Susan Rich's Blog, page 92

Happy Birthday Walt Whitman! (1819-1892)

This is Walt Whitman with Peter Doyle, a man with whom Whitman is believed to have had an intimate friendship with. Does it matter so much? Their ease in the photo is what draws me in. I've never been (dare I admit) a huge Whitman fan, but I love the influence he has had on American poetry. I can't imagine Adrienne Rich's Atlas of a Difficult World without the work of Whitman or more recently, Mark Doty's Mercy on Broadway or Mathew Dickman's All-American Poem. Whitman allows, I think, for th...

The Writer's Life: What to Say After the Reading

I've read at seven different events in the last two months and while it's been fun, it's also been slightly insane. My daily life tends towards the quiet. I've been thinking a great deal about what makes a good reading and what is best to avoid, but here's a new topic: what to say after the reading. As both a reader and an audience member, here are some things I've discovered.

1. Whenever possible, tell the poet something specific that moved you about the reading. If you don't do this, she may...

Poet as Gardener - Emily Dickinson's Night Gardening

I seem to be wanting more of  Emily Dickinson's words and gardening skills lately. I didn't know that she liked to garden at night until I read the New York Times article excerpted below. The poet Deborah Digges also gardened at night. This summer I plan to try it, too. So far, all I've done at night is kill slugs and snails.

This year, Mark Doty was in Seattle as part of the Seattle Arts and Lectures Poetry Series and he spoke about visiting Walt Whitman's grave as well as places Whitman live...

Letters From the Emily Dickinson Room - You Can Pre-order Now!

I am so excited to see my friend Kelli Agodon's new book, Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room is now available from Amazon. Of course, it's always best to do book orders from your local bookseller, or White Pine Press, or Kelli herself. But I can't help but be happy when I see a book come on to Amazon for pre-order. It signals to me that the book will soon be in the world. Like a coming attraction at the movie theater. I thought I would also include a poem of Kelli's here, "How Killer Blue ...

The Writer's Life: The Boys of May ~ Oliver and Allen

Tonight's reading with Allen Braden (top) and Oliver de la Paz (bottom) at Open Books in Seattle was a stellar double-header. These poets were engaging, humorous, and their poems evoked the pain and wonder of what it means to be alive in this world. There were jokes about life in small towns (Oliver) and about oblivion (Allen). Mostly, there were poems that I am now ready to delve into more deeply. I recommend both Reqiuem for the Orchard and A Wreath of Down and Drops of Blood wholeheartedly...

Laughing Poets - My Favorite Poetry Weekend - Skagit River Poetry Festival

This moment: poems shared, happy listeners, the four of us appreciating the afterglow of a good reading. I'd even presume to use the word great because we read in a stellar space - the Skagit Historical Museum, enjoyed each others poetry (OK - I enjoyed the poetry of others - can't speak for them) and more than anything else - connected with our audience in the realm of pleasure and playfulness. Here's a poem that  Lorna Crozier read. She had me bent over and belly laughing.

PEAS

Peas never lik...

The Writer's Life: How to Have a Great Poetry Group

I think poetry would be a great deal less fun without my poetry group. The South Grand Street Poets have been meeting for almost twenty years (give or take a year). I've been a member for five years and hope my membership never expires. This is my third writing group in Seattle and so I deeply appreciate the chemistry that makes for the success of this group. Here are just a few observations of what contributes to the overall positive atmosphere.

1. Good food and lots of wine. (And the truth i...

Skagit River Poetry Festival - May 20-22nd

I love the Skagit River Poetry Festival. I love it years when I am presenting, like this year - and I love it perhaps even more, when I am a free floating participant. This year's star line-up includes Sherman Alexie, Elizabeth Austen, Terrance Hayes, Ted Kooser, and Robert Wrigley. This year there is a dinner Thursday night,  more workshops offered (how I wish I was free during the time Terrance Hayes is teaching) and more options for how much (or how little) of the festival you have time to...

Emily Dickinson in the New York Times - Art & Design

I love seeing Emily Dickinson in the morning paper. Today she is front page news in the New York Times' Art and Design section. Holland Cotter describes his first visit to The Homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts as a young man. I remember my first visit there vividly as well. I had just returned to Amherst after dropping out of college. I was finishing my senior year at the University of Massachusetts, studying with the poet Madeline DeFrees. Mostly, I was trying to figure out how to be a poe...

Top 25 Words in Cures Include Travel

I don't know how to explain that "one" is number one again or how many of my words have stayed the same over the past two books (one, light, come, heart, blue, body, world, time). Just and World were both used 18 times each - but never together. I love that beach is here, yet water is not. What to make of it all? Perhaps I need to infuse my work with new words? Perhaps a list that encompasses an entire book will by its very nature need to be less specific than say, chocolate or pumpernickel. ...