Monday, October 31, 2005
Pushcart Prize Nominations
Poetry West Press and The Eleventh Muse are happy to announce their nominations for this year's Pushcart Prizes:
Robert Perchan, "The Unselfish Elfins with Their Trusty Hammers" (From Mythic Instinct Afternoon, the 2005 Chapbook Contest winner)
Matt Schumacher, "A Brief Correspondence Between Halloween and the Aurora Borealis" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Karen Donovan, "I Love to Stand on the Backs of the Turtles" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Steve Mueske, "The Day the Funk Arrived" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Rose Kelleher, "Rays at Cape Hatteras" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Jake Adam York, "South of Knoxville" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Congratulations to these worthy nominees, and to the many other quality poems in the journal and chapbook.
Robert Perchan, "The Unselfish Elfins with Their Trusty Hammers" (From Mythic Instinct Afternoon, the 2005 Chapbook Contest winner)
Matt Schumacher, "A Brief Correspondence Between Halloween and the Aurora Borealis" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Karen Donovan, "I Love to Stand on the Backs of the Turtles" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Steve Mueske, "The Day the Funk Arrived" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Rose Kelleher, "Rays at Cape Hatteras" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Jake Adam York, "South of Knoxville" (The Eleventh Muse 2005)
Congratulations to these worthy nominees, and to the many other quality poems in the journal and chapbook.
Quickie
Today was somewhat frustrating, from getting up an hour too early because I forgot to set my clocks back, to a seemingly easy process (verifying a bank account for Paypal) becoming arduous, to the restaurant manager being rude about the poetry open mike because there was a miscommunication somewhere along the line. I'm glad I don't run that stuff--Aaron, you have more patience than I, I think.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
The Five College Football Teams I Root Against
Nebraska (a Colorado thing)
Notre Dame (an overexposure thing)
Tennessee (a Vanderbilt thing)
Texas (another Colorado thing)
Miami (football program as arrogant thug)
Notre Dame (an overexposure thing)
Tennessee (a Vanderbilt thing)
Texas (another Colorado thing)
Miami (football program as arrogant thug)
Nuts
Today I was supposed to be doing a writing activity down in Pueblo and seeing someone I wanted to see. Instead I have a cold and am not seeing anyone for fear of getting them sick too.
Friday, October 28, 2005
What do you think?
Here's a draft of a poem I like but am not entirely sure of. It's a semi-older poem. The jpg format definitely helps preserve the formatting here.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Philosophy of Talk
I used to be very introverted and quiet, almost afraid to say anything for fear I would say something stupid. Now, I talk a lot more because I've learned to take for granted that I'm going to say stupid things, and the ratio of smart to stupid is actually much better when I pick more spots to speak in. The people who matter to me aren't going to be fazed or hold it against me when I say something mundanely dumb from time to time, and if anyone does hold it against me, I have one more smart thing to say: goodbye.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Ad Out
I'm going to continue my break from poetry-oriented posts for at least another two days (for a week total). Today, instead, here are a few things about television advertisements, simultaneously worthless and cash cows.
- Creepiest ad campaign: the Burger King ads featuring the guy dressed up as "The King," complete with mask--first because of the blank eyes and smile, second because he's showing up in inappropriate places like someone else's bed or a football play that was actually made by a real person. Brrrr.
- Most hubristic slogan: "Somebody up there loves you, DirecTV!" Uhhh, DirecTV came straight from God?
- Most obnoxiously catchy jingle of the past year: Coke with Lime. I haven't seen one of those ads for months, and I still sing my misheard version of the song ("You put the lime in the coconut") and further corruptions of that ("You pet the cat on the coconut"). Yes, I am insane.
- Only TV show I go out of my way to watch, thus ensuring I may actually be exposed to advertising: House, MD. Hugh Laurie demonstrates that he's a good dramatic actor in addition to being funny, and Jennifer Morrison as Cameron is spectacularly beautiful. She's also younger than I am, goddamnit.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Rrrrreally . . .
