Bloom is Fresh!

Received my copy of Bloom in the mail the other day. I love the cover, with the flag-like red and white stripes (or are they prison bars?) separating the Mexican and American young men (very apropos of our current political scene). And I am really happy with how my poems turned out "The Closing of the Liberace Museum," and "Cosmic Forces Brought Us Together." Thank you Bloom! Other poets in this issue include DA Powel, Eloise Klein Healy, Jeanine Deibel, Joshua Charles, and others. But two of my favorite pieces from the issue are prose: Richard McCann's lovely memoir about his father's unfinished novel, and Terra Brigando's riveting short story, "Ash," about a girl who watches a boy set himself on fire. Check it out and buy the new issue at their website!

Richard Blanco Named Inaugural Poet

from Huff Post: "At 44, Blanco is also the youngest-ever Inaugural poet and the first Hispanic and LGBT person to recite a poem at the swearing-in ceremony. "I’m beside myself, bestowed with this great honor, brimming over with excitement, awe, and gratitude,” Blanco said in a press release. “In many ways, this is the very ‘stuff’ of the American Dream, which underlies so much of my work and my life’s story—America’s story, really.”" * full story here:

Bishop Boring?

Safer than Ambien? An interesting take on Bishop. I admire it when someone is willing to take on a sacred cow. Check it out here at poetry foundation. "Maybe there are arterial poets, who flush oxygen into the art, and venous poets who bear tired blood back to the heart. Bishop is a venous poet."

Some recent poetry

Dean and I had a lovely 3 wk break in sunny Mexico recently, and I was able to catch up on my reading. In addition to the latest Jo Nesbo "Harry Hole" crime thriller, The Phantom, several recent books of poetry caught my eye:

Touch, by Henri Cole.  The book has three sections, and the poems are mostly all loose sonnets (14 lines, but no rhyme scheme or strict meter). The first section's poems explore his mother's death, and are incredibly moving and poignant, without being maudlin. The second is a mishmash of poems, some regarding photographs, paintings, some regarding recent current events, wars, casualties, as well as observations of the natural world. The third section was the most memorable for me -- intense, erotic, painful, arresting, violent and sad poems about a failed relationship, with a lover who was a drug addict. Here is a taste:

Doll

Thrown on the carpet with your legs awry --
broken, scalped, microwaved -- a receptacle
of love, you make me think the soul is larger
than the body. He lay like that the last time
I saw him, inhaling powder through a straw.
Studies show monkeys prefer it to food
in their cages; this happens even when the monkeys
are starving. "You are all darkness," he used to say,
"and I am light." Though I understood this alertness
as compassion, it wasn't. // It's March now;
the light is brittle, hard, frozen.
Experience seems to come from a distance.
Waiting for spring thaw, I throw you
in a box with the others.

*

Nocturnes of the Brothel of Ruin, Patrick Donnelly.  I loved Patrick's first book, The Charge, and this book seems a fitting next step in his work. It is a mix of translations of Japanese classical poems (done with his partner/husband Stephen Miller), as well as more narrative poems that expand on themes from The Charge. These are hard-earned poems about memory, confronting mortality, living with AIDS, dealing with the body's limits, and ultimately survival:

 . . . But because a bitter powder
burns my blood sweet every day,
the weird wages of sin in my case
has been life, unprepared-for life,
a stumbling-block for the makers
of sermons because the punishment
we expected never came. Instead

some harsh mercy
(cunning, intricate) emptied
my tomb, prolongs
my days, swells
my account, wreathes
my neck, anoints
my feet, fattens me
on sweetmeats, publishes
my words, magnifies
my bed and husbands it
into outrageous flower.

(from "Sentence.")

*
Gin & Bleach, Catherine Wing.  Another wonderful second book. I especially admire the poems with medical themes, titles: "Vitreous Humor," "Self Medication" "Still Murmur." As well as the funny and playful Tom and Jerry poems.

*
The Middle Ages, Roger Fanning.  The author's note states that this is "an unusual book in that the poems written before the author's break with reality are markedly different from those written after . . . see if you can tell which poems are which." And certainly, there are poems that are more sedate and formal, and then, wow-- poems that really are a roller coaster ride, much looser in form and content, and, frankly, more fun. I assume the later came after the break?  Who knows.

