Jeannine Hall Gailey's Blog, page 95
April 14, 2012
Poetry Month with Way Too Much to Do and Mini-reviews of some terrific poetry books
Yes, I'm finishing up a final proposal for my mystery job opportunity, going in to measure the new townhouse for window treatments and signing lots more paperwork for the bank, trying to finish up classes on anime and haibun, and balance my National poetry MFA class at the same time. Totally sane and normal, right? (I think I might be living on adrenaline.)
On top of that, I've actually been writing a poem a day, and reading a poetry book a day for fun as well. I thought I'd do a few mini-reviews because you too should find out about these terrific books!
Amy Newman's Dear Editor
I'm loving this book as the construct is terrific - a series of letters to publishers asking them to publish her fictional poetry book, "X=Pawn Capture," which, meta-liciously, she describes so fully in the book that we get a wonderful sense of her family history, her mental connections between chess and martyrs, and her inner insecurities as a writer. I laughed out loud a couple of times, and since my father was a huge chess maniac and taught me some of the main moves of chess as a little girl and had me play against a robot - true story - I very much identified with Amy's meta-story about her grandfather teaching her chess playing techniques while remaining emotionally unavailable, as her grandmother cooked and told her gruesome stories of Catholic saints and the "old country." Anyway, it's a terrific book, funny without being overly light or flippant, and something that any poet who has sent out book manuscript after book manuscript will identify with, including the quasi-religious language of submission to publishers and the writer's always plaintive queries.
Another book in which "the poet" appears as a meta-character - in this case, she's called "the sliver poet" - is Carmen Gimenez Smith's Goodbye, Flicker, which uses the structure of fractured fairy tales to illustrate a variety of broken girl archetypes, a sense of being "the other," the dangers around every corner in mirrors, long hair, frogs. Her work has a lot in common with Rene Lynch's series, "The Secret Life of the Forest" from which I borrowed a painting for the cover art of "She Returns to the Floating World." In particular, Gimenez has an owl-girl that keeps reminding me of this painting "The Secret Life of the Forest (visitor)" that you can see here. This book has a lot in common, too, with my upcoming third book, Unexplained Fevers, but Gimenez has more of an exploratory use of language than I do, I think (dare I say - a more experimental take on language?) and I like the way she plays with her different character's internal landscapes, which are slippery and shift around from poem to poem. Anyway, a definite must-read for fans of fairy-tale themed poetry, and I might add that if you like Mary Biddinger's work, you'll probably like Gimenez' - their poetry has a lot in common! Did I mention Carmen is also the editor-in-chief of Puerto del Sol, and publisher of Noemi Press - like Mary, a super-hard-working multi-tasking poet!
Speaking of multi-tasking editor/poets, I've also enjoyed in my April reading series Tom Holmes' (editor of Redactions) book, Poems for an Empty Church. You may know that I have a soft spot for archetypal explorations, and Tom's poems here search for the metaphysical and mystical in the everyday, the everyday in the mystical, and he mentions the laws of thermodynamics AND Port Townsend, so basically, everything I love.
I wanted to put up sample poems from all three books but you'll just have to go read them yourselves to find out more - you won't be disappointed! Happy Poetry Month![image error]
On top of that, I've actually been writing a poem a day, and reading a poetry book a day for fun as well. I thought I'd do a few mini-reviews because you too should find out about these terrific books!
Amy Newman's Dear Editor
I'm loving this book as the construct is terrific - a series of letters to publishers asking them to publish her fictional poetry book, "X=Pawn Capture," which, meta-liciously, she describes so fully in the book that we get a wonderful sense of her family history, her mental connections between chess and martyrs, and her inner insecurities as a writer. I laughed out loud a couple of times, and since my father was a huge chess maniac and taught me some of the main moves of chess as a little girl and had me play against a robot - true story - I very much identified with Amy's meta-story about her grandfather teaching her chess playing techniques while remaining emotionally unavailable, as her grandmother cooked and told her gruesome stories of Catholic saints and the "old country." Anyway, it's a terrific book, funny without being overly light or flippant, and something that any poet who has sent out book manuscript after book manuscript will identify with, including the quasi-religious language of submission to publishers and the writer's always plaintive queries.
