Jeannine Hall Gailey's Blog, page 86
February 28, 2013
Guest Post at Ooligan Press: Poetry in a Tech Community
This morning I have a guest post up at Ooligan Press on what it’s been like trying to build a poetry community in the tech community of Redmond, Washington as Poet Laureate. Check it out:
Guest Post at Ooligan Press: Poetry in a Tech Community
This morning I have a guest post up at Ooligan Press on what it's been like trying to build a poetry community in the tech community of Redmond, Washington as Poet Laureate. Check it out:
http://ooligan.pdx.edu/jeannine-hall-gailey-guest-poet-post-building-community-in-a-tech-center-geeks-for-poetry-poetry-for-geeks/
http://ooligan.pdx.edu/jeannine-hall-gailey-guest-poet-post-building-community-in-a-tech-center-geeks-for-poetry-poetry-for-geeks/
February 23, 2013
Book Tours, The Best and Worst Readings, and Advice
I promised a post on book tours and how to book readings before your new book comes out. This is my third book, and I took very different approaches on my first two books - more for practical reasons (health and money both being limited at the time my second book came out) than logic or enthusiasm dictated - and I can share what I've learned and what I'm planning to do this time around.
This article on "The Worst Author Readings" makes some interesting points about audience commitment and how the author can ensure success. I've had enough experience with two-to-five person audiences to know that it's about the most demoralizing experience a writer can have, but avoiding those kinds of readings is sometimes beyond our control, especially if you're going to be in unfamiliar territory (i.e. a place with no family or friends) or an untested venue (like a museum.)
The article got me thinking about my "Best Author Reading" experiences. I was thinking about readings in little towns with wonderful audiences, like those reading in Bowling Green, Kentucky for WKU, or Fredonia, New York for SUNY Fredonia. These readings took some effort to get to - they were both in out-of-the-way locations - but great, enthusiastic hosts and smart, engaged students (and parties afterwards!) made the readings really worthwhile. One of my most fun unexpected readings was a night I went to go see Li-Young Lee read at a bookstore in San Diego, but he didn't show and I ended up being asked to give a reading spontaneously with a young poet who had just had his first book out - the terrific Jericho Brown. Some of the people in the audience ended up becoming friends of mine I still keep in touch with. Sometimes the company you keep - reading with friends, or beloved poets I looked up to, or going out to dinner with great people afterwards - makes all the difference. I've had great book sales experiences at "cons" - like Geek Girl Con and WonderCon - which might not seem like a normal place for poetry, and another great sales experience at an artist's exhibition...The point is, the kinds of readings that are going to be best for you are going to be unique - some people are going to have a wonderful time at academic readings, others at coffee shops and bars, or comic book shops or art galleries. Where are the people that love your kind of poetry?
I would recommend taking readings where you'll be able to read with poets you either love or are good friends with, too. Worst cast scenario, at least you're hanging with people you like.
Questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to take the reading:
--Can you afford it? If not, can they pay you enough so you can afford it?
--Is it an area with a known friend, family member, or otherwise supportive party around? Promoting yourself in unknown territory is an iffy prospect.
--Is it an area you've been to before, recently? There is such a thing as oversaturation (though a fifteen-minute drive can often make a difference in audience, I've noticed.)
--Talk to the contact person at the bookstore/library - those contacts are valuable because the people who work at bookstores and libraries are, God bless them, often the only link between you and as-yet-unknown readers. If they don't seem interested, that's not a good sign.
Next time: Part II - Things Authors Can Do To Ensure a Great Reading
This article on "The Worst Author Readings" makes some interesting points about audience commitment and how the author can ensure success. I've had enough experience with two-to-five person audiences to know that it's about the most demoralizing experience a writer can have, but avoiding those kinds of readings is sometimes beyond our control, especially if you're going to be in unfamiliar territory (i.e. a place with no family or friends) or an untested venue (like a museum.)
