Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 73

Room for Two: A Writing Retreat for Women in Oregon - 2 spaces left!

So it's official, we can include two more women writers at the Sylvia Beach Hotel Poets on the Coast Writing Retreat for women.



This place is magical.  It is where I completed my book -- Letters From the Emily Dickinson Room there in the "Emily Dickinson Room," so the hotel and space has a lot of meaning for me.



Each room is designed for a specific writer or poet.  And the energy there is incredible.  Clean, clear, good energy as you stay on an incredible cliff overlooking the Oregon coast, yes, just steps from the beach.



The price is currently $349 for Friday-Sunday, September 9th-11th.  Here's a sample of what that will include:



~ a session on editing like a literary editor

~ a session on developing a writing project

~ a session on fostering creativity

~ a session on publication and submitting

~ a session on generating new work

~ morning yoga sessions (optional)



and



~ individual one-on-one time with Susan & me to look more closely at your work



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Susan and I have committed ourselves to being available to the poets the entire weekend.  Even when we're not teaching a class, our goal is to be there for each participant in helping them achieve their writing goals at the retreat and further into the future.



You are welcome to stay at the Sylvia Beach Hotel during the retreat (most of the participants are doing this) or commute in-- whatever's best for you.



Here's a link to the registration form and the Frequently Asked Questions (which will answer any questions you may have).



Anyway, if you've been putting this off and think you'd like to go, the price goes up on August 2nd, plus, we only have 2 spaces left and then the doors shut.

Susan and I aren't sure if this will happen again and when, so this may be a one-time thing for us.  I'm not sure, but I do believe the people who need to be there, will be there and I cannot wait to see what we write...



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Here's a poem that's the title poem from Letters From the Emily Dickinson Room (White Pine Press) that was written while I was staying at the hotel that might give you a sense of what it was like for me--








I wonder what Emily would think of the view—

the ocean stretches for miles             without houses or street signs, the lighthouse signals to me:

                        Follow through this.  Follow this through.

I wonder what Emily would think             if she knew what I really want                         is to bathe uninterrupted

with the door open,             a candle burning near the window. 

What I really want is ginger,             bubbles, the static of sea             whispering: Yes. Yes, yes. 

It seems sacred            —a woman alone in a beach town, drying off and finding her camisole then slipping into it, slipping off into bed. 

Or maybe it's not. 

Maybe it's what every woman would do            if there were time or a place of her own                         where flickering didn't mean there was a fire to tend, a lightbulb to replace.

When I undress again, toss my camisole             to the floor, I think of her, Emily,             and how she managed alone. 

How we wonder about her, Emily             the recluse, the loner,                         when we should smile believing how thankful she was

to be with pen and paper             listening to the wind through the oak trees,             undressing without the help of another

and blessed to be body between the clean sheets,             the woman who dimmed the light.



~Kelli Russell Agodonfrom Letters From the Emily Dickinson Room (White Pine Press, 2010)


Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

The Reveal on Huge Summer House Project (in process)...

So, I've been hearing from many of you with concerns about my unplanned, desperately needed house project (in which we are in Week 2 or 3, I've lost count).



What I love is how imaginative everyone is, from fear that my house is full of carpenter arts to flooding to broken everything.



But no, what's happening is our 40 year old septic system is being replaced with a new up-to-code system along with the drainfield.



I wish I had a "before" photo, but this is what my yard looks like right now...





Backyard (hello digger) the giant hole where the light comes through, used to be our fence!


Front yard-- Hello giant drain field and pile of dirt
 Crazy, I know.



The good news is we haven't had to mow our lawn (aka dirt lawn) all summer.  The good news is I haven't had to weed or weedwhack, but just watch giant machinery pull things apart.



What I will say is being a city girl before I was a country girl, I never was grateful for sewer systems. They were just something I took for granted.  Being in a rural community has taught me a lot-- it has taught me garbage disposals are bad.  And chemicals down the toilets-- also bad.



Anyway, I have been realizing that my not-saying what my huge home project was had many of you thinking I was living without electricity or that my home was falling in on me.  No, I'm safe.  My pets and family are safe.  We've just become great friends with the man we see everyday who digs up our yard and finds wonderful rocks buried.



My hope is that this project will be over in August, the beginning of August, but as much as I want to say it sucks to have to do this, I actually feel thankful that we were able to 1) find a way to pay for it  and 2) that we still own a home.  So while it's a strange annoyance, I can't complain. And in fact had always wondered what our home would look like with everything ripped out of the ground--- and now I know!Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Postcard from an Introvert

Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Top 20 Reasons Why Intelligent People Fail...

Top Three--



1. Lack of motivation. A talent is irrelevant if a person is not motivated to use it. Motivation may be external (for example, social approval) or internal (satisfaction from a job well-done, for instance). External sources tend to be transient, while internal sources tend to produce more consistent performance.



2. Lack of impulse control. Habitual impulsiveness gets in the way of optimal performance. Some people do not bring their full intellectual resources to bear on a problem but go with the first solution that pops into their heads.