Another book in which "the poet" appears as a meta-character - in this case, she's called "the sliver poet" - is Carmen Gimenez Smith's Goodbye, Flicker, which uses the structure of fractured fairy tales to illustrate a variety of broken girl archetypes, a sense of being "the other," the dangers around every corner in mirrors, long hair, frogs. Her work has a lot in common with Rene Lynch's series, "The Secret Life of the Forest" from which I borrowed a painting for the cover art of "She Returns to the Floating World." In particular, Gimenez has an owl-girl that keeps reminding me of this painting "The Secret Life of the Forest (visitor)" that you can see here. This book has a lot in common, too, with my upcoming third book, Unexplained Fevers, but Gimenez has more of an exploratory use of language than I do, I think (dare I say - a more experimental take on language?) and I like the way she plays with her different character's internal landscapes, which are slippery and shift around from poem to poem. Anyway, a definite must-read for fans of fairy-tale themed poetry, and I might add that if you like Mary Biddinger's work, you'll probably like Gimenez' - their poetry has a lot in common! Did I mention Carmen is also the editor-in-chief of Puerto del Sol, and publisher of Noemi Press - like Mary, a super-hard-working multi-tasking poet!
Speaking of multi-tasking editor/poets, I've also enjoyed in my April reading series Tom Holmes' (editor of Redactions) book, Poems for an Empty Church. You may know that I have a soft spot for archetypal explorations, and Tom's poems here search for the metaphysical and mystical in the everyday, the everyday in the mystical, and he mentions the laws of thermodynamics AND Port Townsend, so basically, everything I love.
I wanted to put up sample poems from all three books but you'll just have to go read them yourselves to find out more - you won't be disappointed! Happy Poetry Month![image error]
April 11, 2012
Japanese Language Meetup and The Rumpus's Original Poetry Features for Poetry Month!
Had a wonderful time at last night's Japanese Language Meetup at the Lake Hills Library. My friend Kaori did a wonderful job talking about haiku in Japanese, I read a couple of poems from She Returns to the Floating World, and the folks who showed up for the meeting wrote beautiful haiku, haiku that would rival any of my grad students, and the atmosphere was so fun and lively. The night reminded me that the differences of haiku in Japanese are striking and listening to my own poetry translated into Japanese (which Kaori also read) reminded me of the magic that happens when you shift from one language into another. It also definitely reminded me I need to brush up on my conversational Japanese. I think I can say "hello" and "thank you" and can understand about every third word in a conversation about poetry (because I've studied those particular phrases) but seeing something on the page and hearing them out loud are two different things! Anyway, it was great fun and I felt honored to be there.
Also, very excited about the National Poetry Month original poetry feature at The Rumpus, especially the poem coming up on April 17. Check out the poems here:
http://therumpus.net/2012/04/national-poetry-month-2012-lineup/
Also, if you haven't left a comment yet (with your e-mail addy in case you win) to win some books, go do so!
http://myblog.webbish6.com/2012/04/great-poetry-month-giveaway-leave.html[image error]
Also, very excited about the National Poetry Month original poetry feature at The Rumpus, especially the poem coming up on April 17. Check out the poems here:
http://therumpus.net/2012/04/national-poetry-month-2012-lineup/
Also, if you haven't left a comment yet (with your e-mail addy in case you win) to win some books, go do so!
http://myblog.webbish6.com/2012/04/great-poetry-month-giveaway-leave.html[image error]
April 7, 2012
Great Poetry Month Giveaway! Leave a Comment, Win a Book!
I'm finally putting up my post for the big poetry month giveaway (as described here on Kelli's blog) so please leave a comment so you can win a book (or two, or three!) I'll be using a random number generator to pick the winner the first week of May (but I'm closing a house in the first few days of May, so if I'm a day or two off, have patience!)So, a little about me. I've written four books of poetry, Becoming the Villainess (Steel Toe Books, 2006,) She Returns to the Floating World (Kitsune Books, 2011,) Unexplained Fevers (forthcoming from Kitsune Books, 2013) and another book I'm still in process with on Oak Ridge and robots. I'm a poet obsessesed with persona, with pop culture, with the spaces between, with women who turn into foxes and disappear. I write, I review, I teach, I edit, I read. I try to become better. Every book I write I try to take a step in a new direction.
