Diane Lockward's Blog, page 28

The Last Line

Last weekend I saw Robert Caro being interviewed on TV. Caro is the biographer of Lyndon B. Johnson. To date, he has written four biographies of Johnson and is at work on the fifth and final one. It has taken him thirty years to get this far. Thirty years devoted to one project!



Caro, now 76, expects this last book to take ten years. The interviewer tactfully asked if he worried about being able to complete this final biography. Caro replied, yes, of course, but one carries on anyhow. The interviewer then pointed out what is apparently a characteristic of Caro's writing process: he already has the final sentence written. When asked, Caro declined to share the sentence, saying that would spoil the ending for him. I completely understood that unwillingness to talk about a work while it is in progress. I've heard many a writer say they'd killed a project by over-talking it.



And yet I thought how different the process was for a fiction writer or a poet. I've heard fiction writers talk about the thrill of discovery and the pleasure of invention. I've heard of fiction writers who write towards a particular ending, but do any of them map out the entire journey or have that last sentence before the writing has begun?



Now I suspect that some of our highly prolific fiction writers, e.g., James Patterson, Stephen King, might very well pre-plan a plot. But where's the fun? There's a well-known story about a writer who lost the manuscript for her novel. When a friend said, Well, you can just write it over again, the writer replied, No, I couldn't do that. I already know what happens. (I can't recall who this writer was, but I'm counting on one of you to supply the name.)



I don't know of any poets who even want to have the final line in mind before writing. The excitement of writing a poem is precisely the not-knowing where it's going. I want the sweet surprise of the ending, that closing I never envisioned but somehow arrived at. It typically takes me days, weeks, even months to get that last line. But until I get it, the poem's not done. If I knew what it was ahead of time, I don't think I'd be interested in writing the poem.



How about you?

Get Back in the Groove with Wingbeats

In my monthly Poetry Newsletter I always include a book recommendation. Wait—what do you mean you don't get my Poetry Newsletter? Time to fix that. Go here to sign up: http://eepurl.com/bfoCw  Or go to the sidebar to the right of this blog post and use the form there. The next issue will go out on February 1 and will include a Craft Tip from Susan Laughter Meyers, a poem by Caitlin Doyle, and a prompt based on the poem. Also included will be a book recommendation, a video, and some links.







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Anyhow, in January's issue I included a recommendation for Wingbeats: Exercises and Practice in Poetry, edited by Scott Wiggerman and David Meischen. I want to mention that book here, too. Since I've been up to my earlobes getting my forthcoming craft book, The Crafty Poet, ready to send off to my publisher, I've been finding it hard to find the time or the creative brain power to crank out some new poems of my own. Now, however, I'm zeroing in on the final stages of my work on the book and have again been making morning time for my own writing. 




But guess what? My brain was sort of dead, stale, out of practice, tilted to the wrong side. So I picked up Wingbeats, a book I'd already read months ago. As is my usual practice, I'd marked the Table of Contents to indicate which prompts most interested me, the ones I thought I'd want to try. The first few just got me back in practice, exercising some lazy muscles. But the one I started last Thursday, that one lit a fire. So I'm back in the groove. And I still have 15 more circled prompts to try. Then I'll push myself to try the ones that didn't interest me as much. Who knows what surprises they might yield?




This is a perfect time of the year for a gift for yourself. Let that gift be a book of prompts. After the craziness of the end of the year—holidays, grades, and most likely neglect of your own poetry—it's time to get the engines revving again. I'm keen on prompts. I like the challenge, the sweet surprise of them. I like being pushed in new directions. If you feel the same way—or even if you don't—treat yourself to a copy of Wingbeats. I think you'll want to buy rather than borrow this book so you can mark it up and return to it repeatedly.





The book contains approximately sixty prompts by several dozen poets. The prompts are divided into seven sections with such headings as "Springboards to Imagination," "Exploring the Senses," and "Complicating the Poem." Each prompt includes specific instructions for preparation and procedure. Copious examples of poems by published poets and students are included.




