Blogger Amanda Marcotte likes to write about a phenomenon she calls the "nice guy," a man who complains about how women like bad boys and don't like "nice guys" like him, and how he deserves sex with some hot chick just for not treating her like scum. There's a particularly funny post about it here. … Continue reading The Road Less Travelled
Something I’ve been working on lately.
Since I haven't posted in a while.Accord -after Stephen DunnMy car a chrysalis, metallic blue,patches of peeling clear-coat,home-tinted windows rollingat the edges, but mine, my sacredplace. I ate and drank there, parkedunder trees, windows down, keyon ACC so the tape player would take me to places too coolfor radio to know, bucket seat my La-Z-Boy. … Continue reading Something I’ve been working on lately.
How should we dream of this place without us?
That's the line from Richard Wilbur's "Advice to a Prophet" that really jumps out at me--line ten, just over a quarter of the way through the poem--and it stays with me through the end. I used this poem in my creative writing class this morning as an example for their next prompt (yes, I give … Continue reading How should we dream of this place without us?
Channel Firing
While "the glebe cow drooled" may be my favorite half-line of poetry ever (I exaggerate, but only a little), what I really love about Hardy's poem is the way he inserts humor into what is, at heart, a dark and dreary poem.After all, the theme of the poem is fairly well summed up by Parson … Continue reading Channel Firing
To Lucasta, About That War
Last week, as I was prepping for my current section of poems about war and politics this semester, I came across a poem by John Ciardi that I'd never seen before, the one this post is named for. It's a clear reference to Richard Lovelace's "To Lucasta, Going to the Wars," a fairly abstract piece … Continue reading To Lucasta, About That War
Good cover letter advice
My old friend Chet (Alan to pretty much everyone else) is an editor at Relief, and he just posted some advice on cover letters. Some of it is specific to their journal, since it's a Christian journal, like this piece.Do not tell us that God wants us to publish you.Lots of people tell us we … Continue reading Good cover letter advice
Publication news
I think it's safe to say now--Louisiana Literature Press has agreed to do a book of my poems in 2010. The collection is currently titled A Witness In Exile, though that is certainly subject to change.
Just waiting for my copy to get here
My much anticipated copy of Relief should be on the way sometime soon. As I've mentioned before, this publication means a lot to me in large part because it's the first time Amy and I will be published in the same journal at the same time. But it's also a pretty big deal to me … Continue reading Just waiting for my copy to get here
My BookTV Appearance
Back in the fall of 2004, as the Kerry-Bush campaign wound down, Stephen Elliott asked me if I would open for him as a reader at the Stanford bookstore. He was promoting his new book at the time, Looking Forward To It. I had no idea that the C-SPAN cameras would be there until the … Continue reading My BookTV Appearance
The Last Time I Saw Amelia Earhart
Gabrielle Calvocoressi's first book is marvelous--I just want to get that out of the way right at the beginning. That she is a friend of mine has nothing to do with it. It would be a terrific book even if it were written by my arch-nemesis, whoever that happens to be.From the very first poem, … Continue reading The Last Time I Saw Amelia Earhart
Another Poem to Love 