are healthy, happy, and well-adjusted kids.

I am thankful to be their mom.

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By the same token, I am thankful for the gift of time. Alex and Ella will be gone until Sunday, which means I'll have some much needed me time. They say you should always put the oxygen mask on yourself first before the kids. Well, this holiday I will be putting the mask on myself first so that when they return, I will be more rested and centered for them.

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I couldn't get through the last month, which was particularly tough for some reason, without friends and family. I am thankful for you--more than you know.

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Between the kids, work, and Mass Poetry, I've gotten a little behind on the PAD Challenge. Hello holiday! Time to play a little catch up. I am thankful for all of the above.

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Some new opportunities are on the horizon. Too early to talk about anything but they're all exciting. Just another reminder that I seem to be on right path.

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A big thank you to you! No, let's make it a big Dating Game kiss. *smack!* Because of you, my second book will be out in fall 2014. Thank you for hanging in there with me.

So, what are you most thankful for this year?

Massachusetts Poetry Festival Proposal Deadline Dec. 1

2011-11-21T07:07:00.002-05:00

If you're interested in participating in next year's poetry festival, get your proposal in by December 1. We're looking for sessions, panels, and workshops rather than individual poets to read. Helpful if you have a connection to the state or New England, but we'll give consideration to all submitted proposals.

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The fourth Massachusetts Poetry Festival will be held from April 20-22 in downtown Salem, Massachusetts. The Planning Committee of Mass Poetry is requesting proposals for programming from poets, poetry organizations, presses, and editors. The deadline for getting your proposal for presentations at the 2012 Massachusetts Poetry Festival is December 1.

Submit a proposal.

The Festival seeks programming that encompasses the diversity of Massachusetts poets. We seek diversity of poetic voice, style, vision, language and method. Within that diversity we will select the highest quality of content and presentation possible. We seek diversity of age, region of the state, language, gender, background, race and ethnicity. As well we seek diversity of presentation: readings, panels, poetry and dance, poetry and music, workshops, interactive events, poetry and the other arts.

Good News!

2011-11-18T07:05:00.004-05:00

My second poetry manuscript, Misery Islands, will be published by CavanKerry Press in fall 2014!

CavanKerry has been great to me. They have supported me and continue to support me with Underlife, so I'm thrilled to continue my relationship with them. Yahoo!

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While their general open submission period is in February, CavanKerry Press will be having an open submission period from January 1-31, 2012, for its Laurel Books imprint.

LAUREL BOOKS are collections of poetry or prose memoirs that explore in depth poignant and critical issues associated with personally confronting serious and life-threatening physical or psychological illness. CavanKerry seeks work written from a personal perspective by the individual who has experienced the illness or by the individual personally and deeply involved with the person who suffered from the illness.

Nikky Finney at NBA

2011-11-17T17:37:00.003-05:00

Big ups to Nikki Finney for winning the National Book Award! So wonderful. Head Off & Split is a wonderful book. Her acceptance speech is amazing!

I had a chance to meet her this year at a reading at Leslie University. She gave me some sage advice about my second manuscript that came just about the time I was having serious doubts about the collection. (Thank you, Nikky.)
What a triumph!

You Can Take That to the Bank!

2011-11-17T06:58:00.007-05:00

I thought last month's improbable tour stop at the tattoo parlor was pretty cool, but reading at a bank? After hours? It ranks right up there!

Colleen Michaels has done it again with her choice of venue for Improbable Places Poetry Tour. Last night, the reading was held at the People's United Bank. The money was locked away in the vault (was hoping to leave with a big bag of money--that didn't happen), but poetry was the true commerce of the evening.

Colleen Michaels

Ella O'Neil and Eliza Michaels

Even my daughter, who never met a microphone she didn't like, read a poem before the poetry crowd.

As someone who has read at Occupy Boston, it was nice to come here and listen to a range of poems about people's relationships to money. And I have to give credit to the People's United Bank. According to Colleen, they never asked who's reading or what topics will be read. They opened their doors to the community, just as they do every day. This time, however, the poets occupied the bank.

The Blog Post I Forgot to Post

2011-11-16T17:02:00.001-05:00

Should have posted this morning but the day got away from me.

I have good second manuscript news … but I’m keeping it under wraps until there are more details to share!

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This morning I woke up at 4 a.m. and wrote three PAD poems. And, they don’t suck! So as of this writing, I am back on track. Maybe I should get up that early more often.

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My friend, Jo Jo, sends me poems by other poets in the mail. In his last letter, sent me poems by Joan Larkin. She is fierce.

Thanks, chumpy!

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See you tonight at the Improbable reading.

Improbable Places Poetry Tour: People’s United Bank

2011-11-16T05:44:00.000-05:00

The next stop on Montserrat College of Art’s wildly successful poetry tour is People’s United Bank, formerly Danversbank, in the old Beverly National Bank.

Think about the old changing into the new, payouts, spare change in your pocket – $$ is all around us, being exchanged in so many different ways!

The reading will take place Wednesday, Nov. 16, 7–9 p.m. 240 Cabot Street, Beverly.

(I'm all over this. Hope to see you tonight!)

Confession Tuesday

2011-11-15T07:30:00.001-05:00

If it's Tuesday, it's time for your confessions. Unburden yourself. Tell us a little about your life and we promise to do the same.

This weekend, I was reminded of Newton's Third Law of Motion: for every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction. While this is certainly true in physics, I see this in relation to emotions and the energy I put out into the world.

I'm amazed when people are not in a good phase in their lives, they bring other people down. This is equally true for me. When I'm in a bad mood, it registers pretty quickly in my life, specifically on the kids.

Feels like I spend a lot of time focusing my energies to stay on an even keel. It's somewhat exhausting. But I'm also the beneficiary of maintaining a positive outlook. I've gotten pretty good at navigating change. I'm more resiliant that I ever thought I could be. And, I can't help but think that my efforts to put positive energy in the world continues to come back to me in waves. Guess it's all about the choices we make.

Poetry helps.
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I realize this sounds a bit new age-y. Deal.

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Oh, PAD. Why have you forsaken me? I didn't write a poem last night. Was too tired after serving up a spaghetti dinner for Alex's classmates last night. Oh well. Let's see what the day brings.

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You might be asking why I would do a poem a day challenge? Well, the key word in that question is challenge. I like testing myself in short spurts. I'm not in a writing groove yet, but I'm getting there. Plus, I love the public struggle of watching so many poets--just like me--trying to keep up. A good reminder that writing poetry is difficult no matter who you are.

