Poets Versus Illness, Good News for Mary Agner, and the holidays continue…

Good news for fellow science-poetry-writer Mary A. Agner: her new book, The Scientific Method, is out. Here is a pic at her blog, lovely! Congrats Mary! Just in time for Christmas!
http://www.pantoum.org/entries/2011/12/06.shtml

I wrote a long blog post after reading Rae Armantrout’s essays on her cancer and my own long experience with health issues, and I put it up on my PAI-1 deficiency blog. It’s called Poets Versus Illness: How to Be Your Own Superheroine. It’s kind of long, and personal, and details some of the things I think are crucial to think about when you’re sick and tips I’ve gleaned on how to manage your own health care. I’m putting the link here in case you are interested in that kind of thing.

Yes, missing a reading at Seattle Arts & Lectures tonight I really wanted to go to – Terrence Hayes, who is a great reader. So blech to that. Still having some trouble breathing with the pleurisy, so, you know, rest, fluids, new inhalers, etc. The endless ice fog here in Seattle is not helping things. If only I could beam some Napa weather up here for the holidays. Also found out I’m still having trouble keeping up the b12 even with monthly shots. Guess we’re going to twice a month. Now, if only I could get shots of sunshine…

Interviews, reviews, the next manuscript, and holiday thankfulness

First, some poetry miscellany:

For a long time I have harbored an affection for the magazine Fourteen Hills. It has the best readings, and the editors are always lovely. Here, the poetry editor Sandra Wassilie interviews me about She Returns to the Floating World:
http://14hills.net/node/376

One of my final book reviews of the year is up at Rattle, this one of Brian Spears’ A Witness in Exile:
http://rattle.com/blog/2011/12/a-witness-in-exile-by-brian-spears/

Yesterday was spent at the doctor’s office, getting chest x-rays, blood tests, etc. They were checking for the dreaded pneumonia, what with all our “ice fog” and “Air advisories” and “ten degrees below normal” weather out here in the Northwest, well, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise. But, yay, no pneumonia! Just pleurisy, which is painful and requires more rest than I’d like, but nothing inconvenient like getting stuck in the hospital (as long as I don’t overdo it.)

The good news is that though I am forced to appreciate the holiday season from afar – no malls, no outdoor hikes to cut down a tree, etc – it has helped me get some work done, on Eye to the Telescope’s third issue, for example – oh, I hate sending rejections – and doing some serious revision and organization work on my fairy-tale themed third MS. You know how you have a book manuscript you think is finished and then you’re all, wait, am I sure that’s how it should be organized, and maybe it should have another section, and what about this poem that I’m pretty sure belongs in the book, etc…I’m also contemplating an essay on approaching illness and the medical system called “How to be your own superheroine.” I read Rae Armantrout’s recent essay series on her discovery that she had a rare cancer and I thought “I wish I could write like that.” She is a stone cold brave lady in the face of danger, that’s for sure.

Buying Guide – Poetry in 2011

List of 2011 Books that Make Great Holiday Gifts:

It’s always tough putting together a good shopping list for the year’s books – so many good books to remember, it seems, come out every year! And remember to ask Santa for a subscription to your favorite literary magazine – I recommend a smaller magazine, such as Crab Creek Review, 32 Poems, or another independently funded journal.

Lucky Fish by Aimee Nezhukumatathil – Likable, funny narrators and subtle wordplay make Aimee’s book a standout.

The Book of Men by Dorianne Laux – I think this exploration of Dorianne’s interest in the male of the species – and her new nods to pop culture, like “Superman” and “Cher” – make this Dorianne’s most interesting collection yet!

And Yet They Were Happy by Helen Philips – Though this isn’t technically poetry – more like little flash fictions collected into a sort of hip, experimental novel – the voice here is heartbreaking, moving, funny…everything I want my poetry books to be! You won’t be sorry you read it.

A New Red by Lana Ayers – New spin on an old tail/tale here – (ok, couldn’t resist the joke) – Lana’s passionate, sharp voices will haunt you.

Hide Behind Me – Jason Mott – Superheroes with a twist in this moving collection about the heroism of the every day.

