Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 82

The Big Poetry Giveaway Gets Even Bigger! The New List of Bloggers Giving Away Free Poetry Books--

So we have ONE MORE DAY if you want to add yourself to the list of Bloggers participating in the Big Poetry Giveaway by giving away 2 books of poems this National Poetry Month.



If you're interested, you need to have your post up and your info to me by Friday, April 15th. Here are the guidelines.



And if you're interested in winning FREE POETRY BOOKS, here is the new updated list as of April 14th, 2011 (9:40 am PST) and these giveaways will be active ALL of National Poetry Month to sign up!



Just click on the blog name below to be taking to the giveaway.









BIG POETRY GIVEAWAY! -- List of Blogs Participating...A. Book of Kells: Kelli Russell Agodon
B. Jessie Carty Blog: Jessie Carty
C. November Sky Poetry: Christine Klocek-Lim
D. Being Poetry: Erin Hollowell
E. WordGathering: Margo Roby
F. Danka's World: Danica Grunert
G. Utopian Fragments: Guy Traiber
H. Ribbons of Intonation: Jim K.
I. Wait! I Have a Blog?!: Kathleen Kirk
J. Latoyalikestowrite: LaToya Jordan
K. Modern Confessional: Collin Kelley
L. One Poet's Notes: Edward Byrne
M. Tribe of Mad Orphans: Ren Powell
N. Ophelia Unraveling: Carol Berg
O. The Scrapper Poet: Karen J. Weyant
P. The Alchemist's Kitchen: Susan Rich
Q. Matthew Thornburn Blog: Matthew Thornburn
R. Naming Constellations: Joseph Harker
S. Drowning the Field: Katie Cappello
T. Who are "They" & Other Writing Advice: Laura Moe
U. Red Lion Square: Amy Watkins
V. Poet 2.0: Iris Jamahl Dunkle
W. Art Happens 365: Margaret Bednar
X. Alphabet Soup: Jama Rattigan
Y. The Lizard Meanders: Luisa Igloria
Z. Fredericks' Reflections: O.P.W. Fredericks
Za. One Man's Trash: Justin Evans
Zb. Joe's Jacket: Stephen Mills
Zc. Myself the only Kangaroo Among the Beauty: Sandy Longhorn
Zd. Risa's Pieces: Risa Denenberg
Ze. Ghosts in Parentheses: Barry Napier
Zf. Notes fro the Gefilter Review: Jehanne Dubrow
Zg. A View from the Potholes: Marie Gauthier
Zh. Habit of Poetry: Rita Mae Reese
Zi. Desire Seven Small Delicious Fruit: Cati Porter
Zj. The Graphic Haibuneer: Cindy Bell
Zk. Dear Outer Space: Laura E. Davis
Zl. Lorna Dee Cervantes Blog: Lorna Dee Cervantes
Zm. Jeannine Blogs: Jeannine Hall Gailey
Zn. Kristin Berkey-Abbott Blog: Kristin Berkey-Abbott
Zo. Writing With Celia: Celia Lisset Alvarez
Zp. Weaving a New Eden: Sherry Chandler
Zq. Rachel Dacus: Rocket Kids
Zr. Poemeleon: Cati Porter
Zs. Brian Spears Blog: Brian Spears
Zt. On Writing: Tawnysha Greene
Zu. 32 Poems: Deborah Ager
Zv. Put Words Together. Make Meaning.: DJ Vorreyer
Zw. Shiva's Arms: Cheryl Snell
Zx. Proof of Blog: Luke Johnson
Zy. The Monster's Flashlight: Nancy Lili
Zz. Frontal Junkyard: Marie-Elizabeth Mali
Zza. Feather's From the Muse's Wings: Odilia Galván Rodríguez
Zzb. Pokey Mama: Amy Dryansky
Zzc. One Hundred Forks: Tess Duncan
Zzd. Universe of Sound: Mary Virginia Cooley
Zze. The Perpetual Bird: Joseph Hutchinson
Zzf. Battered Hive: Shawnte Orion
Zzg. Natural Parents Network: Lauren Wayne
Zzh. Elizabeth Austen Blog: Elizabeth Austen
Zzi. Life is a Patchwork Quilt: Valerie
Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Thankful Thursday - Poetry Daily

I've been reading Poetry Daily since I can remember.



Currently, it's my homepage on my computer, the first webpage I see when I turn on my screen.  It makes a difference in my life to start each day with a poem.  For the first thing I see to be is poetry and not whatever the media deems as Important, no Top Story or Breaking News, just a poet and his or her words.