*

Rough Honey, Melissa Stein.  I especially enjoyed the poem "Galileo."

The Selvage, Linda Gregerson.  Ekphrasis seems to be trending lately. I especially enjoyed the series "From the Life of St. Peter."

Theophobia, Bruce Beasley.  Dense, word-rich, musical poems exploring scripture and language and the idea of God (or fear of God, as the case may be). Even includes a bit of science, which I like ("Genomic Vanitas").
*
Happy reading!!

Copper Canyon 40th Anniversary!

For You & Everything Alive Inside of You: Readings by Copper Canyon Press Poets James Arthur, Mattew Dickman, Ed Skoog and Friends

• [View]

Date:

Friday, December 14, 2012 - 7:00pm

Featuring: Holiday book sale! Poetry reading! Behind-the-scenes stories from the Copper Canyon Press! Silent auction! More!

Who am I writing for?
For you and everything alive inside of you.
-Vicente Aleixandre
Translated from the Spanish by Lewis Hyde

The right poem makes us feel alive and, as Vicente Aleixandre suggests, written-for. Join Copper Canyon Press and Richard Hugo House for a celebration of the gift that is given between the poem and the poetry reader.

Meet author James Arthur, who will be reading from his debut book of poetry. Hear him describe the path his poems took from his feet to your ears, as well as CCP poets Matthew Dickman and Ed Skoog. Listen to local poets and performers interpret great works by Copper Canyon poets including June Jordan, Hayden Carruth and Dean Young. Allow us to introduce you to books of poetry you may not have heard of, or reintroduce you to poets you'd at one time rejected as not your type. Let us play matchmaker as you search for the poem that will light you up, or the collection that will make the perfect gift for the reader on your list.

To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Copper Canyon Press, the first 100 RSVPs will receive a complimentary book of poetry at the door, and all guests will receive a special gift.
About the event
7-8 p.m. Meet the press. Doors and bar open. Receive your special gift at the door, and join us and Copper Canyon Press poets and Richard Hugo House staff for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Chat with Copper Canyon Press staff and friends, bid on poetry-related auction items, and browse our holiday book sale before the crowd arrives.
8-9 p.m. Meet the poems. Copper Canyon author James Arthur will read excerpts from his new book, "Charms Against Lightning." Local poets Ed Skoog, Matthew Dickman, and special guests including Amber Flame, Arlene Kim and Elissa Washuta will pay tribute to Copper Canyon authors past and present. After the reading, staff will play matchmaker, taking requests from those who seek a particular kind of poetry book; we'll pull just the right volume for your personal collection or for someone on your holiday list.
9-10 p.m. Everything alive inside of you: Copper Canyon celebrates 40 dynamic years, and you help us kick-start our shared future in publishing. Stick around to talk with each other about what poetry means to you and how it betters your life. Describe the poem you wish someone would write. Sit and read a while. Fill up on hope. Get a book signed. Get a book gift-wrapped. Raise your glass to another good year in poetry.

Southeast Seattle, We're Covered!

Southeast Seattle, We're Covered!

I love living in Southeast Seattle -- diversity, community, eclectic restaurants, light rail -- It's getting better all the time.

Going to the Chapel?

Today, December 6th, is the first day same sex marriage licenses can be granted in Washington state! By coincidence, it also happens to be Dean's and my 26th anniversary.  We are in Mexico at the moment, so will have to celebrate from afar this very big step (one of many to come) in the expansion of human rights and social justice. Plus it is just so romantic, isn't it.

see article and pics at link below (I love what Dow Constantine had to say):

Dozens Receive Gay Marriage Licenses as WA State Legalizes Same Sex Unions

SEATTLE (AP) — Two by two, dozens of same-sex couples obtained their marriage licenses in Washington state early Thursday, just hours after Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a law legalizing gay marriage.

King County, the state’s biggest county, opened the doors to its auditor’s office in Seattle just after midnight PST to start distributing marriage licenses. But hundreds of people had lined up hours earlier, snaking around the downtown Seattle building on a chilly December night.

