Deborah Ager's Blog, page 21
April 5, 2011
Day 5: Arielle Greenberg Shares 5 Favorite Poetry Books
This month—April—we're taking time to share five favorite poetry books. Each day, a writer (often a poet) will share their five favorite books by authors living or dead. We hope that this introduces you to new-to-you writers, new-to-you books, and to the authors of the lists themselves. Arielle Greenberg shares this list with you today:
1) Deepstep Come Shining, C.D. Wright–I recommend this book all the time, a lyrical, nonlinear road trip that nonetheless benefits from a cover-to-cover reading, and everyone I recommend it to loves it. To my mind, it strikes the balance between accessibility and innovation in a way few books of poetry do. And it's so deeply American, and regional. That aspect of it makes me very happy.
2) Fort Red Border, Kiki Petrosino–a new book, a first book by a young poet, this knocked my socks off. Bold, heartfelt, full of lush language, at once elegant and honest, engaged in issues of class and race and gender, this book is absolute pleasure. My students adore it, too.
3) Museum of Accidents, Rachel Zucker–Rachel is one of my best friends. It's nice to have a best friend who is also one of your favorite poets. I really love every one of her books, and this just happens to be the latest, but yeah, it's incredible. In it, she's really funny and also really, really serious, and really introspective and also really outward-looking. I love that people sometimes tell me, very sincerely, that they love this book called Museum of Accidents, without knowing that I talk to its author almost every day of my life.
4) Lucky Coat Anywhere, Michael Burkard–I actually have not read this book, Michael's latest, yet, but I will love it, I promise. Michael was my mentor in graduate school and I am indebted and in thrall to his singular voice and vision of poetry as a medium that can be utterly without pretension while still being one of the strangest, most dreamlike means of expression possible. I think of Michael's work as visionary. I think of Jean Valentine in the same breath. (So here's how I sneak Jean Valentine illegally on to this list.)
5) Poetry State Forest, Bernadette Mayer–I find this book, like some of Mayer's other books, a bit hit or miss: it's kind of a mess in some ways. Some poems are incredible and others just don't work for me at all, and the chronology is completely confusing. But that's also what I admire most about this work: it's completely human, completely flawed, and totally fresh and present and funny and serious and wild. I read this book this past fall and it had a huge impact on my own writing, I think, more than perhaps any other book I read this year (and I've read a lot of great books this year), so I'm choosing it for that, even though I think Mayer's Midwinter Day is, page for page, probably more of a "masterpiece" than this book is. I feel like I don't always want to read a masterpiece! (In fact, I maybe mostly don't.)
BIO: Arielle Greenberg is co-author, with Rachel Zucker, of Home/Birth: A Poemic, and author of My Kafka Century, Given and several chapbooks. Ugly Duckling Presse will republish her chapbook Shake Her in 2012. She is co-editor of three anthologies, most recently Gurlesque
with Lara Glenum, and is the founder-moderator of the poet-moms listserv. She left a tenured position in poetry at Columbia College Chicago in 2011 to move with her family to a small town in rural Maine.
April 4, 2011
Day 4: M.E. Silverman on 5 Books You've Got to Read
This post is part of an ongoing National Poetry Month series. Each day this month, this blog will share a writer's top five poetry (mostly) books. We did not give many guidelines beyond "share five poetry books." Some poets may include a few sentences as to why they like the books. Some may list them. Some may include only living authors. Some may not include any living authors. It's entirely up to them. Thank you for being here.
Today's list of five favorite poetry books comes to us by way of M.E. Silverman.
1) Ender's Game by Card / Collected – Jane Kenyon
2) To Kill a Mockingbird / Volume 1 – Mary Oliver
3) Life of Pi by Mann / Collected – Lisel Mueller
4) Sula by Morrison / Rose – Li-Young Lee
5) City of Thieves by Benioff / What Work Is and/or Collected – P. Levine
BIO: M.E. Silverman lives in Georgia.
April 3, 2011
Twitter Poet Party: Writers Conferences and Literary Festivals
This is my first time taking notes on a Twitter chat. As you may know, the "stream" of messages moves quickly on Twitter. How does one best encapsulate a Twitter chat? Tonight, I decided to take notes with the goal of providing an overall sense of what we discussed. I've included actual Tweets from participants and summarized suggestions into lists that should be easy to read. I used to paste the entire transcript into a blog post, yet that was a challenge to read.