The article got me thinking about my "Best Author Reading" experiences. I was thinking about readings in little towns with wonderful audiences, like those reading in Bowling Green, Kentucky for WKU, or Fredonia, New York for SUNY Fredonia. These readings took some effort to get to - they were both in out-of-the-way locations - but great, enthusiastic hosts and smart, engaged students (and parties afterwards!) made the readings really worthwhile. One of my most fun unexpected readings was a night I went to go see Li-Young Lee read at a bookstore in San Diego, but he didn't show and I ended up being asked to give a reading spontaneously with a young poet who had just had his first book out - the terrific Jericho Brown. Some of the people in the audience ended up becoming friends of mine I still keep in touch with. Sometimes the company you keep - reading with friends, or beloved poets I looked up to, or going out to dinner with great people afterwards - makes all the difference. I've had great book sales experiences at "cons" - like Geek Girl Con and WonderCon - which might not seem like a normal place for poetry, and another great sales experience at an artist's exhibition...The point is, the kinds of readings that are going to be best for you are going to be unique - some people are going to have a wonderful time at academic readings, others at coffee shops and bars, or comic book shops or art galleries. Where are the people that love your kind of poetry?
I would recommend taking readings where you'll be able to read with poets you either love or are good friends with, too. Worst cast scenario, at least you're hanging with people you like.
Questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to take the reading:
--Can you afford it? If not, can they pay you enough so you can afford it?
--Is it an area with a known friend, family member, or otherwise supportive party around? Promoting yourself in unknown territory is an iffy prospect.
--Is it an area you've been to before, recently? There is such a thing as oversaturation (though a fifteen-minute drive can often make a difference in audience, I've noticed.)
--Talk to the contact person at the bookstore/library - those contacts are valuable because the people who work at bookstores and libraries are, God bless them, often the only link between you and as-yet-unknown readers. If they don't seem interested, that's not a good sign.
Next time: Part II - Things Authors Can Do To Ensure a Great Reading
February 19, 2013
Jack Straw Writers, a Redmond Reads Poetry reading, and more!
If you are looking for something to do tomorrow night, February 20th, why not join us at the Redmond Library for a reading? The "Redmond Reads Poetry" kicks off its winter event with a reading by...me! I'll be reading from Becoming the Villainess with a sneak peek of a few poems from my upcoming book, Unexplained Fevers. Refreshments will be provided, and a Q&A session after the reading means you can ask all the questions you like! Books will be available from the library for checkout and for sale!
In other news, the 2013 Jack Straw Writers have been announced! The full list is available here:
http://www.jackstraw.org/programs/writers/WritersForum/index.html
I'm honored to be part of such a great program and a great group!
I'm thinking of putting together a blog post on Book tours: how do you know when to go? Basically, a summing up of what I've learned with my last two book tours, plus any advice you'd like to leave in the comments below, like, how you survived your book tour, how many readings you plan to do for your first book, or fifth, etc, and let me know if I can post your advice and name in my next post! This is on my mind because, while I'm doing a ton of local readings for my upcoming book, I haven't planned much in terms of out-of-town readings yet...Some people report great experiences on the road, and I know I've had a few, especially getting to visit with friends, and I almost always have a great time at universities. Other readings have been a mixed bag, and I'm wondering how someone makes up their mind when they're invited, and what criteria we should use...
In other news, the 2013 Jack Straw Writers have been announced! The full list is available here:
http://www.jackstraw.org/programs/writers/WritersForum/index.html
I'm honored to be part of such a great program and a great group!
I'm thinking of putting together a blog post on Book tours: how do you know when to go? Basically, a summing up of what I've learned with my last two book tours, plus any advice you'd like to leave in the comments below, like, how you survived your book tour, how many readings you plan to do for your first book, or fifth, etc, and let me know if I can post your advice and name in my next post! This is on my mind because, while I'm doing a ton of local readings for my upcoming book, I haven't planned much in terms of out-of-town readings yet...Some people report great experiences on the road, and I know I've had a few, especially getting to visit with friends, and I almost always have a great time at universities. Other readings have been a mixed bag, and I'm wondering how someone makes up their mind when they're invited, and what criteria we should use...