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To-do list

1. Keep up with PAD poems
2. Revise PAD poems and post a few of them
3. Submit poems to four journals
4. Read a novel (can't remember the last time I read a novel)
5. Write a blog post for Mass Poetry

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My first gen-iPhone needs to be put out of it's misery. Because Apple is not making compatible software, some of my apps (Facebook, Twitter) won't work so I'm forced to upgrade. So off to the Apple store this week for a new and improved version.

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We live in a disposable society. Nothing seems to have lasting value anymore. Except poetry, of course.

Being Flynn

2011-11-14T22:07:00.001-05:00

Congrats to Nick Flynn on Being Flynn, adapted from his memoir Another Bullshit Night in Suck City.

Woo hoo!

Monday, Monday

2011-11-14T07:48:00.010-05:00

Happy Monday, folks! It was another kidtastic weekend, filled with birthday parties and flag football. Here's a picture of my daughter on a horse named Faith. We went to a birthday party at a horse ranch. I have to say, it was pretty cool for us city slickers.

My daughter really wanted to take the horse home. I had to explain to her that our backyard was too small to keep her, and she would miss all of her horse friends. But who couldn't use a little Faith these days.

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Also this weekend, my son won his first flag football game. Unfortunately, his team has lost the previous five games. But the team finally gelled in game #6, which happens to be a playoff game in this league. I didn't see the game because I had to take my daughter to the birthday party mentioned above, but he was so excited afterwards. The team has a chance to go to the playoffs--how funny (and great) is that?

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Fourteen days into the PAD challenge and I have 13 drafts. Did not get a chance to revise them--too much kid stuff going on this weekend. So I'll just keep at it until I can get a few free minutes, which may not be until the end of the month.

Cornelius Eady - P.O.P

2011-11-12T14:54:00.000-05:00

P.O.P (Poets on Poetry) is an evolving conversation between and about poets. By Rachel Eliza Griffiths. Can't wait to see where this project goes.

(Thanks, Jaci.)

BERKELEY: Tension mount at Occupy Berkeley UC encampment

2011-11-11T11:14:00.001-05:00

BERKELEY: Tension mount at Occupy Berkeley UC encampment

Look closely and you'll see former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass getting shoved.

(Thanks for the link, @Powell_DA)

Kathleen Flenniken: PLUME

2011-11-11T07:18:00.002-05:00

I met Kathleen Flenniken last month on my visit to Seattle. She’s a terrific poet, and now she and her son have created this terrific trailer for her forthcoming book Plume.

Plume recounts her history growing up in Hanford, Washington, near the Hanford Nuclear Site.

If the trailer is any indication, this book will be amazing.

Kibbles and Bits

2011-11-10T07:23:00.001-05:00

Still hanging with the PAD Challenge. On day 10, I have eight poems written. Yay! Looking forward to the weekend so I can sort my poems and try to revise.

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Yesterday, I got a call from the school nurse saying she found a tick above my daughter's right ear. YIKES! Took everything in me not to completely FREAK OUT. It's been warm lately and there are a lot of trees near the kids' school. Ella's fine. Hoping we got it early. Damn tick. (The subject of PAD #8.)

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The beautiful and talented Nin Andrews is blogging this week at Best American Poetry. Not only is she a fine poet, she's a wonderful cartoonist. Here's one she did of me! *smile!*

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Mass Poetry now has a blog. Go read their blog, which will be updated a few times a week.

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I had a conversation last week with poets published by various publishers. I didn't realize the publication cycles of poetry collections are typically three to five years. I think my publisher has a three-year cycle, while others have five years. Can you imagine publishing a book in 2011 and waiting until 2016 for the next title? Ugh. I know it happens all the time; nonetheless, I'm still surprised by the delay.

Confession Tuesday

2011-11-08T07:13:00.002-05:00

Happy Confession Tuesday, folks! Thanks for stopping by. Share a little of yourself with us and we promise to do the same.

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Day 8 of the November PAD Challenge and I have six drafts. Still haven't found that flow yet. The poems seem forced to me. Here's hoping I get into a poetry groove by this time next week.

I tend to write poems just before I go to bed so maybe tomorrow I'll change it up and use the morning to start a draft. I've been concerned that I wouldn't have time to revise since most of my poems are written on the fly. But I'll have time to look at them more closely this weekend. Once I do, I'll post a few.

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And I know this is my process. The fretting. The hemming and hawing. This is the work on top of the work to control that inside voice. I just have to give into the process and not fight it. Easier said than done, however. I want to hit a home run every time.

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I'm going to a weekend retreat in December.
Writing Your Way Home: A Poetry Weekend Intensive
St Marguerite’s Retreat House

With poets Laura Boss and Maria Mazziotti Gillan
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 9, 10, and 11, 2011
The purpose of this retreat is to give writers the space and time to focus totally on their own work in a serene and beautiful setting away from the pressures and distractions of daily life.

Writing weekend poets will find:
* support and encouragement
* stimulating activities leading to the creation of new work
* workshop leaders who are actively engaged in the writing life
* opportunities to read their work aloud to the group
* a circle of writer friends
* networking opportunities.

I went last year with some friends from my writers' group and we had a great time. It was just the boost I needed to get me focused and motivated heading into the new year.

Fall Back

2011-11-07T06:04:00.002-05:00

Ahhh, Monday. You know you're in trouble when it's a "Thank god it's Friday--Oh, god it's Monday" kind of a day.

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Despite the time change, we had a pretty good weekend (It's not like anyone sleeps in my household.). Roller skating, kids parties, play dates, and flag football. But I was able to find a little "me" time to crank out a few poems for the PAD Challenge.

Writing a poem a day is like building a airplane while flying it. I have five poems in draft stage, with little time to go back and revise. I'm afraid if I wait too long, I won't go back at all to fix them. Meanwhile, I'm down two poems. I hate playing catch up. Oh well. There are worse things I could do ...

("... like go with a boy or two." Name that tune.)

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Check out the latest podcast from New Letters on the Air featuring my former NYU classmate Mariko Nagai. Yay Mariko!

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My first-generation iPhone is dying a slow death. *sigh* May be time to pick up a new one.

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As I type this, my daughter, Ella, is leaning over and watching me type. So much for Daylight Savings.

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Improbable Places Poetry Tour: Ink

2011-11-05T05:35:00.002-04:00

Kudos to the Czarina of Fun, Colleen Michaels, and the team at Montserrat College of Art for this Improbable Places Poetry Tour video.

The poetry reading was held at Good Mojo Tattoos in Beverly, MA, on a warm October night. I love the tattoo footage as backdrop to the readings.

Enjoy!

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Save the Date: Next stop on the Improbable Places Poetry Tour:

Wednesday, November 16
7 p.m.
People’s United Bank
240 Cabot St.
Beverly, Massachusetts

Come and make a deposit ... of verse!