“We knew it was going to happen, but it’s still surreal,” said Amanda Dollente, who along with her partner, Kelly Middleton, began standing in line at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

 

Asked whether the middle-of-the-night marriage license roll-out was necessary, King County Executive Dow Constantine said, “People who have been waiting all these years to have their rights recognized should not have to wait one minute longer.”

In Seattle, the mood was festive. Volunteers distributed roses, coffee and fruit. Couples canoodled to keep warm. Champagne was poured. Different groups of men and women serenaded the waiting line, one to the tune of “Going to the Chapel.”

“We waited a long time. We’ve been together 35 years, never thinking we’d get a legal marriage. Now I feel so joyous I can’t hardly stand it,” said 85-year-old Pete-e Petersen, who with her partner, 77-year-old Jane Abbott Lighty, were the first to get a license.

*

What fiscal cliff?

from the wonderful folks at MoveOn:

5-Point Guide To The Fiscal Showdown

1. The "Fiscal Cliff" Is A Myth. As Paul Krugman put it, "The looming prospect of spending cuts and tax increases isn't a fiscal crisis. It is, instead, a political crisis brought on by the G.O.P.'s attempt to take the economy hostage."¹ Republicans are manufacturing this crisis to pressure Democrats to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and accept painful cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. 


2. The Bush Tax Cuts Finally End December 31. If Congress does nothing, the ax will fall onall the Bush tax cuts on New Year's Eve.² Then, on January 1, the public pressure on John Boehner and House Republicans to extend the middle-class tax cuts (already passed by the Senate and waiting to be signed by President Obama) will become irresistible.³ So the middle-class tax cut will eventually get renewed, and we'll have $823 billion more revenue from the top 2% to do great things with.⁴


3. The Sequester. The sequester is another political creation, forced on Democrats by Republicans in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling last year to avoid crashing our economy.⁵ It's a set of cuts (50% to a bloated military budget and 50% to important domestic programs) designed to make both Republicans and Democrats hate it so much that they'd never let it happen.⁶ And the cuts can be reversed weeks or months into 2013 without causing damage.⁷ 


4. The Big Three. Nothing happens to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits on January 1—unless Republicans force painful cuts to beneficiaries in exchange for tax increases on the wealthy, which are going to happen anyway if Congress does NOTHING.⁸So, there's literally no reason benefits cuts should be part of the discussion right now.


5. We Should Be Talking About Jobs. The real crisis Americans want Congress to fix is getting people back to work. And with just a fraction of that $823 billion from the wealthiest 2%, we could create jobs for more than 20,000 veterans and pay for the 300,000 teachers and 52,000 first responders, which our communities so desperately need.⁹ That's not to mention jobs from investing in clean energy and our national infrastructure. 

Please share this with your friends and family—and talk about it at the dinner table next week. The first step to winning this showdown is making sure we're all armed with the facts.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilya, Emily, Mark, Tate, and the rest of the team

Gay Marriage and Pot pass in WA

I love this cartoon. It really says it all.

4 More Days, 4 More Years!

This election is so important. It's all about moving FORWARD, not backward.

And in WA State, can you believe we will probably legalize pot, approve gay marriage, pass charter school, and elect a Republican governor. Go figure!

from today's Poem a Day, how apropos . . .

The Hurricane by William Carlos Williams The tree lay down  on the garage roof  and stretched, You  have your heaven,  it said, go to it.  Reprinted from The Collected Poems: Vol. II, 1939-1962. Copyright © 1944 by New Directions Publishing Corporation. Used with permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. About this poem: The Hurricane names slotted for 2012 include: Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie, and William.

The Things They Googled

I just loved reading this essay by Marion Winik in the latest issue of Utne Reader, reprinted from The Sun (and, it looks like, an earlier version appearing in the Baltimore Fishbowl -- this essay has legs!). I love all the places it goes.  Though the version from The Sun ends a bit differently (and better-ly) than the one below. It's really a prose poem, isn't it? Enjoy!