3. Lack of perserverance and perseveration. Some people give up too easily, while others are unable to stop even when the quest will clearly be fruitless.



Read the rest here:  Why Intelligent People Fail...Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Confession Tuesday - The It's Finally Summer in The NW Edition

Dear Reader,



It's been a week of rain then what? Sun! since I've last written.



While much of the countries complained about this too-hot, this heatwave world, we lived under a rainshower, under a cloud of mid-sixties.  Then like normal Seattle weather, breaking open a little later than its normal mid-July style, sun arrived!



Today, a forecast of 80.  First time this year.



But let me confess, I am not the sunworshipper I seem...



To the Confessional--



I confess I don't mind the rain or cold weather.  For me, it's an excuse to write, to read, to not have to work in the yard.   I don't feel as if I'm losing my mind in cloudy, wet weather, but in fact, feel more in touch with my writing.



I confess the sun does make me more active, from gardening, longboarding (stand-up paddle surfboarding - not skateboarding!), to mountain biking, hiking and yes, I'm even back to playing tennis.



I confess while that last confession may make it seem as if I'm an active, sporty poet, my inner self is a sloth, someone who loves a hammock and a book more than sweating.



I confess I do think summer calms me down a bit, that added vitamin D slipped into an anxious skin, but fall is still my favorite season, for the leaves, for finding a season I could always live in.



Amen.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Postcard from a Graffiti Artist:

Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

How to Feel Miserable as an Artist (Or What Not to Do)

Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Friday's Creative Thought-- 33 Ways to be Creative

Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Thankful Thursday - Interviewed by Jeannine Hall Gailey aka @webbish6

Jeannine Hall Gailey did an interview with me at her blog.  She asked me about how to go about life after an MFA, about submissions, and a few other things.



Here's a taste of the interview...







JHG: On your blog you often talk about trying to balance art with life. What advice would you give someone about trying to build more time for art into their already hectic schedule?

KRA: My main advice would be to simplify your life to what is important. I'm always surprised when writers say, "I don't have time to write" and then in the next breath ask me if I saw The Biggest Loser last night or I see them posting on Facebook. It's definitely challenging with all the distractions the world offers and the internet, while a very handy research tool, is also a tempting way for writers to lose a lot of time that could have been spent for writing.But we each have the same amount of time and we each choose what we want to do with it.

Choose your priorities. If writing is a priority for you, you'll make time for it. It's kind of tough love advice, but I truly believe it.



You can read the full interview here...Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Confession Tuesday - The Cruise Ship Edition

Dear Reader,



It's been a Canada/Alaska/Glacier experience since I last confessed.  I've just returned from a week on an Alaskan cruise.  I confess while I love traveling, I also love returning home, but let me tell you some highlights from the cruise.



To the Confessional--



I confess I liked the cruise, but there is ultimately a cheesiness to the whole experience I have to overlook.  Like napkin folding class.  Or the entertainer who plays the piano with his feet.  But what I love is that I can travel with a large group of friends and family (with 30 people) and it's easy to coordinate.  Plus, my mum is 77 so it's a great easy vacation for her.



Also, it's such an enjoyable way to see a few cities in Alaska, a glacier, Orca whales, seals on ice (sounds like an ice skating show) and a lot of natural beauty.



~



I confess my two favorite Alaskan outings were taking the SkyTram up the mountain in Juneau and dogsledding with the great-grandson of the man who founded the Iditarod.  After the ride, I was able to meet all the sled dogs and spend time with puppies-- how could anyone turn down puppy time?



~



I confess that I am highly competitive when it comes to games.



On the cruise, we played a group game I had never played before called Quest.  This game had me bringing up my team members pants, bras and belts.  It had me racing against other women to put a lipstick print on a stranger's face (& out of about 20+ women, I was first, thank you very much).  It had another team member racing up to show his appendectomy scar & another showing her tattoo.  And I found none of this odd at the time, I just wanted to win.



I realize in time of competition I completely lose all self-consciousness.  As you see in the photo below I've got about 10 layers of lipstick on (Maybelle Go Currant, borrowed from a friend).  I also bit into a sock to make a hole in it as well as showed the judge my back teeth (though I did not get any points for this, they wanted false teeth not a crown).



This is not the actions of a sensible, serious poet.  No, this is a nut on a vacation who will do anything for a prize.  Welcome to my world.





Me in my element wearing my winning baseball cap (aka my trophy)

~



I confess here are a few things I did on vacation that entertained my family and made me laugh--



1)  Dropped my new sunglasses over an Alaskan cliff  (oops)



2)  Set off an alarm in the Royal BC Museum & ended up having a very interesting talk with the security guard about a stuffed mouse.



3)  Danced as a back-up dancer in the men's karaoke version of "All the Single Ladies"



4)  Tried to be hypnotized



5)  Fell into my suitcase



6)  Walked into a pole near the swimming pool



7)  Accidentally hit a man in the head with a slice of lime



I confess I am not sure I will ever lose my awkwardness, but if you can see it as charm, I'll be happy.



Amen.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com