Susan Rich's Blog, page 36

New Review of The Strangest of Theatres in the Chicago Tribune

What fun to wake up to a review of The Strangest of Theatres edited by Jared Hawkley, Brian Turner, and me. Better yet to see that Elizabeth Granger had featured women writers in her piece including a focus on the essays by Carolyn Forche, Jane Hirshfield, and me. It is no small joy to be included in a line-up with poets I admire so deeply and who have been profound influences on my writing. I am really honored.


You can read the full review in the Chicago Tribune right here. In the meantime here is a brief excerpt:



At its strongest, the work probes identity — what it means to be other, in flux, cross-pollinating. In her essay on translation, Jane Hirshfield examines the initial skepticism and later acceptance of intercultural appropriation, by which "certain exotic trees have come to be treasured in their new countries." Although "(m)istrust of translation is part of the immune reaction by which every community attempts to preserve its particular heritage and flavor," Hirshfield asks, "what English speaker today would call iambic pentameter an imported meter, or think of the sonnet as an Italian form?"

Carolyn Forché explains how she learned to manipulate her identity. She and her husband, a journalist, roamed South Africa in order to document apartheid. "Officially, my husband would work at the Time bureau, and I would accompany him as wife and expectant mother," she writes with the wry confidence of a woman underestimated. Eventually Forché learned that her pregnancy eased the couple's passage through the country's roadblocks: "(A)s my womb swelled, I also grew invisible, no longer attracting police who would not wish to involve themselves with so pregnant a white woman."

Another writer struggles with the patronship that power earned her abroad. On her Fulbright year in South Africa, Susan Rich "carried with [her] a basket of ever-shifting questions." In her discussion of whether to hire servants, Rich wonders:

Author Photo For Cloud Pharmacy - This Isn't It!

Susan Rich, photo credit Kelli Russell AgodonWhat is it about author photos that makes us need to take ourselves so seriously? My friend Kelli Russell Agodon and I spent a wonderful Wednesday taking pictures of each other at the lovely home of my friend Jan. We learned so much about what makes a good photograph (soft light, texture, a willing subject) and so much about ourselves in terms of the author look we want to portray: smart, intense, iconic -- after all, those photographs are going to be around for a long time (we hope). So although this is my favorite photo -- the very last one Kelli took as I literally fell of the chair I was trying to balance on oh-so-nonchalantly -- it's not the one that will be on the back of Cloud Pharmacy.

If an author is lucky, there will be a few readings and an interview or two after the book comes out. Maybe this photograph will come in handy then. Or maybe my next book can be a series of comedic stories called I Fell Off My Chair and I Still Think Life is Funny.

If you want to do a do-it-yourself author photo here are some tips:

Use morning light -- near water is perfect.
An expensive camera that takes photos in high definition is needed
Use iphoto or photobucket to add contrast or fancy edges
Take lots of photographs; I mean keep clicking
Work with a friend you love and who loves you

I think I will write more on this and the other secrets of preparing for a book that no one really tells you about. For my last three books I actually hired a professional photographer -- friends of friends -- to do the picture. And let me just say, I hate having my photograph taken. This time, with a dear friend on the other end of the camera, it was actually fun!

Summer in Port Towsend

From Elevated Candy, by Kelli Russell Agodon

       Summertime and the moon and stars are starting to mix-it up.

Free Copy of The Strangest of Theatres: Poets Writing Across Borders from the Poetry Foundation to You

The Poetry Foundation is offering free downloads of The Strangest of Theatres: Poets Writing Across Borders. And you can download it right here.

This anthology contains new essays from Naomi Shihab Nye, Kazim Ali, Yusef Komunyakaa, and many other poets. A roundtable discussion on how to travel overseas via grants, programs, and true creativity includes stories from Elizabeth Austen, Derek Burleson, and Katherine Whitcomb. Finally, reprinted pieces from Elizabeth Bishop, Carolyn Forche, and W.S. Merwin make this a book you need to own --- if not in paperback or hard copy --- at least in pdf format.

Did I mention it's completely free?

Edited by Catherine Barnett, Jared Hawkley, Brian Turner, and me.

Accepting Submissions: New Journal from Istanbul -- and Me!

Someday I hope to travel to Istanbul. I want to see the Blue Mosque, the marketplace, and be immersed in the culture. Because I have traveled to Bosnia Herzegovina and spent time in Sarajevo, I feel I've learned something about Turkey. On my last trip to Sarajevo, I gave a reading at the International University of Sarajevo, and met some fantastic people. Among them were Mustafa and Reyan Bal.




Flash forward two years later and an email arrives inquiring as to whether I would like to be the poetry editor for a new endeavor, The Human journal. I'm on sabbatical so I say "yes, thank you!" not thinking about the work involved. Another year or more slips by and suddenly there is Mustafa again, filling my inbox with poetry.




Now that idea, those few emails, have turned into an international journal including poems by Kelli Russell Agodon, Lauren Camp, Jennifer Markell, and Hilary Sallick. There's work in English and Turkish. And yes, we are accepting submissions right now.




Here is the beginning of "Where We Live" by Hilary Sallick




Where We Live




There are places in the world

that aren’t in the world,

where we hold what’s missing

or never understood,




where a meaning

lies hidden

in the seam of things,




in a handful of stones

from a distant stone beach,

colorless and dry

in the basket by the window




where the edges of the pink

flowers slowly beginning

to darken turn

inward




whole other lives

submerged inside this one,



ghost-prints the artist (to continue reading click here to download)

Everything's Better With Ice Cream

I confess to an ice cream addiction. If I lived in the town I am visiting right now I would weigh a great deal more. I confess that gorging on "Blind Love" and "Espresso Chip" wouldn't be a bad way to go. If I write all day today my reward will be a walk to town and a small cone. Perhaps this is a "Chocolate Orange" kind of day. Here's to summer; the season of poetry and ice cream.

