Thanks to Suzanne for this link:
http://bookcritics.org/blog/archive/to_the_whiting_award_winners_2009/
to Margaret Atwood’s speech at the Whiting Awards. My favorite bit was this, because yes, I went pre-med for my first degree, and yes, my parents – even though I am 36, had a decade-long career in business before I devoted my time to writing, and am currently teaching poetry at the university level – still tell me to go get my MD:
“Be vigilant – there are ambushes everywhere. On one side lurk the critics, getting ready to sneer and denounce, or worse, to praise for the wrong reasons; on the other side your parent figures, who always wanted you to be doctors, and who have furnished themselves with a list of writers such as Checkhov who were writers, yes, but doctors too: why can’t YOU do that? This is not helpful.”
I was also happy to see Jericho Brown on the list of recipients. Congrats, Jericho! But also interested to read at Steve Fellner’s that unfortunately, the Whiting Awards haven’t been that kind to women lately…Come on, Whiting Award mystery list of nominee-makers! Isn’t it about time women writers earned one half of the big, money-granting awards?
Another beautiful sunny day today as we wind towards the end of October. We carved a huge pumpkin last night, and I’ve been craving pumpkin-related foods (pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pancakes, etc.) We’ve been in Napa almost a month now. I can’t believe it!
I’ve been remiss in announcing a couple of publications:
–A few poems and a review in the new “Gender” issue of Poemeleon
–A new poem, “The Robot Scientist’s Daughter Journeys West,” in issue 6 of The L.A. Review. (I don’t think the poem is available online, only in the print version. Sorry!)
Lots of good writer friends in both journals, including bloggers like Kelli R. Agodon, Deb Ager, and Diane Lockward.
In other writing news, I got an acceptance from a speculative journal I really like, and two more well-written, personalized rejections. I don’t know what’s up with all these personal, positive rejections – do the editors have more time to do this these days? Are editors getting nicer? I like getting notes on particular poems – it makes me feel like someone is really reading them, as opposed to the form rejections, where you don’t know if anyone really did.
Still haven’t gotten to San Francisco – one, because I’m on crutches, and two, because I’m still fighting back against the mother of all tummy bugs that’s been bothering me for almost two months now. (I’ve resisted taking the scary antibiotics for it, because of the listed side effects such as hallucination and numbness of the hands and feet – and oh yes, nausea and vomiting, which are exactly what you want more of with a tummy bug – but my resistance is crumbling…) On the plus side, the ankle shows encouraging signs of improvement, and hopefully the stomach will soon as well!
In reading news, I discovered a new, California-based journal called The Normal School, which has a magazine-like layout and some really funny stuff, including an essay by Ander Monson on his wikipedia entry and self-googling habits. I might look for some funny poems to send them…
More on Contests…
Go congratulate my dear friend Kelli on her win of the White Pine Book award! I told her, the weirdest thing was, the night before she found out, I dreamed she won a book prize. I had the wrong publisher, so I’m not completely pyschic, but still…
I’m very excited for her, and here are a few things I really like about her press: they print beautiful books (which I know because another friend, Susan Rich, has published with them) and they have excellent distribution with Consortium. They seem committed to their authors. These things make a huge difference, in the long run, in author happiness. I can’t wait to get a copy of Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room!
How is it that October is already almost halfway finished? Not possible! Time is slipping away. This blog post reminded me that sometime soon I must get ahold of a pumpkin and a glass of cider! The weather has turned from a straight couple of weeks of 85-degree temps to a sudden, gusty 55 – definitely jacket-and-sweater weather, overnight! We’re going to get our first big windy rain, too, the edge of a monsoon that’s blowing from in from the ocean. Anyway, how is it already that late in the year?
Say congrats to Suzanne, who has good news about her second book!
Also a tip: Dream Horse Press now has an Open Submissions procedure for $10. Check it!
Also, if you feel like following my adventures in Napa, complete with little blog pictures, check out my other blog: http://napavalleyliving.blogspot.com/ It’s a little bit about the ins-and-outs of practical living in Napa, as well as restaurant/shopping reviews and that sort of thing. Do I have time to run another blog, on top of my class and thesis advising and trying to freelance write and write/send out poetry? Maybe not, but that’s never stopped me before…Plus, as long as I’m on crutches, it’s not like I’m missing out on all this hiking around that I’d otherwise be doing in my new town…
Finally feeling human again – and able to eat solid food – so I’ve finally gotten back to my neglected poetry work.
The leaves on the hills around Napa are starting to change, though it was still a sunny eighty degrees yesterday. Autumn means school starting, apple-related baking, and oh yes…a million and one poetry book contest deadlines. I was thinking about Eduardo’s recent post – about which book contests are worth sending to. One comment on his post – Anne Haines’ – talked about how she didn’t want to be published with a press who can’t get her book into academic libraries, which is an interesting condition that I really don’t know anything about. I’d assume that would be most big university presses? (Feel free to comment here, Anne!)