One word: Occupy

It's Just Lunch

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

While I will not attend the AWP Chicago conference (Chi-town in the middle of winter just doesn't appeal to me), I'm over the moon excited that AWP will be coming to Boston in 2013!

Yesterday, I attended a meet-and-greet luncheon for regional organizations. It was an opportunity for AWP get their boots on the ground, while offering exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities for orgs during conference.

Did you know ...?

The last time AWP came to Boston was in 1982.
For AWP Chicago, of the more than 1,000 proposals submitted, about 420 were selected.
The AWP Bookfair is the largest bookfair in North America, with about 550 organizations and presses participating in Chicago. There will be more exhibition space available in Boston so there's the potential for the book fair to grow. Impressive!

OK, I kinda wish I was going to Chicago, but knowing AWP will be local in 2013 gives me something to look forward to down the road.

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My little cold is slowing me down, but I have three drafts written for my poem-a-day challenge. I may post one or two this weekend.

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Just confirmed that Afaa Michael Weaver and I will be reading at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop on December 1. That good news was tempered by a rejection from Poetry magazine. Oh well. Can't win them all.

Hump Day

2011-11-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

Poem #1 of the PAD Challenge--done!

I forget how much effort it takes to just let go when doing a month-long challenge. The bad ones always bubble to the top. But poem #1 has the potential to be a sonnet. So I hope to tweak it in the next few days while I still have the desire to revise it.

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Poetry Reading
Rosa Alcalá, Eduardo C. Corral & Aracelis Girmay
Tuesday, Nov 8, 6 p.m.
Cambridge, MA
Thompson Room, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street.
Harvard Universiy

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Poetry Reading
Patricia Spears Jones, author of Painkiller, is coming to Simmons College.

November 14
6:30 p.m., Room C311
Simmons College
Boston, MA
Sponsored by the Zora Neale Hurston Center of the Department of English
English Liaison with Support From President’s Council
ZNH Center contact: Znnzen@Gmail.Com
617-521-2175

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I hope I can make it to both readings.

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I think I'm coming down with a cold.

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I'm wearing open-toed shoes today.

Confession Tuesday

2011-11-01T05:50:00.004-04:00

Goodbye, October. Hello, November! And, Happy Tuesday! Share a little of yourself and we promise to do the same.

My trick-or-treaters. I can’t believe how big they're getting. Here are Alex and Ella waiting to hand out candy.

Despite the weekend snowstorm, the temperature was chilly but mild enough for trick or treating. Not much snow on the ground at all. In fact, it was a great night for some ghostly fun. There were more kids out and about that I’ve ever seen in our neighborhood. Lots of parents handing out hot cider and hot cocoa. Lots of good will in our neck of the woods. We had a great time!

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And just like that, it’s November. Where the heck did the year go? I mean, I bought my first Christmas present yesterday. Yikes!

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Because October was a busy month with readings, November will be a month for writing. If you haven’t done so already, pop on over to Robert Lee Brewer’s Poetic Asides blog and read up on his Poem a Day Chapbook Challenge. I use this challenge as a kickstart for getting into a groove. I will be writing poems and posting most of them online, but not producing a chapbook.

Of course, I have no idea what I will write today. And my writers' workshop is tonight so today I am a poet in search of a poem.

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Planning for the Mass Poetry Festival is revving up. We’re in the process of confirming features and scheduling programming. Between those responsibilities and whatever I am tasked to do on the AWP Boston committee, this fall and winter promises to be a busy time. My goal, however, is to stay as balanced as possible.

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My focus for November:

Wellness (eating right, sleeping, exercise)
Family (kids, kids, kids!)
Poetry.

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With a few exceptions, I had a great October. Here’s hoping November moves just as smoothly.

Reasons to Survive November

2011-11-01T05:33:00.002-04:00

As is my November tradition, I am posting Tony Hoagland's poem "Reasons to Survive November." With each passing year, this poem resonates with me more and more.

(Listen to the audio.)

Reasons to Survive November

November like a train wreck –
as if a locomotive made of cold
had hurtled out of Canada
and crashed into a million trees,
flaming the leaves, setting the woods on fire.

The sky is a thick, cold gauze –
but there’s a soup special at the Waffle House downtown,
and the Jack Parsons show is up at the museum,
full of luminous red barns.

– Or maybe I’ll visit beautiful Donna,
the kickboxing queen from Santa Fe,
and roll around in her foldout bed.

I know there are some people out there
who think I am supposed to end up
in a room by myself

with a gun and a bottle full of hate,
a locked door and my slack mouth open
like a disconnected phone.

But I hate those people back
from the core of my donkey soul
and the hatred makes me strong
and my survival is their failure,

and my happiness would kill them
so I shove joy like a knife
into my own heart over and over

and I force myself toward pleasure,
and I love this November life
where I run like a train
deeper and deeper
into the land of my enemies.

(Tony Hoagland, from What Narcissism Means to Me. Saint Paul, MN: Graywolf, 2003.)

Marie Howe - Interview

2011-10-31T07:26:00.000-04:00

Interview with poet Marie Howe Hosted by Rose Powell and Theodora Ziolkowski.

University of Vermont
September 23, 2011

First Snow

2011-10-30T08:26:00.001-04:00

The view from my front door.

Craziness, I tell you. Snow before Halloween. See those green trees in the background? .

*C-R-A-Z-Y!*

OccuPoets Boston

2011-10-29T10:13:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I was part of a weeklong effort by OccuPoets Boston to support the Occupy Boston movement. Organized by Peter Desmond, the weeklong series of afternoon poetry readings were held in support of the hundreds of people camping out, talking to passersby on the street, serving food, organizing events, talking to media, etc.

About 15 poets read to a crowd of 40-50 people, including Fred Marchant, Martha Collins, Molly Lynn Watt, and me. I was incredibly nervous—I never know how my work will be received. But the audience was warm and appreciative of the support from the Boston-area writers community. Four of the five poems I read are from the new manuscript, all of which have to do with the downturn in the economy.

This Occupy effort is centralized at Dewey Plaza at South Station in downtown Boston. What was once a park is now a tent city. Except for the musicians in the background and the city noise, it was relatively calm there. And clean. A little smelly but very organized and orderly. There's even a library on site, that now has a copy of Underlife on its shelves. I definitely got the sense that these 99 percenters are 100 percent committed to change by any (peaceful) means necessary. And with our first winter wallop of a storm coming, the occupiers were readying themselves with tarps and blankets to gut it out.

The contrast of tents and the towering banks in the background just blew me away. As poet Jennifer Badot put it, “How exhilarating to be there!”

Fred Marchant

Martha Collins

Molly Lynn Watt

Organizer Peter Desmond

The Occupy Boston Library

Painted Word Poetry Series

2011-10-28T08:08:00.002-04:00

Many thanks to Major Jackson for inviting Deborah Landau and me to read at the Painted Word poetry reading series at the University of Vermont. The audience was terrific, very attentive and appreciative--couldn't ask for anything more.