Deborah Ager and Collin Kelley host the Poet Party, which was founded by Deborah in October. Tonight, host Collin Kelley got the ball rolling despite turning in his latest novel today.
At the Poet Party—which takes place every Sunday night at 9 pm ET on Twitter—we discussed the merits & opportunities of literary festivals and conferences. Are they worth the time and money? Which ones should a poet attend?
Poets from Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, Michigan, Washington state, North Carolina, Minnesota, Maryland, Arizona, and Canada joined in the chat.
Regarding the popular AWP (Associated Writing Programs) Conference, Deborah at 32 Poems suggested a mix of planned events (dinners with friends and readings, for instance) and spontaneous activities. Laurel Snyder agreed and added, "Important to take deep breaths at AWP, get in some real content. Important to sleep, see friends…"
Each week, we ask a few questions to encourage conversation. This week, Collin asked:
Question 1: What literary conferences/festivals have you attended? What was your favorite?
@webbish6: Favorite poetry festival = Skagit Valley Poetry Festival Favorite Poetry Conference so far = Port Townsend Writer's Conference
@katrinavanden: I loved Napa Valley Writers' Conference. High-quality teaching, small, unpretentious, great food, evening readings at vineyards.
@randalljweiss: You might find the rate of alcoholism, mood disorders, and introversion per sq ft @ AWP impressive!
@collinkelley: Austin Poetry Festival can be fun. I went three years in a row. Complete poetry immersion.
Additional Suggestions (many from @laurelsnyder) Included:
AWP Conference
Decatur Book Festival
Sewanee Writers' Conference
Dodge Poetry Festival
Skagit Valley Festival
League of Poets festival/conf in June in Toronto
CityLit Fest in Baltimore
Brooklyn Book Fest
Meacham Conference in TN
Breadloaf
BookExpo America
Wordstock
Fishtrap
Kindling Words
Omaha
Iowa City Fest
Sanibel
From @collinkelley: A big list of conferences and festivals.
Q2 If you've been to a fest/conf – what was missing? What do you want more of? If you haven't – what do you want?
@asininepoetry: I'd like more free wine at conferences. Also, more smaller, low-key readings rather than big ones.
@32poems: Another thing missing: a How To Do This Conference Guide. Seriously.
Outings: For instance, environmental conferences offer hiking or kayaking
Permission for Down Time: It'd be nice to have a time when nothing is going on.
At next week's Poet Party, we'll discuss National Poetry Month. If you are on Twitter and want to join the discussion, please follow the conversation on Sundays at 9 pm ET by using the hashtag #poetparty.
National Poetry Month Celebration
We're celebrating National Poetry Month by asking writers to share their five favorite poetry books with you this month. 32 Poems Magazine thanks Reb Livingston for the inspiration behind this idea. Each year, she invites poets to share their favorite books in December.
We decided to celebrate this way to:
1. Promote the work of writers who may be new to you. Someone already wrote me to say they bought a few of the books recommended by John Poch on Day One.
2. Promote the work of the writers who volunteer to share their lists. At the end of each post, you'll notice a juicy bio with links to the writer's projects. I hope you take a moment to find out what they are working on these days.
The schedule of writers follows. Please feel welcome to share it on your blog. We can have more than one offering per day, so there's not "there's not enough room" for this project!
April 1: John Poch
April 2: Jonterri Gadson
April 3: Eric Weinstein
April 4: M.E. Silverman
April 5: Arielle Greenberg
April 6: Lucy Biederman
April 7: Eric Pankey
April 8: TBD
April 9: Collin Kelley
April 10: Jennifer Atkinson
April 11: Luke Johnson
April 11: Interview with Terri Witek
April 12: Holly Karapetkova
April 13: Daniel Nester
April 15: Carolina Ebeid
April 16: M. Scott Douglass
April 17: Adam Vines
April 18: Elizabeth J. Coleman
April 19: Bernadette Geyer
April 20: Sally Molini
April 21: Interview with Jeffery L. Bahr
April 21: TBD
April 21: Kelli Russell Agodon
April 22: Jeannine Hall Gailey
April 23: George David Clark
April 24: Ren Powell
April 25: Lisa Russ Spaar
April 26: Carrie Jerrell
April 27: Rachel Zucker
April 28-on: TBD
Day 3: Eric Weinstein Shares 5 Poetry Books to Buy and Read
During National Poetry Month (April), we're sharing lists of favorite poetry books. Each list is by a different poet who volunteered to share their favorites with you on the 32 Poems blog. Our hope is that 1) this effort will promote the writers whose work is shared here and 2) that you will learn about the poet who wrote the list.