1. The first book I'm giving away is my own second book, She Returns to the Floating World . It's full of meditations on Japanese folk tales, the role of the female icon in anime movies, women who transform themselves, lovesickness, tragedy, and heroism. Plus a little about Knoxville, imagined voyages, marraige, and dreams. From Kitsune Books, cover art by talented Rene Lynch.
2. The second book I'm giving away is a signed copy of Marie-Elizabeth Mali's Steady My Gaze is compassionate, spiritual in the most interesting way, interested in Jung's archetype, in love. No one who reads this book walks away unmoved. From Tebot Bach.
Okay, go ahead, comment away and good luck to you! You may also receive one of the following: The Haiku Handbook, a various literary magazine, or another poetry book of my choosing. You know, depending on how big the box I have to ship stuff is![image error]
April 5, 2012
Face to Meet the Faces Reading
I don't know why, but every time I walk into the Richard Hugo House lately, I get a good feeling. I've been loving their Cheap Wine and Poetry series (much rowdier and hipper than most poetry readings) and last night's reading for the Face to Meet the Faces anthology celebration was just as fun. I got to see lots of my friends read - Peter Pereira, Martha Silano, editor Oliver de la Paz, among many other wonderful folks - and I got to meet co-editor Stacey Lynn Brown, which was fun! Another fun reader was Tiffany Midge, who did a wonderful job with the Hulk poem from the anthology as well as her own. I got to read Charles Jensen's "After Oz" - which reminds me how much I like Charles' poetry - as well as my own "When Red Becomes the Wolf." It felt like a really fun time and I really loved the celebration of persona poetry! Yay, persona poetry!
I've got a class at National's MFA program starting up in a few days, so I'm gearing up for teaching that again, as well as prepping for a presentation related to the mystery job possibility, trying to get things squared away with the new townhouse before our close, and, oh, yes, I'm moving in a month so I'm packing things up and getting rid of bags of old clothes and broken things.
So it's National Poetry Month but my brain is full of many things to keep up in the air and moving forward...surprisingly, I've already written a couple of poems this month and I've been reading a really fun real-life tale of running an independent bookstore in Utah called "The King's English." Since I sometimes daydream about running my own bookstore, it's a perfect escape book at the end of a long day. I recommend it![image error]
I've got a class at National's MFA program starting up in a few days, so I'm gearing up for teaching that again, as well as prepping for a presentation related to the mystery job possibility, trying to get things squared away with the new townhouse before our close, and, oh, yes, I'm moving in a month so I'm packing things up and getting rid of bags of old clothes and broken things.
So it's National Poetry Month but my brain is full of many things to keep up in the air and moving forward...surprisingly, I've already written a couple of poems this month and I've been reading a really fun real-life tale of running an independent bookstore in Utah called "The King's English." Since I sometimes daydream about running my own bookstore, it's a perfect escape book at the end of a long day. I recommend it![image error]
April 1, 2012
Welcome to National Poetry Month!
April is not only National Poetry Month, but my birthday month, and this year, because of job interviews (!!) and house business, even crazier than usual. I wish all of you writing a poem-a-day luck. I wrote a poem two days ago for Unexplained Fevers based on one of Deborah Scott's new paintings that I feel pretty good about, but I'm not attempting the poem-a-day this time around.
I'm also going to do the book giveaway deal, but I just haven't decided on my second book yet. So many to choose from! So stay tuned...
I'm reading with a large group of Seattle-area poets at Hugo House this Wednesday night to celebrate A Face to Meet the Faces, the persona poetry anthology. Later this month I'll be teaching a teen class on haiku, haibun and anime (here's the poster) in Redmond.
What are you doing to celebrate this poetry month? And what are you sending me for my birthday? I could use some down-payment money, hardwood flooring and furniture...:)
I'm also going to do the book giveaway deal, but I just haven't decided on my second book yet. So many to choose from! So stay tuned...
I'm reading with a large group of Seattle-area poets at Hugo House this Wednesday night to celebrate A Face to Meet the Faces, the persona poetry anthology. Later this month I'll be teaching a teen class on haiku, haibun and anime (here's the poster) in Redmond.
