Spring, Quarantine, Poetry, and All

Early magnolia blossoms

Spring, Quarantine, Poetry, and All

Spring continues its celebrations, despite our mostly silent roads and store fronts, despite humanity’s disappearance from their daily activities. The cherries bloom, the woodpeckers and towhees and stellar jays and hummingbirds are busy. It’s been a cold and gloomy week, but April is almost here.

The big excitement this week was the arrival of a new birdfeeder and the April contributor copies of Poetry Magazine. I’ve been writing and reading more, watching tv less. During the forty-degree, rainy March days of grim reports of deaths and pandemics, it becomes almost impossible to remember anything cheerful. I’ve been practicing my bird photography. I ordered watercolors. I still take pictures of trees.

Sylvia posing with the April issue of Poetry

A Little More about April’s Issue of Poetry

So, to more cheerful news: April’s issue of Poetry has two poems of mine in it, “Calamity” and “Spellcaster.” Someone asked me: what was the secret of getting into Poetry? Well, I sent to Poetry Magazine the first time when I was 19 years old, and I received a really nice personal rejection in return. I wish I still had it. Then I sent twice a year for a lot of years. I have years of back issues on my bookshelf from years of reading. That’s the secret!

So it’s especially meaningful that these two poems appear in the April issue of National Poetry Month and my birthday month. Also, isn’t Sylvia cute with the magazine? I’ve been finally finishing the final pages of the second volume of Sylvia Plath’s letters, and I see how excited she gets for her poetry checks. I guess I am equally excited, as a poet, when I get a check for seeing my work in print. It doesn’t happen all that often! If you want a reading recommendation for something a little more comforting, check out Rebecca Solnit’s A Paradise Built in Hell, which is a bunch of essays about disasters and people’s responses to them. When calamity does strike, she points out, a lot of bad stuff happens – but also, ordinary people are inspired to help each other in amazing ways. A good reminder.

Cherry tree in bloom, Woodinville

One More Quarantine Poetry Video: “A Letter to John Cusack, Piloting a Plane Through an Apocalypse Movie”

This poem is another apocalypse poem from my book, Field Guide to the End of the World. Bonus points if you can name all the John Cusack movies referenced in the poem.

 

https://youtu.be/0kX08JK88g0 

 

 

 

April Issue of Poetry – with two of my poems!

Sylvia poses with new April issue of Poetry

April Issue of Poetry Has Two of My Poems In It

I always said it would be the apocalypse before I got into Poetry Magazine, so it seems appropriate that yesterday by special delivery in my home during lockdown I received my contributor’s copies of Poetry Magazine, with two of my poems in it, alongside poems by illustrious stars like Ocean Vuong. My kitten Sylvia just would not stop cuddling with Poetry! Which makes sense, since her namesake poet was in there several times.

And here’s a sneak peek at one of the poems, “Calamity.” Interestingly, this apocalyptic poem, “Calamity,” was written and accepted before the current pandemic was a thing. The other poem of mine in this issue is called “Spellcaster.” Both of these poems are from my in-process manuscript, “Fireproof.”

 

 

Another Week in the Epicenter Living with Quarantine in Spring, Essay in the Mighty, Poems in Moon City Review, and Now: Poetry Videos

Cherry Branches

Another Week in the Epicenter: Living with Quarantine in Spring

Hello from March 2020 in Seattle, where Coronavirus has killed over 90 people, we still don’t have enough test kits, masks and ventilators are in short supply, and everyone is trying to shelter in place. Quarantine has become common – California, New York, Connectibut and Illinois all have strict policies in place, while in Washington, we’ve been urged but not forced to quarantine ourselves for the time being. All normal activites – shopping, going to work, going to the doctor or dentist – have been halted. All to buy a little more preparation time while we wait for someone – generous billionaires, brilliant scientists, unfortunately probably not our (seriously blundering) government leaders – to find something to treat or slow this virus. Meanwhile I’m seriously trying to stay safe, stay alive, write poems, and take pictures of flowers.