This list is by Eric Weinstein (his bio is below).
1. Tulips & Chimneys, E.E. Cummings. Few poets have mastered the love poem the way Cummings has, and I never tire of re-reading his collections. One Times One and 95 Poems are also great.
2. My Vocabulary Did This To Me, Jack Spicer. We're all radios. Period.
3. White Buildings, Hart Crane. Not as famous or ambitious as The Bridge, but I find the poems in this collection complex in a more subtle way. They're also a great counterpoint to Eliot's work, specifically "The Waste Land," which takes such a dim view of Western civilization.
4. Elegy on Toy Piano, Dean Young. I'm not aware of any other contemporary poet who blends tragedy and humor the way Young does. His poems are fantastic little juxtaposition devices that never get old.
5. Trilogy, H.D. Comprising The Walls Do Not Fall, Tribute to the Angels, and The Flowering of the Rod These poems are some of the best to come out of American Modernism. A must-read.
BIO: Eric Weinstein is the author of a collection, Vivisection, which won the 2010 New Michigan Press/DIAGRAM chapbook competition. He has poems forthcoming in Indiana Review, Prairie Schooner, and Salt Hill. You can find him online at www.ericqweinstein.com.
April 2, 2011
National Poetry Month | Creative Writing Prompt
In honor of National Poetry Month, which is National Poetry Writing Month or (NaPoWriMo), I am offering you the following prompt:
1. Use a slang word or term as your title.
2. Write 27 lines.
3. Include a person's name.
If you need another idea for a writing prompt, visit the NaPoWriMo website.
NaPoWriMo Writing Prompt
Although I'd not thought much about it in advance, I decided to participate in National Poetry Writing Month this year. Maureen Thorsen quoted a writing prompt I created that she found via Mary Biddinger. We're all one cozy family here in the Poetry Blogosphere.
Writing Prompt
If your personal well of inspiration seems dry, never fear. I will be posting poetry prompts here from time to time. Here's a five step prompt to help get you started, via Mary Biddinger by way of Deborah Ager:
1. Use a color as your title.
2. Write against what people associate with that color. If your color is yellow, write a sad poem. If your color is blue, write a cheery poem.
3. Invoke the name of a poet they way you'd invoke your own name in a ghazal.
4. Take a look at the Wikipedia page on poetic forms and choose a form. Write the poem in that form.
5. Use a form of water in your poem– ice, drop, drip, drizzle, mist, etc.
I'm on a high after completing a poem this past week. After a busy month full of various life events—that meant little poetry writing—I was asked to read a poem at a funeral for a person in a family I consider my second family. I've known this family for about thirty years and adore them all. I glanced through my book, Midnight Voices, and none of the poems said what I wanted to say at this funeral. Then, I turned to Hopkins and pondered Dylan Thomas even though I knew the request was to hear my words. As great as Thomas and Hopkins are and may be, they have not known this family for thirty years. Off I went to my studio—certain I could not and did not know how to write a poem—and out I came with a draft of something that was exactly how I want to be writing in the future. The future became the now.
Free Poetry Books 2011: The Big Poetry Giveaway
In 2010, the idea to give away TWO free poetry books came to me by way of Karen Maezen Miller and Kelli Russell Agodon in celebration of National Poetry Month.
Last year, I gave away my book (Midnight Voices) and Pablo Neruda's Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair.
This year, I am giving away the following two books:
Midnight Voices by me. I publish 32 Poems Magazine and have had poems appear in New South, The Georgia Review, and other places. You can learn more about my background at my poetry website. If you win, I will sign the book for you and send it to you for Zero Dollars.
Midnight Voices by Deborah Ager
The second book is Mortal Geography by Alexandra Teague. This book is one of my favorite contemporary collections. I will be sad to part with it, and I will buy another to replace it. Please feel welcome to read this sample poem or this poem, which appeared in 32 Poems Magazine.
Remember to leave your name in the comments to enter this contest. I will choose a winner toward the end of April and mail out the two books in early May.
Day 2: Jonterri Gadson: My Five Favorite Poetry Books
Editor's Note: I met Jonterri Gadson via the Poet Party, which 32 Poems hosts on Twitter. If you ever want to join us at the party, follow the hashtag #poetparty on Sundays at 9 pm ET on Twitter. We'd love to see you there.