I Stand Here Shredding Documents – Kristin Berkey Abbott – http://www.amazon.com/I-Stand-Here-Shredding-Documents/dp/1599247534/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322609589&sr=8-1-fkmr1 – I have to say, I love a good poem about work, especially by women. This manuscript delves into the spirit and the workaday world with intuition and heart.

Elizabeth Austen’s Every Dress a Decision – Humorous poems about relationships with men are balanced with some sharp reveries on family.

Joannie Stangeland’s Into the Rumoured Spring – Well, I haven’t read this one yet, but generally Joannie’s meditations of nature, the spirit, and life are gentle reminders to celebrate the moment.

Martha Silano’s The Little Office of the Immaculate Conception – Martha is a clever wordplay artist, and her poems on motherhood are immediately relatable and thoughtful. Not to mention science poems, my favorite!

Amanda Auchter’s The Glass Crib – Moving poems on the nature of family and the body.

Maya Zellar’s Rust Fish – Full of affectionate portraits of her Northwest home, Zellar portrays a working-class youth with warm realism.

The Poetry Gymnasium: 94 Poetry Exercises – Tom C. Hunley – Which poet – whether they teach or not – hasn’t needed more poetry exercises, with convenient examples right there?

Books I’ve reviewed and recommend:

Dana Levin’s Sky Burial – http://therumpus.net/2011/03/you-may-say-fist-you-may-say-teeth/

Brian Spears’ A Witness in Exile – (forthcoming)

Steve Fellner’s The Weary World Rejoices – (forthcoming)

Christine Deavel’s Woodnote – http://therumpus.net/2011/10/a-mark-of-the-naive/

Erika Meitner’s Makeshift Instructions for Beautiful Girls – http://www.barnowlreview.com/reviews/meitner%20deux.html

For your future self: Check out books coming out in 2012 by Kathleen Flenniken and Annette Spaulding-Convey. Terrific, clever, moving…I’ve read early versions of these manuscripts and loved them!! And of course, Eduardo Corral’s Yale Younger Poets winner. (I remember reading his MS…mmm…maybe eight years ago (?) and loving it. Eight years of work did not make the manuscript weaker.) Automatically going on my “to teach” list of books.

For my future self: I would love a publisher to swoop up manuscripts by a few excellent poets – namely, Natasha K. Moni, Jeff Walt, and Karen Weyant. Are you listening, publishers? Seriously, these are some great manuscripts!

And finally, my inevitable plea, because one of my favorite holiday activities is watching my Amazon ranks (just kidding): for the comic book loving teen or college student, Becoming the Villainess; for the woman in transition, J-pop lover or folk-tale fanatic, She Returns to the Floating World. A lovely holiday gift for me? A nice review on Amazon or Goodreads!

Reading Report – Rigoberto Gonzalez "Black Blossoms" at Open Books

We braved the cold (and air advisory — cough cough – dang asthma!) to see the gracious Rigoberto Gonzalez read from his new book, Black Blossoms, at Open Books tonight. Eduardo had told me I would love it, and I did. It’s full of passion, violence, and a kind of gorgeous, stark imagery.
Here is a sample of his work, the poem “Girl With No Hands.” (By coincidence, I have a poem by the same name in She Returns to the Floating World, based on the Japanese variant of the same fairy tale.)

The Girl With No Hands
by Rigoberto González

Your father asked for more than a polka–dot tie, a self–portrait in Crayola or cinnamon
snickerdoodles flat as candle stubs on baking sheets. He grabbed you by the wrists

and severed your hands to wear on his key chain like a pair of lucky rabbit’s feet.
What is so fortunate about a rabbit hopping about the prairie with a missing limb?

What if all four of its legs had been clipped? It eats only as far as it can stretch
it’s neck, and then rolls itself on its back to perforate its starved belly with the blades

of its ribs. When the hunter returns, the rabbit will have its revenge, looking like
the amputated foot of its diabetic mother wearing that familiar bunny slipper.