You can read about some of my experiences living as an immune-compromised people in the US epicenter of Coronavirus in this essay at The Mighty. And here are some shots of spring blooming all around us, and a robin.

St Patrick’s Day

Poems and Reading Lists and St. Patrick’s Day

We celebrated a quiet St. Patrick’s Day at home, taking a stroll through emptied winery grounds and making scones and tea. Glenn and I at least got all dressed up in green for the occasion.

With all the sheltering-in-place, I’ve had plenty of time for reading, and I’ve been really enjoying two new poetry books, both with space themes.

Sylvia with my current poetry reads

Sylvia poses with two brand-new poetry books that I love: John Gallaher‘s Brand New Spacesuit from BOA and The Tilt Torn Away from the Seasons by Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers from Acre Books. I highly recommend both. I’ve read all of John’s books, and this is my favorite so far – reassuring somehow in this odd time, full of humor and hope.

Three New Poems in Moon City Review

Sylvia cuddling with the new issue of Moon City Review

I also got my contributor copes of Moon City Review, with three of my poems in it.

Here’s a sneak preview of one of the poems, as well as Sylvia looking adorable with the issue. Yes, this blog post does feature two pictures of my cat. I have been spending a lot of time cuddling with my two cats and feeling very grateful for that, as well as phone calls and FaceTime with friends and family. Poetry and cats happen to be my coping mechanisms under stress.

Poem from Moon City Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I mention that I was also being tested for cancer and a pretty serious (non-Coronavirus) infection this week? The news wasn’t all good (liver tumors have multiplied and some have grown) but not seriously bad, either (no infection found or giant masses, which was good.)  We chronically ill folks have to deal with mortality every day, not just during a pandemic; we are always on guard for things going wrong in our body. It is exhausting, and I know you are exhausted too.

So, in Light of the Quarantine and All, Some Poetry Videos

Someone asked me this week to make a video of me reading a poem for one of her classes. I had never done this before and she showed me how to do it with my iPhone. So, after I made that poetry video, I made a bunch of others. Here are links to a few of them. I am reading from Moon City Press’s Field Guide to the End of the World, poems that seem (though they were written years earlier) to be written for this time.

Here’s me reading “Every Human is a Black Box.”

And here’s me reading “The Last Love Poem.” I hope you enjoy these. Stay well, all of you. Stay in, stay well, read poetry, try to notice the spring.

Love in the Time of Coronavirus on Salon, Two Poems in EcoTheo, and Getting an MRI with Flowers in the Epicenter

Salon Story on Marriage in the US Epicenter of Coronavirus

Love in the Time of Coronavirus – a Portrait of a Marriage in the US Epicenter of a Pandemic – My Essay on Salon.Com

As a poet, I’m used to being a little bit low-profile, but today I had a front-page story on Salon.com, “Marriage in the Time of Coronavirus,” a place I’ve wanted to publish in since its inception. The story in my perspective on living with my husband in a stressful quarantine situation, with several chronic illnesses, in the epicenter of the Coronavirus Pandemic. I’ve put some of the details of how it’s been coping with ER visits and empty shelves here right next to the hospital where the majority of the US deaths from Coronavirus have occurred on this blog, but this is in the form of a lyric essay hybridized with journalism. I hope it is helpful and gives you some perspective on how it may be in other US cities in the next weeks to come.

Just for some perspective, in my state, there have been 40 deaths and 642 confirmed positive cases of coronavirus, most of them in King County. Most of the deaths have happened in my neighborhood. It’s not an abstraction for us. This week, the zoo, the Japanese garden, and 50 restaurants closed, as well as the winery next to my house, the beautiful Chateau Ste Michelle. All public and private schools were closed, and universities, and churches. Meetings of over 250 are forbidden.