Deborah (right) sitting with student Rose Powell

Earlier in the day, we sat down with UVMtv, the student-run TV station, to tape a Q & A session. I will post the clips when available.

Deborah is the creative writing program director at NYU and author of The Last Usable Hour (Copper Canyon Press). The book was inspired by her bouts of insomnia, from which she created this well-honed sequence of smaller lyric poems to create a book-length narrative. As an NYU alumna, I know Deborah from the university connection. So it was nice to hear her poems at The Fleming Museum, and to speak with her later in a less formal setting.

Special thanks to the students who joined us for dinner after the reading. You asked great poetry and pobiz questions—you are well on your way to doing great things. Good luck!

On the Road Again

2011-10-27T07:29:00.001-04:00

My thanks to Doug Holder for inviting me to his class at Endicott College this past Tuesday. The students asked great questions and wrote terrific drafts from my prompts. They seem to really support each other, which was great to see. And, they shared their appreciation by snapping their fingers instead of applauding. A first for me!

(I have to say, I was a little freaked out by the snapping. While it was cool, I’m just trained to hear clapping. Makes me think that people can still surprise me.)

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I’m about to head back to the Boston area from my University of Vermont visit. So much fun and no snow, thank goodness. More on my reading and visit tomorrow.

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I was just asked to be on the advisory committee for AWP Boston. *squeal!*

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Wednesday was an up and down day. The past doesn’t want to stay in the past sometimes, and when people are lost they lash out. But, no looking back. No regrets. No more downdrafts. The buffers are off. Honestly, there’s so much to look forward to I just can’t stand it.

Thanks Colleen, Kristi, and Jo Jo for keeping me on track.

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“I used to be somebody, but now I am somebody else. Who I’ll be tomorrow is anybody’s guess.”

Second Stop on the Improbable Places Poetry Tour

2011-10-26T05:53:00.001-04:00

Next stop on Montserrat College of Art’s wildly successful poetry tour is coming up!

Wednesday, November 16
7 p.m.
People’s United Bank
240 Cabot St.
Beverly, Massachusetts

This time, we’re heading to the People’s United Bank, formerly Danversbank, in the old Beverly National Bank building. Come and make a deposit, or admire the architecture of this old Beverly landmark. Think about the old changing into the new, payouts, the spare change in your pocket–money is all around us, being exchanged.

The deadline for entries is Friday, November 11. Submit them either as a message (not on the wall, please!) to the Improbable Places Poetry Tour Facebook account, email to colleen.michaels@montserrat.edu, or drop them off in person at the Writing Center, located on the second floor of the library.

Confession Tuesday

2011-10-25T07:10:00.000-04:00

It's Tuesday. Time for you to unburden yourself. Confession is good for the soul!

"A Message from the Outside World."

This sketch is from a page in a book of pen drawings by C.D. Gibson, published in 1901 from the book, "A Widow and Her Friends." Susan Rich and I found it while I was in Seattle at a very cool vintage store near Pike Place Market (the store name escapes me). The shop sold the individual pages from the book as pieces of art.

The print is really quite lovely; my scan does not do it justice. The page is old and crumbly around the edges. I find the woman's gaze fascinating. And the caption ... love it!

A friend once suggested that I should buy art, rather than dust-collecting souvenirs, from the places I visit. I wasn't going to buy the page but it called to me; I felt compelled to buy it. Hope to write a poem about her soon--and to frame her for my bedroom wall.

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This cool vintage shop also had random pieces of black memorabilia/black Americana stuff that really kinda threw me. I know of people who collect it but still, it throws me.

Yeah, I know. Another poem to be written.

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This is turning out to be one of my busiest weeks of the year, with last Sunday's reading in Cambridge, today's visit to Doug Holder's class at Endicott College, tomorrow's visit to UVM, and taking the stage on Friday at the Occupy Boston stage. No wonder I'm tired.

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Random fact: the cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 is about $228,000 according to the USDA. Hard to believe, but when I look at how much food my kids eat ... it's probably true.

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Pet peeve: It really bugs me when people compare something of "quality" to poetry.

Example: "Oh, that TV ad I saw last night? That was poetry." Or, "That layup in last night's game was pure poetry."

No, that was a TV ad. That was a layup. Y'know what's like poetry? Poetry. Now, go read a poetry book.

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I've been writing poems but not anything of substance. May be time to buy a new journal.

OccuPoetry

2011-10-24T12:29:00.000-04:00

Join us this week!

Let your friends know that the OccuPoets will be supporting Occupy Boston this week every day starting TODAY, Oct. 24 through FRI Oct. 28, from 2-3 p.m. Poets will be limited to 3 minutes, except for invited featured readers, who include:

Richard Cambridge and Marc Goldberg on Tuesday
Susan Eisenberg on Wednesday
Alice Weiss on Thursday
Fred Marchant and January O'Neil on Friday.

You can find us at Dewey Plaza, opposite South Station, just outside the camp. Show your support for Occupy Boston, enjoy poetry, and share...your words, books, snacks, presence. Please forward to all interested!

There's still time to sign up officially to read. Just email Peter Desmond at taxhombre@gmail.com.

The Painted Word Poetry Series

2011-10-24T05:58:00.002-04:00

Hope you can join us on Wednesday!

The Painted Word Poetry Series
The Fleming Museum presents The Painted Word poetry series, organized by Major Jackson, professor, University of Vermont Department of English, highlighting established and emerging New England poets.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26
Deborah Landau and January Gill O'Neil
6-7 p.m. Readings

Poetry and Music

2011-10-24T05:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I taught a workshop on poetry and music at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. It was a small workshop that was a part of the center’s Fall Writers’ Conference. Since I don’t teach on a regular basis, I really enjoyed the opportunity to be in front of students. Lots of lively conversation set to music! Reminded me of my time teaching poetry classes at Brookline Adult Education long ago.

I am a bit of a poetry snob. I think most songs are bad poems. Put another way, I think they are two separate are forms with the potential for crossover. (Of course, there are exceptions and exceptional songwriter/poets: Dylan, Mitchell, Jay-Z.) And while I have written poems inspired by music, I’ve never put a poem to music or worked with a musician to merge the two. But when poets crossover and push the boundaries of poetry and music, it really is a pleasure for the senses to behold.

In our class, a few questions came up that I thought were good ones to post here on the blog.

How do we define that fine line between songwriting and poetry? What elevates a song to the level of poetry? And the reverse—what makes a poem good enough to be a song?
Which has a better outcome, a poem set to music or a poem written specifically for a piece of music?

Discuss.