Your father seized your hands, not out of malice, but greed —his wish to match
Midas and pocket the small golds of his kingdom — Rolex, wedding bands, crucifix,

and the precious treasure of your rings, which, little princess, will never leave
your fingers because Papi breaks no promises. He never abandoned you either,

always here when you come across your hairbrush, perched on the bristles
like a nesting pecker. Resolute, you age with ingenuity, learning to eat

right off the branch, nibbling apple, apricot, and pear without separating fruit
from stem. This is how you heard about the clever rabbit, from the hunter’s son

who made love to you pressing his fists to the small of his back. He locked you
against the tree trunk and your shoulders splintered the bark. What a miracle

of an instrument, the piano that’s played with elbows and knees and four clumsy
heels that for all their random reaching make the sweetest rhythms. Your bodies

danced each afternoon in the grove while your mother sewed the mysterious
tears in your dresses. You forgave your mother’s inactivity that night when Papi

struck down your wrists with a cleaver, the mirror of the metal like a window
to a furnace, the shadow puppet butterfly emancipated finally. Who knew

chopped bone could sing? Maybe chicken doesn’t utter a note at its beheading
because its mother hen isn’t near to cluck a frenzied requiem, Your mother

squealed as fiercely as a sow and your stumps looked like the blooded snouts
of swine. But all that rage escapes you now as you unleash the power of the hand

your father left intact, and with it grip your lover tighter into you. So this
is delectable defiance, Miss Rabbit — it must have been female to claim

the last word. You, girl, with no hands, can produce another pair and more:
legs, torso, head, and a bear trap of a jaw to bite the hands that feed her.

A few nice surprises for the end of November…

Today I had a few nice surprises…

The first was receiving in the mail a copy of Tom C. Hunley’s The Poetry Gymnasium, a book of 95 class exercises for poetry. I was honored to have my poem “Cinderella, at the Car Dealership” included in the “Literary Retellings” exercise section, of course, but the whole book is a lot of fun. I may even use it to help me generate more poems myself this next month!

The next was reading Mary A. Agner’s lovely blog review of She Returns to the Floating World (scroll down to “reading”) – Mary’s a really astute reader and a great poet herself, particularly science and fairy-tale poetry.

And the third was seeing my poems up with Saeed Jones at the Ishaan Literary Review’s very first issue:
http://ishaanliteraryreview.com/?page_id=158#adviceleft
I met Saeed in Tom C. Hunley’s class when I went to visit Western Kentucky U in, I think, 2006. I thought “what a bright and extraordinary poet” when he read his exercise poem in class. A bright and shiny star to watch.

Happy End of November Every One!

Bookshelf downsizing project, a new book manuscript seed, and more!

Hello Holiday-overloaded readers! Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving!

I have been alerted that perhaps I will be receiving this year one of those fancy gadgets on which you read books as one of my Christmas presents this year. This has caused me to think about which books from my overflowing and groaning bookcases I can retire – ie take to Half-Price Books or donate. (Glenn, by the way, is always cheerful about having to move fewer boxes of books. We have moved about thirteen times in the last thirteen years, and most of the contents of the moves, since we have little furniture, is, sad to say, heavy boxes of books.) Dictionaries and thesaurus for sure – heavy, hard to move, and easy to access remotely. All my old paperback Shakespeare, since the classics are easy to access via the reader-gadgets (don’t know which one I’m getting yet.) What else? Can I let go of other paperback classics, my Austen and Tolstoy and etc? How about old college textbooks? Other books – like my colored Fairy Books, signed poetry books, etc – are valuable to me as reminders, as keepsakes. Often my research books – on nuclear power, Japanese culture, feminism in comic books, annotated collections of folk tales – take up a lot of space, but I find myself going back to them, so I’m keeping most of those.
Do those of you who have already made the leap to the dark side of e-readers have any advice on what to get rid of? I have to say, I’m kind of excited to see what my own book looks like on a real e-reader.

Over the weekend, I finally gathered up all the poems I’ve written in the last year or so, the ones that don’t belong in the two finished yet unpublished manuscripts I have, and so, this means…starting a new book manuscript. Really, since the number of poems is only in the teens, it’s only the beginnings, a sprout, a small shoot from a little seed. I can’t really see the vision of the manuscript yet. It seems more lighthearted than my other books, for now, anyway, about getting over old loves, moving from state to state, and examining cultural icons (well that, at least, is familiar territory.) I’m worried because the poems don’t seem that…angsty. Not deep enough, maybe. Is that a thing to be anxious about, I wonder?