The contributors include Ellen Bass, Barbara Hamby, Naomi Shihab Nye, Patricia Smith, and Lewis Turco. Many of the contributors are teachers as well as poets.




Priced under $20, this book is an irresistible bargain.

For Female Formalists

The new issue of Mezzo Cammin has recently gone live. The journal appears twice a year and is limited to formal poetry by women. Each issue also features an artist. This issue's artist is Jean Shin whose installations are shown in photos, along with a bio and a discussion of her work.



The journal is the brainchild of poet Kim Bridgford who created the website and serves as the journal's editor. The journal evolved out of a seminar on women's poetry held at The Westchester Poetry Conference several years ago.



Another outgrowth of the conference is The Mezzo Cammin Women Poets Timeline Project, which was officially launched in March 2010 and will eventually be the largest database of women poets in the world. Dozens of women poets have entries, each written by another woman poet. Along the top of the Timeline page, date ranges are listed. Click on one to find a linked list of poets covered in that time range. This is an invaluable resource, and it's still growing.



In addition to poetry, each issue of the journal includes essays on any aspect of poetry in form, received or invented, by a woman.



The current issue includes 17 women poets, one of whom is me. I'm joined by the following:



Diann Blakely



Terese Coe



Edna Coyle-Greene



Erica Dawson (Featured Poet)



Nicole Caruso Garcia



Terry Godbey



Tracey Gratch



Athena Kildegaard



Diane Lockward          



Mary McLean



Mary Meriam          



Jennifer Reeser        



Susan Spear      



Myrna Stone        



Doris Watts        



Gail White



Marly Youmans



My poems are Apple Rondeau and In My Yard, the Bones of Trees. The first is obviously a rondeau, fun form which you should try if you haven't already. The second is written in tercets.



A bio and photo are included for each poet. The editor limits the number of poets included in each issue but includes 2-3 poems by each poet, more by the featured poet.

An Invented Form: The Gigan

I love invented forms, the challenge of them, the risks they entail. So when I recently learned of the Gigan, I pounced on it. This form was invented by poet Ruth Ellen Kocher. Kocher named the form in honor of her favorite monster from Godzilla.



Here are the rules:

1. The poem is 16 lines.

2. The lines are broken into couplet, tercet, couplet, couplet, couplet, tercet, couplet.

3. Line 1 is repeated as line 11.

4. Line 6 is repeated as line 12.

5. Ideally, the closing couplet should put a twist on the poem.



You can sample a number of Kocher's gigans online at From the Fishouse. The text of each poem is provided, along with an audio of the poet reading the poem.

You can also listen to Kocher talk about her gigan project. The talk is just a bit over 2 minutes.



Here's a sample gigan from Kocher:

the gigans: iii.


i would give up anjou pears for you, and their cousins
the bosque, which are more beautiful, wrapped ochre,

wrapped gold around their small deaths--wrapped securely
as though they know an old friend will call, say love, say
no. and this old friend, he would die for a crust of earth

peeled back to reveal some buried bliss, a dance of bees
singing out the ruined pleasure of their battle, their lavish

avenues of forsythia, their swank arias of roses, inked roses,
sung roses that want most to be the silk worm’s slink and cower.

pity them, their faithless world, their bruised
and darkening red. i would give up anjou pears for you.

i would peel away their splendorous backs to reveal the equation
we build our hunger upon, the dank musk of decay turned sweet,
the soil’s woe begotten centuries mulched into pollen, nectar.

think of the silk worm’s desire--its dreams of mulberry leaf,
its singular drive toward the green silhouette of rapture.