But it is a useful, pertinent question, as you print out your manuscript and write the check and fix the stamps – what criteria do you use to decide where to send your work to be published? For me, it would have to be a press I admired, a press at which I already liked the editor’s taste and the books they’ve done in the past. That’s my main criteria. Do you balance the number of contest entries versus open submissions? Because I’m sending out a second book, the answer is yes, first, because I admire and want to support presses who do open submissions, and secondly, because there just aren’t that many contests for second books. (On that note, here’s a great list of publishers with open submissions, thanks Rachel Dacus!)
It’s been three years since Becoming the Villainess came out, and I admit to feeling antsy, like I need to make the next step or I’ll feel stale, mired, bored. I’ve written a ton of work, work I still like and am proud of, and would like to get the work out into the world soon. (Can you say three manuscripts stacking up?) I’m not a super-patient person – to me, I’d rather have the book out there so I can quit obsessing and start working on the next one than wait six years to be taken by the “right” prestigious contest. The important thing for me is to get my work into people’s hands, working with an editor/publisher who is enthusiastic about my poems. I know that in some ways Eduardo is right – without a “big” publisher/contest win, without ads and reviews in the “right” places, it can be hard to get any attention for your book. It’s definitely an upstream swim. Promoting poetry is hard work. I still marvel at some of my students who will happily fork over xxxx number of dollars for my class to have their poems workshopped, but resist spending the $75 for books of contemporary poetry. And that’s MFA students, who should be interested in the stuff, right? Anyway, I know where Eduardo’s coming from, but I think there are a plethora of good publishers out there, and sometimes, whether you make a big splash or not, the poetry will fight for itself over time.
Besides book submissions, I’m trying to get back in the swing of regular poetry subs as well – something I’ve neglected for months, something about knowing I’m moving keeps me from sending out for fear it will get lost in the mail confusion. I know I write less when I teach and in the months around moving, but I want to write some new work soon, too – it’s been over a month since the last poem…
On top of that, I need to do some exploration of my new locale. Sunday we drove around Sonoma a bit. Yesterday we went to my new doc in Yountville and kicked around that charming area (Bouchon Bakery next door has discus-sized macarons in twenty flavors!) Today I want to drive out to St. Helena, since I haven’t been there yet. Hoping to meet some poets out here soon too. Already plotting my escape over to San Fran, though husband G says the city will be difficult to navigate on crutches…
I am sorry that I won’t be seeing the awesome poets at the West Hollywood Book Fair today – so sorry Cati Porter, Michelle Bitting, and many others who I hoped to meet at the Poemeleon reading! I’ve been in bed with the worst (and longest-lasting) stomach flu I’ve ever had – and on top of that, had my ankle x-rayed because they now think it might be broken. Boo! And, can I point out I’m really tired of the taste of rice broth and Pepto and ginger ale?
In other news, click here for a great call for submissions for a persona poetry anthology!
I also got a really, really nice rejection yesterday from a really great journal – it was the kind of rejection that said so many nice things, I almost forgot they weren’t taking my poems. Anyway, it cheered me up – and they specifically liked one of my “Robot Scientist Daughter” series of poems, which made me feel better about that whole project. I’ve felt a little discouraged trying to get my second book published – who knew it would take so long? But persistence, persistence, persistence, right? Anyway, it just goes to show how a thoughtful rejection can cheer you up almost as much as an acceptance.
Still beautiful in Napa. Sun is shining, clear blue skies, perfect 70-degree weather during the day. Seriously, why don’t you all move out here? It’s got a good library, a good bookstore, and a LOT of wine. Palm trees and oak trees right next to each other, cacti growing next to rose gardens. I can’t wait to grow some herbs out on our apartment balcony, and maybe some hummingbird-attracting flowers – we’ve already got two regulars at our hummingbird feeder, two Anna’s hummingbirds.
Sorry I haven’t checked in or posted pics – I (once again) sprained my ankle the week of the move and have caught a terrible stomach bug that’s prevented me from eating or doing much of anything else – so everyone has been asking me “How’s Napa?” and I’m like, well, I can’t walk around much or eat anything, but other than that, it seems great! Ha! I keep hearing from locals how great the food here is – and I’m sure it is – I can’t wait to try it!
Seriously, it’s been difficult finding a primary care doctor here – the board-certified doctors are either not taking patients (I called the fifteen listed on my insurance) or in an expensive “concierge” medical service – so I’ve been waiting (and waiting) in crowded waiting rooms to meet doctors who haven’t been very impressive to get my prescription for physical therapy on my ankle. (No Urgent Care centers in the area either, what’s up with that?) I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in Oakland – we both moved from the Seattle area – and we were discussing how the health care system in California is much, much worse than it was in Washington. Is it enough to drive us away from the state? Not yet. But it’s a serious problem. The lack of doctors – especially good doctors – is one you have to think about if you have chronic health problems.
