Well, I think Tim Green and I survived last night’s Barnes and Nobles reading, and even sold a few books. Despite the “shoplifting alarm” going off three times during my reading, and several toddlers screaming their heads off during Tim’s, I think the audience was friendly and welcoming and seemed fairly poetry-savvy. So that was nice. And it was good to hear poems from Tim’s book, “American Fractal,” out loud. I noticed we both read some “science-y” stuff, I believe both with combusting elements, which, you know, I’m for. More science in poetry – that’s what the kids today are into, right? LOL. I’m still not at the peak of my physical game, so standing for the reading was kind of painful (see: random foot/ankle injuries over the past few months,) but other than that, I thought it went pretty well.

Multi-Talented Reviewer

The lovely and talented Serena M. Agusto-Cox has posted a review of Becoming the Villainess at her site, Savvy Verse & Wit, here.
She also posted an interview with me here.
And she reviewed my book on Amazon!
So, really, a very hard-working reviewer and interviewer! Thanks Serena!

My focus now: send some poems out, send some book manuscripts out, get healthy, stay healthy.
Right now: Off to physical therapy for a look at my ankle. Then: More grading. I know, you’re saying, that’s too sexy and glamorous a lifestyle, Jeannine. Slow it down! What can I say? The poetry life is a thrill-a-minute.

A haiku for April’s poem-a-day thing, inspired by a 95 degree day yesterday here in SoCal:

palm tree fronds
serrate the hot sky
with jagged green teeth

–I was surprised and happy this morning to be alerted to a new review of Becoming the Villainess:
http://www.rattle.com/ereviews/gaileyjeanninehall.htm

–The new issue of Calyx (Winter 2008) is out and this venerable Northwest-focused feminist journal published a poem I have some emotional attachment to, “My Little Brother Learns Japanese.” So check that out! Northwest poets Lana Hechtman Ayers and Jenifer Browne Lawrence have their books reviewed (very nicely!) as well.

–If anyone can tell me what language this is in, I’d be most grateful – they sent like 1000 hits to my site in one day? http://blog.b92.net/text/2077/Dani%20pozitivne%20energije/#k157270
(Thanks to Jilly – for telling me it is Serbian! You get the prize! (Prize to be named later…)

–I suspect some of my interests, such as robots and comic books, to be genetic: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080224/NEWS0102/802240361/1058/NEWS01

–Rachel Zucker’s Bad Wife Handbook. Have I mentioned it before? I liked it a lot and may either do an official review or just write about it at more length here. I read Zucker’s book and Matthea Harvey’s Modern Life together the other night out loud, just to do a little compare and contrast. Zucker’s writing looks more experimental, but is actually fairly straightforward; Matthea may seem straightforward, but writes in an emotionally charged but fairly oblique way (and is definitely influenced by the surreal movement more than Zucker.) By the way, both of these poets (on their third books now) are roughly around my age…should this make me feel like an underacheiver?

–I am on a new antibiotic which I think is robbing me of my brain. This leaves me with the intellectual energy to either read the new issue of “Health” magazine OR write a very bad poem.

–I was very happy “Falling Slowly” from the indie Irish muscial “Once” won an Oscar for best song. And I was happy Jon Stewart had the 19-year-old Czech singer back up on stage after the microphone rudely cut her off. Yes, I had the intellectual energy to watch the Oscars, and then write a bad poem.

Still in Cinci, but got a little news in my e-mail box to share…

A new review of Becoming the Villainess:
http://www.litlist.net/read.php?ID=19

Rattle e-issue features Jeannine Hall Gailey’s Becoming The Villainess:
http://www.rattle.com/eissues/eIssue3.pdf

The 2007 Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror (with two poems from BTV, “Becoming the Villainess” and “Persephone and the Prince Meet Over Drinks,” included) is out! Kelly Link, one of the editors, is one of my all-time fave short-story writers, so I’m honored.

Earlier Poetry Readings by Jeannine…Like, 24 Years Earlier…

My parents showed me this newspaper clipping that they had saved from when I won the fifth grade poetry recitation contest at my grade school. I was competing against sixth graders! The key was choosing “Anyone Lives in a Pretty How Town.” E.E. Cummings beats Edgar Allen Poe every time.

Trying again to get some submissions done before I go out of town for two weeks. Finishing up editing a book manuscript for someone, trying to put together a decent class presentation for the classes I’ll visit, catch up on e-mail, figure out what to read for the readings (some good combination of new and old work,) find a catsitter, find a place to rent in our new city of choice for November, and schedule all doctor appts etc. And maybe write something in between too. Okay, deep breaths, deep breaths…

On a professional note, if you’re in the Seattle general area and interested in volunteering as an editor (preferring some magazine experience, especially on the biz/fundraising side) at a great literary magazine, contact: editors at crabcreekreview dot org. Tell them you saw it on this blog. We’re actively looking for someone great to fill this role!