"Dear Steven Schroeder,
Millions of AARP members rely on the protection of an AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan to help pay some of the health care costs Medicare doesn't ... and now that you're turning age 65, you can too!"
Millions of AARP members rely on the protection of an AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan to help pay some of the health care costs Medicare doesn't ... and now that you're turning age 65, you can too!"
Monday, October 24, 2005
Thanks
I think from time to timeI ought to thank all my friends who help me out with things. So to all you who read this blog, including my online friends and my in-person friends, thank you. The sense of community I get out of this makes me happy and is a good motivation to keep writing poetry and trying to improve. Some of you help me out a lot more than that. I'll try for a longer and lighter post tomorrow or the next day.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Poker joke
The poker tournament was awful. By this I mean both that it was set up very stupidly and that I played badly and was out quickly. Ugh.
I am so far behind on stuff I should be doing. I need to go catch up now.
I am so far behind on stuff I should be doing. I need to go catch up now.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Bits and pieces
- I finished American Gods. Very good, I thought. Well worth the read if you enjoy dark contemporary fantasy. Probably worth it even if you're not sure you do.
- Several poems from The Eleventh Muse 2005 made Jordan Davis's list of notable poems (they're at 1210-1215). I'm happy about it, and I must admit I was hoping a few would show up after I sent him that issue a while back. Thanks, Jordan, and congratulations to the poets who made the list, including blogger Justin Evans, sometime reader of this blog Clay Stockton, and my Colorado Springs friends Jane Wampler and Jenn Koiter.
- In my last list of "things I'm going to write about soon," I mentioned something about timelessness in poetry. Well, I don't really have much to say on it right now, it turns out. Just that writing poetry that conspicuously avoids contemporary or potentially ephemeral diction (as someone on a critique forum recently suggested I do) is a good way to write antiquated garbage.
- What the hell has happened to Salon? I recently chose to end my subscription to the premium version after two years, and I'm gladder and gladder I did. The political "War Room" is good and King Kaufman's sports column is the best one out there, especially as a smart alternative to the latest tortured analogy between a sports figure and an 80s movie as cranked out by Bill Simmons. However, the site's "Day Pass" commercials don't work on either of my browsers about half the time, the critics are relentless users of the royal "we," and most of the lifestyle and arts articles are shrill and narcissistic: they actually gave their lead story one day last week to an unbelievably wretched piece by Steve Almond that went on and on, insulting a blogger who dislikes him, trying to make hay of the fact that they were at the same event and didn't have a confrontation of any sort, and speculating that the blogger (also a man) wants to have sex with Almond. Spectacularly awful stuff.
- Congratulations, Jeffery, on having your book among 10 finalists for the Dickinson Award.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Draft
While the great pudding skin debate rages on below, here's my latest poem draft.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Informal poll
Okay, you know the skin that forms on top of cook-and-serve pudding when you refrigerate it? How many of you like to eat pudding skin, and how many think it's gross?
I like to eat pudding skin.
I like to eat pudding skin.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Mark Jarman
Mark Jarman is going to be reading at CC on Thursday, October 20th at 7 PM in McHugh Commons. It'll be good to see him again.
Have you ever had a journal inexplicably change your poem in the transcription from paper to their manuscript? I just had that experience, sadly. That's why I ask for electronic files of the poems I accept (and specifically approve any changes I make). I guess it can be difficult in a situation where the file you get sent is different from the poem-on-paper you accepted (which I've seen a few times), but that doesn't apply to my poem getting changed. In mine, the tab formatting was completely eliminated, and I think the last line got changed too. Bleh.
The poetry open-mike last night was fun--I got to work on memorization of my own poems, plus I recited "This Be the Verse."
I think I have a cavity. I haven't been to the dentist in quite a long while, but that's going to change soon.