***************************************************

Here's one by Evie Shockley, from her book, the new black . This poem was previously featured on Poetry Daily.



celestial
     

            —L.A., THE MID-1950s


her name was ella, elle, french for all woman,


everywoman, she, the third person, feminine,


hippy, buxom, regal curls piled atop her head, 


soft shiny crown for her diamond voice, the soaring 


swooping bird, the orchestra in her throat, the stars


in her eyes, the star in front of her eyes each night, 


one week, at the mocambo, her name was norma,


she wasn't normal, blonde, her name was marilyn, 


the i in angelic, first person, created, an immaculate


concept, the image of pure beauty, sound, power, 


her name was ella, elle in french, all women,


in her, i's, the star in front of her eyes, each night,


glamorous, first lady of song, iconic, backstage, 


the effort behind the effortlessness, the exercise,


the training, the makeup that made up the woman, 


her name was norma, marilyn, ella, est-elle, the star.
                              

******************************************

Now go grab a pen and get going on your own gigan.

Southern Poetry Review

Click to Subscribe


Let's kick off 2013 by getting back to poetry! So long, Santa. So long, Malls. So long, Online Stores (but bless you for making life easier).



You may recall that several months ago I posted a list of print journals that include poetry only or poetry and reviews of poetry books. One of those that I was interested in was Southern Poetry Review, the second oldest poetry journal in its region. I submitted some poems and was delighted to have one accepted.



That poem, "Morning Walk," now appears in the latest issue of the journal. Due to Hurricane Sandy, this issue took longer than it should have to reach me as lots of New Jersey mail was destroyed, including, apparently, my contributor's copies. After seeing references to the new issue and receiving a few notes from people who'd seen my poem, I realized that my copy was missing and I contacted the editor. He very kindly sent me two additional copies.



I am now not only a contributor but also a subscriber. I look forward to more of this outstanding journal. I like it because of its limitation to poetry. I also like it because the journal is just the right size. At 6 x 9, it's comfortable to hold. I like the artwork on the cover, a photo by Andrew Ilachinski. I like it because it's limited to a reasonable number of poets. This issue has 28 poets and takes up 58 pages. I'm guessing that other issues have more poets, but this issue has a handful of longish poems. Then a few pages of Contributors' Notes, each note giving the poet's location, most recent book title, and a few publication credits.



Southern Poetry Review publishes two issues per year. A subscription is only $14. That's $7 per issue! Now that's a serious bargain. Submissions are read all year, snail mail only.



Here's a list of the poets in the current issue:





William Archila

Jacqueline Berger

Chana Bloch

Jody Bolz

Robert Brickhouse

Fleda Brown

Don Colburn

John DesMarais

Jane Elkins

Michelle Gillett






Jeff Hardin 

David Kirby

Richard Krohn

Ann Lauinger

Diane Lockward

Debra Marquart

Lynn McGee 

Janet McNally

Susan Laughter Myers



Jeff Miles 

Hayden Saunier

Susan Schmidt

Floyd Skloot

Alexandra Teague

Craig van Rooyen

Kathy Whitson

Mary-Sherman Willis

Steven Winn

Yes, Virginia

Each Christmas I like to revisit the following essay from the The Sun. My grandmother read it to me many years ago. I've always remembered it. If you don't already know this piece, I hope you'll enjoy it. I also hope you'll have a Merry Christmas if that's what you're celebrating. And I hope you'll have a wonderful New Year. Thank you for being a Blogalicious reader. And a special thank-you to all who have supported my poetry this past year.



Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's The Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial September 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.



Here's Virginia's letter:



"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.

"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.

"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'

"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?



"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.

"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."



Here's the reply:



VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.



Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.



Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.



You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.



No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Eating Poetry

I love literary food blogs. So I am very pleased that food blogger and writer Nicole Gulotta recently featured my poem, Blueberry, at her site, Eat This Poem. The site is fairly new but already includes an impressive list of poets, such as Jane Hirshfield, Li-Young Lee, Louise Gluck, and Jane Kenyon. You will find a delicious variety of poets and poems at the site.



But wait! There's more. Nicole includes a thoughtful discussion of each featured poem, stunning photos, and an appropriate recipe with a mouth-watering photo of the prepared dish. My poem is accompanied by a recipe for Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes, a recipe inspired by Nicole's memory of her grandmother.



Please pay a visit to the feature. Then also, if you're on Facebook (and who isn't?), go there and Like the Eat This Poem page. You can also subscribe to Nicole's email newsletter at the website.