April is Poetry Daily's big push for donations as it's their Spring Fund Drive.  So if you want to support an organization who will give you Breaking Poems, the Top Poem of the Day, or Poetry You Can Use, give them a little help with a donation.



I have already donated as I want to keep my poem a day and I want to support their efforts in keeping poetry on my computer...daily.



Also, they have pretty nifty gifts if you give at a certain level.  Poetry Daily mugs, t-shirts, hats and umbrellas.



I have a Poetry Daily lunchbox from a few years ago that I adore.  I like seeing the word Poetry on my things and Poetry Daily, a reminder that what I need to keep present and upfront in my life each day is Poetry.



So thank you, Poetry Daily! for my daily poem.



(www.poems.com)Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Midge Raymond on Crab Creek Review Blog

Author Midge Raymond
  



There's a great blog post by Midge Raymond (author of Forgetting English) on the Crab Creek Review blog on putting some time between your writing.



Most of us writers can always use a little time away from our work—and yet often we're so eager to finish something that we often neglect to take this precious time. 



You can find it here and while you are there, please become a follower of our Crab Creek Review blog!Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Confession Tuesday - The Ghost Stories Edition

Dear Reader,



It's been a week of achieved goals and new comfy cozy pants for my retreat.  A new lampshade and a broken stove... what is on my mind today?



To the Confessional--



I confess after my crazy Spring Cleaning, after getting rid of so many things I was surprised to see I actually purchased a few new things last week.



This actually surprised me because I was SO sick of all the stuff to find myself actually buying new stuff seemed to go against what I was working for.  It was as if my two selves were struggling over the checkbook--one was saying "Stop, less is more" and the other was saying, "But I need new cozy pants for my retreat!"



The *more is more* voice one out.



And I now have two new pairs of cozy wonderful yoga pants to bring to my writing residency next week.  I also have a new purse (this was SO not on my list to buy!)



~



I confess purses are my weakness.



~



I confess whenever I do a big cleaning, organizing, or redecorating, something in my house breaks or falls from the wall.



Since moving her 14 years ago, I was always aware that my house has an--oh how do I say this without sounding insane--um, an extra spirit (aka ghost).  My friend, Nancy, told me her name was Tilda and she's a friendly ghost (like Casper).  And she is.  However, Tilda isn't too keen on change.



Whenever we do something to the house-- add hardwood floors, remodel/paint the guest room, move furniture around, something ultimately breaks, falls, or happens.



I could give you a list such as:  Add hardwood floors downstairs = Chihuly exhibition poster in my room falls off the wall at 3 am for no reason, Repaint the guest room = 2 glass shades from my lamp fall off and shatter on the floor, Big spring cleaning = stove element blows up & needs to be replaced.



You can call it coincidence and suggest that I do not have a ghost, just an old house with old things, but honestly, I can pretty much guarantee if we do something major to the house, something will break or fall for no reason.



Also, you may be saying, "This doesn't sound like a nice ghost" - but she is.  Really, I think she's lonely and wants to be noticed.  Nancy said she just wants to be asked her opinion.



We've enjoyed her antics for the last 14 years.  Plus it's kind of hopeful to have a ghost-housemate, a good reminder that things keep going long after we've put our bodies to rest.



~



I confess I like ghost stories... a lot.



~



I confess this post seems as if it should be coming out closer to Halloween.



P.S.  The writing residency I'm attending is at a location where many of the buildings and houses have been deemed "haunted."  I may have some stories for you when I return...



Amen.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Dean Young, New Book & Hopefully, a New Heart Soon...

A few months ago I posted about Dean Young needing a heart transplant.  I had read the letter on by Tony Hoagland about it, but really didn't know much more.  Today I saw an  an article about poet Dean Young and exactly what he's going through and how he needs a heart transplant.  The full article is in here:  The Austin Chronicle, The Heartsick Poet.



There are two things that never leave Dean Young's side – his mobile phone and an odd-looking machine that resembles a piece of carry-on baggage, replete with tubes and amplified sound. Any day, or week, or month, or – God forbid – year, a call could come in on Young's phone that will send him and his wife flying out the door on the way to free themselves from this peculiar machine, its noise, and its assortment of tubes. . .





. . .Trying to negotiate every daily task with a clunky machine is an enormous hassle. "It's like taking a mower with you, or a vacuum cleaner, wherever you go," Young says, raising his voice slightly above the rhythmic tick-tick of the BiVAD. "You get into bed, you try to bathe, you go to the grocery store – you have to take the vacuum cleaner with you."









