Webbish6

Tagged! By Mary B! And there’s no way out!
Say someone asked, “I kind of like poetry, but I don’t know anything about contemporary poetry. Who should I read?”
No blog friends. No real-life friends. No real-life mentors. Alive as of this writing.

1. Louise Gluck
2. Margaret Atwood
3. Denise Duhamel
4. Dorianne Laux (yup, breaking a rule, I don’t care, she would have been there had I not worked with her, etc.)
5. Rita Dove
6. Lucille Clifton
7. Carol Ann Duffy
8. Dana Levin
9. Beth Ann Fennelly
10. Marie Howe
11. James Tate
12. Brigit Pegeen Kelly
13. Ilya Kaminsky (another slight rule break, but I had to fit another guy on my list!)

If you haven’t been tagged yet, go write up your list and be quick about it!

At May 02, 2007
By Jeannine Gailey
In Autobiographical Poetry, dental pain, Peter S. Beagle, Wicked Alice
2

After some exciting dental work today (two new fillings for cavities underneath old fillings) I have no energy to do any of the work I’m supposed to be doing – an interview, a freelance assignment, Crab Creek stuff. I’m barely up to television! Yet here I am on the blog…

I rarely write autobiographical poetry, and when I do, I probably won’t admit that it is. That’s just how I roll. However, now, I can say, I have an autobiographical poem up on Wicked Alice right now in the Spring 2007 issue. Don’t just read it for the possibilities of emotional pornography, though – the issue is a great collection of edgy poems! (Full disclosure: I was never in med school, only pre-med, but we did get to sit in on the dissection of cadavers the day they got into the heart. Practically autobiographical.)

On the night of my birthday, I went to see Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn and A Fine and Private Place, among other books. He read a long story about sinister wine and then played the guitar and sang two songs he had written. He’s about my Dad’s age. He also dropped a Buffy reference casually during his Q&A, which will make me love him even more forever. I heart Peter S. Beagle.

This sunny morning I turn 34. This weekend I:
–visited open houses in the hope of finding a place to live (disappointing, ugly, and expensive. Sigh.)
–visited the zoo to see the new Sumatran tiger cub (cute!) (and also saw adorable foxes – blue and Artic, as well as fennec – and the red panda.)
–started packing up books
–discovered a beautiful park with a sandy beach in Ballard called Golden Gardens, it was packed because it was sunny and beautiful. I also had a red velvet cupcake at the Ballard cupcake shop. Love Ballard, cannot afford anything remotely livable there. Unless someone donates me a place to live? Anyone?
–scanned newspaper listings for jobs and places to live – some more
–avoided doing anything poetry-related

Tonight I’m going to see Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn, give a talk on dialogue and read. Should be fun!

My husband has ordered a small ice cream cake (chocolate, with black cherries and whipped cream) for my birthday. I haven’t had one of those since I was eight. I hope it tastes as good as I remember!

Also: to celebrate the last day of poetry month: The World’s Tiniest Dog, Dancer – click on the first video pic link to see him hopping around in the grass (kawaii! as they say at my local anime shop)

At April 24, 2007
By Jeannine Gailey
In Columbia Poetry Review, Fox-Wives, Jessica Smith, Juliet Patterson, Kate Greenstreet, Rhino, The Pedestal
5

A slew of pubs to post about:

A review of Kate Greenstreet’s case sensitive up at The Pedestal Magazine’s 39th issue

A review of Becoming the Villainess in the 2007 Rhino (thanks to Mary B for writing it and Martha S. for telling me about it so I could order a copy!)

A new poem, “The Fox-Wife Describes Their Courtship” in the Spring 2007 Columbia Poetry Review (the cover of the Spring issue is amazing. Check it out, art peeps!)

Update: Poetry Southeast has posted their contest winner – and finalists 🙂

And, thanks again to Juliet Patterson, who read wonderfully last night at the Richard Hugo House (not to be confused with the Victor Hugo House, which I believe is in France.)

The rest of April is all rest for me. And yearly doctor and dentist appts. And celebrating my 34th birthday.

And I received Jessica Smith’s Organic Furniture Cellar in the mail. Beautiful!