Have you ever had a journal inexplicably change your poem in the transcription from paper to their manuscript? I just had that experience, sadly. That's why I ask for electronic files of the poems I accept (and specifically approve any changes I make). I guess it can be difficult in a situation where the file you get sent is different from the poem-on-paper you accepted (which I've seen a few times), but that doesn't apply to my poem getting changed. In mine, the tab formatting was completely eliminated, and I think the last line got changed too. Bleh.
The poetry open-mike last night was fun--I got to work on memorization of my own poems, plus I recited "This Be the Verse."
I think I have a cavity. I haven't been to the dentist in quite a long while, but that's going to change soon.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Miscellany
I'm working today on updating my writing CV, compiling a small portfolio of my best poems, signing up for the GREs, and e-mailing three people. I bet you can guess what that means, and it's three letters long!
The spamsters finally found my blog, so word verification has been turned on. Sorry...
"Empty Room Blues" by H. L. Hix (The Melic Review)
"Ultrasound" by A. E. Stallings (32 Poems)
I'm not in a place right now where I'm enjoying things very much, writing or blogging or anything else. Still, I'll keep on going until I work it out.
The spamsters finally found my blog, so word verification has been turned on. Sorry...
"Empty Room Blues" by H. L. Hix (The Melic Review)
"Ultrasound" by A. E. Stallings (32 Poems)
I'm not in a place right now where I'm enjoying things very much, writing or blogging or anything else. Still, I'll keep on going until I work it out.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Friends, Romans, etc.
I remember a couple weeks ago, Jeffery mentioned on his blog that he's hesitant to send work to journals edited by his friends or people he knows on the blogosphere. I guess I've never really felt that way, mainly because if I know them well enough, I trust they can tell me whether they really like the work or not, and if I don't really know them that well, I figure there's not that much of a connection to worry about/take advantage of in the first place. I hope people who know me don't hesitate to send poems to my journal--I still only take good work, and I still try to be nice if I do have to reject work, even good work. I know some good poets, which is about 50% of that good contributor list below (and the one from the 2005 edition).
Strange ink from elsewhere. I got a rejection from The Journal with "Also [title of one of the poems in the submission]" written on it. I thought they might be saying they liked that one, but then I realized they had returned all my poems except that one in the envelope. Makes me wonder what exactly transpired that they could return all my poems but one with the rejection, but they knew the title to mention they weren't returning it.
Strange ink from elsewhere. I got a rejection from The Journal with "Also [title of one of the poems in the submission]" written on it. I thought they might be saying they liked that one, but then I realized they had returned all my poems except that one in the envelope. Makes me wonder what exactly transpired that they could return all my poems but one with the rejection, but they knew the title to mention they weren't returning it.
I did it
I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!
This event is powered by PokerStars.
Registration code: 5689754
Eventful
There was a lovely reading at Colorado College this evening by Jamaican poet Lorna Goodison. It was a fun event. Next week on Thursday will be a reading by Mark Jarman, my advisor in college. 7 PM in McHugh Commons. Come one come all.
Deborah Ager
Susan Kay Anderson
Amanda Auchter
Jeffery Bahr
Sandra Beasley
Mary Biddinger
Ash Bowen
Leigh Anne Couch
Jordan Davis
Lucille Lang Day
Ellen Kirvin Dudis
Marta Ferguson
Allen C. Fischer
R. S. Gwynn
Mark Irwin
Thomas Jardine
Greg Kosmicki
Erin Malone
Clay Matthews
Peter Meinke
Steve Mueske
Jeff Newberry
Robert Perchan
John Poch
Stephen S. Power
A. E. Stallings
Joanne Tangorra
Tony Trigilio
Alex Williams
I've had to reject some good solid poems too, for a variety of reasons. I'm really happy with how this one is shaping up.