Summer in the House of Sky

Sweet Peas from the new raised bedsI love summer. I love the heat, the planting, the harvesting; even the weeding can be a meditation. It always takes me a few weeks to transition from super crazed life to something more of my own making. Instead of grading papers, I can clean the refrigerator of science experiments; I can say hello to the cats.

Don't get me wrong. I am still overwhelmed by the work I need to do. I have a book contract with a firm deadline of August (gulp) 1st, a Poets on the Coast writing retreat to plan, and some projects for school. This is not a summer of bon bons and brie. And yet, I can feel the hectic life fall away. As many projects as I am working on, I can do most of them in my pajamas. It is a lovely antidote to the car commute, the meetings, the teachings of the academic year. There is time to breathe.

My wish for this summer is for the tomatoes to ripen early, the basil to survive the slugs, and the opportunity for a few good hikes and swims. Simple pleasures is the theme this season. No international travel, no big trips; I'm here in the northwest desiring only to get reacquainted with my life.

Although I'm a day early for Thankful Thursday, this is the theme for me. I've been lucky and I've created a good life for myself; I'm thankful to be alive in the here and the now.

In Praise of Journals that Publish Poetry and Their Editors

In a country that highlights Capitalism wherever it can, poetry journals have become a peaceful protest against money first. The majority of literary journals in this country (and other countries even more so) are done on a lima bean budget. The editors I know devote  late night hours each week to reading, editing, corresponding, fact checking and producing attractive magazines --- with no ad money.

In other words: editors are good people. They believe in the radical notion that poetry matters. Sometimes, a college English department supports the journal's staff, but this is becoming rarer. Other times as with Crab Creek Review and Floating Bridge Review, which are unaffiliated, the journals hold annual contests to bring in funds and sometimes do an end of the year letter so they can continue to cover printing costs. In view of full disclosure, I have edited and been on the board of these last two journals. 

Other journals such as the Heron Tree or Cura Journal work as online journals and then publish in hard copy one issue per year. I appreciate this hybrid notion that paper copy and pdf's both matter.

I've now have joined the ranks permanently as Poetry Editor for The Human journal based in Istanbul, Turkey. This Sunday our inaugural issue will go live and I promise to post the link here. We will feature poems by Kelli Russell Agodon, Jennifer Markell, and Hilary Salick, among others. And This is what has me thinking about the world of editors.

1. Poetry Editors are almost always poets themselves. They take time away from their own work to promote other writers and allow new work entry into the world.

2. No one gets rich or becomes famous as a poetry editor. They do work for free or little money.

3. Perhaps this is obvious: editors are people. They appreciate a kind word, a brief thank you note, some acknowledgement that you noticed. Be kind to your editor and they will return the favor.

4. If an editor accepts your work, you can send them new poems (you may want to wait a year or so). They've liked what you've done and may like it again. In any case, it is worth building a relationship with a journal. Think long term relationship rather than one night stand.

5. It's summer even in Seattle. Perhaps especially in Seattle, people want to get outside and play. If a journal takes longer than expected to respond to your work, don't shoot off a worried email, just be patient. (Also check the submission guidelines as many journals do not read in summer.)

Other journals that I've found respectful to writers and beautiful for readers include the Alaska Quarterly Review, Bellingham Review, New England Review, the Southern Review, Poetry International and Poet Lore. There are, of course, many more but these are journals that have been kind to me over time. Both Alaska Quarterly Review and Bellingham Review have published my work for more than twenty years. Not every time I sent, and not every year, but the relationship continues to thrive through various editors and iterations.

If you've worked with an editor who has been thoughtful, accommodating, and careful - why not say thank you? We're all in this together ---

Almost Summer and Things to Look At!

Photographer: Matthew Christopher
A bit small here, but you get the idea. I'm looking at images and have one in mind, but would love to get a sense of what others think. I've been looking and looking at images.


This is a newer image by the painter Nicola Slattery whose work I first saw in West Cork last summer. This is very different than what I've been looking at.


Another painting by Nicola Slattery, with a great big tip to Chagall's The Bride.


Another photograph by Matthew Christopher of the Abandoned America project. This was taken at a TB asylum in Taunton, Massachusetts, not too far from where I grew up. Which piece of art grabs you the most? Which would you choose for a book of poems called CLOUD PHARMACY? I have one in mind but love the idea of receiving more input. Many thanks.

Generating New Work and Sending Polished Poems into the World: We Can Hold a Place for You

 Why not reserve one of three spots left?Our last one day workshop was offered on Ground Hog Day and now, by popular demand, we've added a Generating New Work: Sending (Polished) Poems into the World on Flag Day weekend. What better way to celebrate the minor holidays then with poetry? Join us in the South Lake Union neighborhood for an afternoon of writing and a writers salon.

You will leave the afternoon with drafts of six poems, a submission sent off (by Kelli and me) to a journal hand-picked for you, and your questions answered on publishing. We'll also throw in some great snacks and a list of journals that you can submit to over the summer months.
The class is open to writers at all levels: from those who have yet to send their work for publication to those who are old pros. We're going to have fun and we hope you can join us. To find out more specifics, you can click right here.