February 17, 2013
Life Lessons for Writers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Life Lessons for Writers from Buffy the Vampire SlayerBy Jeannine Hall Gailey
Romance and Recognition Might Happen, Rarely, but the Job Will Always Be There. There is sometimes that sweet spot where you can get to save the day, dance with your dream date, and get a tiny umbrella in recognition of the good stuff you’ve done, but that doesn’t happen very often. Most often, you wake up, deal with people and problems that annoy you, and just go about saving the world with little fanfare. It might not always work out with your guy – in fact, most of the time, it won’t – and people will give you a hard time whether or not you’re trying to help them – but the job of Slayer (or writer) doesn’t change. We are out to save the world, every day. You do the job whether it feels good or not or someone pats you on the head or not.
Don’t Be Afraid or, Don’t You Think Sylvia Plath Faced Any Demons?
Devil Dogs, Boyfriends Who Turn Evil After You Sleep With Them, Assassins and Monsters in all shapes and sizes: Buffy saw them all as a recurring annoyance rather than something to be afraid of. With each demon, she sized it up, sometimes turned to friends for help, but always, always, ended up methodically tracking it down and destroying it. There’s no avoiding some of the demons of writers: rejection, depression, you know, looking into the void (or Hellmouth) so they key is to approach each with the correct weapon and not let it keep you from going to classes, a date, or the rest of your life. It’s true that writers tend to experience more depression, dependence on foreign substances, divorce, and yes, a higher rate of suicide, probably because the mechanisms that make someone a writer also mean they’re a little damaged somewhere. (If you believe the stats referenced here, much of the info coming from an eighties-era study of U of Iowa creative writers: http://www.the-bright-side.org/site/thebrightside/content.php?type=1&id=1083 and studies like this one: http://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-commit-suicide-2010-10?op=1 ) These are your demons. Do not let them win. Find the right weapons against them. Get a trusted group of friends to help you. Which leads us to...
Sometimes You Can’t Trust the Watcher’s Council
Old white men sometimes do, and sometimes do not, have a young girl’s best interests at heart, as was demonstrated several times on Buffy. Better to be a little wary. Even Giles betrayed Buffy once or twice. People in authority are often interested in protecting their own authority rather than helping you empower yourself. I’ve always kept authority figures at a certain distance for this reason. So if you feel like doing something brave others tell you not to do – get a graduate degree at a certain age, send out a certain poem, write the novel you want to write – do it. Trust your inner Slayer (or writer) instincts.
There’s Always another Apocalypse
Yes, even after you’ve saved the world, even after you’ve died and been resurrected through nefarious magic, there is always another apocalypse. In the writing sense, this means: once you’ve published your poem, you’ll always want the next poem in a better magazine. Then you’ll want a book. Then you’ll want a book prize, critical acclaim, book sales, what have you. There is always another “thing” around the corner to fight for. Part of Buffy’s strength lay in her persistence – sometimes winning just means not giving up.
Your Inner Resources
(Yes, I am referencing John Berryman.) One of the most thrilling scenes in the whole series is when Buffy has a showdown with her former-boyfriend-turned-evil-psycho Angelus. It looks like, towards the end of the fight, that she will lose and the world will end. The dialogue is a classic:
“Angelus: Now that's everything, huh? No weapons... No friends...No hope. Take all that away... and what's left?
Buffy: Me.”
Sometimes it will feel like you have nothing left, your friends and family don’t understand or support you, your boyfriend’s a jerk, and yes, your world is ending. But you know what? It doesn’t have to. You are your own greatest weapon. You are the hero.
February 14, 2013
Happy Valentine's Day, the Once Upon a Time Edition
Dear Readers, it's become a Valentine's Day tradition to post one of my few-and-far-between love poems on the blog for Valentine's Day! I just received my first paper proof of Unexplained Fevers so I thought I'd include the first poem from the book titled "Once Upon a Time." This poem first appeared in The American Poetry Review.
Once upon a time he left me. I left him. It was winter, the white sun is what I remember most. When he called, I cut my hair. When I swayed, he swore. I wore a white dress and promised. He promised me. We chopped wood and parsley.
Once upon a time, I called him. It was hopeful. It was hopeless. One might not have recovered. His hair was white as winter sun.