Sylvia poses with EcoTheo

Two Poems in the Spring 2020 issue of EcoTheo

My thanks to the folks at the beautiful ecologically-themed literary magazine (complete with beautiful color art work) EcoTheo, who put two of my poems in the Spring 2020 issue. I bought a subscription with my fauxAWP dollars. I think you’d like it.

Here’s a sneak peek at one of the poems in there, “Horse Chestnut Trees Are Going Extinct:”

Getting an MRI and More Flowers, Despite the Pandemic

Had to get an MRI this week, so despite my fear of germs and being immune-compromised (this was checking for a life-or-death thing, so I still had to get it – believe me, I’ve cancelled a number of medical appointments in the last two weeks) I put on a mask and gloves and went to the medical testing center. The tech was wearing neither a mask nor gloves. I bet he will be soon. I don’t like getting MRIs at the best of times, and this was much more anxiety-producing than usual. But when I got out of the test, I noticed the most beautiful apple trees right outside of the medical center, and took this picture. Even in the midst of pandemic and anxiety, the flowers go right on blooming.

And for those who want to make sure Glenn and I are still alive, here is a picture we took today, along with a snapshot of a canopy of cherry blossoms, the Worm Supermoon, and some March narcissus blooms. Wishing you a well and happy week.

 

 

 

Living, Loving, (and Going to the ER) in the Time of Coronavirus, Spring Continues in Seattle, Virtual or Faux AWP

Red quince blossoms

Spring Continues in Seattle, Despite Everything

The time change is here, and with it, spring is showing signs of moving in; early cherries and plums are blooming, quince, forsythia. Birds are returning, like a family of quail I spotted in the backyard, and red house finches. Emerald City Comic Con has been rescheduled. My husband has been in the house more than usual, as working from home is encouraged. We’ve been avoiding unnecessary human interactions we might have done without thinking; going to the bookstore or stopping to get flowers. Nature remains a great companion, even during an epidemic. Books, too.

Living, Loving, and Going to the ER In the Time of Coronavirus

So, as nature continues to blaze ahead despite the troubles of humans, we cannot avoid the grim news. As of today, we’ve had 102 confirmed Coronavirus cases and 17 deaths in Washington State, and still our Coronavirus testing ability is pretty limited (despite promises from the government to the contrary.) Schools are closing. Every tech company has asked its employees to work from home. Social distancing and hand washing are encouraged. Stores shelves have been emptied of: bottled water, toilet paper, bleach, cold medicine, in some stores, canned goods, even Spam. Hand sanitizer and masks have been gone since two weeks ago. Glenn and I are spending a lot of time together – I mean, togetherness has a new meaning when you’re immune-compromised during an extremely contagious, fairly unknown outbreak.

This virus has changed the way we do some things; Glenn has had groceries dropped off at his car instead of going into the grocery store; I ordered books to be shipped instead of going into the bookstore. I text with my friends instead of seeing them in person.

Notes from an ER visit in the Epicenter: I had an unavoidable ER visit. I dreaded doing it, but so sick I could no longer stand on Friday night and with my PCP’s advice, we decided to go (and no, it’s not Coronavirus.) Glenn drove me fifteen minutes to the Redmond Swedish ER. (I live about a mile from Evergreen Kirkland, where most of the Coronavirus deaths have taken place; we avoided it.) I had him check in with the front desk to make sure they were okay for us (some hospitals are overwhelmed.) There was only one other patient at the hospital when I went, and everybody I encountered was friendly, gracious and wearing masks, paper clothing covers, and gloves in a flurry of safe practices. The ER doctor confided she was nervous that she hadn’t been informed about best practices or a treatment protocol for Coronavirus yet.  She was super helpful; I left two liters of IV fluid heavier, with two prescriptions, a copy of all my labs, practical advice, and feeling much better. The day receptionist said they had had too many worried patients coming in with coughs who should have been meeting with PCPs or allergists (flu and allergy season are still happening, after all) and the night receptionist told me he’d been grocery shopping at night with a mask and gloves. Everyone was concerned that they didn’t have enough Coronavirus tests. But they had just gotten a shipment of masks with face screens. Not every medical worker is lucky enough to have them.

