Susan Rich's Blog, page 84

Discipline: Where Can I Get Some?

When I imagine the life of the writer, I picture her rising at dawn when the world is still at rest. A cup of warm coffee in her hand, she slowly moves (always with grace) to her desk and begins setting words on the beautiful, blank (and expensive) thick ivory page. I wonder where she lives because it's not in my house. Much as I want to be a morning writer, a disciplined writer, a prolific writer, I am not.

Instead of the early morning air (gorgeous sunrise, chic bathrobe) I'm usually just ge...

Thankful Thursday - First Edition

Thanks to Kelli Agodon for the idea via Drew Myron of composing a thankfulness blog entry each week. I wonder if I am thankful enough to make it work? I hope so. Here is today's list in no particular order.

At the moment I am thankful for:



Writing poems after a month hiatus

Two healthy cats

The 10.5 years I had with Otis

Handfuls of homegrown tomatoes

Writing dates across the water

Fish tacos

Hot showers

Nw friends

HUMANITIES WASHINGTON: There's Nothing to Be Afraid Of

In preparation for my participation in the Bedtime Stories ~ Night Flight benefit reading on October 1st, at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, the talented Chris Thompson interviewed me a few weeks ago. Instead of the 20 minute time frame Chris mentioned, we talked for over an hour. It was a great conversation -- more than an interview. Both Chris and I were Peace Corps Volunteers in Niger - but he came back five years ago and  for me, it's twenty-five.  You can read the interview here, but it is t...

LitFuse Lights Up Seattle This Tuesday, September 7th at Hugo House

It's not often I can claim the status of literary pioneer, but here's one time I can. In October, 2007, at the first LitFuse celebration, I gave a talk titled "The Alchemist's Kitchen: Food, Sex, and Citizenship." The keynote was scheduled for a late night Saturday dinner so it seemed appropriate --- and that title (the first part) later became the title for my recent book, The Alchemist's Kitchen. The building where I was supposed to stay wasn't finished yet and the house where I did stay, h...

From the Computer Archives: Review of The Shadow of Sirius

For a short time I was a regular reviewer for the Library Journal. Somehow this review of Bill Merwin's recent book never made it into their esteemed pages. One of the fun things about reviewing is getting to rave about a book you love before it hits the bookshops. I was sorry this one got lost in the shuffle. Here it is in the ether (if not in print) for the first time.




Merwin, W.S., The Shadow of Sirius; Copper Canyon Press; 117 pages; 978-1-55659-284-3
 
Can wisdom be both searing and...

"1st September 1939" by W.H. Auden (poetry)

Elliott Bay Books: New Poets of the American West - "On the Way to Mirror Lake" by Photographer and Writer, Logan Jenott

Poets reading 7:00 PM, this Thursday, September 2nd include: Kathleen Flenniken, Peter Pereira, Allen Braden, Sharon Hashimoto, Marj Manwaring, Michael Spence, and Derrick Sheffield. I think I can  promise that each poet will read clearly and most importantly,quickly. Kathleen Flenniken is our organizer and she knows how to keep a reading moving. It will be a night to revel in being a northwest poet. I can't think of a better kind of poet to be ...


Celebrate the variety of western U.S. poetic ...

Elliott Bay Books: New Poets of the American West - Photo by Photographer and Writer, Logan Jenott

Poets reading 7:00 PM, this Thursday, September 2nd include: Kathleen Flenniken, Peter Pereira, Allen Braden, Sharon Hashimoto, Marj Manwaring, Michael Spence, and Derrick Sheffield. I think I can  promise that each poet will read clearly and most importantly,quickly. Kathleen Flenniken is our organizer and she knows how to keep a reading moving. It will be a night to revel in being a northwest poet. I can't think of a better kind of poet to be ...


Celebrate the variety of western U.S. poetic ...

Today's New York Times: Does Language Shape Thought?

When I was growing up in the Boston area, "Braintree" was the last stop on the Red Line. When a friend came from England to visit, she asked why anyone would name a town after such a horrible image. I was 24 and it had never occurred to me to break apart Braintree into brain tree. When I learned that the word for skyscraper in Spanish translates to "sky scratcher" I thought it such a poetical language - again - never thinking that our buildings were scraping the edge of the summer sky. Perhap...

Mohamud at the Mosque on the Air and On the Internet

Thanks to Elizabeth Austen for resurrecting the recording of this poem at Elliott Bay Books four years ago; it will air today, Saturday and be repeated on Monday on KUOW, Seattle's NPR station. May it do some good to remind people of our collective humanity.Thank you, Elizabeth.

Susan Rich And 'Mohamud At The Mosque'08/28/2010 ShareThisSusan Rich's poems often draw on things she witnessed as a Peace Corps volunteer and human rights activist in faraway countries. In September 2001, however...