People now in the next issue of The Eleventh Muse:
Deborah Ager
Susan Kay Anderson
Amanda Auchter
Jeffery Bahr
Sandra Beasley
Mary Biddinger
Ash Bowen
Leigh Anne Couch
Jordan Davis
Lucille Lang Day
Ellen Kirvin Dudis
Marta Ferguson
Allen C. Fischer
R. S. Gwynn
Mark Irwin
Thomas Jardine
Greg Kosmicki
Erin Malone
Clay Matthews
Peter Meinke
Steve Mueske
Jeff Newberry
Robert Perchan
John Poch
Stephen S. Power
A. E. Stallings
Joanne Tangorra
Tony Trigilio
Alex Williams
I've had to reject some good solid poems too, for a variety of reasons. I'm really happy with how this one is shaping up.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Assorted
Okay, so I'll be working on memorizing/performing my poems every other Sunday starting this one at Phantom Canyon, a lovely bar/restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs. I don't think anyone reads this blog who lives in Colorado Springs and doesn't know about it, but if you're ever interested in showing up, let me know. The first couple sessions, in particular, should be painful as I work on knowing more than two of my poems by heart.
I've sprinted through a couple hundred pages of American Gods, and I like it a lot so far. Best line: "Chicago happened slowly, like a migraine."
Preview of Upcoming Attractions
I have several things I want to post about here, and very little time to do so in the next couple days, except maybe this evening, then Friday. So here are a few things you can look forward to soon:
- A brief discussion of attempts at "timelessness" in poetry.
- A listing of who's now into the next issue of The Eleventh Muse.
- An announcement of where you can see me hone my reading/reciting skills soon.
- Additions to my Best of Poetry Online feature.
- An appeal to Seth Abramson to STOP HOGGING ALL THE JOURNAL SPACE! Seriously, though, getting acceptances from Iowa Review, Notre Dame Review, and Verse in the space of a week is pretty damn impressive.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Testing
Okay, I'm trying A. D.'s method of using JPG files to post poems. Here's a poem I like, though it's a little older.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Colorado Weather
I'm back from my trip. Here are a couple pictures I took.
Saturday in the mountains:
Sunday in the mountains:
Saturday in the mountains:
Sunday in the mountains:
Friday, October 07, 2005
Update
Well, I'm off tomorrow (Friday afternoon) along with my brother for a long extended-family weekend at my grandparents' cabin up in the mountains near Gunnison and Blue Mesa Reservoir (the beautiful Black Canyon of the Gunnison River nearby). Back on Sunday.
Until later, then! Have a good weekend, everybody.
I've started reading some contemporary fiction, for those of you who made recommendations below. I took one of the few I had on my shelf for first: American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I'm much more versed in speculative fiction anyway. It's good so far, and I'll report on it more fully once I'm done.
I'm trimming the poem I posted recently, and any others of mine I may have up--I really like A. D.'s approach of using a jpeg, and I think I'll adopt it.
Until later, then! Have a good weekend, everybody.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
My Desert Island CD
Yes, this fits on an 80-minute CD--the only other rule is no repeated groups/artists (though there can be overlap of group members, as you'll see). I would do My Desert Island mp3 rotation, but that would be a little longer.
1. Bad Religion - American Jesus
2. The Chieftains - O'Sullivan's March
3. Clutch - Open Up the Border
4. Cowboy Mouth - My Little Blue One
5. Doc Watson - Rising Sun Blues
6. Ellen Reid - Make You Mine
7. Fugazi - Waiting Room
8. Hawksley Workman - In Mexico
9. Husker Du - Never Talking to You Again
10. Lacuna Coil - Swamped
11. Liz Phair - Johnny Feelgood
12. The Magnetic Fields - I Don't Believe You
13. Nine Inch Nails - Wish
14. No Use For a Name - This Is a Rebel Song
15. A Perfect Circle - Three Libras
16. Public Enemy - Politics of the Sneaker Pimps
17. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Cabron
18. Soul Coughing - Circles
19. Steve Earle - Mercenary Song
20. System of a Down - Revenga
21. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Counting Down the Hours
22. Tom Petty - Wildflowers
23. Tool - Forty Six & 2
What's yours?