Once upon a time we broke our crowns. The tumbling came after.
Once upon a time we thought we could. We drank from cacti in the desert and from freshwater pools on an island. We drilled through sheetrock. We stained the ground with blackberry juice.
Once upon a time I have forgotten. There was no veil, because it just sticks to your lips. I didn’t hide. Three days of mourning, three days to come clean.
When we rode off into the sunset, we had no idea where we were going. We should have mapped. Should have paid attention to the steady beat of our bloodstreams. Should have touched the dirt. Gone offroad.
We should have guessed. Should have noted. We paid in gold and heartache. We stood there in the winter sunlight, white as ghosts. It was the end of the road. It didn’t have a fairy tale ending. We couldn’t keep our stories straight. It wasn’t as they had told us.
Once upon a time he left me. I left him. It was winter, the white sun is what I remember most. When he called, I cut my hair. When I swayed, he swore. I wore a white dress and promised. He promised me. We chopped wood and parsley.
Once upon a time, I called him. It was hopeful. It was hopeless. One might not have recovered. His hair was white as winter sun.
Once upon a time we broke our crowns. The tumbling came after.
Once upon a time we thought we could. We drank from cacti in the desert and from freshwater pools on an island. We drilled through sheetrock. We stained the ground with blackberry juice.
Once upon a time I have forgotten. There was no veil, because it just sticks to your lips. I didn’t hide. Three days of mourning, three days to come clean.
When we rode off into the sunset, we had no idea where we were going. We should have mapped. Should have paid attention to the steady beat of our bloodstreams. Should have touched the dirt. Gone offroad.
We should have guessed. Should have noted. We paid in gold and heartache. We stood there in the winter sunlight, white as ghosts. It was the end of the road. It didn’t have a fairy tale ending. We couldn’t keep our stories straight. It wasn’t as they had told us.
February 9, 2013
Book news: pre-orders for Unexplained Fevers, E-book Revival for She Returns to the Floating World, and Redactions!
A little book news since I last posted!
Though it's official debut isn't for a few more months, New Binary Press has the paperback version of Unexplained Fevers available for pre-order on its site. (There will also be a special hardback edition with extra art and an e-book!) Okay, that does make the book feel like it's really real! And by the way, $12 euros is about $15. The book will also show up on Amazon in another month or two, I believe.
http://www.newbinarypress.com/books/unexplained_fevers.html
And, She Returns to the Floating World , which went out of print when Kitsune Books closed, will be resurrected - at least, in e-book form - by my friends at Two Sylvias Press!
Thanks, Two Sylvias! (Also, I still have a few print copies available if you need one...let me know!)
And, once again, thanks to the excellent editors at Redactions, who published my poem "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity" in their terrific issue 16!
Though it's official debut isn't for a few more months, New Binary Press has the paperback version of Unexplained Fevers available for pre-order on its site. (There will also be a special hardback edition with extra art and an e-book!) Okay, that does make the book feel like it's really real! And by the way, $12 euros is about $15. The book will also show up on Amazon in another month or two, I believe.
http://www.newbinarypress.com/books/unexplained_fevers.html
And, She Returns to the Floating World , which went out of print when Kitsune Books closed, will be resurrected - at least, in e-book form - by my friends at Two Sylvias Press!
Thanks, Two Sylvias! (Also, I still have a few print copies available if you need one...let me know!)
And, once again, thanks to the excellent editors at Redactions, who published my poem "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity" in their terrific issue 16!
February 5, 2013
A New Interview at Seattle Wrote, A New Poem at Stone Highway, and a Library Link
Keeping busy these days, but wanted to let you all know about a few things. I'm expecting the first proof of Unexplained Fevers from Ireland any day now, starting to plan out more spring events, and generally getting overscheduled, but in a good way! Now, onto the news - interviews, a new poem, and a library blog mention!
Here is a link to an interview that the very kind Norelle Done did with me for Seattle Wrote:
http://www.seattlewrote.com/2013/02/seattle-author-womens-themes-in-poetry.html
I give some advice for beginning writers, including:
"Then write as much and as often as you can, and start sending things out to the magazines you like best, whether they’re famous or not. Often you’ll know where to send, because you’ll connect with the poems published in the journals.
