Susan Rich's Blog, page 76

Thinking about Teaching: Week Two of the Quarter

Last Friday night I hosted three of my former students at my house for dinner. It was a great way to begin the quarter because it reminded me how amazing the teacher - student relationship can be. The students who came to my house for dinner have now graduated from the community college where I teach and are off on their own pursuits; they are in every sense of the word, amazing. Sometimes, at the beginning of the quarter (we are at the beginning of week two) it is tricky to remember how far people can come in ten weeks. And perhaps, how far I can travel as well.
Here are some things I try to remember as I begin Winter Quarter.

1. Trust that everyone is  trying to do their best. 
2. Let students know that I want them to succeed.
3. When a student is rude, don't take it personally; he (or she) is having a bad day.
4. Be  pleasant even when explaining the same directions for the fourth time.

Poem for Monday: Farsickness

Farsickness
        rough translation of fernweh (Ger):
        the opposite of homesickness.


Imagine a love turned out
as bread best cast
to the rivers, feedings
for smaller, far-flung things—
fire-flights of stillness,
forms alighting, then airborne,
until the breeze begins
to feel like hunger,
the wayward sweep of desire—
for the holy wheel
rotating foot, breath, and earth,
the pilgrim's chaff,
frayed and heliocentric,
in need of distance
as a horizon of prayer
to both call and receive.

Meghan Harlan

Megan Snyder Camp and Kelli Russell Agodon this Tuesday at 7 pm

Seattle Poetry Reading: Megan Snyder-Camp & Kelli Russell Agodon at Ravenna Third Place Books January 11thIf you're around Seattle on Tuesday, January 11th, drop by Ravenna Third Place
books at 7 pm as poets Megan Snyder-Camp and Kelli Russell Agodon will
be reading from their new books.

I know that after I hear a poet read their work aloud, I am more able to
understand their intent and to hear the rhythms of their work when I read
the poems on my own. I first met Megan last year when she attended my
ekphrastic workshop at the Frye Art Museum. I am excited to have the
chance to hear her read. Kelli, I've clearly heard before and so I look
forward to the joy of hearing poems I know well in the voice of the poet.

In this age of youtube and garage band where poets can be seen and
heard on the internet, there is still something magical about a live reading.
I hope to see you there.

She's reading from her incredible book, The Forest of Sure Things


Here's the Seattle Weekly's listing of it if you need more info or a map of where Ravenna Third Place books is in Seattle.

Have a Lovely Friday ~ And a Poetic Saturday and Sunday, Too!

[image error]
I will be back after a bit of sleep and some class prep. This working full-time is a challenge.

A Literary Friendship: A July Writers' Event

Now literary correspondance happens over the ether. No more onion skin envelopes and aerograms.
Kelli Russell Agodon and I were asked by Jordan Hartt of Centrum to write on any subject we wanted. Here is what we chose.


" Friendship": A Literary Correspondence Between Two PoetsA few months ago we asked two of the most popular writing teachers at the Port Townsend Writers' Conference--Kelli Russell Agodon and Susan Rich--to let us "eavesdrop" on their musings of their friendship, their poetic passions, and their lives as writers in the Pacific Northwest. What follows is a conversation held over email on the nature of their friendship and what it has come to mean to them--and to their work--over the past ten years.Dear Kelli,Here is the secret nobody knows: poets need friends. OK. You know it, I know it, and so did Elizabeth Bishop. From Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge this fine morning please come flying. In "Invitation to Miss Marianne Moore," Elizabeth Bishop celebrates her deep friendship with another woman poet: her mentor and lifelong friend, Marianne Moore.I know that Bishop and Moore shared poems, went on outings to the zoo together, and when Bishop moved to Brazil in 1951, wrote long letters. Our friendship, now almost a decade old, impacts my writing life in important and magical ways. Do you remember when we first met? We both had poems for the Poetry on the Busses anthology and were reading at the Seattle Art Museum. Your daughter, an infant at the time, let out an enormous cry when you took the podium. "That's my daughter," you said without missing a beat.

You can read the full article here. As always, thanks for reading.

A Portrait of Having a Portrait Taken: Rosanne Olson

Rosanne Olson
"To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surface and record the qualities of nature and humanity which live in all things." ––Ansel Adams
In 2010, which already seems so long ago, I was lucky enough to have my portrait taken by Rosanne Olson. Rosanne is a talented photographer from Seattle, Washington, whose work is often stunning and always impressive. She has worked as a journalist, a teacher, and a worldwide photographer.  For more information on Rosanne, you can check out her website and her "Knowing Portraits" gallery.

What I want to focus on is the experience of having a professional photograph created --- and it is a creation. In an age where every cell phone is a camera, it has to be said that a professional photograph resembles an iPhone photo the way a pair of blue jeans resembles a silk skirt. Both cover one's body, but that's where the comparison ends.

Rosanne asked me to bring a half dozen of my favorite shirts or sweaters to her studio so that we could choose a style together. She taught me that it's best to wear a color that is darker than your skin tone so that the viewer's eyes stays on your face, not your shirt. She helped me with my make-up, adjusting for what the camera would accentuate.