Disability, Germs, and Smart Hubs

Because we live in a high-tech city, I had a conversation with the doctor and nurse about how a smart home hub might help me both decrease germs in the house and make me feel more independent with my disability; I ordered the Echo Smart Hub the next day. They pointed out not touching light switches, tv remotes, door locks, etc as much as possible helps to not spread germs, and I can avoid injuries with MS by turning on lights with my voice or unlocking a door. I also got tips about killing germs on hard and soft surfaces. I’ve never used as much bleach as I have in the last two weeks in my life, and every tech device has been alcohol-wiped to an inch of its life. Technology, I have to admit, might make this particular pandemic outbreak a little less terrible, because now we can have food shipped to our houses, kids can do their classes online, we can even visit with our families via Facetime instead of in person to avoid getting them sick. Italy just quarantined 16 million people in an amazingly sweeping action. We haven’t had anything like that happen yet, but as new cases keep cropping up farther from here, the epicenter of the US outbreak (the other being: cruise ships) I hope we are capable to capping a serious problem across the US like they have had in China, Italy, and Iran. Bill Gates has promised money for a home coronavirus testing kit, which could help avoid spreading the germs to health-case workers. So I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the long-term effects will be. In China, non-touch screens are being introduced at fast food restaurants, orders and pickups made on phones with zero personal interaction.

Sylvia with poetry books from Open Books for FAUX AWP

Virtual or Faux AWP

Since a lot of us couldn’t go to AWP this year for various reasons, (I personally think it should have been rescheduled for the safety of immuno-supporessed people and, because, you know, you don’t want to increase germ spreading during a pandemic) we’ve been having a Virtual AWP Bookfair and a faux-AWP. I ordered books from local poetry-only bookstore Open Books, because small businesses all around Seattle are hurting (they ship for free with over $25 purchases) and because a lot of small presses were financially harmed because they had to withdraw from AWP. I also signed up for a couple of new literary magazine subscriptions, including EcoTheo and A Public Space. (A Poetry Magazine subscription was a recent gift.) I was trying to spend the money I would have spent at the bookfair had I gone. My book purchases, you might notice, are apocalyptic in theme.

I’ve also been working on pitches for essays and reviews during this extremely down downtime. And I’ve got a suite of coronavirus poems now in case anyone needs them.

Field Guide to the End of the World

I would also encourage you to please purchase a copy of Field Guide to the End of the World directly from Moon City Press, because they could not go to AWP at the last minute, and support them.  Plus, I mean, I could not think of a more timely book to read right now. I mean, look at this cover! It’s all about survival in the face of all kinds of apocalypses.

So, if you also could not make it to San Antonio, I encourage you to reach out to your favorite small presses and writers, and support them. Send your favorite writers an encouraging note, subscribe to a new literary magazine. The best part of AWP is the community aspect, and at a time when in-person communications are riskier for some of us, virtual communications go a long way.

So, wishing you an as-happy-as-possible week. Wash your hands, avoid large gatherings, disinfect your cell phone, and spend some time reading poetry instead of the news – I guarantee you’ll feel better afterwards.

New Poems in Cherry Tree and Split Rock Review, Early Spring Flowers, Missing AWP and the Coronovirus

Early Plum Blossoms

Early Spring Flowers and New Poems in Cherry Tree and Split Rock Review

It seems in times of crisis I want to spend more time in nature. This last week we had early cherry and plum trees starting to flower, and I spent a lot of time taking pictures of them. Plum blossoms in particular have a strong, beautiful scent, especially in a grove of trees, which along with a little more sunlight, increases your feelings of well-being no matter what the headlines.

A big thank you to both Cherry Tree and Split Rock Review, which both featured new poems by me in their latest issues. That was a pick-me-up during a stressful week of doctor appointments (where I found out even if I had Coronavirus they did not have enough test kits on hand, so…good luck, I guess!) and a dramatic Coronavirus uptick in our region.