He has a humorous, wonderful response to all this, but I can only imagine how hard it must be to go through, for him and his family and friends.  Anyway, the article also mentioned his new book has been released--







from Copper Canyon Press. Fall Higher









I will definitely have to check it out as I so enjoyed his book Skid.





~



Other useful information for you--

You can donate to National Foundation for Transplants here.  









By the way, the next time you're getting your license renewed, become an organ donor.  Or sign up here.





(20 people die each day waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs.)  Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Read *Book of Kells* in an Entirely New Way...

Okay, it's not about THE Book of Kells, but my Book of Kells.



Blogger has created 5 new ways to read this blog based on your personality and likes.  They are called "Views" - and as a reader you can change the view of this blog to fit your style.



I'll be honest, a couple of them were way too overwhelming and chaotic for my taste, but I liked this SidebarView as it's organized, timely and shows how many comments each post has.



You can see all of the new ways to view Book of Kells here.  In the upper right corner, there is a blue button, press it for 5 unique ways to read Book of Kells.  If you find one you like, save it in your favorite.



Of course, you can always see the Old School Book of Kells here:  www.ofkells.blogspot.com



And if you ever want to change your view, go here:  www.ofkells.blogspot.com/views



~

Let me know what you think of Blogger's new options...Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

For the Love of Research: How a Few Hours Can Improve Your Poems & Create Inspiration

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So yesterday I took a 30 minute drive out of my small town to go to our big non-indie bookstore, not to buy books, but to do some research for my book.  I'm leaving for a weeklong writing residency and I find it better to do as much research for my next book (and poems) before I'm there, so I can spend my time writing and not researching info.



You might be asking why I didn't go to our local library to research.



I love my library and in fact, it is so small town, I don't even need my library card to checkout anything out there, but it is so tiny (it's so tiny you have to turn around to change your mind...)  However, I do plan on visiting my library and doing this again, this was just the beginning of the research, of finding inspiration and muse.



So this time, I went to the chain store where all the books are shiny and new.



I didn't have a full plan of what I was doing except going to the section on books about art, photography, crafts, design, etc., to see what interested me.  I pulled about 5 books off of the shelf that looked interesting--a book on graffiti art, a book on 50 Modern Painters you should know, a book about women's art studios, a book about the Book of Kells, and a book on collage.



I pulled out my trusty notebook, which is dedicated to my next book and its poems (something I recommend- keep one dedicated notebook for whatever big project you are working on, Twyla Tharp also recommends keeping a box devoted to your project) and I started writing lines, facts, or info from these books that interested me.



I did this for two hours, only taking a break to get coffee and eat a granola bar.



Time went by so quickly.  I kept browsing through the books and becoming more and more inspired to write poems.



When I finished searching the books, I'd put them back (so not to create more work for the nice employees there) and find a few more to browse through.  I didn't censor what I wrote down, even if I didn't know what I would do with the lines or info, I just kept writing and taking notes.



When I was done, I had quite a few pages of notebook filled with images, direct quotes, ideas, facts, and anything that caught my attention.  I have no idea what I will do with any of these or if I will do anything with them.  But I have them to bring with me on my writing retreat.



Some other things I notice--



This big commercial bookstore (whose initials are the same as "Big Nuisance") has taken out all but two of their comfy chairs, and the two chairs they do have are placed right near the register, so they can keep an eye on you to make sure you're not overstaying your welcome.  (I had a comfy chair for the first hour then lost it when I went to get more books.)



There were extra chairs in the Starbucks cafe, but then had to listen to man talk about his rat problem and his wife buying 24 boxes of cereal he doesn't like from Costco (but it feeds the rats, he says!)



You can get lines or ideas from your work by eavesdropping.  Of course, I was not inspired by these men, of course, that said, I did remember his story.



Bring snacks.



Choose some books you might not ever read -- such as a book on carpentry or unusual rocks.



Listen to your gut, grab books you immediately respond with even if you're not sure why you are choosing them.



Don't be picky about what you write down--write it all down.  You *won't* remember much from this experience and what you read, so the rule is -- the more, the better.



Later, when you begin to write a poem, pull out images or lines from your notebook as needed. At a later date, these lines will surprise and inspire you again.



Have fun.  Call it an artist date & enjoy.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Wishing I was Italy-- New Poems on the Web at Mediterranean Poetry

Photo of Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy: the town in the first poem










And I learned not to regret

the little things that changed me—



~



I have a couple new never-been-seen before poems on the web today at Mediterranean Poetry.  It's a lovely website that focuses on poetry around (well, you might have already guessed it), The Mediterranean.