What are you doing to celebrate this poetry month? And what are you sending me for my birthday? I could use some down-payment money, hardwood flooring and furniture...:)
March 29, 2012
Adrienne Rich, the invaluable advice of others
I was so saddened yesterday to learn of the passing of Adrienne Rich from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease. It's amazing how many of my writing heroes have autoimmune problems. I met her years ago at a writer's conference in Arizona, one of my first poetry heroines I actually saw reading in person. I was so excited I called her a rock star. She was gracious and warm, a fantastic reader, just everything I would like to be when I grow up. You can tell why I love her in this quote, from her poem, "Planetarium:" "A woman in the shape of a monster/ a monster in the shape of a woman/ the skies are full of them." (Click here to read the whole poem.) Science, mythology, feminism, and a singular voice. She will be missed.
You know, even though I'm getting ready to publish a third book next year, I am just as eager and anxious for good advice about publishing and publicity as I ever was. I am ready to learn more about how to do everything better! I'm plotting different tactics for the next book's readings - how to make them more dynamic and exciting, exploring new kinds of venues like art galleries and shops, etc.
Here are two good write ups for writers:
--Julianna Baggott on Agents
--Laura Elizabeth Davis interviews fiction writer Karen Lillis on book touring when you're paying for it yourself
I spent two hours yesterday signing financial paperwork for the house deal, even though we don't close til May. Urgh. I will be glad when the whole thing is over! It is a huge distraction from writing, submitting, you know, everything that is not buying a place to live. I did discover, upon visiting the townhouse for the first time in actual sunlight a few days ago, that the cul-de-sac we'll live on is across the street from a charming wetlands pond complete with reeds full of singing red-winged blackbirds. I'll just be steps away from feeding ducks all year round!
I'm also applying for a job which I can't talk about yet, but the prep for it is really stressful. Cross your fingers for me - this would be a terrific opportunity![image error]
You know, even though I'm getting ready to publish a third book next year, I am just as eager and anxious for good advice about publishing and publicity as I ever was. I am ready to learn more about how to do everything better! I'm plotting different tactics for the next book's readings - how to make them more dynamic and exciting, exploring new kinds of venues like art galleries and shops, etc.
Here are two good write ups for writers:
--Julianna Baggott on Agents
--Laura Elizabeth Davis interviews fiction writer Karen Lillis on book touring when you're paying for it yourself
I spent two hours yesterday signing financial paperwork for the house deal, even though we don't close til May. Urgh. I will be glad when the whole thing is over! It is a huge distraction from writing, submitting, you know, everything that is not buying a place to live. I did discover, upon visiting the townhouse for the first time in actual sunlight a few days ago, that the cul-de-sac we'll live on is across the street from a charming wetlands pond complete with reeds full of singing red-winged blackbirds. I'll just be steps away from feeding ducks all year round!
I'm also applying for a job which I can't talk about yet, but the prep for it is really stressful. Cross your fingers for me - this would be a terrific opportunity![image error]
March 25, 2012
A Weekend of Sunshine and Art - Red Current at Roq La Rue
My favorite art gallery in Seattle, Roq La Rue, did a fabulous show this weekend called "Red Current" in which an all-female lineup of over thirty artists showed their work, including my collaboration partner on "Unexplained Fevers," Deborah Scott. Here's a pic of us with her piece, "Consumption of Innocence."One of the great things about the show was the unified feel despite a variety of methods and material...there was a hulking black pelican made of knitting cloth...abstract pieces that brought to mind moonscapes by Port Townsend artist Counsel Langley...forests...nudes...a gun holster made out of amethyst...the show is up til April 7, I'd go check it out before it's gone!
In other news...our inspection is tomorrow. The sun was out yesterday, so we braved the toll on the 520 bridge and we walked in the Japanese gardens downtown and drove through the arboretum. Only a few things were blooming...camellias, a few rhodies, and some early cherry blossoms...spring is springing late this year for sure in the Northwest. By the way, if you're looking for an old television, portable freestanding air conditioner, or old laptop with no hard drive, please let me know as we are cleaning house before the move this time! Make an offer!
March 22, 2012
In Which Many Things Happen All at Once
So, signing the new book contract with Kitsune, and signed on a final offer for a townhome near Glenn's work within the same 24 hours. The place needs a little work, but is mostly in good shape. Hope the inspection and appraisal both go okay! Today I talk to my money person to see what stuff we need to get together and by when. It's been a bizarre process shopping for a house during this so-called buyer's market - because of the low prices, there's been very little inventory, and so, very few houses to look at over the past four months that were even close to being okay to live in without needing, say, 75K worth of work. Two interesting web sites for those of you interested in Seattle real estate: the Seattle Bubble blog and The Mortgage Porter, both of which I've been reading religiously for about four months along with scouring real estate listing site Redfin. I'm glad I can finally stop reading them all ! This is the last time I want to move for a while.