Here are my poems “The Wildness” and “Self-Portrait as Seismologist” as well as a picture of Sylvia posting with the new issue of Cherry Tree and tulips:

More Spring Blossoming:

 

Split Rock Review published a more wintry poem, “Winter Solstice in Seattle:”

Missing AWP and Good Resources on the Coronavirus

Red-winged Blackbird

Yes, I’ll be missing AWP this year. I’m supposed to get an emergency root canal tomorrow instead of flying into Texas. Much less glamorous. But AWP kind of has a pall over it this year, especially as it is happening just as more confirmed cases of COVID-19 are appearing all over the US. Hey, let’s all get together in one big room right as a highly communicable virus is hitting. Yikes! I have a genetic immune deficiency AND MS, so this is probably a more frightening prospect for me than most people. That estimated 2 percent death rate is higher for people with other health conditions, and much higher for the elderly – up to 15 percent.

We had the first US death from Coronavirus here yesterday, at a hospital about a mile from my house, and a small breakout (fifty people, both caregivers and patients) has happened in a long-term care home in Kirkland (and Kirkland and Redmond firefighters are in quarantine after reto an emergency there). There is a lot of uncertainty right now – the doctors and systems here don’t have enough test kits or the capacity to test everyone, we don’t have enough masks even for medical personnel due to poor government planning, and we’re showing more community-acquired illness (two high school kids at opposite ends of town just this week). In my local neighborhood stores, there’s been some panic-buying – shelves of masks, hand sanitizer, cleaning products, even in some places bottled water and toilet paper have all been cleaned out. My husband has been running most of the errands to keep me out of crowds, so I’m getting my reports second-hand. Going back to spending time outside, which can really help you not feel too house-bound when you’re mostly confined in your home, is really important. Hence my red-winged blackbird picture (photographed down the street from my house).

Starting to feel like I have more in common with the girl on my last book cover…

Here are some good resources that I found this week to help you all with Coronavirus. Remember I have a biology degree and I had a specific interest in virology, so I’m not just a poet – I’m a poet who knows too much about viruses! There’s a lot of panic, anxiety, and misinformation out there (this is not a hoax – and definitely do NOT drink bleach!). Our government is not adequately prepared – we don’t have enough testing kits (we have dramatically undertested over the last six weeks as the virus has spread, and we still won’t have enough tests for two more weeks) or masks for medical personnel, or respirators for those who go into respiratory distress. We can’t control a selfish, irresponsible government who doesn’t act in the best interest of its people (except by voting them out eventually) or a greed-filled, short-sighted pharma/medical complex (our supply chain is going to be impacted because we no longer make the drugs we need – nor their main ingredients – they’ve outsourced almost everything to China, and they didn’t order more masks/respirators when they were told to several years ago to prepare for a crisis because “it was too expensive”) but we can control our own actions – choosing to stay home when sick, washing hands more frequently, maybe staying away from crowds when possible – and we can choose to be kind to ourselves and our neighbors. Drink more fluids, get more sleep. Here’s more information:

From Australian virologists who have practical advice for “If you’re about to be in a pandemic”

A great article on a reasonable response to Coronavirus – and why being prepared – and preparing to help others – is key to containing a pandemic.

NPR’s tips on how to prevent and prepare for the novel Coronavirus

Don’t panic, and always carry a clean towel – Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

More updates to come. I am wishing you all a safe, happy, and healthy week. Spend some time outdoors with trees, and indoors with some poetry. Stay well.

 

 

Jeannine Hall Gailey

Jeannine Hall Gailey
Jeannine Hall Gailey is a writer with MS who served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington and is the author of Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, Unexplained Fevers, The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, winner of the Moon City Press Book Prize, Field Guide to the End of the World, and the upcoming Flare, Corona from BOA Editions. Her work has been featured on NPR’s The Writer’s Almanac, Verse Daily and The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. Her poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Poetry, and Ploughshares.

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