I've had some interesting snippets of conversation over the last day or so about my dislike of nostalgia, and it's gotten me thinking about memory and the difference between having a personal comfort with our own past versus Golden-Age nostalgia. I still maintain that the latter is a bad thing, and that that's what Keillor … Continue reading A Little More on Nostalgia
How to Memorize Poems
I saw this piece earlier today, but I got so caught up in Garrison Keillor (here, on Twitter, and at The Rumpus) along with my class prep for this evening that I haven't had the chance. Anyway, the article is on memorizing poetry, and the author wants to know how she should do it more … Continue reading How to Memorize Poems
Oh, Garrison
I came across this piece in the NY Times by Garrison Keillor bemoaning the new world of self-publishing via the twitter feed of Austin Kleon, who suggested Keillor should "just put a gun in your mouth & spare us yr 'you missed the good ol' days' monologue." How could I not click on a link … Continue reading Oh, Garrison
Selling Out in Poetry
There's a Twitter conversation happening on the #poettues hashtag over the question of selling out when it comes to your poetry. The question that started it all was from Robert Lee Brewer: Do you alter your poetry to try for publication? My answer was that if a poem gets rejected a number of times, I'll … Continue reading Selling Out in Poetry
New BP Logo
My old friend Neal put this together, and I wanted to share it. Also, if you're a writer and you want to contribute some work, Poets for Living Waters is looking to respond to current disaster. I'm working on a couple of pieces to send them right now.
Poetic Lives Online
Via HTMLGIANT, Poets for Living Waters has put out a call for submissions. They're calling it a "poetry action in response to the Gulf Oil Disaster of April 20, 2010, one of the most profound man-made ecological catastrophes in history." I rarely link to the same place twice in the same column, but this was … Continue reading Poetic Lives Online
3-D Poetry
Amy is having an(other) effect on me. She's making me think that I can do more with words than just type them. She's been working on, among other things, three-dimensional stories. That, combined with a trip we recently took to the Jaffe Center for Book Arts, has gotten even me interested in trying something I … Continue reading 3-D Poetry
A New Poetry App for the iPhone
Currently, on my iPhone, I have the following poetry-related apps: Vogon Poetry, Poem Flow (reviewed here), iPhrase (like magnetic poetry), WGBH Poetry (videos mostly), multiple e-reader programs, and now, the app from the Poetry Foundation. I've had the Poetry Foundation app for a few days now and I have to say it's a fun little … Continue reading A New Poetry App for the iPhone
Family and Facebook
I haven't been close to my family outside of my daughter for a long time. Even my sister and I have been distant of late, both overwhelmed by the space between us and the pressures of our lives. (She's had it worse, by far--her husband has had incredible health problems, and the economy caused her … Continue reading Family and Facebook
Leaving NASCAR
I tend to write about political subjects over at Incertus, but this is personal too, and I suppose if I'm going to give David Biespiel crap about not seeing poets involved with politics, I should at least occasionally come through. As I've mentioned before, I grew up in the south, and NASCAR was a part … Continue reading Leaving NASCAR
Another Poem to Love 