Review of Field Guide to the End of the World up at Entropy, Ada Limon SAL Reading, Upcoming Readings, Hurricanes, and Feeling Grateful
- At October 06, 2016
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In Blog
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Thanks to Donna Vorreyer and Entropy Magazine for this amazingly thought-provoking review of Field Guide to the End of the World. I confess I got a little tear-y reading it. I know how much energy it takes to write a review like that, and I appreciate it!
Spent a wonderful night listening to Ada Limon read at SAL’s poetry series last night, and then Rebecca Hoogs interviewed her after the reading, which was great. My favorite quote from Ada was something I’d often told students “Embrace your weirdness. It’s what will make your poetry special.” She talked about working with Phil Levine and Sharon Olds at NYU, living in Kentucky due to dating someone in the racehorse business (!!), not seeing whales at Provincetown, her first time witnessing fireflies as an adult, and even her theater degree at UW. Ada was not only super talented and a great reader, she also radiates beauty and light. I was so glad I got to see her in person! I had really liked Bright Dead Things when I read it last year, but now I can connect to the book even more. Isn’t that why we go to readings?
Tonight, I’ll be trying to connect to readers myself when I do a class visit for a class down in California. How great is our technology lets us do that? We’ll be talking about genre, robots, class, and The Robot Scientist’s Daughter. Should be fun!
In the meantime, I’ve been worrying about my friends and family on the Southern East Coast and that crazy hurricane. Nothing I can do anything about, of course, but worry and watch the weather reports.
I got a rejection today, after sending out two subs – isn’t that always the way, some poems come back, then they go out again. I had some random (?) mail like “sign up for cancer insurance!” (What up, HIPAA?) Despite all this, I was feeling extraordinarily grateful – I don’t know, for everything, for my friends, for a wonderful poetry community both in person and online, for the good things in our lives. I do get discouraged and depressed, like anyone, as you could probably tell from my last post – but for some reason, the last day or so, I’ve just had this odd feeling of hopefulness and well-being. I know some of this is from the good wishes and sweetness of my family and friends.
I got to talk to Billie at the SAL reading about our celebration/reception/reading October 15 at Open Books. I think we’re going to bring gluten-free cupcakes, sparkling drinks, cheese and fruit. I’m going to pick a few poems to read (nothing too long, as we want to have time to actually celebrate with friends!) and then sign books and socialize. I’m really looking forward to it! I’m so grateful to have a second opportunity to celebrate the book with friends at one of my very favorite all-time bookstores!
Stay safe, everyone in the path of Hurricane Matthew. And thank you to everyone who has sent me supportive messages and good thoughts and prayers, people who have bought, read and reviewed Field Guide to the End of the World and my other books (just had a new review pop up on Amazon for Unexplained Fevers – how cool is that?) and my family and friends who have tried to keep me cheerful during this challenging year.
Making October Brighter: Oct 15th Open Books Reception, Mythic Delirium Poems, Other Poetry Business and More
- At October 04, 2016
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In Blog
- 3
October can be a rough month for us in the Northwest. The days get shorter, colder, and much, much wetter, all at once. We did have a brief sunbreak during which Glenn and I ran around taking pictures to prove that sun and autumn leaves could happen at the same time, see below! Otherwise, we’ve been trying to stay positive while going to looong cancer doctor appointments (right now, my main two cancer specialist folks don’t agree on next steps, tests, or what exact kind of cancer I have…which makes all the appointments emotional and exhausting), doing dental work, getting feet x-rayed (I had a nerve contusion, not a break, yay), and of course, trying to avoid getting the flu as I recover from pneumonia. (Finally, my oxygen levels are back to normal. Yay! Oxygen=good!) Having pneumonia and having to deal with complicated diagnoses and tests at the same time are not my recommendation for fun times. It’s been rough trying to do enough to promote the new book (at least in my mind) but then I remember that the Bronte sisters’ first book of poetry sold two copies. So maybe I’m doing okay. In general I’ve just felt a little tired and down. I need an espresso shot for the spirit!
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- Glenn and I in a rare moment of sun!
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- fall color and leopard print!
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- Glenn and I in a Kirkland sunbeam
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- Kitten in a box in the garage.