My mother’s advice for me when I was a 19-year old optimistic writer sending things out for the first time was to fill a shoebox with rejection slips, and that set up my expectations – there will be a lot more rejection than acceptance. But being a poet is as much about practice and perseverance as inspiration."
Yes, I've been watching Wile E. Coyote, the ultimate engineer, at work for decades, so it seems natural that eventually I wrote a poem for him. Scroll down to page 25 of the Stone Highway issue to see "Introduction to Engineering from Wile E. Coyote, Supergenius:"
http://www.stonehighway.com/issue-22-january-2013.html
And last but not least, a very kind mention of my February 20th reading at Redmond Library is up at the KCLS blog today:
http://redmondlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/02/jeannine-hall-gailey-redmonds-poet.html
Here is a link to an interview that the very kind Norelle Done did with me for Seattle Wrote:
http://www.seattlewrote.com/2013/02/seattle-author-womens-themes-in-poetry.html
I give some advice for beginning writers, including:
"Then write as much and as often as you can, and start sending things out to the magazines you like best, whether they’re famous or not. Often you’ll know where to send, because you’ll connect with the poems published in the journals.
My mother’s advice for me when I was a 19-year old optimistic writer sending things out for the first time was to fill a shoebox with rejection slips, and that set up my expectations – there will be a lot more rejection than acceptance. But being a poet is as much about practice and perseverance as inspiration."
Yes, I've been watching Wile E. Coyote, the ultimate engineer, at work for decades, so it seems natural that eventually I wrote a poem for him. Scroll down to page 25 of the Stone Highway issue to see "Introduction to Engineering from Wile E. Coyote, Supergenius:"
http://www.stonehighway.com/issue-22-january-2013.html
And last but not least, a very kind mention of my February 20th reading at Redmond Library is up at the KCLS blog today:
http://redmondlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/02/jeannine-hall-gailey-redmonds-poet.html
January 29, 2013
A Little Bit of Perfume in Your Poetry?
Once, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I took my biology degree and went and managed a perfume shop for rare and expensive perfumes in Cincinnati. It has since been shuttered, but it carried some wonderful lines that were otherwise unavailable to most people in Ohio: Caron, Hermes, Cartier, Parfums Grey. I particularly loved the carved flacons of Panthere, with little panthers and jeweled eyes, and the gorgeous "Blond Tabac" available for $150 in a carved glass flacon. I loved being around perfumes, until my asthma drove me into the more prosaic, and admittedly, more lucrative field of technical writing, in which I worked more or less happily for some years.
This preface is just to tell you why I'm writing about perfumes in the middle of a poet's blog. I've long been attracted to difficult and hard-to-find fragrances since my days as a perfume salesgirl, and I have a pretty good nose (I'm also a supertaster, when I don't have a cold, anyway!) I couldn't afford the best perfumes when I worked at the perfume store, but I loved the samples and I still do! Buying good perfumes on a poet's salary can be tough, so I do a lot of research before I invest in a new bottle (or ask someone else to invest for me.)
So, lately, there have been some fairly interesting new fragrances coming out, and since it's near Valentine's Day, that time-honored season of buying perfume for loved ones, and I'd acquired some new samples, I thought I'd give some short reviews. Another piece of preface: I tend to like complicated orientals (Coco by Chanel, the aforementioned Panthere by Cartier) but hate any notes of green or patchouli. I also, on the other hand, like extremely fresh citrus fragrances (Strawberry Flowers by Fresh, available a couple of years ago, was a fantastic, sophisticated version of a fruity floral, and Orange Verte by Hermes is another loved fragrance. Comptoir Sud Pacifique made a strange but wonderful line including a fresh grapefruit called Pamplemousse, some wonderful tropical-candy fragrances, not too sweet, like Coeur de Vahine.
But lately I've been craving something like Caron's Blond Tabac, but a bit more playful, so I was looking forward to trying Tom Ford's new Vanille Tabac.
