High School Students and Poetry, More Top Five Lists, and Tornado Tragedy

At April 29, 2011
By Jeannine Gailey
In 32 Poems, High School Poetry Contests, Juliana Gray, Skagit Tulip Festival, tornadoes
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First of all, my heart goes out to all who were affected by massive tornadoes that swept across the south several days ago. Hundreds of people were killed, thousands impacted through destroyed homes. When I lived in Tennessee, the night of my oldest brother’s high school graduation, a small funnel cloud went through out front yard. I experienced several tornadoes while living in Cincinnati, once while I was babysitting two young children, and another that tore the front wall out of my gym, hit my former high school, and killed the parents of a fellow high school student by literally lifting them out of their second-story bedroom while they slept. As you might imagine, I had nightmares about tornadoes for a decade after I left the midwest. (I lived in Richmond when they were hit by a hurricane and some flooding, but somehow, it didn’t seem as scary as those tornadoes…) Although, I’m heading up to Skagit this weekend for the tulip festival/my birthday celebration, and they say a funnel cloud was spotted there yesterday! I’m hoping for better weather the next few days…just a little sunshine, please!!

I had the opportunity to judge a poetry contest for high school students and got to meet the winners at this little reading/award ceremony. It was really fun to meet the students who won and hear them read their poems, and see their proud parents sitting in the audience and clapping for them. I have to say these kinds of events really inspire me and help me to love poetry again. If you really feel too depressed about poetry, go work with some high school kids – it always reminds me of the reasons I fell in love with poetry to begin with.

Thanks to the lovely and talented Juliana Gray, who listed Becoming the Villainess in her top five books for the 32 Poems five fave books project. I can’t wait for her book to come out – she’s a great writer and helped initially inspire me to write about comic book themes.

So, I’m heading out to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, which I missed intensely while I lived in Calfornia – the huge swaths of multicolored flowers, the mist and mud and farmhouses, I love all that stuff. I won’t have much internet access, and hope to write a few poems – and I’ll be a year older when I return!

Lost Con Weekends, a new review, and more!

I swung by two conventions this weekend (NorWesCon and SakuraCon,) celebrated Easter, visited with several out-of-town writer friends, and attended various poetry events, as well as fulfilling obligations for my adjunct teaching job at National. Turned in final proof corrections for She Returns to the Floating World to the kind editors at Kitsune Books. Have now collapsed and plan to sleep until the next poetry event. (Dreams have been haunted by people in either Star Trek or Anime-influenced costumes carrying large fake swords.)

Have a new book review posted up at Rattle:

Jeannine’s review of Susan Rich’s third book, The Alchemist’s Kitchen

So check it out!

Also received an acceptance I’m excited about from a lit mag – don’t those acceptances seem to make all the other rejections sting a little less? I still get excited when it’s a magazine I really love or a poem I’m particularly fond of – and in this case, it was both! Let’s just say the poem has a hidden MST3K reference or two in it. Killer Shrews!!!

Did I mention it’s my birthday this weekend? My mother said I have her permission to go back in time a decade and turn 28 instead of 38.

If you ever need an article to convince young writers that they must, must, must read current literary magazines if they want to be published, look no further than this:
http://www.thereviewreview.net/publishing-tips/what-editors-want-must-read-writers-submitti

My horoscope is telling me to rest and relax and get away from the crowd, but my calendar keeps saying go go go!

32 Poems Fave Book Feature and More

At April 22, 2011
By Jeannine Gailey
In 32 Poems, Becoming the Villainess, Five Fave Poetry Books, Japan disaster, Kelli Russell Agodon, Pirene's Fountain
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Well, my five favorite poetry books feature is up at the 32 Poems Blog:
http://www.32poems.com/blog/2238/day-21-jeannine-hall-gailey-shares-her-five-favorite-poetry-books
May all the books listed sell a thousand copies. Great books, all of them.

And, yesterday, Kelli Russell Agodon’s five fave feature was up, which might have have mentioned Becoming the Villainess:
http://www.32poems.com/blog/2233/day-21-kelli-russell-agodon-national-poetry-month

The bad things about lists like this is I still feel I didn’t even get to talk about a third of my favorite poets. Rebecca Loudon, Karyna McGlynn, Suzanne Frischkorn, Kristy Bowen, Jeff Walt, Karen Weyant…OK, now I’ve listed another six poets that I love. And that’s just for starters.

