Lesley Jenike's Blog, page 7

A poem of mine is up on the Rattle blog today. Yes. It's ...

A poem of mine is up on the Rattle blog today. Yes. It's about my dad. I love him. He makes me laugh.

Dear Blog, It's been MANY weeks since my last confession....

Dear Blog, It's been MANY weeks since my last confession...

Seriously, folks, the semester's hammer fell and I haven't had a chance to tell you about New York!
Friday night we had a delicious dinner at the Palace Hotel which was apparently built AROUND (or on top of) a nineteenth century, well, PALACE called the Villard Mansion.

That night, back at our own hotel, we caught a glimpse of this guy , who seemed perfectly affable.
Dinner at his place the next night, then Bernadette and Elaine in all their Sondheim-ian glory.
Sunday we visited the beautiful Morgan Library and Museum . Have you been? You should, but don't go too crazy when you see all those writers' letters, journals and manuscripts. I was yelled at for trying to take a picture of an original Jefferson letter with my phone. Some people just don't understand.
It was a nice trip.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm finishing up grading, etc. and thinking about how I'm going to start writing again. It seems as if it'll be in fits and starts and in paragraphs. I'm trying not to judge.

I'm enjoying this gorgeous piece of music today while the...

I'm enjoying this gorgeous piece of music today while the first slew of flurries fly, and I'm contemplating the very moment I get to start writing again. T-minus three weeks and counting!

The lovely Erika Meitner is guest blogging over at the BA...

The lovely Erika Meitner is guest blogging over at the BAP blog this week! By the way, I read Erika's poem "Ideal Cities" to my dad this past week while we were down in South Carolina for Thanksgiving. I think it blew his mind, but he'd never admit it.

This weekend: New York!

Also, I have two poems out in the new issue of The Gettysburg Review along with new work from Albert Goldbarth, Bob Hicock (they must think I'm stalking them, and I why wouldn't I? They're GOOD!), and--get this--Elizabeth Bishop! You'll need to get yourself a copy to see what I mean.

Love!

Love!

I caught this on Facebook: "I'm trying to draw someone s...

I caught this on Facebook: "I'm trying to draw someone sitting in a chair like a fisheye photo for an assignment due tomorrow. I would prefer to have it tonight, but having it later to practice fisheye perspective drawing would be sweet if possible."


What do you think he's reading?

My super awesome friend Gretch is third in the line-up. S...

My super awesome friend Gretch is third in the line-up. She's special. These poems are special. Plus, the MC reminds me of Ruth, my sister from another mother, but less angry somehow.

Funny that today and tomorrow are my Ashbery days at CCAD. Maybe my students should hear Gretch's take on the man.

Do the rest of you feel like you're about ready to collapse? When will the semester end?

Odds and Ends:One week to go till Thanksgiving and one we...

Odds and Ends:

One week to go till Thanksgiving and one week till Josh and I head down to Carolina. It'll be nice to hit the road again.

Thanks to Manny Blacksher and Jeanne Leiby for taking a chance on my new work, and to this terrific designer for making my poem manifest.

I keep telling myself I need to survive November and half...

I keep telling myself I need to survive November and half (if not all) of December and if I can do that, I'm home free. The Christmas commercials have already started, and you know how I hate that. This is the time of year I feel most trapped and manipulated by a dominant culture I don't agree with. Couple that with an encroaching darkness--and you've got Jenike's worst nightmare. Yuck.
But here's a delightful anecdote:

At some point in the relative near future I'll be able to...

At some point in the relative near future I'll be able to think clearly about my own work again. Until then, it's midterm and I'm sneaking little snatches of poems and a few paragraphs of The Portrait of a Lady before bed. I've got to catch up on the Fresh Air interview with Keith Richards too, but for now, at least, there's THIS and I can look forward to my trip to NYC with my dad and sister to see--GASP!--Bernadette Peters in A Little Night Music. (I still fully intend to BE Bernadette when I grow up. I adore her.)