Kibbles and Bits

2011-10-21T06:03:00.002-04:00

I think I'm suffering from jet lag. That's what happens when I don't get much sleep, then go out of town and get lots of sleep, then come back home to my sleepless pattern. Hmmm ... maybe I should go out of town more.

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This Sunday, October 23, I'm teaching a workshop at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education’s Fall Writers’ Conference. The topic will be poetry and music, with an audience of poets and nonpoets in attendance.

Here's the description:

Poetry and Music with January Gill O’Neil

There is no poetry without music. And it is the job of the poet to recreate the experience of hearing music in poetic form. January Gill O’Neil will lead a session designed to focus our attention on the music in poetry. This session is part conversation, part workshop. Bring a favorite poem to discuss. We’ll also have a freewrite session so you will leave with at least one new draft.

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I heard it through the grapevine that there will be poetry readings in support of Occupy Boston. Cool. More to come.

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Happy Friday, folks!

Confession Tuesday

2011-10-18T07:21:00.011-04:00

Happy Tuesday, folks! It’s time for your confessions. Share a bit of yourself with us and we promise to do the same.

I am still in West Coast glow of my Seattle trip.

Whenever I travel, I’m reminded how necessary it is to step outside of my world and get some perspective. Being away really does wonders for my soul. I love love love travel, something I didn’t do much of when I was married. But now I feel empowered to trust my instincts and seek opportunities when I can. I have no choice, really.

It also makes coming home to two beautiful children that much sweeter.

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True confession: last week when I said I was sending my manuscript off to the publisher, I did not. Had to postpone mailing it off until yesterday. But it is gone and I feel lighter, ready to work of new poems. Ready to let in a new kind of light.

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I’m trying to focus on three things for the rest of October:

wellness (eating, sleeping, and exercise)
poetry
finances

My goal is to focus my attention on the important stuff for a few weeks and let everything else fall away. I can’t sustain this pace, but I can do it for a while and then let the focus shift to something else. By the end I’ll feel as if I’ve accomplished something without getting into too much of a routine.

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We, the undersigned writers and all who will join us, support Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world.

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November is just around the corner. Time to gear up for another poem-a-day challenge.

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Fall is so overrated.

Open Books

2011-10-16T06:06:00.005-04:00

Left to right: me, Susan’s friend Jeff, Susan, Elizabeth Austin, and Kathleen Flenniken.

To cap off my visit to Seattle, Susan arranged for a dinner Friday night with poets Kathleen Flenniken and Elizabeth Austen. Kathleen is the author of Flood and the forthcoming Plume. And Elizabeth has had a terrific year with the publication of her first book, Every Dress a Decision, and two chapbooks, The Girl Who Goes Alone and Where Currents Meet. It was so nice spending a little time with them and getting a feel for what’s happening in the Seattle poetry scene (a lot!).

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Our restaurant was close to Open Books, which was closed during my visit. But I did manage to take a few photos through the window.

Seattle: Day 3

2011-10-15T11:54:00.000-04:00

I have been eating my way through Seattle! Most of the food pictures are up on FB, but here are a few others from yesterday. (Having trouble formatting the photos, darn it.)

The original Starbucks! One of three I visited.

Pike Place Market

Susan at the market

"Little green balls of death."

The Pig

"E is for Emily"

Lunch: seafood cerviche and soup

A golden man

No rain on this trip.

Seattle sunset.

A one-person, electric car.

Seattle: Day 2

2011-10-14T13:50:00.002-04:00

Day 2 in Seattle looked a lot like day one: overcast, no rain, and a blur of activity.

I spent yesterday afternoon at Highline Community College with students who I believe were both high school and college students. I gave a mid-morning talk and taught in Susan Rich's afternoon class. I think it went well--I was happy with my presentations. Since I don't teach regularly, I'm always critical of myself in a classroom setting.

My thanks to Susan and the folks at HCC for making me feel so welcome.

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I'm currently hanging out at a Starbucks that overlooks the Puget Sound. Susan and I managed to get in a writing session here last night, so I'm revising my drafts. We've been talking a lot about the East Coast/West Coast poetry scenes. So very interesting this pobiz we are in. And the more I read, the less I seem to know about contemporary poetry.

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Books I have picked up on my visit:

Marth Silano, The Little Office of the Immaculate Conception
Frances McCue, The Bled
Don Me Choi, The Morning News Is Exciting
Jess Walter, The Financial Lives of Poets (fiction)

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The one time I'm in town, Open Books is closed! Drat! The owners are taking a vacation. Drat! Drat! Drat!

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Went to Poppy for dinner and had a true culinary experience. Thalis, anyone?

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My view from Starbucks.

Seattle: Day 1

2011-10-13T11:03:00.000-04:00

There's nothing like hitting the ground running when you get to a new city. After arriving in Seattle, I headed to Highline Community College to meet the fabulous Susan Rich.

Then it was off to Elliott Bay Books for our poetry reading. What a great bookstore! The staff there was excellent; can't thank them enough for their support.

Susan and I have now read together in Cambridge MA, Miami, and Seattle. We're looking to do our next reading in the Southwest corner of the United States but have not ruled out Hawaii.

We had a great crowd, which included Martha Silano and daughter Ruby.

Ruby and Martha

Martha and me

Then off to the Richard Hugo House to attend the party for the winners and finalists for the 2011 Washington State Book Awards. Thilled to celebrate the occasion with Susan and Oliver de la Paz (both were award finalists), and to meet members of Seattle's writers' community. I have lots of books from the event take back with me to Boston.

Susan, Olie, and me

Today, we're off to Highline Community College for my reading and talk with Susan's students. (No Starbucks yet, but you know it's coming!)

I'm Going to Seattle!

2011-10-11T06:00:00.006-04:00

Woo hoo! West Coast, here I come!

On Wednesday, I will fly out to the Seattle area for a few readings, thanks to Susan Rich.

October 12
Elliott Bay Book Company reading with Susan Rich
1521 Tenth Avenue
Seattle, WA, 5 p.m.

October 13
Highline Community College
Mt. Olympus Room
Des Moines, WA, 11 a.m.

And I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the following event:

Washington State Book Awards Party
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
6-8 p.m.
1634 11th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122

Celebrate of the winners and finalists of the 2011 Washington State Book Awards! Light refreshments and open bar.

Poetry:
The Bled by Frances McCue

Poetry Finalists:
Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room by Kelli Russell Agodon
The Morning News Is Exciting by Don Mee Choi
Requiem for the Orchard by Oliver de la Paz
The Alchemist’s Kitchen by Susan Rich

Looking forward to supporting Susan, Olie, and Kelli, as well as meeting the other honorees.

Confession Tuesday

2011-10-11T05:58:00.000-04:00

It's Confession Tuesday. You know the drill.