The Things They Googled
by: Marion Winik

If they were young, they googled the things they didn’t know. Some were things they were supposed to know, like the habits of the hammerhead shark. The perfect squares under 100. The phrase “rite of passage.” When they got bored, they googled images of peace signs, photographs of rainbows, a video of a girl singing about Friday and another of a baby laughing and laughing. They googled Anne Hathaway. If they were boys, they googled how to build a bomb. If they could get on the computer when their parents weren’t home they googled things they weren’t supposed to know, things like sodomy and lesbian and boob. Then they cleared the search history and googled hammerhead shark.

If they were old, they googled the things they had forgotten. Names of actors and movies, old sports scores and hurricanes, the vice president under Carter, the ingredients in a Manhattan. The hours of the liquor store, liquor stores open Sunday, directions. They googled things that had escaped them: the definition of “feckless,” a synonym for “regime,” most of the answers to the Sunday crossword puzzle. They googled remedies for burns and bee stings.

If they were lonely, they googled sex. They googled phone sex, cybersex, and sex xxx. They googled long-lost lab partners, old boyfriends, the name of their ex-husband’s new girlfriend. They googled cute pictures of baby animals. They googled the word lonely. They googled “distended stomach” “nosebleed that won’t stop” “numbness” “insomnia” and “cancer symptoms.”

The things they googled were determined by forgetfulness, by need, by desire, by curiosity, and by the endless availability of googling. In fact, there was no point in remembering anything except how to google. They didn’t even have to remember what they were googling: When they googled “When does G,” just that much, Google knew the question was when Glee Season Three would begin. When they googled pleonism, Google quietly looked up pleonasm. Google never made them feel bad about not knowing.

So they googled how to lose weight and pictures of psoriasis and checklists for diagnosing ADD. If they were pregnant, there was no end to their googling. They googled when it would rain and how much it would rain and when to plant their gardens. They googled the tides and the seasons. They googled sunrise and sunset. They googled births and deaths. They googled themselves, which was sometimes unsettling, turning up Boston Marathon times and class reunions and even obituaries not their own.

How did they live before Google, they wondered. How did anyone know anything? How did anyone remember, while driving through Mohntown, Pennsylvania, the name of the young blond actress in the movie Witness who was from that town?

When they were hungry, they googled. They googled “recipe chard cannellini beans” “recipe apple gingersnap” “recipe rice noodle salad.” How to freeze tomatoes. How to peel and seed tomatoes. Can you add grated zucchini to cornbread mix? What is that smell in my refrigerator? How can you tell if an egg is rotten? If one egg is rotten, are all the others rotten too? Best no-egg cornbread. Best no-egg omelette.

Best restaurant brunch.

Plagued by the disturbing familiarity of an essay they had read, they googled The Things They Googled, and again Google was there before they finished typing. It was the short story “The Things They Carried” they were thinking of, the beautiful, heartbreaking Vietnam story by Tim O’Brien. Google showed them where to read it online, and some of them actually did read it, which stopped them for a while from their googling.

Now put down that iPhone and I will tell you:

The actress is Kelly McGillis.

Pleonasm is the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.

You cannot find the best restaurant for brunch on Google, though Google confidently pretends otherwise. But this search works better the old-fashioned way: on foot, by hand, with your mouth. First, you will have to leave the house.

***

Marion Winik writes “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a column about life, love, and the pursuit of self-awareness. Check out her heartbreakingly honest and funny essays twice a month on Baltimore Fishbowl.

Four More Years!

The home stretch -- and where we stand now. Get out and VOTE! (map courtesy of Real Clear Politics)

Seattle Center & Jack Straw Productions present Unexpected Arts

Kathryn Hunt & Peter Pereira - reading from Jack Straw Writers alumni

10/6/2012 10:30 AM

Outdoor Spaces

Come join Kathryn Hunt and I, as we read new poems (and old). In the Poetry Garden! And thank you to Jack Straw - you've been there since the beginning. *

I DO: SUPPORT MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Check out the photo stream of people sending in pictures of themselves holding the "I Do" sign in support of marriage equality.  It is so moving to see all the support from all walks of life:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seatimesopinion/8027230294/
or here:
http://seattletimes.com/html/edcetera/2019160137_referendum-74-i-do-photos.html