I Heart NY!

Yay for Marriage Equality in NY! It's another step in the long and winding road. Keep your eyes on the prize! I don't mind at all the waivers for religious groups, who are allowed to refuse to host gay nuptials, based on religious grounds. In fact, I think marriage should be completely separate from religion: it should be a secular civil ceremony and equal for all, with full legal rights and responsibilities. A religious ceremony, if you want one, should be a completely separate (and optional) thing, with no legal bearing. And if your religion doesn't support gay marriage-- then leave the haters behind and find a new religion. :)

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And speaking of things gay -- check out the GLTBQ page up for Pride Month at The Academy site:

Celebrate pride and explore the rich tradition of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer poets and poetry through a showcase of audio, video, poetry, and prose—resources as exciting and diverse as the communities they represent.

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Check out this poem from Lee Robinson's book Hearsay (Fordham 2004), lent to me by a poet friend at one of our "poetry lunches" the other day. I love how Robinson takes the common language of trial law (she was an attorney for 20 years) and turns it upside down and inside out, making it new again. It's really terrific.


The Rules of Evidence

What you want to say most
is inadmissible.
Say it anyway.
Say it again.
What they tell you is irrelevant
can’t be denied and will
eventually be heard.
Every question
is a leading question.
Ask it anyway, then expect
what you won’t get.
There is no such thing
as the original
so you’ll have to make do
with a reasonable facsimile.
The history of the world
is hearsay. Hear it.
The whole truth
is unspeakable
and nothing but the truth
is a lie.
I swear this.
My oath is a kiss.
I swear
by everything
incredible.

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I confess I missed this book when it first came out. But I am happy to have been turned on to it by a friend -- sometimes that is the best way to "discover" a new voice.

For the Solstice

What better way to mark the longest day of the year than with poetry?

A Longing for the Light
June 21, 2011

Heather McHugh, Michael Dickman,
Alberto Rios, and Sarah Lindsay

ACT Theatre, Seattle
$25 general; $10 student; $100 reception

This event helps support Copper Canyon and all the fine work they do. Hope to see you there!

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Weiner-free Zone

The funniest headline today: "Boehner Reacts to Weiner Scandal" HAHAHAHA.

But seriously, can we *please* return to talking about the issues?

War is not Peace.
The Stock Market is not the Economy.
Insurance is not Health.
Wealth is not Prosperity.
Fundamentalism is not Liberty.


Think about it.

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Wonderful, thoughtful, ironic, insightful essay-review by Joel Brouwer over at Po-Fo: it makes me want to read each of these books. Check it out--

In Praise of Promiscuous Thinking
On Charles Bernstein’s Attack of the Difficult Poems and David Orr’s Beautiful and Pointless.

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Arty Iron Railing

Thank you to friend and fellow poet-doc Ted McMahon for building this wonderful whimsical arty iron railing for our front steps! Dean and I helped install it over the weekend. I think it is just fabulous! Don't you?

Does This Poem Make Me Look Gay?

Gay Poetry, Politics, Poetics. What does it all mean? Check out the new issue of Beloit Poetry Journal and the symposium/discussion featuring Jeff Crandall, Garth Greenwall, moi, and Brian Teare. There are also lots of cool poems in this issue, including "when your grandmother mistakes your girlfriend for a man" by Marty McConnell, and more. Then log on to the BPJ website and join the conversation, or a least leave a comment and/or love note and/or flame.

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