Because I (heart) Deborah Ager, I will not reveal ten things about myself, but I will reveal two truths and a lie. This is a game I played in high school and college, where people try to guess the lie.
1. I was offered a basketball scholarship to a private college, which I ended up turning down. I am 5 foot 4 on a good day.
2. I am afraid of bees but neither needles nor snakes.
3. I love sushi!
Guess which is the lie 🙂

I have been working furiously on my book MS, Becoming the Villainess, based on very astute and specific observations by three accomplished and trusted friends. Pulling things out, reorganizing, rewriting old poems, adding new poems in. All week I’ve been doing this, the most concentrated effort I’ve ever put in to the MS, which somehow feels narcissistic in a way, spending so much time on my own book of poetry when I’d much rather be reading someone else’s. I think I’ve come up with two versions – one for more traditional publishing houses, which emphasizes the personal/fairy tale aspects, and another for more “edgy” pubilshers, which emphasizes the comic book aspects.

Kudos to my friend Annette Spaulding-Convy, who was a finalist for the Floating Bridge Chapbook Contest, and will be reading the night of the 28th at Hugo House. Her poetry is amazing, definitely worth checking out. She, in my opinion, is way better than the person that won. Well, I haven’t read that person’s book yet, but I’m still pretty sure what I wrote is true. Isn’t it weird when you read literary magazines, and the poetry all seems so mushy and bland, and the people in your workshop write such interesting, powerful poetry? It could be friendship clouding my vision, but I don’t think so – I just happen to be blessed with some kick-ass poetry friends. I am also usually happily surprised when I run into someone from the blogroll in a literary magazine – Laurel Snyder in Iowa Review, or Paul Guest in Crazyhorse, for instance, and you think – yes, this is the best poem in the magazine and I know who they are! I was reading Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s Medusa poem in The Cincinnati Review, and thinking, wow, this is amazing! SO, I feel lucky to know, even if only electronically, some of the best poets in my generation.