1. Muscular Music by Terrance Hayes
When I was scared to write about race, my poetry professor, Denise Duhamel, handed me this book. This book made me see that I wouldn't be fulfilling some type of stereotype if I wrote about race or being a woman/mother/survivor, or any other aspect of who I am.
2. Leaving Saturn by Major Jackson
It only took one line for me to fall in love with this book: "You are almost invisible in all this plain decay." What's that you say, Major Jackson, there's more where that came from inside of this book?
3. Late Wife by Claudia Emerson
I'm a breakup expert, but I thought I couldn't write about heartbreak in my poems until I read this book. She writes about love, pain, mourning, and families and made me believe that anything is possible in poetry if you've got the skill to pull it off.
4. Please by Jericho Brown
I read this collection in one sitting, then I had dreams about this collection, and now this collection lives in my purse. These poems give trauma a heartbeat. The fact that this collection exists makes that rhythm triumphant.
5. Open Interval by Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon
She can do anything—repeat the same phrase, write in forms, use her own name in multiple poems—all with an, at times, heartbreaking narrative running beneath the poems. This is a collection worth studying and stealing from. I do both.
Jonterri Gadson is Debra's daughter. She is a Cave Canem fellow and a 2nd year poet in the University of Virginia's Creative Writing MFA program. In the summer, she will serve at Texas A&M as a Creative Writing Instructor for gifted 8th-10th graders in the Duke Talent Identification Program. Her poetry has previously been published in Muzzle, Torch, Conte, Poetry Quarterly, Diverse Voices Quarterly, and other journals. Her poetry is forthcoming in Sugar House Review and Tidal Basin Review. She currently teaches Intro to Poetry Writing to undergraduates at the University of Virginia. She can be found tweeting daily at www.twitter.com/jaytothetee
April 1, 2011
Guest Post: 32 Poems as Literary Ballast for the Lingually Displaced
The following post is by Amanda DeMarco.
When I moved to Berlin, I hoped blogging would help me come to terms with my new surroundings. Living abroad is an enriching experience for a poet, but it's also traumatizing. You lose yourself to it, you fortify yourself against it, and (hopefully) you eventually negotiate a personal relationship with it.
That goes for your own writing, but also the literature you consume. I wanted a platform where I could write about the fascinating (sometimes, to an American eye, profoundly weird) book culture I'm immersed in, much of which is otherwise completely inaccessible in English.
Which is how Readux, was born. What started as a modest personal blog developed into a multi-contributor site with an editorial concept: Readux is a Berlin-based online publication with English-language reviews, interviews, and articles on German and French books and events.
When people read Readux's about page, "literary therapy for the lingually displaced" seems to be the line that catches their eye. It's funny, but it's also true. Sometimes I feel as if, before I can process anything in German, I have to write about it in English.
But there's another kind of "literary therapy for the lingually displaced," that's indispensable for expats like me — the network of literary blogs like 32 Poems' that connect me to a culture I feel a part of, rather than the well-integrated outsider I am in Germany.
I recently wrote a couple of Readux entries on perceptions of race and diversity in the German literary world — they're critical pieces, and they bring a distinctly American perspective with them — how could I have written them without understanding the situation in the US? Keeping up with the controversy surrounding Claudia Rankine's indictment of Tony Hoagland's "The Change" at AWP is in some ways as essential to my understanding of German literary society as reading the culture section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung each Sunday.
What I'm talking about is ballast, something I can push against, fall back on, use to check my own reactions to the constant flood of foreign media I'm swimming in. And then there's the poetry; the longer I'm gone, the more urgently I feel the need to know the essential beating heart of American poetry right now, and the more magazines like 32 Poems mean to me.
Partly it's an identity issue: if I'm an American among Germans, and a poet writing an awful lot about prose, I'd better understand American poetry if I want to know who I am. But it's also about feeling at home and remaining connected to the things that made me want to engage with books in the first place. Sounds like great therapy to me.
Stop by Readux between Thursday March 31 and Sunday, April 3, 2011 to enter to win an illustrated copy of Robert Walser's Answer to an Inquiry from Ugly Duckling Presse.
BIO: Amanda DeMarco's poetry is forthcoming in The Believer and elsewhere. In 2009 she moved to Berlin on a Fulbright Grant. In addition to editing Readux, she writes reviews and articles on German book culture and international publishing for a variety of print and online venues. Her very first publication was in 32 Poems.