Now, my National Advanced Poetry Class is starting up in a week or two, plus I'm putting together a proposal this month for a very exciting possible project that I can't talk about yet but I will ask you guys to cross your fingers for me on...And writing a bunch of reviews. With the writing life, it's so much about a life of months of waiting, followed by two weeks of hectic opportunities that must be accomplished all at once...
Amid all the excitement, I want to say I'm excited about the upcoming April 4 reading at Hugo House for the persona poetry anthology A Face to Meet the Faces: An Anthology of Contemporary Persona Poetry
; I'll be reading my own poem included in the anthology, "When Red Becomes the Wolf," and also Charles Jensen's "After Oz." The other readers are all fantastic and I expect it to be a really fun happening.
Now, my National Advanced Poetry Class is starting up in a week or two, plus I'm putting together a proposal this month for a very exciting possible project that I can't talk about yet but I will ask you guys to cross your fingers for me on...And writing a bunch of reviews. With the writing life, it's so much about a life of months of waiting, followed by two weeks of hectic opportunities that must be accomplished all at once...
Amid all the excitement, I want to say I'm excited about the upcoming April 4 reading at Hugo House for the persona poetry anthology A Face to Meet the Faces: An Anthology of Contemporary Persona Poetry
; I'll be reading my own poem included in the anthology, "When Red Becomes the Wolf," and also Charles Jensen's "After Oz." The other readers are all fantastic and I expect it to be a really fun happening.
March 19, 2012
IthacaLit and a Tuesday Night Reading
So happy to be the featured poet up at IthacaLit. You can click here to read my interview there or here to read some poems (including some sneak peek new poems from my upcoming third book, Unexplained Fevers...see previous post for more news about that!)
And my last March reading...I happen to be reading in a coffee shop tonight with a few other talented writers in North Seattle at Seattle Mobile Espresso, 13000 Linden Avenue North – one block west of Aurora, from 7 PM to 8:30, part of the ThirdTuesdays Poets and Writers series.
The weather has been weirdly wintry, my life is in a whirlwind of upheavals, most of which are good. If we hear back positively tomorrow from a seller, we may have a new - and permanent - little homestead to move to within a month! Whereupon we will start the bookshelf-building and painting preparations...
And my last March reading...I happen to be reading in a coffee shop tonight with a few other talented writers in North Seattle at Seattle Mobile Espresso, 13000 Linden Avenue North – one block west of Aurora, from 7 PM to 8:30, part of the ThirdTuesdays Poets and Writers series.
The weather has been weirdly wintry, my life is in a whirlwind of upheavals, most of which are good. If we hear back positively tomorrow from a seller, we may have a new - and permanent - little homestead to move to within a month! Whereupon we will start the bookshelf-building and painting preparations...
March 17, 2012
Unexplained Fevers, my third book, coming out in 2013!!!
Yes, good news to announce today...It's official! Kitsune Books will publish my third book, "Unexplained Fevers," in late 2013!!!
This book is especially exciting for me because it will be a collaborative book with Bellevue painter Deborah Scott, and will be unusual because it will feature color art plates of her paintings along with my poems! If you take a look at her paintings, you will see why her art and my poems might be a good fit...she has a subversive sense of humor and pop culture influences in her fairy tale paintings that will be fantastic in the book! So I'm super excited!
Did I mention today I put in an offer on a townhouse as well? It's a day of contracts and excitement. And Happy Luck of the Irish! Since I'm turning 39 next month, there's this sense of everything coming together right before my 4th decade begins...
This book is especially exciting for me because it will be a collaborative book with Bellevue painter Deborah Scott, and will be unusual because it will feature color art plates of her paintings along with my poems! If you take a look at her paintings, you will see why her art and my poems might be a good fit...she has a subversive sense of humor and pop culture influences in her fairy tale paintings that will be fantastic in the book! So I'm super excited!
Did I mention today I put in an offer on a townhouse as well? It's a day of contracts and excitement. And Happy Luck of the Irish! Since I'm turning 39 next month, there's this sense of everything coming together right before my 4th decade begins...