PS Thinking about Christmas shopping lists? I promise to do a longer list of books I recommend from 2011 soon…but until then, consider picking up a copy of She Returns to the Floating World, from the publisher, from Amazon, from Powells, or from local Seattle legend Open Books…it’s suitable for husbands, little brothers, friends who love Hayao Miyazaki, and others! 🙂 You can also order it directly from me, signed, and of course, with a little swag surprise for the holidays…https://webbish6.com/orderform.htm

Things I Am Thankful For This Year

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I slept late this morning and let my husband do most of the holiday cooking today, as I am still (still!) having this off-and-on flu virus wrestling match. I have a stack of magazines and books to read, calls to family already made, and generally, though the weather outside is frightful (40-degree hard rain with wind for a week, anyone?) am feeling warm and fuzzy.

Things I am thankful for this year:
–Friends and family. My family is, mostly, too far away to visit easily, but I’ve enjoyed using Skype to stay in touch, as well as e-mail, IM and other technological inventions. My friends here in Seattle, the artists, the writers, who continually inspire me and challenge me to do more and better, who remind me that spending time working on creative stuff isn’t wasted time…
–Being back in Washington State. The friends, the readings of all kinds, the library systems, the bookstores…everything except, possibly, the weather.
–The lovely publisher of my second book, Kitsune Books, who has done so much to make my experience with She Returns to the Floating World a happy one. Including putting me up for the Florida Publishing Book Awards, which ended up landing me this fancy sticker for my book cover:

–My wonderful husband, creating a beautiful Thanksgiving menu for me (sans wheat, onions, or poultry…) and generally being super supportive during a tough year.
–Poetry publishers in general who care about writers, especially those who don’t charge fees; literary magazines that still pay for poetry (thank you, Crab Orchard Review, Hollins Critic, Indiana Review, and etc… it makes poets feel so thankful to get those little checks!) and readers who let writers know they’ve connected with your work. Thank you to all the hard-working volunteers out there in the literary world, adjuncts, editors, reading series leaders…
–Yes, I have some anxieties: about work (finding it,) money (same,) where my life/career is going, the ongoing health excitement that forced me to curb my travel plans for readings this fall…but I am am looking to the future with hope, with gratitude, and faith.

Upcoming: Christmas book shopping lists, my great book downsizing project (painful!) and embarking on yet another poetry book manuscript (madness??)

How To Get Your Book Reviewed

I have been reviewing books, independently, for a long time now. Occasionally (not often) I even get paid for it. So I thought perhaps I have some tips to share for people who are wondering what the best strategies are for getting their books reviewed.

First, I’ll start by telling you a little about how my reviewing life works.

Some book reviews are assigned, and I don’t get any say in what I review in that case. This is usually the case for reviews I get paid for. Sometimes, a place I review for will offer me a list of books they have on hand to see if I’m interested in reviewing any of them. And sometimes I will pitch a review idea to a journal, magazine, or blog.

I usually don’t review books by close friends, students or mentors anywhere but on my blog because of conflict of interest. I think that might be an industry standard, but the rules can bend occasionally.

If I’m actively reviewing, I usually get upwards of 40-50 books a year sent to me to review, and that’s on top of what I buy myself or am assigned. Some years I’ve received over 100. On average, in a good year, I review one or two books a month. So, to do the math: most books I’m sent do not get a review. And I’m pretty conscientious, I think, for a reviewer; I’m not out there re-selling your review copies on ebay; alas, though, I have heard of this practice. I genuinely try to read everything I’m sent, and try at least one pitch for each book. (Most pitches, like most poems, are rejected, FYI.) If I don’t like a book, I usually pass it on to another reviewer, or decline to review it (there’s enough negativity out there already – why give space – and mental energy – to a book I don’t like?)

Getting a review out, even of a book I really like, is much harder now than it was five years ago. There are fewer places publishing reviews, fewer places giving as much space as they used to, fewer places paying for reviews. So the reality is, you probably need to work a little harder as a writer to get your book some attention. If you have a publisher that is sending out review copies for you, that’s fantastic! It could be an unlimited number. That would be great! But probably not. Hence, a few tips:

• Target your review copies. Maybe you’ll end up reviewed at the New York Times Review of Books, or Poetry Magazine. It’s possible. But you’ll probably get more return on your investment if you target either literary journals that have liked your work in the past or reviewers who have mentioned liking either you work or work you think is similar to what you are doing. For instance, if you’re writing feminist superhero poetry, I’m probably a great reviewer for you to target. But how would you know that unless you read some of my work? Sometimes reading the actual poetry of the person doing the reviews is a great way to get insight into the reviewer’s aesthetic.
• Write a personal note. I get tons of review copies with no note. I usually can’t remember whether I requested a copy because the time between the request and actually getting a copy of the book could be months. So, make sure you put a little slip of paper in there that says: “Hi there! Remember when you said you’d be interested in my series of triolets on the Old West at the Old West Poetry Conference? Well, now it’s out, and I’d sure appreciate your take on the book!” Or something like that. By the way, this was the number one tip that reviewers posted when I asked this question on Facebook. You’d be surprised how few people (or publishers) put in a personal note.
• Follow up. I know it’s embarrassing, like putting yourself up for a rejection, but honestly? I think if more people followed up with just an e-mail after sending me their books, I would probably be more likely to give their book a serious read. And not just following up, but…
• Follow up with a few suggestions of which literary journals might be interested in a review! This is a key step that few people take. This puts all the work in the lap of the reviewer, and did I mention reviewers are usually working in their spare time for no pay? So, anything you can do to make placing your review easier, you should do. Do a little reconnaissance – write to a few editors to see if they might be open to a review. Then, mention those editors and the names of their journals to your targeted reviewer. Voila! Literary matchmaking!
• Make it as easy as possible for reviewers to “get” your book. Include a press kit. Write a quick summary in your personal note. Reviewer Julie Brooks Barbour posted on my Facebook query: “Jeannine, I review books based on the narrative structure, of what threads the book together. If the narrative is unclear to me, I probably won’t review it.” This again comes down to targeting your reviewers and doing more than just sending a copy of your book with nothing else.
• After your follow up…Don’t expect anything, don’t hold grudges, and be sure to try a reviewer again with your next book because…things happen. I might love someone’s first book, but not connect with someone’s second. I might be unable to successfully pitch a review of your book to anyone. I might get overloaded and burned out and take a short break from reviewing. I would say the success rate from a good targeted book mailing might be 20 percent. If you hold a grudge against a reviewer for not reviewing one of your books, or a journal for not running a review, that means you’ve lost a potential review or review venue for your next venture, and that would be a shame. (Because you’re writing more than one book, right? You’re in for the long haul…)

And last, but not least…

• Write a few reviews yourself! I am likely to google everyone I review, because hey, I like to do a little research on the folks I’m writing about, and if I see that an author has been reviewing books, I’m probably going to feel like they deserve a review themselves. If I’m putting a lot of volunteer labor into reviewing, and I’m a writer myself who could be writing poems or doing paid work, then I probably want to review authors who are also doing some work putting positive energy back into the literary universe. God bless all the editors working for free in their spare time, reviewers who pour their souls into trying to create some kind of intelligent discourse about books, even if it’s just on Amazon or Goodreads, publishers who put their own income into marketing the books they produce. This comes down to Karma, Karma, Karma.
  

Do you reviewers out there have any more tips I’ve forgotten?

Your New Thanksgiving Traditions When You’re Far From Family…and Coming Up: Tips to Get Your Book Reviewed!

Thursday Notes: A New Review, a Friend’s Debut, and More!

Thank you to Barn Owl Review and reviewer Julie Brooks Barbour for this new review of She Returns to the Floating World! Here’s the link to the review:
http://www.barnowlreview.com/reviews/gailey.html

And don’t forget to vote before the 20th in the Goodreads Choice Awards for Poetry for my little book if you get a chance! I’m hoping to make it to the finals! (And vote for Sandra Beasley in the food category for “Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl!)

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Poetry Vote now for your favorite books!

I was also so pleased to get in the mail Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas‘ new book, Epistemology of an Odd Girl. (Isn’t that a great title?) This book from March Street Press bursts with scenes from everyday life, but also great poems like “In the Spirit of the Apocalypse” and “The True Story of Rapunzel.” This from “Candy Addict:” “Don’t they all suffer withdrawals?”/ (Yes, but not all care for mint cigarettes./ Sometimes we use Cyberkinetics.)”

Still fighting the flu, but feel a bit more mentally capable the last couple of days, so I was able to get some work done (and even a little writing!) Weather forecast for snow (snow!! in the Northwest!) tomorrow….