Susan Rich's Blog, page 73

When Will the Lion Become a Lamb?

This is what I am waiting for; this is what I need. The scent of daphne is starting to meet me on the front walk and there are a few buds on the cherry blossoms next door, but I am in need of flowers today!

Try This: The Poetry Box and Mary Kollar

Last night I was contacted by Seattle citizen,  retired teacher, and poetry lover Mary Kollar. For the last seven years, Mary Kollar, has been posting poems through the poem box (pictured here) outside her Seattle home.  By way of a simple wooden box posted in front of her house, Mary distributes Frost, Neruda, Rilke and local poets to anyone whose interested. Each month, over 200 poems find their way into the hands of joggers, parents, students and neighbors. Kollar began this project after the 2004 presidential election. At the time Kollar (and many others felt) that our language was being twisted and tangled at the hands of politicians. In her small but powerful way, Kollar took a stand to defend language and allow for it to re-enter the pubic domain. At the end of the article (published in a University of Washington newsletter) Kollar mentions that another neighbor has created his own poetry box. What would our world be like if there were poetry boxes on every block instead of billboards or newspaper kiosks? Why not

Where the Sidewalk Ends, And PoetryBegins


Mary Kollar (B.A., '65; M.A., '81) watched the last presidential election unfold, she became increasingly distressed by the way politicians were "twisting, mangling, and injuring" the English language. She decided to stage a protest—with poetry.Kollar made copies of the poem "October," by Robert Frost, and put them in a plastic envelope taped to the front gate of her home. The idea, she says, was to share the beauty of carefully crafted language.  Mary Kollar offers a poem each month through the poem box outside her home on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Photo by Mary Levin.The poem was intended as a one-time offering, but the next month Kollar couldn't resist sharing "November," an anti-war poem also by Frost. Then passersby began asking for a poem for December. "That's when the schoolteacher in me really kicked in," says Kollar, a retired high school English teacher and alumna of the UW Department of English.Before long Kollar had installed a wooden poem box built by her brother, and was placing hundreds of copies of a poem in the box each month. She hasn't missed a month since the box was installed more than three years ago."I put out about 200 copies each month, in batches of 20 to 50," says Kollar. "I'm always surprised when the box is empty."

Often Kollar sees people take a sheet as they pass her house on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Some are joggers, some are neighbors, some are parents walking their children to school. She also has seen cars stop so that a passenger can run out and grab a copy of the poem. It is, she says, a fascinating turn of events."When you think about it, anyone who wants to read a poem can open a book," says Kollar. "So why are they so interested in getting it out of a box when they're walking by? Who knows?"Kollar's own fascination with poetry dates back to high school, when an English teacher had the class read a collection of Robert Frost poems. "I'd never studied poetry before," she recalls. "I found it hard and intriguing."


Frost remains one of Kollar's favorite poets and has made several appearances
in the poem box. But she tries to balance her selections, striving for a range of styles that reflects the diversity of her readers. Selected poets have included legendary UW professor Theodore Roethke, Mona Lisa Saloy (while Saloy was a visiting artist at the UW), and Chilean writer Pablo Neruda, whose poem she printed in English on one side of the sheet and in Spanish on the other.


Kollar rarely provides a tutorial along with her monthly poem, but she did add a few comments at the bottom of last December's selection. The poem was Robert
Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening," which she had long resisted placing in the box. "I thought it was too common," she admits. "Everyone has had
an experience with that poem. Yet people often read it in a shallow manner. There are many ways to appreciate its complexity."
As Kollar describes the poem's interlocking rhyming scheme—in which the minor rhyme of the first verse becomes the major rhyme of the second verse— and its abundance of rich vowel sounds, her fascination with language is evident. "When I put poems in the box, I try to keep the English teacher out of it and let the poems speak for themselves," she says. "But it's hard."
That's understandable, considering Kollar taught high school English for nearly 30 years, including 12 years at Bothell High School and 10 years as chair of the English Department at Woodinville High School. She also worked with the Puget Sound Writing Project and served as co-director of the Center for Capable Youth (now the Robinson Center for Young Scholars)—both UW programs—before retiring in the mid-1990s. She continues to spread the gospel of poetry, teaching classes at senior centers and volunteering in elementary schools. "Have you ever taught poetry to a kindergarten class?" she asks, her eyes widening. "Oh my. That's difficult."
... While these gifts are satisfying, Mary still gets a kick out of reaching out to people through the poem box—and occasionally hearing back from them. She has many stories of thank you notes left in the box or visitors eager to chat when they see her outside. One of her favorite moments was when a jogger, employed at nearby Group Health, came to the door. "She wanted me to know that she gets the poem each month and reads it aloud, by cell phone, to her mother," recalls Kollar. "The mother, who lives in an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts, has started a poetry group there that starts with my chosen poem and then researches that poet and his or her other poetry."