It's been a kid-tastic weekend (read: play dates, birthday parties, apple picking). In fact, we celebrated Alex's 8th birthday at Chuck E Cheese's. Fortunately, this is my last Chuck E Cheese birthday for 2011. I'm exhausted, so exhausted that going to work will feel like a rest!

I am just grateful that no matter how stressful and crazy life gets, I am there to see all the big and small moments in Alex and Ella's lives. Can't believe I am the mother of an 8- and 6-year old. Where does the time go? Never a dull moment, I tell you.

Speaking of which, Ella lost her first tooth last night! She was so excited, and had no qualms about twisting the loose tooth until it came out. That girl has no fear.

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The weather this Columbus Day weekend has been spectacular! Record-breaking temperatures. This August-like weather has been good for the soul. Needless to say, we spent a good amount of time outdoors. This week will be more seasonable but this last gasp of summer has been wonderful.

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I'm going to Seattle on Wednesday! Sooo looking forward to my West Coast visit. Special thanks to Susan Rich for setting up the readings. While there are many wonderful things to see and do in Seattle, I'd like to visit the Space Needle, the Seaport District, and a Starbucks (of course!). Too bad the Mariners didn't make it to the playoffs--would have loved to seen a game.

What else should I see? I have one full day to do the touristy stuff.

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The manuscript is done! I have taken it as far as I can in this round. Today, I'll mail copies off to my publisher. I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst--I'm cautiously optimistic.

There are 50 poems in the collection, broken down into four sections. The changes I made tightened up individual poems while working with the overall tone and flow. The m'script is definitely stronger for it, thanks to many friends and poets who read my poems. My guess is I won't hear anything from the publisher until the New Year, but it would be great to close out 2011 knowing this book has a home.

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Will post pics from Seattle this week!

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

2011-10-07T07:15:00.025-04:00

By now, you've probably read or heard this Steve Jobs quote in a sound bite.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

(The quote came from a commencement speech he gave at Stanford. I encourage you all to read the whole speech.)

Reading those words came at the right time for me yesterday after a long day of living someone else's 9-5 life.

The economy is tanking. Many of us are scraping by on low paying (read: no paying) jobs. We have families to feed, mortgages and bills to pay. Everything in our lives is saying follow the herd, stay on the path--what I call "cow logic." Yet, I have the audacity (that's right, I said audacity) to be a poet? What am I thinking? Book sales are declining. Fewer and fewer people read poetry. Heck, if asked, most people cannot name a poet beyond Shakespeare, and even fewer can name a living poet.

*big sigh*

I don't claim to have any answers. I'm not sitting on a big pile of money. Big-name publishers are not banging on my door to publish my next book. But when Steve Jobs talked about living someone else's dogma, I knew exactly what he meant. There are more good reasons not to be a poet than to be one. Yet, I am. I am a poet slogging through a new manuscript that makes me deliriously happy. The act of creation and revision has pushed me beyond my limits, which means I must be living closer to my dogma/personal truth/authentic self than ever before. At least I am trying.

So my wish for you today is to turn up the volume on your inner voice. Do something today that reminds you how connected you are to the world. One small change in your life can make a difference. How can we make the impossible possible? Dream a little. Write a poem. To borrow from Mary Oliver, what are we going to do with our wild and precious lives?

Steve Jobs understood that time is short. He was passionate about his vision to create value and find solutions that would change people's lives. I hope to exhibit a little of that strength of conviction today because that's what I am called to do. That's what my inner voice is telling me.

In the words of Steve Jobs, my wish for you today: Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Think Different

2011-10-06T07:06:00.001-04:00

R.I.P Steve Jobs

Bits and Pieces

2011-10-06T07:01:00.002-04:00

Congrats to Collin Kelley on his new book Remain in Light! It's downloadable on Kindle and other e-readers. (I will be downloading it later today.)

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I am finishing up the last of my revisions for my second manuscript. I'll dissect the feedback from friends, make the necessary edits, and send it off to the publisher next week. Woo hoo!

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October is a busy poetry month for me, with travel to Seattle and Burlington, VT, and some local poetry events in between. This weekend I'll spend time finishing up some long overdue writing projects. I'll also make time for my 15-minute freewrites.

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Need to get some rest, too. I feel a cold coming on.

Confession Tuesday

2011-10-04T08:42:00.002-04:00

If it’s Tuesday, it’s time for your confessions! Share a little of yourself and we promise to do the same.

I am the mother of an 8-year old boy. Amazing how keep keeps getting older (and more handsome) and I keep getting younger!

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Since we are nearly at year’s end—a few more weeks, really—I thought it was time for me to take a look at my goals to see where I am with things. At the beginning of the year, I created a Poetry Action Plan (PAP). The whole idea of a PAP is to move forward in my poetry career with purpose. I’m a goal-oriented person so having structure around my work gives me focus. (Here’s information on creating a PAP.)

Here’s where I am with my 2011 goals:

Write a Poem a Week
Oh, good lord, I am just off the rails here. But I’d like to finish the year strong so I may attempt to end up with 52 poems. With that much volume, I’m bound to get some good work done.

Support the Massachusetts Poetry Festival
Mass Poetry is a huge priority in my life. 2011 was a terrific festival year, and 2012 promises to be even better.

Support Manuscript #2
I put off a lot of other projects to complete this goal, and I’m nearly there. Again, it hinges on CavanKerry Press officially accepting my manuscript. Fingers crossed. If so, I have a plan in place for how to support this title.

Start Manuscript #3
The fellowships I applied for to support this manuscript did not come through. But, as soon as m’script #2 is complete, I can begin to scope out this project.

Attend a Weeklong Workshop
Not in the cards this year. Provincetown also did not work out. Here’s hoping it happens in 2012.

Continue to Support Underlife
Honestly, the other goals took priority, so I backed off on supporting Underlife. I don’t think it has hit the point of a reprint, but I will check. It’s hard to sustain momentum in a book’s second year after publication.

So, that’s the state of the state. I don’t give myself enough credit for the things I have done. But I plan to finish the year strong and move toward 2012 with (poetry) purpose.

Happy Birthday Alex!

2011-10-04T08:11:00.000-04:00

Poem for My Infant Son

That first night,
I made your father
sleep with the lights on
so I could make sure
you were still breathing.
Your brown body so malleable
one false move could
break you forever.
You are all feet and inches,
cooing a song I’ve never heard
in a language I don’t understand.
Yet you have taught us in your own way,
loved us even when we
try, fail, fail again.
That’s what children do.

Baby boy,
my lamb,
my suckling,
my colt,
you look at me like
I am your whole world
but the truth is
you are mine.

