My class at National, Intro to Poetry Seminar, started yesterday, and my parents are coming in town on Thursday. Busy busy!
Here’s a little draft for today’s poem-a-day, NaPoWriMo, whatever you call it, project: Phosphorus [poof!]
Two new additions to the blogroll at left – Victoria Chang is back online – one of the first poetry blogs I ever read – and San Diego poet and Barn Own Review editor Adam Deutsch.
I watched “Slumdog Millionaire” last night and it reminded me very strongly of the comic-book subplot of Blind Assassin where the kids are blinded and become assassins or prostitutes (really, it was the best part of that book) crossed with Quiz Show times gangster movies.
I’m worried my poem-a-day drafts are declining in quality. Really, I’m a poem-every-ten days kind of gal. So I may not inflict them on you, the readers, unless they seem to be up to some level of readability. Is that against the spirit of the experiment?
For those of you interested in the inspirations of the periodic table, in my last two poems, I used uranium again in one and snuck Lithium into another. My husband (a former chemical engineer) suggested Americanium, a radioactive element used in smoke detectors. I just don’t have enough emotional energy directed towards smoke detectors, but I love the name.
Reading Report – with guest appearances!
Well, thanks to K. Lorraine Graham, one of the AgitProp reading series curators, I got to see LA poet Allison Carter read (a great poem called “The Doctor’s Office” I think, was my favorite,) as well as Steve Willard – although he also sang, with electric guitar accompaniment. I ended up sitting across from Rae Armantrout and her very nice husband Chuck at dinner beforehand (and got to ask her and Lorraine about “the New Narrative” – by the way, if you know any good resources on that, let me know!) which was unexpected, along with other local poets who were all really friendly. Then, the first person I saw at the Agitprop gallery was none other than Rigoberto González, who was in town for a conference! At first I thought, did Rigoberto move to San Diego? Are we going to see him read too? And the charming and talented Jericho Brown was there, who is just one of those people who projects good energy. It was so much fun to talk poetry, and hang out with so many wonderful poetry people. I almost felt like I was back in Seattle again. Yay, poetry community!
Mysteries of the San Diego poetry scene: Many UCSD students at this reading; the last reading I went to was crowded with SDSU students. Do these students ever go to the same readings? Questions to be answered…)
I asked Jericho if it was unusual to see so many local poetry luminaries together in the same time, and he joked and said something like, well, there are only ten poets in San Diego.
So anyway, good times. I’m hoping to make it to some more poetry readings in the near future. Hey, I’m even giving one next month!
(PS – I wore my super-long jeans to cover my cast, for those who were curious about fashion choices for big-velcro-walking cast people. I think people might not have noticed the cast, but then they were probably just annoyed by the slow-walking girl in the long jeans.)
- At April 04, 2009
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In NaPoWriMo drafts, poem-a-day, Uranium
0
Tonight, off to an actual poetry event, the Agitprop reading – in real time!
But for now, draft #4, a fragment for now: Uranium [poof!]
How is your April going? Are you doing anything fun for poetry month?
Tomorrow I’m going to the Agitprop poetry reading, and I’m excited. The only question: what kind of outfit goes with black-velcro-walking-boot casts? And I’ve made reservations – I’m going to the LA Festival of Books later this month. It’s a few days before my birthday, so I’m going to celebrate by visiting Santa Monica and other favorite LA spots along with the book festival.
Allrighty, today’s poem-a-day poem…[poof!]
- At April 01, 2009
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In NaPoWriMo drafts, poem-a-day
- 2
Poem-a-Day
These drafts will disappear, get them while they’re hot!
[Poof!]
Are you considering writing a poem a day during April? The Poetic Asides blog sponsors the Poem-a-Day challenge, where you follow prompts and leave your poem-of-the-day in the comments. Poems are then chosen by judges to be included in an e-anthology; judges include Dorianne Laux, Nick Flynn, Mark Doty, Aimee Nezhukumatathil…and me, among others.
Check it out here!
It starts on April 1, and runs through my birthday, April 30.
And will I be doing a poem a day, during April, during which I teach an online workshop for National University, have a visit with my mom (who’s coming in town to present a paper at an academic conference,) hopefully get down to the LA Festival of Books, and generally have a packed schedule? Well, I’ll try. My current plan is to do poems based on the periodic table of elements. Good times.
The sun in shining, I’m finally feeling better thanks to a plethora of drugs, and even got three batches of poetry into the mail today. Plus, I wrangled with a difficult long poem I’m trying to write.
My new Intro to Poetry workshop with National University starts in a week. I’m excited this time, and less nervous.
The Cortland Review’s April issue is up!
Check out a certain poet on the left-hand column who is happy to be sharing space with Dorianne Laux, Brian Turner, Michelle Bitting, and many other fab writers.
(PS This is my first poem from my “Robot Scientist’s Daughter” series to be published, so I’m doubly excited.)
Cough cough. Picked up a nasty virus while I was in Seattle (and everyone on the plane was coughing and sneezing…never a good sign…) Thanks again, Seattle! Note to self: I have to stop visiting that place except from June to September. Husband G is making me soup as we speak.
Working to finish up another review and start serious prep for my April class, which is now around the corner. Eep!
Crab Creek Review’s new Fall/Winter 2009 issue is coming out. You should all order a copy, there’s a heartbreaking poem in there by Denise Duhamel no one should miss, plus a bunch of great writing.
Can’t find any journals to submit to – every one I think of has a closed reading period right now or isn’t reading or has some other difficulty. Would appreciate recommendations of any Jeannine-friendly journals that are reading right now…
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.