Kollar's efforts have also inspired others to create poem boxes. Guy Holliday, who lives several blocks away, now has a box through which he shares poetry he has written. Profiled in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Holliday credited Kollar with sparking the idea."Talk about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery—I think it's great," says Kollar. She adds, clearly amused by the attention, "I think this is wonderful. It was never meant to be a big deal."

Here's Why I Am Going to Madison WI: And to Support the Protesters!

What a trip this will be! I've been invited to speak at the Peace Corps and Africa Conference scheduled for March 24-26th in Madison, Wisconsin. And while I've been excited to visit Madison before the events of the last week, now I'm totally fired up and ready to go. Since this conference / celebration is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin - Madison, I know the strike will be near and dear to the organizers hearts and sure to become an aspect of the conference.


March 24 – 26, 2011
Wisconsin Memorial Union
800 Langdon Street
Madison, WI

Join former volunteers, musicians, artists, storytellers and some of the Peace Corps early founders and present-day leaders to celebrate, reflect, and debate the legacy of the Peace Corps in Africa and beyond.
Highlights include a visit by StoryCorps and talks and roundtables with Aaron Williams, Director of the Peace Corps; Johnnie Carson, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; former U.S. Ambassadors Mark Green, John Lange, and John Campbell; founder of Africare, C. Payne Lucas; and award-winning poet Sandra Meek.For more information visit africa.wisc.edu/peacecorps

To secure your spot, register by March 1, 2011.Questions? Contact us at events@africa.wisc.eduPlease forward to friends and family who have been touched by the Peace Corps!
The  Peace Corps and Africa: Fifty Years  is hosted by the  African Studies Program  in partnership with the  Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Wisconsin-Madison  and with support of the  University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of International Studies , the  Wisconsin Alumni Association ,  Global Studies ,  Wisconsin Public Radio , the  Morgridge Center for Public Service , and the  Chicago Peace Corps Regional Recruitment Office .

Dreaming of a Snow Day: White Powder for Morning Commute

[image error] So the sun is shining, but we're all hoping for a snow day tomorrow. I know I am. I love this before time when the grocery store, the campus, the media, and the gas stations are all abuzz with what might happen. It's a time when we "dwell in possibility" as Miss Dickinson might say. The sense of uncertainty, the element of surprise, and the ever so slight danger makes us pay attention to our lives. My students were giddy with the hope of a day of their own; and who can blame them? May the snow gods smile on us all tonight.

How to Get Your Book Published: Hugo House this Saturday!

How to Get Your Book Published: Take Janna's "Art of Pitching" class at Hugo House this Saturday!
your back-breaking tomeYou're a writer. You're badass. And you've finally finished your novel or nonfiction book proposal. (Yay you!) You've poured your blood, sweat, and tears into this baby–not to mention every spare moment you've had for the past year decade.So now what? Are you going to throw together a quick letter, cold-query a few agents, collect form rejections with your name filled-in-the-blank and misspelled, weigh the cost of weekly therapy versus Peanut Buster Parfaits, opt for the Peanut Buster Parfaits, then slip your book into a closet to keep your other skeletons company?That's precisely what most writers do. (Yes, really.) But no. Not you. Not badass, rockin'-writer you.Instead, you're going to take Janna's pitch class at Hugo House this fall. Why? Well, because you're smart. And also because you want to be able to:1) sell your book to an agent or editor at a writer's conference, or
2) have a perfect paragraph to put in your well-targeted query letter, or at least
3) have an answer for well-meaning family and friends when they ask what your book is about.Doesn't that sound better than Peanut Buster Parfaits?Here's the nitty-gritty:The Art of Pitching
Saturday, February 26, 2011
1 – 5 PM
Richard Hugo House on Capitol Hill
1634 11th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 322-7030Class description:"So, what's your book about?" It's the simplest question, but so tough to answer, especially without feeling boring, cliché, or confusing. Pitching is the art of talking clearly and confidently about your book–whether it be fiction or nonfiction–so that you are better able to sell it. This hands-on workshop will cover the elevator pitch, the extended pitch, pitching etiquette, and useful tips specific to writers conferences. Attendees will write, deliver and get feedback on their pitches in class.Instructor bio:
Janna Cawrse Esarey is a former English teacher and the author of the Indie-bestselling memoir, The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, & a Woman's Search for the Meaning of Wife (Simon & Schuster). APublisher's Weekly Summer Favorite and "Today Show" rec, it's the humorous, true story of a woman who sails across the Pacific on her honeymoon, but struggles to keep her marriage afloat. A 2008 Jack Straw writer, Janna found her fabulous agent by pitching her pants off at writing conferences. Watch her book trailer at www.byjanna.com.

If You Live in Massachusetts and Love Music, Poetry, and Especially EB

Lloyd Schwartz describes himself as the one person who didn't want to finish his Ph.D. And who could blame him?