--Tom Ford's Vanilla Tobacco - I was finally able to find this fragrance at Nordstrom's, and the top notes were delicious - a really true, dark vanilla and a nice non-smoky tobacco flower fragrance. But. But....two hours later, my wrist - despite three washes - smelt strongly of damp burning cedar and not in a good way. Dry down = terrible, although the perfume person claimed a "vertical drydown" - which by the way, is nearly impossible to achieve, so don't believe it if anyone says their perfume has it. I will say, though that Tom Ford's "Cafe Rose" - and I don't usually like rose fragrances - was a nice true rose combined with a happy coffee-vanilla-and-white-flower fragrance, so if you're looking to try one of his new ones, that's what I'd recommend. Very romantic!
Atelier Cologne is a new line with extremely high levels of essential oils (so don't expect a true "cologne" experience - it's closer to an "eau de parfum" in most American perfume lines. Very hard to find here in Seattle since Neiman's stopped carrying it, I had to order samples from the main store many states away, unfortunately. But, I didn't want my experience wasted, so here you go!
--Orange Sanguine. I'd already fallen in love with this when it came out last year and Glenn brought home a bottle for me, it does smell like just-cut oranges, coffee, and amber. Really long-lasting for a citrus fragrance, too.The company says it's got a tonka bean bottle note, which I hate in Guerlain perfumes, but it doesn't bother me and is not noticeably powdery.
The new fragrances:
--Rose Anonyme - Again, I admit to not being a true lover of rose, this one was very strong but surprisingly true and long-lasting. Base notes of Oud, incense and (that despised) patchouli but a very pleasant herbal middle note of ginger that I really liked. Good - but not for me.
--Oolong Infini.- I was expecting to like this one, because I love Barney's Route du The and other tea-based perfumes, and I LOVED it. (The postcard alone - pictured here - would tempt any writer.) Along with the tea top note, leather, my beloved tobacco flower, jasmine - and a slightly more floral drydown than you might expect from that list. Clean, fresh, and truly unisex - it smelled as good on my husband as it did on me.
--Vanille Insensee - I don't usually like sweet-artificial vanilla perfumes, available by the dozen everywhere these days, but this was very subtle and clean, almost herbal. That's probably because of the oak, moss, cedar and coriander notes - notes as I said I don't typically like - but the fresh lime and jasmine notes kind of clean up the dampness of those notes, I think. Anyway, great for people who like vanilla but not most typical vanilla perfumes.
--Grand Neroli - Clean and WAY more masculine than I was expecting for a "Grand Neroli" - orange flower is usually read as a feminine fragrance, but this is beefed up with some herbals, it almost reads like "4711" - a French cologne for men I really like. Don't buy this expecting something sweet and girlish - it's fresh, clean, bracing, and a teensy bit green.
Happy perfume shopping!
This preface is just to tell you why I'm writing about perfumes in the middle of a poet's blog. I've long been attracted to difficult and hard-to-find fragrances since my days as a perfume salesgirl, and I have a pretty good nose (I'm also a supertaster, when I don't have a cold, anyway!) I couldn't afford the best perfumes when I worked at the perfume store, but I loved the samples and I still do! Buying good perfumes on a poet's salary can be tough, so I do a lot of research before I invest in a new bottle (or ask someone else to invest for me.)
So, lately, there have been some fairly interesting new fragrances coming out, and since it's near Valentine's Day, that time-honored season of buying perfume for loved ones, and I'd acquired some new samples, I thought I'd give some short reviews. Another piece of preface: I tend to like complicated orientals (Coco by Chanel, the aforementioned Panthere by Cartier) but hate any notes of green or patchouli. I also, on the other hand, like extremely fresh citrus fragrances (Strawberry Flowers by Fresh, available a couple of years ago, was a fantastic, sophisticated version of a fruity floral, and Orange Verte by Hermes is another loved fragrance. Comptoir Sud Pacifique made a strange but wonderful line including a fresh grapefruit called Pamplemousse, some wonderful tropical-candy fragrances, not too sweet, like Coeur de Vahine.