(Copyright 2009, CavanKerry Press)

Notes from an Accidental Band Geek

2011-10-03T06:06:00.000-04:00

The beautiful and talented Erin Dionne discusses her third novel, Notes from an Accidental Band Geek!

Strange Days, Indeed

2011-09-30T06:08:00.001-04:00

The Improbable Places Poetry Tour makes it into the Beverly police log! Very cool.

Also in the police log for Tuesday, "A dinghy was reported stolen at 11:03 a.m. off Cabot Street."

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Thanks for the advice on titles for m'script #2. Keep those suggestions coming!

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I have been waiting patiently for Terrance Hayes' new chapbook Who Are the Tribes to arrive in the mail from Pilot Books. I placed my order on September 1, the Paypal account cleared on September 7, and still no order. I love supporting small presses but if fulfillment is an issue, that's a problem. Ironically, this is a local small press. I could drive there and pick up the book myself.

FYI, The chapbook has a limited print run of 300.

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Congrats to Kwame Dawes, who was named editor of Prairie Schooner.

(Thanks Rethabile!)

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My kids are learning what it means to be Red Sox fans. All through September, my son, who discovered baseball this year, kept saying “Red Sox stink!” because their AL lead completely evaporated. I kept telling him, “No, no. The Rex Sox will get to the playoffs. Don’t worry. The team will be fine.”

*big sigh*

Yesterday my six-year old daughter said, “Maybe 'The Curse' is back.”

Kids, welcome to Red Sox nation. Go Tampa!

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It's been a weird week. Strange days, indeed.

Need Advice on a Title for My Second Book

2011-09-29T17:01:00.010-04:00

For a long time, the working title of my second book was "Conversion Theory." The current title is "Little Misery." But the idea of having Misery in the title is an easy setup for a bad review.

I envision this: "January Gill O'Neil is back with a miserable book called "Little Misery." Imagine! Ugh, that is my biggest fear. (For those who don't know, the long poem in the m'script is called "Misery Islands," about two islands off the coast of Salem, MA, called Great Misery and Little Misery.)

But the title I do come back to is "Tether," which is the name of a poem in the last section. Carl Phillips has a very fine book called The Tether , which won the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. But a friend of mine looks at it this way:

"From treading water, walking from Great Misery to Little Misery to the realization that being tethered to loved ones (your children) is keeping things whole (letting you shape the clay on the wheel after you expunge all the air). Maybe consider 'Tether' or 'This Kind of Tether.'"

So, is it bad form to name a poetry collection with the same title as someone else's collection?

Would love to have your feedback ! Thanks.

Good Mojo

2011-09-28T06:00:00.010-04:00

All hail Colleen Michaels (aka "Poetry Czarina")!

Colleen knows how to bring a community together. The second season of the Improbable Places Poetry Tour opened on a perfectly cool night outside of Good Mojo Tattoos. With the theme "think ink," it was the largest crowd to date.

I may have been one of the few poets there without a tattoo, but I loved hearing how many markings each reader had, which tattoo artist worked on which poet, etc. And when we went into the shop to read, I could hear the needles in the background as tattoos were being drawn! It was so cool!

What I love the most about this reading is that it brought poetry to a nonpoetry audience. Community members who wouldn't normally read in front of a crowd read in front of a crowd! Also, the tour brings potential customers to local businesses. It's a strange mix of art and commerce that works. If that isn't good mojo, I don't know what is.

Confession Tuesday

2011-09-27T06:52:00.007-04:00

Welcome to the last Confession Tuesday in September (*sigh*). Share a little of yourself and we promise to do the same.

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I find myself in the awkward position of learning how to write again. Revising a manuscript is more about fixing what’s broken vs. starting from scratch. My journal is filled with saved phrases and half sentences that I’ve abandoned for … oh, you name it … helping my kids with homework or doing a load of laundry.

I know that when I don’t write, my life loses that bit of grace that surrounds me. It’s time to start writing new poems again.

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Gosh, when I think of all that I’ve put off to complete the manuscript it’s nearly overwhelming. Never thought I’d say this but I miss exercising. I have to make it a point to start walking again. I miss the rhythm that comes from talking long walks in the evenings.

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Time for a to-do list.

Write two articles
Look into reading at upcoming festivals
Daily 15 minute freewrites
Send submissions to two publications

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Hope you can make it to tonight’s Improbable Places Poetry Tour at Good Mojo Tattoos, 5 Washington Street, Beverly, MA. The topic tonight is ink.

I’m working on a new poem for the reading. Cool.

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Damn Red Sox.

Steve Almond: God Bless America Book Trailer

2011-09-27T06:42:00.000-04:00

New book trailer by Steve Almond.

My Poetry Crush

2011-09-26T07:54:00.014-04:00

Right to left: Jennifer Jean (moderator), Walnut "Da Lyrical" Geni, Colleen Michaels, Me, and Rusty Barns

On Saturday during the Salem Lit Fest, I participated in the panel “My Poetry Crush.” The panel was an opportunity for us to talk about the poets we come back to for inspiration.

Our Crushes:
Jennifer – Sylvia Plath
Walnut – a young, Boston-area writer whose name escapes me (sorry)
Colleen – Naomi Shihab Nye
Me – Sharon Olds (big surprise)
Rusty Barns – Frank Stanford

As a participant, the best part is learning new things about poets I thought I knew. And in discussing Sharon, I was surprised that I can “teach” Sharon. Because I don’t teach, being able to go beyond fandom and speak intelligently about someone I truly respect as a poet and artist is incredibly gratifying.

Learning about Frank Stanford definitely was a highlight for me. I had never heard of Frank Stanford much less read his work, but apparently in his short life he was prolific. Frank committed suicide in 1978, yet his appeal has grown steadily in the years that followed. Rusty spoke so glowingly about his work that I have to do more research.

Instead

Death is a good word.
It often returns
When it is very
Dark outside and hot,
Like a fisherman
Over the limit,
Without pain, sex,
Or melancholy.
Young as I am, I
Hold light for this boat.

When the rest of you
Were being children
I became a monk
To my own listing
Imagination.
Nights and days floated
Over the whorehouse
Like webs on the lake,
A monastery
Full of noise and girls.

The moon throws the knives.
The poets echo goodbye,
Towing silence too.
Near my house was an
Island, where a horse
Lathered up alone.
Oh, Abednego
He was called, dusky,
Cruel as a poem
To a black gypsy.

Sadness and whiskey
Cost more than friends.
I visit prisons,
Orphanages, joints,
Hoping I'll see them
Again. Willows, ice,
Minnows, no money.
You'll have to say it
Soon, you know. To your
Wife, your child, yourself.

Frank Stanford, ©1979

If you’re interested, here are a few Frank Stanford links:

Frank Stanton web page
Poetry Foundation
Wikipedia

Thanks, Jennifer, for putting the panel together.