In 1975, Schwartz was at a dead end on his PhD thesis and realized he'd like to write about [Elizabeth] Bishop though he was afraid her shyness would make her reject his plea. But Schwartz says, "She was very generous. I seemed to tap into a maternal instinct. She felt young people ought to finish their degrees. She'd do anything to facilitate that." In the following year the two met regularly to discuss her poems. "I was one of the few people who didn't want to finish a dissertation."

Join Lloyd Schwartz and musician Sebastien Jean for a fund raiser for the Massachusetts Poetry Festival.

Massachusetts Poetry Festival Fund Raiser
Thursday, March 17, 7-9 p.m.
Suggested donation: $50
Register now!

Lyrical and Often Haunting: Review of The Alchemist's Kitchen

Thanks to Style, Substance, Soul, for a feature on Read More Poetry. Surely, that's sound advice for most of us. I know I need more poetry in my life, especially in Week  7 of the quarter -- where I am now! Here is a review that Style, Substance, Soul printed along with a great review of Elizabeth Austen's, The Girl Who Goes Alone.  "The poems of Susan Rich explore the world around and inside us with raw emotion and sensitivity. The words themselves are lyrical and often haunting, and titles like An Army of Ellipses Traveling Over All She Does Not Say … beckon you in with their humanity and universality. Her collection, The Alchemist's Kitchen, is a warm and welcoming place which will feed and nurture your soul. "I know poetry can be .... Read full article

Today's the Day for Poets on the Coast: Give Yourself a Valentine's Day Gift - or Two

Join us for the first ever Poets on the Coast Writing Retreat; Introductory Price good until midnight tonight!

Happy Valentine's Day: And a Valentine's Day Gift for You and Yours

Sign up for Poets on the Coast before Monday at midnight and receive a free gift and a great priceIn the Northwest, Valentine's Day is known to many as the day to prune the roses and prepare the bushes for a season of abundant blossoms. This strikes me as a great expression of love: to believe that winter will eventually end and there will be bouquets of flowers, a scented landscape even in a city garden.

Perhaps that's why Kelli Russell Agodon and I chose this holiday as the final date for our pre-conference special rates. Those writers who sign up for Poets on the Coast before midnight on February 14th will receive a one year subscription to Crab Creek Review and a reduced rate on our weekend writing retreat.

Since we first posted information on Poets on the Coast, we're excited to announce that we've added an optional yoga component to the weekend. Certified yoga instructor and fitness specialist, Kay Jensen, will  lead a morning yoga session on both Saturday and Sunday.

Our September 9-11th weekend is the only conference of its kind (well, that we know of) on the Oregon coast. We're thrilled that writers are coming from all corners of the country to join us; we're hoping that you  (or a writer you know) will consider joining us too. For more information on Poets on the Coast, click here.

Open Letter: Do You Write Poems Concerning Race? Why or Why Not?

Many of you have likely been following the AWP aftermath concerning a panel that surprisingly, dealt with race.  Many of you have no idea what I'm referring to. 
To find Claudia Rankine's initial presentation, you can go to her website. You can also find some fine poetry there. I applaud Rankine's call to poets to openly discuss race. I'm hopeful that this will lead to a nuanced and varied dialogue. As crazed as I am with school work, I'm going to make time to add my voice to the song. I hope you will consider joining in. 
Dear friends,

As many of you know I responded to Tony Hoagland's poem "The Change" at AWP. I also solicited from Tony a response to my response. Many informal conversations have been taking place online and elsewhere since my presentation of this dialogue. This request is an attempt to move the conversation away from the he said-she said vibe toward a discussion about the creative imagination, creative writing and race.

If you have time in the next month please consider sharing some thoughts on writing about race (1-5 pages).

Here are a few possible jumping off points:

- If you write about race frequently what issues, difficulties, advantages, and disadvantages do you negotiate?

- How do we invent the language of racial identity--that is, not necessarily constructing the "scene of instruction" about race, but create the linguistic material of racial speech/thought?

- If you have never written consciously about race why have you never felt compelled to do so?

- If you don't consider yourself in any majority how does this contribute to how race enters your work?

- If fear is a component of your reluctance to approach this subject could you examine that in a short essay that would be made public?

- If you don't intend to write about race but consider yourself a reader of work dealing with race what are your expectations for a poem where race matters?

- Do you believe race can be decontextualized, or in other words, can ideas of race be constructed separate from their history?

- Is there a poem you think is particularly successful at inventing the language of racial dentity or at dramatizing the site of race as such? Tell us why.

In short, write what you want. But in the interest of constructing a discussion pertinent to the more important issue of the creative imagination and race, please do not reference Tony or me in your writings. We both served as the catalyst for this discussion but the real work as a community interested in this issue begins with our individual assessments.

If you write back to me by March 11, 2011, one month from today, with "OPEN LETTER" in the subject heading I will post everything on the morning of the 15th of March. Feel free to pass this on to your friends. Please direct your thoughts to openletter@claudiarankine.com.


In peace,
Claudia
openletter@claudiarankine.com Back to Messages