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- At Columbia Winery in Woodinville
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- More fall color at Columbia Winery
I’m doing some things to counter my tiredness and bit of discouragement – tomorrow I’m attending Ada Limon’s SAL reading, I’m doing a few online class visits to talk about my various books – I think I’ll be talking about The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, Becoming the Villainess, and Field Guide to the End of the World for the different classes – in the next couple of weeks, and visiting with some other writers to talk poetry next week. I love doing online class visits as long as my technology cooperates, and it’ll be nice to hang out with other writers for a bit. I’ve mostly finished my review of Dana Levin’s Banana Palace. I’ve written a few new poems, and plan to do some more fall submissions. It is the season for that!
Then, the big news – I’ve got a reception/reading thing coming up – my second event for Field Guide to the End of the World – at Open Books in Seattle on October 15 at 4 PM. It’s not a formal reading, more of a book signing plus with fun, I’m so excited that I can bring cupcakes and sparkling drinks and can make it a real sort of celebration with all my friends down in Seattle who couldn’t make it out to Woodinville last month. Plus, I’ll actually have a voice this time, and no coughing, I promise! It should be fun! I’m kind of glad now I spaced the two main events for Seattle a month apart – who knew it would take me almost that long to get all the way better? And it’s never bad to be at Open Books – still one of my fave places in Seattle, now with a new owner, a new coat of paint and a children’s corner.
Also, thank you to Mythic Delirium because their new issue features a poem from Field Guide to the End of the World, “To the Ends of the Earth.” Mythic Delirium has always been one of my fave speculative publications.
What are are you guys doing to keep your spirits up now that October and fall are here? We’re already started making little gluten-free pumpkin cheesecakes, checking out all the new fall shows (what do you like so far? Timeless seems promising…) and stocking up on new reading material…including the new Maria Semple novel (whose main character is a poet!) and the issue of APR with Marie Howe AND Beth Ann Fennelly!
Friday Updates: Two New Reviews for Field Guide, Black Moons, Shifting Energies, and Small Annoyances
- At September 30, 2016
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In Blog
- 3
Two new reviews for Field Guide to the End of the World!
Thanks to the Chick with Books blog for this review:
http://chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/2016/09/field-guide-to-end-of-world-by-jeannine.htm
And to Suko’s Notebook blog for this:
http://www.sukosnotebook.net/2016/09/field-guide-to-end-of-world.html
Thank you so much to the reviewers for their hard work!
So, the end of September, the Black Moon tonight, which of course you can’t see as it’s a new moon, all these things represent changes, shifting energies, the ends of one season and the beginnings of another. (Download the cool song “In a Blackout” by Hamilton Leithauser & Rostam for good melodic accompaniment to the new moon!) I’ve been experiencing a series of – not tragedies, but annoyances. For instance, I dropped something heavy on my foot a few days ago, and it might be broken – I’ve been resting and wrapping it and hoping for the best! I’m going to get it x-rayed today. They’ve also been paving my neighborhood this week, so we got trapped in our house (or conversely, outside our house) at awkward times – when I was supposed to go to the doctor, or when we were coming home with groceries. The air has heavily smelled of tar, so being outside the house for even a small amount of time – like going outside to watch the birds – brought on coughing fits. This could be a metaphor – the destruction of the old sidewalk and road and the laying down of new materials – but this week it’s just felt…well, annoying. Like my foot! Not the end of the world, but enough to make things a little painful and awkward.
On the plus side, I finished one of the book reviews I was working on (When the Rewards Can Be So Great, a collection of craft talks from Pacific University’s MFA program) and am almost done with another (Dana Levin’s apocalyptic Banana Palace.) I wrote a few new poems. I moved summer clothes out of my closet, and warm jackets in. It’s been beautiful – sunny and in the sixties, which is my favorite weather. Now if I can just get back to walking!
I’ve been invited to do several class visits in the upcoming two weeks – a couple of them by Skype/Google Hangouts – which I feel very lucky to do. I’m going to see Ada Limon read on the 5th, which I’m excited about. I love visiting with students! And of course the Open Books signing/reception for the new book on October 15th. Then a bunch of poetry stuff goes on at the end of the month – including a Hugo House event (with Sherman Alexie as judge!) and LitCrawl. October looks like it’s going to be busy but hopefully more productive (and less pneumonia-y) than September!
