Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 106

Confession Tuesday - the Late Edition

Dear Reader,



I have busy, but not in the bad sense or self-important sense of the word, but in that good-feeling busy, the kind that satisfies and doesn't cause resentment.



But it's Tuesday and I must be guilty of something, so we better head into the confessional to see my week broken down sin by sin.  To the confessional--



I confess I actually like to work.  As much as I love lazy days, reading in bed, sleeping in, breakfast in bed, sitting out on our deck and staring at the sky or the moon, there is another part, a more Capricornian part that likes to be productive.



Especially when it's a productive where I'm knocking things off my To Do list one by one.



Don't get me wrong, this isn't busywork, but doing work that feels to fill my "life's work," my goals, my literary heart.



Though I confess, I don't want to overdo it.  I'm probably at my limit right now of what I can do without having a nervous breakdown.  But I'm happy.



~



Speaking of nervous breakdowns and happiness, I confess I've had to explain to a couple people who have read my book that I am not sad or unhappy with my life.  It's always interesting in what people read into poems, into the speaker, the "I" in the poem.  As Marvin Bell says, "I'm not the I in my poems, but I know quite a bit about him..." (or her, as the case may be).



A good friend recently emailed me and said she read my book while waiting for a ferry and that it was a "soulful, funny book."  Though I have other friends read it and cry.  I am intrigued what each reader is receiving from these poems.  If you happen to read my book, please drop me a line and tell me what you received from it.  I'm truly fascinated by the responses and learning from them.



~



On another topic, I'm always amazed how some people care more about being right than kind.  I've got to tell you, there's a way to be both.



Amen.

People in Our Neighborhood -

In case you have been moonstuck by that incredible harvest moon hanging above our heads, here's what's been going on in our neighborhood--



January O'Neil reviews the movie HOWL about poet Allen Ginsberg.



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Midge Raymond has a great post on perseverance of the writer and it's not just because she mentions my "Submit like a Man" post, though that was very nice of her!



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Diane Lockward blogs about Poetry and Art and has a link to Didi Melendez's incredible magazine mixing two of my favorite people Poets and Artists (& yes, that's the name of the magazine!)   You can check it out here.



~

Ronda Broatch was visited by her muse, a black bear.  And got some amazing photos.  Since Ronda lives about 10 minutes away from me and this big guy has been seen all over my small town, it's even more intriguing to me.



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Sandra Beasley blogs about the Best American Poetry reading and was "hidden from the audience by Gerald Stern's hat" (that could be a line from a poem!)  And she has video of the reading here at her blog.



~





Barry Napier is having a giveaway for his new book of poems, A Mouth for Picket Fences and you can read more about his book and his writing in an interview here.



~



And that's just a few of the many happenings in our poetry community this week!

I Read Banned Books...

Banned Book Week is coming up September 25th-October 2nd.



I'm currently reading a banned book (and so is my daughter).  Yes, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  I have also read her another banned book, Alice in Wonderland (I kid you not, it was banned.  And my favorite reason for banning of the book:  Alice in Wonderland was banned in 1931 in Hunan, China, because "animals should not use human language.")



But we've come so far, haven't we.  I'm so thankful we don't ban books anymore.  What...

Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room Giveaway at GoodReads!

I'm having a giveaway at GoodReads if you're interested.



If you've already purchased the book, I'd be happy to send it as a gift to anyone you like or donate a copy to your local library.  Just let me know what you'd prefer.  Good luck~!




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Word Association Day

Return :: Videos Here
Alarms ::Noisy
State :: of Confusion
Picture frame :: family
Wreath ::Christmas
Arrest :: Jail
Sincere :: est apologies
Nathan :: Lane
Bag :: Lady
Arched :: Back




If you've never done this, you can get the words each week at Unconscious Mutterings.

Thankful Thursday - The Late Edition

So much to be grateful for this week--







I'll make it easy on myself and say: All of it.

Did someone say there would be cake?

Life has really changed since my last book... Now there's Facebook, Goodreads, & now  Susan Rich is hosting a virtual book release party for me.  (My first virtual party ever.)  





Please join us!



I answer some questions about the book, share a few of my favorite things about being a poet and will be answering any other questions you may have.  If you have a question, please feel free to leave me a comment on Susan's blog post and I'll be responding all week.

...

What Places Should New Poet & Writers Submit To?

A new reader asked me this question and I thought posting my answer to everyone might be helpful to some of you.



Here was the question:



Perhaps, if you have a moment or two, might you offer a few suggestions as to where I could begin to get my words out there? Maybe they are not worthy of being read ... I am open to your thoughts ...



My best advice to the young, new writer starting out in trying to get their work published is to look around your community for what local journals there...

Confession Tuesday - Book Edition

The first photo I took after I opened the box...



What my box of books looks like now



Ah, the glamorous life as a poet - (What did Rodney Dangerfield used to say, "I get no respect."  

~Dear Reader, 

It's been one wild week since my last confession. One wild week and one large box of books I found on my doorstep.  

           Hello Letters!  

10 days before its pub date, my copies of Letters From the Emily Dickinson Room rest on the bench near our front door.  

It's ridiculously...

It's here!