Bottles and Cans

2011-09-23T07:26:00.003-04:00

The second manuscript is done! At least for now. It is off to a trusted group of friends for feekback. Then I'll review their suggestions and if all goes well, I'll send it to my publisher for a second look.

During the last few months, I've been able to buckle down and really work hard on revising poems. Now that the bulk of the work is complete, I'm thinking about sending a few out for submission. And, more important, I'm going to start incorporating those poems into my readings. That's where I can really hear their music, and see how audiences react to the work.

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I'm just happy to leave this subject matter behind. Time to start a new project.

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Wednesday night, my son, Alex, said the words no poet-parent wants to hear: "Poetry is stupid!"

Ugh.

He has a cold, and was tired and crabby that night. He said it because he thinks poetry takes me away from spending time with him. Maybe he's right. I don't think so, but he is almost eight. I can see how it might appear that way. So I'm trying to come up with ways to find more time with both kids.

I know he doesn't really feel poetry is stupid. He likes writing original poems and reading them in front of crowds. Oh well. Growing pains.

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Speaking of poetry events that take me away from my family (*sigh*), I'll be at the Salem Lit Fest Saturday at 3 p.m. for the session, "My Poetry Crush." Hope you can make it.

Should be a lively discussion.

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Bottles and cans and just clap your hands and just clap your hands.

Happy Friday, folks.

Salem Literary Festival

2011-09-21T07:29:00.002-04:00

The 2011 Salem Lit Fest takes place this weekend, September 23-25, in downtown Salem, Massachusetts.

I wanted to highlight two great sessions.

My Poetry Crush
Saturday, September 24
3 p.m.
Phillips House, 34 Chestnut Street, Salem

Do you have a poetry crush? The term “favorite poet” is too milquetoast for the one you’re really crushin’ on—their work makes you drool, gets you woozy, and you return for a gawky gaze again and again. In the panel “Poetry Crush” four writers will share (read: “gush”) and briefly discuss the poems of their cherished “crush.” Panelists will also share one or two works of their own which have been influenced or inspired by their chosen writer.

Featured panelists are:
Colleen Michaels—curator of The Improbable Poetry Tour
January O’Neil—author of Underlife
Rusty Barnes—editor of Night Train and author of Redneck Poems
Walnut ‘Da Lyrical Geni’— hip-hop-poet whose most recent album Love is in your Face is now available. Facilitated by Jennifer Jean, author of Fishwife
Full bios here.

Books and CDs available at signing. Event to be held at the Phillips House, 34 Chestnut Street, Salem.

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Stealing the Family Jewels: Writing about Family
Sunday, September 25
3 p.m.
Phillips House, 34 Chestnut Street, Salem

Stealing the Family Jewels: How writers crack the familial treasure chest without losing their inheritance!

Families provide writers with their best material—secrets, joys, humor and tragedy. But how do we make family members, beloved and otherwise, into rich, multi-dimensional characters, neither saints nor monsters? And having done this, how do we avoid hurt feelings, libel suits and wrath? In this panel discussion, three authors of books that center on family and personal experience will talk about these issues and entertain your questions.

Ethan Gilsdorf (FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS)
Michelle Hoover (THE QUICKENING)
Dawn Paul (THE COUNTRY OF LONELINESS);
Full bios here.

Books will be available for purchase and signing. Event to be held at the Phillips House, 34 Chestnut Street, Salem.

Confession Tuesday

2011-09-20T07:02:00.001-04:00

Happy Tuesday, folks! It's time to confess. Is there something you want to tell us? Great, because we want to hear it! Share a little of yourself with us and we promise to do the same.

Now that summer's over, everything seems to be ramping back up at once. Work, my reading schedule, kids' activities--all areas seem to have gone from zero to 60 in no time. So I'm looking for ways to simplify so I can expend more energy in certain areas while others lapse for a while (read: housework).

This is a good problem to have.

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I've given up on work-life balance. In fact, I put my energy where I need to put it at any given time, and then I pull back as soon as I can. I wouldn't call it balance so much as trying to intergrate the at-times disparate parts of my life and making them play nice.

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I've finally finished reordering the poems in my second manuscript! Huge accomplishment because I find that part of the process daunting. It hard to switch things up after living with a certain order for so long. But it's finished. I have a little formatting to do, but the plan is to send it out to a few friends for review today before sending off to the publisher at the beginning of October.

The manuscript is stronger and more consistent in tone--that's a great feeling. I dropped four poems and added five. And the title Little Misery is still the working title.

Woo hoo!

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Last night I stayed up late working on the manuscript working while watching The Bourne Ultimatum for the umpteenth time. Damn you Matt Damon and those action-packed sequences.

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Needless to say, I thought about skipping confessions because I'm exhausted, and I don't think I've ever skipped a Tuesday post. Then I realized I've never skipped a Tuesday post, so here were are.

Have a great Tuesday!

Fire on Her Tongue

2011-09-19T06:09:00.001-04:00

This is very cool.

Fire on Her Tongue: An eBook Anthology of Contemporary Women's Poetry is the first electronic collection of poems by women writing today.

Not sure how poets Kelli Russell Agodon and Annette Spaulding-Convy found the time to do this--they are co-editors of Crab Creek Review and co-founders of Two Sylvias Press, the press behind the e-anthology. But they did, pulling together this project with more than 70 participating poets (including yours truly) canvasing the span of the contemporary women's experience.

Also of note, as an e-book, it has a zero carbon-footprint. The call for submissions, assemblage of the anthology, mailing of contracts, and distribution of the final project is done without the use of paper and other resources. The editors saw an opportunity to use technology that allowed them to produce and distribute it with minimal stress on the environment.

Visit the website for the full list of participating poets. Release date is set for late fall 2011.

You Can Go Home Again

2011-09-18T15:45:00.007-04:00

I just came back from a quicker than quick trip to Norfolk, Virginia, to see my parents. My dad had knee surgery a few week ago (he's fine) but I really wanted to see for myself. I knew once he starting cracking bad jokes, he was better. :)

Of course, when you book with Priceline, you can't pick your flight times. So I left Boston Saturday at 5 a.m., and on Sunday I left Norfolk at about the same time. Fortunately, I've had a good amount of time to run errands before seeing the kids later today. Not tired yet, thank goodness.

Best part of my trip? Making crab cakes for my mom and dad for dinner on Saturday night.

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Gotta love airports with free wi-fi.

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And now, I'm Starbucking. Life is good.

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Still tweaking the manuscript. I decided to write one more poem for the collection, so I'm working on that while futzing with the order. I just want to be done, gosh darnit. Almost there.

Speaking of manuscript sequencing, check out tonight's #poetparty on Twitter, 9 p.m. EST.