But lately I've been craving something like Caron's Blond Tabac, but a bit more playful, so I was looking forward to trying Tom Ford's new Vanille Tabac.
--Tom Ford's Vanilla Tobacco - I was finally able to find this fragrance at Nordstrom's, and the top notes were delicious - a really true, dark vanilla and a nice non-smoky tobacco flower fragrance. But. But....two hours later, my wrist - despite three washes - smelt strongly of damp burning cedar and not in a good way. Dry down = terrible, although the perfume person claimed a "vertical drydown" - which by the way, is nearly impossible to achieve, so don't believe it if anyone says their perfume has it. I will say, though that Tom Ford's "Cafe Rose" - and I don't usually like rose fragrances - was a nice true rose combined with a happy coffee-vanilla-and-white-flower fragrance, so if you're looking to try one of his new ones, that's what I'd recommend. Very romantic!
Atelier Cologne is a new line with extremely high levels of essential oils (so don't expect a true "cologne" experience - it's closer to an "eau de parfum" in most American perfume lines. Very hard to find here in Seattle since Neiman's stopped carrying it, I had to order samples from the main store many states away, unfortunately. But, I didn't want my experience wasted, so here you go!
--Orange Sanguine. I'd already fallen in love with this when it came out last year and Glenn brought home a bottle for me, it does smell like just-cut oranges, coffee, and amber. Really long-lasting for a citrus fragrance, too.The company says it's got a tonka bean bottle note, which I hate in Guerlain perfumes, but it doesn't bother me and is not noticeably powdery.
The new fragrances:
--Rose Anonyme - Again, I admit to not being a true lover of rose, this one was very strong but surprisingly true and long-lasting. Base notes of Oud, incense and (that despised) patchouli but a very pleasant herbal middle note of ginger that I really liked. Good - but not for me.
--Oolong Infini.- I was expecting to like this one, because I love Barney's Route du The and other tea-based perfumes, and I LOVED it. (The postcard alone - pictured here - would tempt any writer.) Along with the tea top note, leather, my beloved tobacco flower, jasmine - and a slightly more floral drydown than you might expect from that list. Clean, fresh, and truly unisex - it smelled as good on my husband as it did on me.
--Vanille Insensee - I don't usually like sweet-artificial vanilla perfumes, available by the dozen everywhere these days, but this was very subtle and clean, almost herbal. That's probably because of the oak, moss, cedar and coriander notes - notes as I said I don't typically like - but the fresh lime and jasmine notes kind of clean up the dampness of those notes, I think. Anyway, great for people who like vanilla but not most typical vanilla perfumes.
--Grand Neroli - Clean and WAY more masculine than I was expecting for a "Grand Neroli" - orange flower is usually read as a feminine fragrance, but this is beefed up with some herbals, it almost reads like "4711" - a French cologne for men I really like. Don't buy this expecting something sweet and girlish - it's fresh, clean, bracing, and a teensy bit green.
Happy perfume shopping!
January 25, 2013
A New Anthology from New Binary, and the death of poetry
I finally got my contributor's copy of New Binary Press's first Anthology, which contains, among other poems, several from me, several from fellow Washington poets Annette Spaulding-Convy and Kathleen Flenniken, and an array of Irish poets that it was a pleasure to read. I recommend it! I'm always interested in international anthologies, even if this one wasn't be published by my third book's publisher! Here's a little picture, courtesy of my mother's cell phone.Also, a short retort to all the hullabaloo about the death of poetry. What I've noticed is, most people these days can barely read, and when they want to read, they want something wish-fulfillment-y and unchallenging. Poetry makes you work, and thus, is described as "hard."
Which is not one whit different from any other time in history, except people who don't want to read have a range of other options to entertain themselves with. And poetry these days doesn't always rhyme, which always seems to surprise people (one of the complaints about the inaugural poem) though the prose poem came around in the late 1890's, and the Modernists - starting in the 1920s - really brought that whole "no rhyme" thing into fashion. Like, eighty years ago. Get with the trends, people!
So, in summation: poetry is no more dead than it has ever been, unless you count back in ancient times, when poets were the substitute for newspapers, movies, and rock concerts.