Here are a few other literary food blogs to check out:



Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup.



Jonelle Galloway's The Rambling Epicure.

While at The Rambling Epicure, be sure to check out the ongoing feature, Food Poetry.



Not a blog but the online journal, Alimentum, is another good place to visit. Considers previously unpublished food poetry.

The Perfect Gift and Just in Time

Shafiq Naz has again published the Alhambra Poetry Desk Calendar. I can't think of a more perfect holiday gift, for poets and non-poets alike.



The calendar includes a poem for each day of the year. You will find more than 300 poets, classic and contemporary. Many poems are accompanied by commentary from their poets. This is a great combination desk calendar and anthology.



The price is $29.95



The best place to purchase the Alhambra Poetry Calendar 2013 is at the Academy of American Poets online store.



My poem, "Linguini," is nestled among poems by the following poets:



DICK ALLEN * MONIZA ALVI * NIN ANDREWS * ANONYMOUS * TALVIKKI ANSEL * RAE ARMANTROUT * MATTHEW ARNOLD * ROBERT BAGG * DAVID BAKER * CHRISTIANNE BALK * MARY JO BANG * JANE BARKER * WILLIAM BARNES * ELLEN BASS * DAN BEACHY-QUICK * THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES * JACK B. BEDELL *AMY BEEDER * APHRA BEHN * CHARLES BERNSTEIN * AMBROSE BIERCE * LINDA BIERDS * DAVID BIESPIEL * SOPHIE CABOT BLACK * WILLIAM BLAKE * ADRIAN BLEVINS * ROBERT BLY * STEPHANIE BOLSTER * BRUCE BOND * TODD BOSS * WILLIAM LISLE BOWLES * ROBERT BRIDGES * GEOFFREY BROCK * CHARLOTTE BRONTË * EMILY BRONTË * RUPERT BROOKE * JOEL BROUWER * WILLIAM BROWNE * ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING * ROBERT BROWNING * WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT * COLETTE BRYCE * JOHN BUNYAN * ROBERT BURNS * KATHRYN STRIPLING BYER * THOMAS CAMPION * VAHNI CAPILDEO * CAROLINE CARVER * CHRISTINE CASSON * ANN CEFOLA * GEORGE CHAPMAN * THOMAS CHATTERTON * GEOFFREY CHAUCER * G. K. CHESTERTON * JOHN CLARE * ANDREA COHEN * SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE * MORTIMER COLLINS * CALLY CONAN-DAVIES * DAVID CONSTANTINE * WILLIAM JOHNSON CORY * ABRAHAM COWLEY * WILLIAM COWPER * GEORGE CRABBE * HART CRANE * STEPHEN CRANE * RICHARD CRASHAW * SAMUEL DANIEL * JOHN DAVIDSON * SIR JOHN DAVIES * JOHN DAVIES OF HEREFORD * W. H. DAVIES * JON DAVIS * DANIEL DEFOE * GREG DELANTY * SIR JOHN DENHAM * CARL DENNIS * TOI DERRICOTTE * EMILY DICKINSON * FRED DINGS * GREGORY DJANIKIAN * JOHN DONNE * ERNEST DOWSON * MICHAEL DRAYTON * JOHN DRYDEN * SASHA DUGDALE * DENISE DUHAMEL * IAN DUHIG * STEPHEN DUNN * STUART DYBEK * SIR EDWARD DYER * GEORGE ELIOT * ALISTAIR ELLIOT * RALPH WALDO EMERSON * EDWARD FIELD * ANNE FINCH, COUNTESS OF WINCHILSEA * ANNIE FINCH * JOHN FLETCHER * WILLIAM FOWLER * CAROL FROST * ROBERT FROST * JOHN FULLER * ALICE FULTON * JOHN GAY * DOREEN GILDROY * MARIA MAZZIOTTI GILLAN * DANA GIOIA * BARNABE GOOGE * GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON * THOMAS GRAY * JESSICA GREENBAUM * LINDA GREGERSON * EAMON GRENNAN * KELLE GROOM * IVOR GURNEY * MARILYN HACKER * RACHEL HADAS * KIMIKO HAHN * SASKIA HAMILTON * SOPHIE HANNAH * THOMAS HARDY * JOY HARJO * JAMES HARMS * DAVID HARSENT * DOLORES HAYDEN * WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY * JOHN HENNESSY * HENRY VIII, KING OF ENGLAND * GEORGE HERBERT* MARY SIDNEY HERBERT * DAVID HERNANDEZ * ROBERT HERRICK * BOB HICOK * BRENDA HILLMAN *  EDWARD HIRSCH * JANE HIRSHFIELD * H. L. HIX * TONY HOAGLAND * RICHARD