I like these poems because they were written several years ago by me and they seem to have a quieter voice.  I like their softness.  -- I know this might seem strange to write, but it's odd looking at my older poems and seeing the poet who wrote them is not-quite-myself.  There is a distance and yet, I remember that poet and what she was thinking.



I think that is the beauty of time in poetry and in looking at one's own work at a later date.  We are not pulled by the immediacy of the poem, but instead can determine its merits based on our knowledge and less on emotion.  We love our newest darlings best sometimes.  Adding a few years to a poem allows one to really see it for itself, its craft, own art and again, less on the content of what we are writing about.



It was a great experience diving through my old poems to find something on the Mediterranean.  While doing that, I found a lot of other interesting poems I had forgotten about and moved them into my New Work folder for revision.



Reading my old poems made me want to return to Italy.  In fact, I haven't been able to get Italy out of my mind...Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Thankful Thursday: The Poems of Melody S. Gee

First, I am embarrassingly late in sharing this poet with you -- Melody S. Gee



I've been enjoying her work for months now, and somehow never made the time to post it on my blog.  So along with being thankful for her poems, I am also thankful for Melody Gee as a kind person, because I mentioned to her that I loved her work and was going to highlight here, but did so at a snail's pace.  So along with this, I send my personal apologies to Melody for becoming the "busypoetpersonIdidnotmeantobecome" and not sharing her work with you sooner.



So let's get to it--



Melody won the Perugia Press Poetry Prize for her manuscript of poems,  Each Crumbling House.  Perugia Press is one of my favorite presses because they consistently publish books I love (such as Jennifer K. Sweeney's   How to Live on Bread and Music, a book I keep on my desk - my highest compliment), so it didn't surprise me that I also loved Melody's work as well.



Victoria Chang wrote in the blurb for Melody's book that "Melody Gee proves to us through her poetry that first-generation Asian American experiences still matter and will always matter.  But even more so, her quietly unsettling and powerful book speaks to the whole human experience through its exploration of inheritance.  These are haunting poems about culture, nature, and ultimately about love."



And I agree, these poems are about the human experience.  Melody's work is immediate and brings the reader directly into the poem, scene, or moment.  She writes to share an experience not block you from it.  She is accessible, smart and has some of the loveliest openings lines ever.



Here are a few of my favorites--



The field is not us.

We are clover and the field is

not clover.



from "The Field is Not Us"



~

No one starves here.  The women

do not chew the soles of their shoes

for juice and fibers.



It seems, MaMa, nothing

you told me is true.



from "What You Believed"



~



The story I tell is a fish

gaping its gills in my hands.

The only place I have

to set it down is prairie.



from "A Fish in Prairie"



~

The whole book is visually pleasing like that.  From "Rain, California" where "I am eating orange slices dripping/from the sangria pitcher" to "The wind drives a current in my red/wine ocean, and I am bringing/you back to me slowly..."



So many poets are writing from their back corner of their minds these days, full of abstract thoughts, intended confusion, blissful uncaring, but it was refreshing to see that these poems do not come from that place--they come from heart and history.  They come from story and shape where "trees burn with monarchs" and the details of "As a girl, you leashed crickets with ox hairs/and baited bees with sweet tomato flesh."



She is a poet who crafts her poems as doors into this world that moves from China to America through the house of history and self.  We are in the poems too, as witnesses and readers.  We experience "a flock of gulls erupt from the sand, pushed into flight" just as we experience "I have inherited a father/whole language I cannot fold my tongue to."



I lost myself in these poems and found myself in San Francisco 1929, in Li-Hing Lei village 1957, in a wedding in a garden.



I am thankful for this poet for writing a book of poems that so gracefully weaves through history into present time, that shares culture, family, and the art of story so well.  I may be late in saying how much I like this book, but it doesn't take away the gift of this talented poet, one who is definitely carving a path for herself and one who I expect more good things from in the future.





Melody's bio (stolen from her website):



Melody S. Gee's first poetry collection, Each Crumbling House, won the 2010 Perugia Press Book Prize.  (Available here.)  Originally from Cerritos, California, she attended the University of California, Berkeley and the University of New Mexico, and has taught at Purdue University, Ivy Tech College, Saint Louis University, and the University of Missouri - St. Louis.  