1. Bad Religion - American Jesus
2. The Chieftains - O'Sullivan's March
3. Clutch - Open Up the Border
4. Cowboy Mouth - My Little Blue One
5. Doc Watson - Rising Sun Blues
6. Ellen Reid - Make You Mine
7. Fugazi - Waiting Room
8. Hawksley Workman - In Mexico
9. Husker Du - Never Talking to You Again
10. Lacuna Coil - Swamped
11. Liz Phair - Johnny Feelgood
12. The Magnetic Fields - I Don't Believe You
13. Nine Inch Nails - Wish
14. No Use For a Name - This Is a Rebel Song
15. A Perfect Circle - Three Libras
16. Public Enemy - Politics of the Sneaker Pimps
17. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Cabron
18. Soul Coughing - Circles
19. Steve Earle - Mercenary Song
20. System of a Down - Revenga
21. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Counting Down the Hours
22. Tom Petty - Wildflowers
23. Tool - Forty Six & 2
What's yours?
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Argh
My computer isn't recognizing my iPod. This could be very bad for my exercise productivity.
Shit, can't waste this free publicity!
As you develop poetically, have you ever looked back on an old published poem and thought "Damn, I wish I hadn't published that one when I did," or even "Damn, I wish I hadn't published that one where I did"? 'Cause I sure have, and I'm not even that far along the poetic development curve.
Fortunately, I'm not actively ashamed of the early stuff I published, but some of it ended up going back in the draft folder, a couple ended up on middling-at-best e-zines, and only a few of them are even in the manuscript at this point. The worst one was a print publication where the editor noted in her letter that she had accepted something like 150 of 800 poems she received during the reading period, and the poems were jammed into multiple columns on each page like it was the International Library of Poetry. Bleh, but it's my own fault for not finding out first. It's enough to make me grateful for the e-zine that accepted my work and then never published it.
Fortunately, I learned to be much more selective in where I send, so any editor who has my work now can know that, yes, I actually did some research.
Fortunately, I'm not actively ashamed of the early stuff I published, but some of it ended up going back in the draft folder, a couple ended up on middling-at-best e-zines, and only a few of them are even in the manuscript at this point. The worst one was a print publication where the editor noted in her letter that she had accepted something like 150 of 800 poems she received during the reading period, and the poems were jammed into multiple columns on each page like it was the International Library of Poetry. Bleh, but it's my own fault for not finding out first. It's enough to make me grateful for the e-zine that accepted my work and then never published it.
Fortunately, I learned to be much more selective in where I send, so any editor who has my work now can know that, yes, I actually did some research.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
I love [insert your name here]
It's good, of course, to be able to personalize a cover letter when you send a poem packet somewhere--either by knowing the editor or having a connection with him/her--or at least use the letter to indicate you know something about the journal, whether it be that you have a subscription or that you at least read the samples on the web and found some similarity to your own work.
Do not, however, think it's a good idea to try to falsify research by regurgitating whatever's in the Poet's Market or Dust Books entry with no further effort--e.g., don't say "I would like to be published by the same journal that published" Poet X who was in the listing. If you're going to claim to be a fan of a journal, try to have at least one thing to say that a fan might know--something that you can't find on the website or in the market listing. And for God's sake, if you are attempting to bluff familiarity, don't get caught in a lie. I mind patently false research more than I mind a generic "Dear Editor" template letter.
Do not, however, think it's a good idea to try to falsify research by regurgitating whatever's in the Poet's Market or Dust Books entry with no further effort--e.g., don't say "I would like to be published by the same journal that published" Poet X who was in the listing. If you're going to claim to be a fan of a journal, try to have at least one thing to say that a fan might know--something that you can't find on the website or in the market listing. And for God's sake, if you are attempting to bluff familiarity, don't get caught in a lie. I mind patently false research more than I mind a generic "Dear Editor" template letter.
Contemporary fiction?
I am woefully unread in contemporary fiction. Please sell me on what contemporary fiction authors/books I should read!