HOFFMANN * THOMAS HOOD * PAUL HOOVER * GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS * JOHN HOPPENTHALER * A. E. HOUSMAN * HENRY HOWARD, EARL OF SURREY * ANDREW HUDGINS * GLYN HUGHES * T. E. HULME * MARIA HUMMEL LEIGH HUNT * MARK IRWIN * HELEN IVORY * AMANDA JERNIGAN * JAMES WELDON JOHNSON * LIONEL JOHNSON * SAMUEL JOHNSON * DEVIN JOHNSTON * LIBBY FALK JONES * BEN JONSON * JAMES JOYCE * MARILYN KALLET * LAURA KASISCHKE * JOHN KEATS * X. J. KENNEDY * WAQAS KHWAJA JOHN KINSELLA * SUSAN KINSOLVING * RUDYARD KIPLING * DEBORAH LANDAU * WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR * D. H. LAWRENCE * SYDNEY LEA * EDWARD LEAR * ELEANOR LERMAN * PHILLIS LEVIN * TIM LIARDET * SARAH LINDSAY * DIANE LOCKWARD * WILLIAM LOGAN * HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW * RICHARD LOVELACE * AMY LOWELL * JOHN LYLY * AMIT MAJMUDAR * RANDALL MANN * CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE  * ANDREW MARVELL * JOHN MASEFIELD * DAVID MASON * EDGAR LEE MASTERS * CLEOPATRA MATHIS * JOHN MATTHIAS * GARDNER MCFALL * JOSHUA MEHIGAN * HERMAN MELVILLE * GEORGE MEREDITH * RICHARD MICHELSON * JOHN MILTON * ROBERT MINHINNICK * CAROL MOLDAW * LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU * ELIZABETH MOODY * THOMAS MOORE * WILLIAM MORRIS * PAUL MULDOON * THOMAS NASHE * WILLIAM NEW * RICHARD NEWMAN * AIMEE NEZHUKUMATATHIL * BARBARA NICKEL * EDWARD NOBLES * MARY NOONAN * CHRISTOPHER NORTH * KATHERINE NORTHROP * D. NURKSE * NAOMI SHIHAB NYE * JOHN BOYLE O’REILLY * WILFRED OWEN * ERIC PANKEY * JAY PARINI * ELISE PARTRIDGE * LINDA PASTAN * COVENTRY PATMORE * MOLLY PEACOCK * WALTER PATER * GEORGE PEELE * PASCALE PETIT * ROBERT PINSKY * DONALD O. PLATT * EDGAR ALLAN POE * ALEXANDER POPE * D. A. POWELL * MATTHEW PRIOR * ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER * SIMON RAE * SIR WALTER RALEIGH * JAMES RICHARDSON * ATSURO RILEY * ROBIN ROBERTSON * EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON * PETER ROBINSON * PADRAIG ROONEY * ISAAC ROSENBERG * J. ALLYN ROSSER * CHRISTINA ROSSETTI * DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI * MICHAEL RYAN * LAWRENCE SAIL * FIONA SAMPSON * CARL SANDBERG * REG SANER * GEORGE SANTAYANA * ROBERT SAXTON * GRACE SCHULMAN * SIR WALTER SCOTT * SIR CHARLES SEDLEY * WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE * RAVI SHANKAR * DON SHARE * PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY * ANDREW SHIELDS * VIVIAN SHIPLEY * ROBERT SOUTHEY * PENELOPE SHUTTLE * SIR PHILIP SIDNEY * JOHN SKELTON * ED SKOOG * TOM SLEIGH BRUCE SMITH * CHARLOTTE SMITH * LISA RUSS SPAAR * EDMUND SPENSER * ELIZABETH SPIRES * A. E. STALLINGS * ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON * DABNEY STUART * MATTHEW SWEENEY * JONATHAN SWIFT * ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE * J. M. SYNGE * ARTHUR SZE * GEORGE SZIRTES * MARILYN L. TAYLOR * SARA TEASDALE * ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON * WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY * EDWARD THOMAS * JAMES THOMSON * ADAM THORPE * RICHARD TILLINGHAST * DANIEL TOBIN * BRIAN TURNER * MARK TWAIN * WENDY VIDELOCK * KEITH WALDORP * SUE WALKER * EDMUND WALLER * ROSANNA WARREN * MICHAEL WATERS * WALT WHITMAN * OSCAR WILDE * JOHN WILMOT, EARL OF ROCHESTER * ELEANOR WILNER * TERRI WITEK * CECILIA WOLOCH * WILLIAM WORDSWORTH * BARON WORMSER * ROBERT WRIGLEY * MARY WROTH * SIR THOMAS WYATT * ELINOR WYLIE * WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS * STEPHEN YENSER * GARY YOUNG * MATTHEW ZAPRUDER *





