On reading poetry at poetry events March 31, 2007

Last night I had the pleasure of reading at Iodine Poetry Journal’s spring event. This was my first time as a featured reader, versus the girl from the back corner stepping up to open mic. I was honored to be among other featured readers who had work in the newly released Spring/Summer 2007 Iodine: Kim Garcia, Beth Cagle Burt, Genie Cotner, Marisa Rosenfeld, Terri Wolfe, along with Leslie Rupracht and Jonathan Rice, editors of Iodine Poetry Journal. The group was diverse in style and subjects, but we all oddly had one poem that complemented the next reader’s, and then the next, and so on.

Since in you could consider this a debut for me of sorts, I was nervous about making a fool of myself (but I guess one would always be nervous at these things.) I was expecting to turn red in the face, like I do at all public speakings, and follow that with unnecessary blabber and shaking hands.

But, I prepared. I read my poems to my bedroom wall the night before. (I started to read to the cat, but he pulled my piece of paper down with his paw.) Earlier this week, I also stumbled across this bit of advice from Patricia Smith on the Poetry Foundation blog. I took Patricia’s tips to heart — and made sure to take my time, not sway my legs or move my feet a lot, and to save everyone a lengthy introduction.

The results?

To quote Brian, who came up to visit all the way from Spartanburg, I was “cool as a cucumber!”

I also got rave reviews from other lovelies in attendance: Scott, April and Elliott.

And I was deeply touched to hear nice things about my work and my reading from fellow poets at the event, who seemed genuinely interested and encouraging. I won’t go into all of what they said to me since I’m trying to kick this blushing habit, but it made me feel pretty special.

I told Scott later that the whole event reminded me of how important it is to interact with people who share your interests and passions. It’s kind of like going to the gym — you dread it all day (or all week,) but once you put in your part, you feel much more energized and better about yourself (and your work, and why you do it.)

booger poetry March 29, 2007

 

Found this through poetryhut:

There’s a new poetry book about bodily fluids and gross stuff. It’s aimed for kids, but I think we can all appreciate this excerpt shown with the BBC article about the book:

“If you keep picking your nose, my child,
The finger will come to the brain, my child,
There’s just a small plate,
A tea strainer or grate, that separates

your brain from your nose, my child”

GRE Vocabulary March 29, 2007

So, this little handy book has been my buddy for the past few weeks. It has equally made me feel intelligent (hey! I already know what ‘cacophony’ means!) and dumb as dirt (even though I’ve studied ‘aggrogation’ 15 times, I get it confused with 3 other 4-syllable ‘A’ words. *edit – aggrogation is a made up word. my head does this sometimes.) 

There are no page numbers since the whole book (right side, and upside down) is made of flash cards. I’ve been learning an average of 30 words a week, but I’ve made it only through the C’s. I need to pick up the pace if I’m going to take the GRE in late spring/early summer.

If anything, I hope the new vocabulary sticks to my brain for future writing. I already used one of my newly-learned words, “boorish,” to a poem I wrote last week.

And thanks to a very helpful boyfriend, after dinner quiz time has been a lot of fun.

Memoir Writing/Autobiographical Poetry March 29, 2007

I am really loving the series on Memoir Writing at Slate this week.

Be sure to check out this discussion on Autobiography in Poetry with Meghan O’Rouke and Dan Chiasson. They are making some nice points about how truthful poets should be, and how truthful we should consider them. I’ll probably come back to this topic at another time.

Also, I found the various discussions on how writers told their mothers, family and friends about their intent to include them in their books hilarious! Lord knows I am TERRIFIED of how my parents will react when I publish my first book. I’ve even considered opening it with a (yet to be written) poem or introduction entitled, “To My Mother Upon Reading My First Book,” in hopes of still being called her daughter after her first read. Friends, I think you have less to be worried about, but as every writer threatens: Be nice to me or I’ll immortalize you as a bad person in writing!

Come to think of it, I have two poems named after people: a sestina on an old flame named Peter (not in a good light); and a free verse on my friend James, who doesn’t care that it might make him sound flakey because he keeps a list of how many pieces of art have been made about him (which is a lot, including the portrait I did of his sweet Asian face currently hanging in my living room.)

And so it begins. March 29, 2007

I have been working toward this point for quite some time. I’m not a known writer to anyone but a small handful, and probably an even smaller handful believes that I am good. But what’s important to me right now is that I’ve managed to not let go of what I inherently must do: construct meaningful words on the page.

Three years out of undergraduate school, where I began this venture seriously, I am still writing poetry. And in some ways I am consuming more about writing than in any other time of my life. Others are way beyond me in this, even at my young (?) age of 24, but for me it has been a journey to get here. I finally accept myself as a writer, and as a person who will be a writer her entire life.

I am probably better known for my work as a staff writer at a large daily newspaper for two years, and the blogging I’ve done for it. However, what I am passionate about is poetry. I also care about creative nonfiction that does not concern itself with making headlines or taking on civic responsibilities other than reaching out to the greater consciousness we all share through the consumption of art and life.

I hope this blog will somehow tap into that consciousness, while balancing the line between the personal (about the writer) and the civic (about writing.)

However, I do not expect this blog to become its own artform.

But I do hope that this blog will help me keep track of what I’ve done, what inspirations and revelations I need to keep going, and what or who has helped me along the way. And if that is useful to anyone else, all the better.