Her poems and essays are published or forthcoming in Blackbird, Copper Nickel, Southern California Review, Dogwood, Packingtown Review, Alligator Juniper, The Greensboro Review, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, The Spoon River Poetry Review, Washington Square Review, and Crab Orchard Review, among others.

A Pushcart Prize nominee, winner of the Robert Watson Literary Prize for poetry, and a 2008 Kundiman Asian American Poetry Retreat fellow, she currently teaches writing at Southwestern Illinois College and lives with her husband, Paul, in St. Louis.

You can visit her website here.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Over a 100 Free Books of Poems for National Poetry Month! #NPM

Tonight, we hit 52 bloggers who are participating in the Big Poetry Giveaway.  Amazing.



If you're still interested in participating, you can read these guidelines and contact me by April 15th with a link to your blog post, your name and your blog's name.  And I'm leaving for a writing residency right after the 15th, so I can't even be a nice person and get your post linked up late as I'll be offline for a week.  So if you want giveaway 2 books of poems for National Poetry Month and share your love for reading, sign up!



And if you want WIN free poetry books, here are the list of bloggers participating as of April 6th at 8:33 pm PST.



Click on the blog name to be linked to the participating blog to leave a comment for the drawing (yes, it doesn't look as if there's a link there, but there is.)



Here's the list-- good luck!







BIG POETRY GIVEAWAY! -- List of Blogs Participating...A. Book of Kells: Kelli Russell Agodon
B. Jessie Carty Blog: Jessie Carty
C. November Sky Poetry: Christine Klocek-Lim
D. Being Poetry: Erin Hollowell
E. WordGathering: Margo Roby
F. Danka's World: Danica Grunert
G. Utopian Fragments: Guy Traiber
H. Ribbons of Intonation: Jim K.
I. Wait! I Have a Blog?!: Kathleen Kirk
J. Latoyalikestowrite: LaToya Jordan
K. Modern Confessional: Collin Kelley
L. One Poet's Notes: Edward Byrne
M. Tribe of Mad Orphans: Ren Powell
N. Ophelia Unraveling: Carol Berg
O. The Scrapper Poet: Karen J. Weyant
P. The Alchemist's Kitchen: Susan Rich
Q. Matthew Thornburn Blog: Matthew Thornburn
R. Naming Constellations: Joseph Harker
S. Drowning the Field: Katie Cappello
T. Who are "They" & Other Writing Advice: Laura Moe
U. Red Lion Square: Amy Watkins
V. Poet 2.0: Iris Jamahl Dunkle
W. Art Happens 365: Margaret Bednar
X. Alphabet Soup: Jama Rattigan
Y. The Lizard Meanders: Luisa Igloria
Z. Fredericks' Reflections: O.P.W. Fredericks
Za. One Man's Trash: Justin Evans
Zb. Joe's Jacket: Stephen Mills
Zc. Myself the only Kangaroo Among the Beauty: Sandy Longhorn
Zd. Risa's Pieces: Risa Denenberg
Ze. Ghosts in Parentheses: Barry Napier
Zf. Notes fro the Gefilter Review: Jehanne Dubrow
Zg. A View from the Potholes: Marie Gauthier
Zh. Habit of Poetry: Rita Mae Reese
Zi. Desire Seven Small Delicious Fruit: Cati Porter
Zj. The Graphic Haibuneer: Cindy Bell
Zk. Dear Outer Space: Laura E. Davis
Zl. Lorna Dee Cervantes Blog: Lorna Dee Cervantes
Zm. Jeannine Blogs: Jeannine Hall Gailey
Zn. Kristin Berkey-Abbott Blog: Kristin Berkey-Abbott
Zo. Writing With Celia: Celia Lisset Alvarez
Zp. Weaving a New Eden: Sherry Chandler
Zq. Rachel Dacus: Rocket Kids
Zr. Poemeleon: Cati Porter
Zs. Brian Spears Blog: Brian Spears
Zt. On Writing: Tawnysha Greene
Zu. 32 Poems: Deborah Ager
Zv. Put Words Together. Make Meaning.: DJ Vorreyer
Zw. Shiva's Arms: Cheryl Snell
Zx. Proof of Blog: Luke Johnson
Zy. The Monster's Flashlight: Nancy Lili
Zz. Frontal Junkyard: Marie-Elizabeth Mali
Zza. Feather's From the Muse's Wings: Odilia Galván Rodríguez
Zzb. Pokey Mama: Amy Dryansky
Zzc. One Hundred Forks: Tess Duncan
Zzd. Universe of Sound: Mary Virginia Cooley
Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com