New this year is a calendar for young readers. Here, too, there's a poem for every day of the year. Poems are by more than 200 poets. What a wonderful way to instill a love of poetry in young readers! At year's end, the calendar can be saved as an anthology.



The price is $22.95.



The Poetry Calendar for Young Readers 2013 is also available at the Academy of American Poets online store.



These are serious poems, ones written for adult readers but holding appeal for young readers.



My poem, "Blueberry," finds itself hanging out with poems by the following poets:



THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH * DICK ALLEN * WILLIAM ALLINGHAM * WALTER ANCARROW * NIN ANDREWS * ANONYMOUS * MATTHEW ARNOLD * DAVID BAKER * CHRISTIANNE BALK * MARY JO BANG * THOMAS BASTARD * DAN BEACHY-QUICK * JACK B. BEDELL * THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES * HENRY CHARLES BEECHING * HILAIRE BELLOC * MARGARET BETHAM-EDWARDS * WILLIAM BLAKE * STEPHANIE BOLSTER * ANNE BRADSTREET * GEOFFREY BROCK * EMILY BRONTË *RUPERT BROOKE * TOM BROWN * ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING * ROBERT BROWNING * JOHN BUNYAN * ROBERT BURNS * KATHRYN STRIPLING BYER * BLISS CARMAN * LEWIS CARROLL * CAROLINE CARVER * ANN CEFOLA * G. K. CHESTERTON * COLLEY CIBBER * JOHN CLARE * SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE * SARA COLERIDGE * CALLY CONAN-DAVIES * HELEN GRAY CONE * GEORGE COOPER * RICHARD CORBET * WILLIAM COWPER * STEPHEN CRANE * W. H. DAVIES * CHARLES DICKENS * EMILY DICKINSON * GREGORY DJANIKIAN * JOHN DONNE * LORD ALFRED DOUGLAS * ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE * SASHA DUGDALE * PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR * GEORGE ELIOT * RALPH WALDO EMERSON * EDWARD FIELD * JAMES THOMAS FIELDS * ANNIE FINCH * JAMES ELROY FLECKER * ROBERT FROST * JOHN FULLER * ALICE FULTON OLIVER GOLDSMITH * GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON * KENNETH GRAHAME * KIMIKO HAHN * THOMAS HARDY * JAMES HARMS * DAVID HARSENT * FELICIA DOROTHEA HEMANS * JOHN HENNESSY * GEORGE HERBERT * DAVID HERNANDEZ * ROBERT HERRICK * WILLIAM HICKSON * EDWARD HIRSCH * HEINRICH HOFFMANN * THOMAS HOOD * PAUL HOOVER * GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS * JOHN HOPPENTHALER * A. E. HOUSMAN * RICHARD HOVEY * HENRY HOWARD, EARL OF SURREY * ANDREW HUDGINS * T. E. HULME * LEIGH HUNT * HELEN IVORY * HELEN HUNT JACKSON * AMANDA JERNIGAN * LIBBY FALK JONES * BEN JONSON * JAMES JOYCE * JOHN KEATS * X. J. KENNEDY * JOYCE KILMER * CHARLES KINGSLEY * SUSAN KINSOLVING * RUDYARD KIPLING * CHARLES LAMB * MARY LAMB * WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR * D. H. LAWRENCE * EMMA LAZARUS * EDWARD LEAR * ELEANOR LERMAN * PHILLIS LEVIN * VACHEL LINDSAY * DIANE LOCKWARD * HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW * JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL * JOHN LYLY * AMIT MAJMUDAR * KATHERINE MANSFIELD * WALTER DE LA MARE * CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE * JOHN MASEFIELD * DAVID MASON * JOEL MCCREA * GARDNER MCFALL * JOSHUA MEHIGAN * HERMAN MELVILLE * RICHARD MICHELSON * EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY * JOHN MILTON * CAROL MOLDAW * EDITH NESBIT * WILLIAM NEW * SIR HENRY NEWBOLT * RICHARD NEWMAN * AIMEE NEZHUKUMATATHIL * BARBARA NICKEL * EDWARD NOBLES * CHRISTOPHER NORTH * ALFRED NOYES * NAOMI SHIHAB NYE * JOHN O’KEEFE * OTTÓ ORBÁN * ELISE PARTRIDGE * LINDA PASTAN * COVENTRY PATMORE * MOLLY PEACOCK * JOSEPHINE PRESTON PEABODY * HUGH PETERS * MARJORIE PICKTHALL * DONALD O. PLATT * EDGAR ALLAN POE * ALEXANDER POPE * SIMON RAE * SIR WALTER RALEIGH * SIR WALTER A. RALEIGH * WILLIAM BRIGHTY RANDS * JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY * PADRAIG ROONEY * CHRISTINA ROSSETTI * DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI * MICHAEL RYAN * LAWRENCE SAIL * CARL SANDBERG * JOHN GODFREY SAXE * SIR WALTER SCOTT * SIR CHARLES SEDLEY * ALAN SEEGER * WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE * PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY * ANDREW SHIELDS * SIR PHILIP SIDNEY * EDWARD ROLAND SILL * ROBERT SOUTHEY * EDMUND SPENSER * ELIZABETH SPIRES * A. E. STALLINGS * ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON * DABNEY STUART * MATTHEW SWEENEY * ARTHUR SZE * ERNÖ SZÉP * GEORGE SZIRTES * JANE TAYLOR * MARILYN L. TAYLOR * SARA TEASDALE * ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON * WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY * EDWARD THOMAS * ADAM THORPE * DANIEL TOBIN * MICHAEL WATERS * ISAAC WATTS * SÁNDOR WEÖRES * WALT WHITMAN * JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER *ELLA WHEELER WILCOX * JOHN WILMOT, EARL OF ROCHESTER * ELEANOR WILNER * TERRI WITEK * WILLIAM WORDSWORTH * SIR THOMAS WYATT * ELINOR WYLIE * WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS * GARY YOUNG * MATTHEW ZAPRUDER * ZOLTÁN ZELK

True Crimes and Misdemeanors

Click Cover for Amazon

I'm a big fan of true crime books. Not mystery books. I want the real thing. I'm sure most people would find this predilection out of character and I admit I've wondered about it myself. Is there something wrong with me, something ghoulish? I've even written a poem about it, Why I Read True Crime Books, a sestina, of all things, a form that I wrestled with for months. 