Like many people I know, I am terrified of having my picture taken. I'm convinced that my features are not compatible with the camera lens. Really. The camera is not my friend. Rosanne listened to my chatter, but assured me that she didn't see a problem. She allowed me to feel that we were making the photograph together. And in fact, the way my chin rests against my chin here is something I often do when thinking.  In another photograph, Rosanne gave me a pen and told me to play around with it. And "play" was the operative word -- we had an afternoon of play --- so that by the time the two hours were over,  the meeting had transformed into entertainment rather than the excruciating event I'd expected.

this is me
When I see the portraits that Rosanne has photographed of friends, I see that there's something of the actual person, something below the surface that she has captured. There's a reason that Rosanne calls these "Knowing Portraits." In the time we spent together, especially the last 20 minutes or so, my nervousness lifted and I could look directly in the camera without fear. I finally relaxed enough to let Rosanne do her work. I felt seen. I felt, dare I say, at peace --- and I think that shows here.

Jeff Crandall, poet 
Rosanne is also developing a project of photographing poets and creating an interactive program that would allow students -- and anyone else interested -- to see the poet and link to their work and perhaps even their voice. If you are interested in a poet portrait -- or even an artful portrait of you and your child (or your bird),  I can't recommend highly enough checking out Rosanne's studio.

To read an interview I did with Rosanne this past December, click here!

Back to School Night

Finally, I'm packing up papers and getting ready for tomorrow morning when I will be back in the classroom. For the last six months I've been a writer, a traveler, and a woman who loved to sleep in. And while all three things are still a part of my life, they won't happen with the same frequency as before.

Part of me is looking forward to meeting my students, turning some of them on to films, and teaching them the power of their own words. I really do believe that "writing well is the best revenge," as Zelda Fitzgerald once said. Revenge has a negative connotation, but the sense of showing the world that one counts, that's power. When Nelson Mandela came to Boston after he was released from prison in 1990, he told high school students, "education is the best weapon."

The truth is, I can only reach students who are at least a tiny bit open to being reached. Education is a dance we do together. Let's get this party started.

In with the New - Poets on the Coast this Year!

I am excited to announce that Kelli Russell Agodon and I are embarking on a new project this year, Poets on the Coast: A Weekend Writing Retreat for Women , September  9 -11, 2011,  in Newport, OR. Please think about joining us.


Although we have both taught at many other conferences, festivals, and colleges throughout the country --- this is our first time designing a retreat of our own. We believe in creating community and in providing for the needs of all participants. We believe that geography influences our writing lives. We believe in sharing what we've learned during almost twenty years of publishing, writing, and teaching. Most of all, we believe in having fun as we learn.


One New Year's resolution I have is to make Poets on the Coast the best writing retreat ever. But in order to do that, we need you to come, too! Kelli's book Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room was born at this hotel on a writing retreat a few years ago. We also like the idea of marking the 10th anniversary of September 11th inhabiting a positive and peaceful place, doing what we love best.


Announcing Poets on the Coast on the first of the year seems just right to me. I want 2011 to be filled with new experiences, giving back to others, and continuing to challenge myself. What would be really beautiful would be to have others decide to join Kelli and me in this pursuit. 


Here's to new places and people, new geographies for 2011. 


Here is what we are saying:



Dwell in Possibility                                                                ~  Emily Dickinson 

Join Kelli Russell Agodon and Susan Rich for the first Poets on the Coast Weekend Writing Retreat September 9-11th, 2011 at the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon on historic Nye Beach. We will gather to write, read and share our work inspired by the landscape and creative energy around us.
  
This retreat has been designed for women writers of all levels, from beginning poets to well published. Sessions on creativity, generating work, publication and one-on-one mentoring are included. 
 
We only have a limited number of spaces available and they will be filled on a first-come basis.
With the Sylvia Beach Hotel, designed to inspire writers with its literary-themed rooms, this retreat will offer you a unique experience to explore your writing and creativity. Come spend a weekend with other women poets. Be ready to be nurtured, inspired and creative. REGISTER for Poets on the Coast~Registration fees include all writing & workshop sessions, Friday evening, all day Saturday, & Sunday until 2 p.m. & one-on-one mentoring sessions.Please click here for the Registration Form 
For more information including our Frequently Asked Questions, please click here.


ved.

kelli@agodon.com

Happy New Year's from Seattle: May All Your Dreams Come True

Happy New Year's --- May all your dreams, resolutions, and hopes come true. I am grateful for the life I have and always balancing what will and will not happen in the next year. As I get older, I spend more time with gratitude and less time elsewhere. May 2011 be the best year yet for all of us.

Coming Attraction: Poets on the Coast, September 9 - 11, 2011

[image error]
I just want to let you know that Kelli Russell Agodon and I have been busy this week organizing a new project: Poets on the Coast: A Weekend Writing Retreat for Women and we will be announcing the details and how you can participate in the next few days. In the meantime, here is a picture of the library at the Sylvia Beach Hotel. I love new projects and this one is especially meaningful to me. It's the right time of year to be moving into new experiences. I hope you can come, too.