Other than that, every time I venture outside, with temps that have ranged from 100 degrees during the day to the mid-seventies, the air smells clean, the hummingbirds hum, and the sunshine seems less harsh than it did in SoCal. It still feels like summer here even though it’s the last day of September. Glenn and I went to the Oxbow market and he got to sample ice cream, lemon-passionfruit and banana-caramel cup cakes, and blood-orange olive oil while I watched longingly…but it is a beautiful set of little shops, restaurants, wine bars that made me think – Oh, I know what I am going to get everyone for Christmas! I mean, here’s the gift potential: fiery beer or chardonnet brittles, tiny bottles of dessert liquours made here in town, local olive oils and olive oil lip balms, of course wines, botanical prints, kitchen antiques…consider yourselves warned, friends and family! But the funniest thing is I tried to get on the river walk trail behing the markets on my crutches, even though there was a closed gate and orange cones to keep people out, and I only got a couple of steps before I saw giant handwritten signs that said: “Caution: Bees!”
My classes started this week too, so I’ve been busy with those too, plus I sent a couple of book manuscripts out as well. I haven’t written much in the last couple of weeks but I believe that’s a pattern for me – there’s pretty much always a creative blackout for at least a month after I move anywhere. Maybe I’ll get lucky this time, though, because I feel poems brewing!
Finally into our apartment in Napa now, although everything is still in boxes and we’re still figuring out where everything is. We took a quick tour yesterday – it was beautiful, perfect summer weather at 5 PM, and although there were a lot of “rental space available” signs in the downtown retail areas, it’s still a lovely small town that reminds me a bit of La Connor in Washington, where we used to go to the Tulip Festival.
We did all the neccessary, important things: went to the grocery store, got our library card, went to check out Copperfields Books. Copperfields carries a good selection of literary magazines and regular magazines, as well as the Buffy comic, and a decent selection of newer literary fiction. (I’m hoping they will agree to carry Crab Creek Review as well, soon!) I ended up buying, in the discount section, “Survival of the Sickest” – a terrific account by a biologist of the connection between evolutionary biology and illness – and a fiction book called “Blind Submission” about working in publishing, as well as a stack of magazines and various other things…I was very tempted by hedgehog erasers but managed to not buy them this time. We drove by the Oxbow market and did a little drive around all the relevant streets to get our bearings. We have not yet explored the neighboring towns: Sonoma, St. Helena, Yountville, etc…but we’ve only been here a little over 24 hours so you’ll have to give us some time!
The not-so-fun-parts-of-moving: I almost wept in frustration this morning trying to get ahold of a doctor (Internal Medicine) who was actually taking patients. No success yet. I forget how hard that part of moving was! So, if you know any good doctors in Napa, now is the time to share!
Anyway, we are safe and sound, a little discombobulated, but otherwise happy and excited about our new Napa adventure. It is beautiful, the air smells so clean – after living in San Diego a year, I’d forgotten how good clean air smells, like green and flowers – and the people so far seem fairly friendly. I also have my own room for an office, so as soon as I get that set up, I expect to be doing more writing and submitting – as well as having better concentration for my online teaching work at National. I’m a thesis advisor this quarter, which I’m looking forward to, as well as teaching the “advanced poetry workshop,” which is really a combination of workshop and regular literature class, since they have to read books and write essays on them. I’ve also sent out some e-mails to see if any of the local magazines are interested in a new food/culture/arts writer. I hope so!
Two days and counting…
Well, the time has come to leave San Diego. I just saw my doctor and got my records, got a teeth cleaning and my dental records, and got my hair cut (while being admonished for leaving Carlsbad too soon by my very sweet hairdresser.) My apartment is nothing but boxes now – my toaster was missing this morning when I looked for it, and Glenn couldn’t remember where he packed it. My poetry office is one of the last things to be packed – I’ve been sending out work right up until the last minute. I’ve put in address changes with my PO box and my post office. We called the cable company, the phone, company, the electric company, to set up stuff for the new apartment. So much busy work to moving! I confess I haven’t written a poem for a couple of weeks. We did manage to squeeze in a quick visit to the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park to say goodbye to the meerkats, the cheetahs, and the lorikeet house. (The lorikeets were a bit too enthusiastic when we fed them, and had a gang fight right on my bare arm!) The weather has been so warm – mid-eighties – I barely believe it’s mid-September. Eek!
Onward, to Napa! If you need my new address or phone number, drop me an e-mail! Have to admit Glenn and I are looking forward to the trees and even a little bit of rain…I’m hoping to make new friends, enjoy a little better physical health, and get to know a new part of California. I promise I’ll be back to talking about poetry again soon…
Jeannine Hall Gailey served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington and the author of Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, Unexplained Fevers, The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, and winner of the Moon City Press Book Prize and SFPA’s Elgin Award, Field Guide to the End of the World. Her latest, Flare, Corona from BOA Editions, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She’s also the author of PR for Poets, a Guidebook to Publicity and Marketing. 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 JAMA.