So when I heard that Joe McGinniss had a new book in progress, my ears perked up. This new work is of double interest to me because it's being released in serial form. McGinniss says the old way of publishing books is on its way out. Of course, publication by serialization isn't new; it's an old method resurrected. Charles Dickens, for one, published his novels chapter by chapter in magazines and newspapers. This "new" way seems ideal for people who love their Kindles. And while some of us might feel frustrated and impatient waiting for the next installment, don't we already do that for TV series?

The series title is 15 Gothic Street which is the address of a courthouse in Boston. That's the setting where each episode, a criminal trial, takes place. My impression, then, is that each episode will be self-contained. Each episode gets its own title. The first is "Primitive," which sells for $.99. The second episode is "The Human Circus," which is now available and sells for $2.99. It looks like subsequent episodes will be released at 2-3 month intervals. At the completion of the series, McGinniss plans to release the entire book in traditional book form. I wonder if this will boost sales?

The work is published by Byliner Serials. The press offers this description of their work: "Byliner commissions, collects, and curates quick-read stories from the world's best writers." Visit the website for a list of the authors on board. Apparently, getting on board is by invitation only. I wonder if this will start a hot trend?

I also wonder if this could translate to poetry. How would you price a single poem? Just think, as I often do, if a poetry book contains 40 poems and sells for $15, the poems are going for less than $.40 a piece. And yet how many people shell out money for novels but won't do the same for poetry books? Surely, a poetry book is one of the best bargains around, especially considering that the poems so often bear repeated readings.

So let me end with a reminder that the perfect holiday gift is a poetry book. Let's all buy at least one poetry book for someone we care about. It would be a crime not to.

Sorry, I Don't Remember

Some years ago I heard a well-known poet say that if you hadn't memorized your poems, you weren't a real poet. I cringed, first of all, because I hate generalized rules like that, and then because I dislike the arrogance such a statement implies. But mostly I cringed because I had not memorized my poems.



Last week I watched a video, The Florida Book Awards 2010 Award Winner Interview with Lola Haskins, in which Haskins is interviewed about her poetry book, Still, the Mountain (Paper Kite Press, 2010). In talking about the organization of the book, Haskins mentions that the poems were written over a span of quite a few years. But when putting them together in a book, she wanted a deliberate organizational plan. Explaining how she came up with her plan, she says, "I know all my poems by heart," so she simply laid out just the titles, not the poems. She didn't need the poems because she had them all memorized. She what?



That amazed me. A more common experience for me is to be looking over my poems and finding one that startles me because I barely remember having written it. When I'm in the midst of making submissions, I review my list of titles and sometimes have to open a poem to remind myself what it's about. When organizing a book, I need titles AND poems.



Knowing that other poets can remember all their poems or even large numbers of them makes me feel somewhat inadequate. Is this a brain deficiency, a gift that others have that wasn't bestowed on me? And those poets at readings who carry no books or papers to the microphone but recite from memory—how do they do it? I rehearse my poems before a reading, so I have some lines memorized which enables me to make eye contact, but I do not have whole poems committed to memory.



Performance poets, especially, seem to have this talent. Taylor Mali and Patricia Smith come to mind. But I'm always a little worried for them. I recall a reading I attended several years ago at which a performance poet got started with his reading, poems safely memorized, then halfway through he just forgot and could not get back on track. It was painful to watch that.



When I have a poem in progress, I usually have it memorized, or close to it, and I love that because it enables me to carry the poem around in my head and work on it when I'm supposed to be doing something else. But once the poem is fully committed to paper, revised and revised, and deemed done, I'm onto the next poem and the previous one falls out of my memory.



I also envy and admire those poets who have memorized large chunks of poems by other poets. Maybe I can get a line or two, but not whole poems. I can put the poem in my memory, but I can't make it stay there forever the way other people can. I love the expression "to know by heart" with its implication of feeling the poem, and I do feel the poem, my own and ones by other poets, but eventually, poof. Gone.



Please tell me that I'm not the only poet who lacks this talent of memorizing poems.