I have a small haiku up at the new issue of Pirene’s Fountain. The whole issue’s pretty great, and Aimee Nezhukumatathil (another of my fave poets…see, the list just keeps going) is featured in it.

Thanks to a very generous donor, the drive to collect money for the Japan disaster – specifically, for Doctors Without Borders – by selling copies of Becoming the Villainess raised more than $200 for the cause. Thanks again! All proceeds will go to the charities.

More Poetry Month and a Sad Passing

At April 20, 2011
By Jeannine Gailey
In C. Dale Young, colleen mcelroy, Collin Kelley, Jeanne Leiby, Open Books, Rebecca Loudon, The Southern Review
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I was very sad to read this morning on C. Dale Young’s blog about the passing of Jeanne Leiby, who had recently taken over editor-ship of The Southern Review. I thought she had a great vision for the magazine and she wrote me a very kind note while she was editor there. It’s a strange thing; in the age of Facebook, I said to my husband: “But she just posted to Facebook yesterday!” She was about the same age as my older brothers, in her mid-forties, and that just seems tragic and unfair.

I am reminded that we should tell all the people we admire and care for just how much we admire and care for them. I was so happy to see some of my old friends at poetry readings in the last week. Rebecca Loudon read her poem “Love Letter to the Whores on Aurora Avenue” which always makes me cry, and I saw Colleen McElroy, who spent time and energy mentoring me when I was just starting out as a writer/lit mag volunteer in Seattle – in fact, before I met her, she accepted one of my poems for my first “real” poetry acceptance (you know, outside of teen-y contests and high school mags and such.) She got up, rocking her skinny jeans and high-heeled boots, and was such a fierce poetry presence…it was really inspiring. If I could be half as fierce a poet as Rebecca and Colleen, well, I’d still be a pretty darn fierce poet.

Collin Kelley has started blogging for Poets & Writers. Check out his first post here!

During Poetry Month, I wanted to take a moment to encourage everyone to go buy poetry books from independent bookstores. Specifically, you should all buy books from Open Books, the poetry-only bookstore in Seattle. I recommend calling in and placing phone orders if you don’t live in Seattle. When I lived in California, I found myself constantly wishing I could just pop in and see John and Christine, the owners, who are always full of good advice and news, and check out the new poetry books propped up on the front shelf. For a poet, it is a magical place. Did I mention they also host some rollicking poetry readings? Lately I really enjoyed Martha Silano’s book debut readings, where she passed out little toy aliens and did physics experiments along with her poetry. I’m looking forward to a visit on May 12 when C. Dale Young will be making a stop in on his poetry book tour!

More Poetry Month Celebration – Busy busy busy

At April 14, 2011
By Jeannine Gailey
In April is Poetry Month, Brian Turner, Major Jackson, SAL, Susan Rich
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If you haven’t signed up yet for my poetry month book giveaway, do so now! And here’s Kelli’s links to even more poetry book giveaways!

Tonight I’m going to go see Susan Rich, Major Jackson, and Brian Turner read and do a Q&A together downtown as part of Seattle Arts & Lectures. This Sunday I plan to attend a reading with some of my fave peeps – Susan Rich, Kathleen Flenniken, Rebecca Loudon, and Colleen J. McElroy. I’m only attending like, 1/100th of the poetry events going on around Seattle for Poetry Month, yet I have something to attend almost every single day. Not to mention that Sakura-Con and NorWesCon are both going on next weekend, which means lots of socializing in a short time with out-of-town friends.
I’ve also spent some time each day proofing my manuscript (with help from other poet-friends and family members, whom I thank profusely) and teaching National U’s MFA program’s April/May advanced poetry workshop. I’m lucky to get one poem written a week in April, much less a poem a day! No time for loafing or leisure – it’s April! Ha! (I’m also formulating an idea of doing a class on speculative poetry on my own. Seems like there are lots of speculative poets but not a lot of speculative poetry classes!)

Hope to see some of you down at Benaroya Hall tonight!