Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 84

12 Ways of Getting Free Poetry Books (click on the links below)

Here's our current list (updated today) of bloggers participating in giving away free Poetry Books to celebrate National Poetry Month.  Click on the links below to get to the blogs, then leave a comment to be in their drawings!











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
Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Blog Request: The Difference Between Facebook & Twitter for the Writer's Life

Facebook & Twitter: The Warning Label--



After one a PoetParty, a reader of this blog asked me if I could explain the differences of Twitter & Facebook for her and the benefit of both in the writer's life.



First, let me tell you what the benefit isn't-- Helping getting your writing done.



If there were two websites I would advise you to stay away from (and would even add the cliche' "like the plague!" to that statement just to emphasize how much I mean this) it would be both of these website.



So before we begin, let me get that out of way--



When you plan on writing, stay OFF of Facebook & Twitter.  COMPLETELY!



While I do think these websites both have huge benefits to writers, they are also two huge time-sucks in the world that you can avoid by choice.



And here's the toughlove version on that-- If you go onto Twitter & Facebook and are complaining that you get/have enough time to write, then I need to be honest with you:  it's *your* fault.



Facebook & Twitter are both a choice.  They are not something you *have* to do because your family & friends expect to see you there.  They are not something you *have* to read in the morning or check into in the morning or even have to open in the morning.  These are all your choices you are making with your time.



I know, I sound mean, strict & tough, but darling, it's for your own good.



If you want to have time for writing, you need to say NO to the things that take away your writing.  I know from personal experience that both of these things do this.



So that was the opening warning, before I tell you how Facebook & Twitter are good and can be used for good in your writing life.



~



First, Brief definitions of each of these:



Twitter:  140 characters where you can tell the world something.  Or read other 140 character thoughts.   One continuous stream of what's on people's minds & what they are interested in at that moment.



Facebook: A non-stop cocktail party of friends, family, and vacation photos.  It's the place where you think you know where everything is and then they remodel it again.  And it can be awkward, your writing life, professional career life, family members, friends from high school and new friends all in the same room (to keep them out of the same room, there's a handy feature called "privacy settings").





Some good things about Twitter--



1) If you like Status Reports on Facebook, you'll love Twitter.  It's one status report after another.



2) Many Tweets share info that is very interesting and useful to writers.



3) You choose who you will follow based on what you are interested in.



4) You can have discussions such as the PoetParty that Deb Ager & Collin Kelley host on Sunday nights at 6 pm PST (9 EST)



****One note about Twitter:  It can be confusing.  When I started there, I didn't get it. I didn't get how to respond to someone (um, press "Reply") and who would see it (um, everyone.)



I didn't understand what "Retweeting" was (it's when you send someone else's interesting "Tweet" to all of your Followers (people who choose to follow your Tweets).



I didn't get Hashtags (that is this mark # and if you put it in front of a word, such as #poetparty, you can follow all the Tweets on that topic - this is what we do on Sunday nights).



But honestly, it took me about 4 months to get comfortable and to truly understand Twitter.  Some people freak out when Twitter goes down, to be honest again, I sometimes forget it's there and to check it.  But I do think it fits some personality better than Facebook, especially because of its immediacy.









Some good things about Facebook:



1)  If you have good news, you have your friends to share it with!



2)  You can learn about and "Like" different poetry journals (such as Crab Creek Review - hint, hint).



3)  Meet interesting people, poets, and writers.  And because there are photos (and if you are someone like me who is very bad with names without a photo), you connect better to these folks.



4)  If you like looking at photos of poet's families & lives, you can be the voyeur (if their privacy settings are off).





So, how can these two network social sites, as they are called, help a writer.



1.  They can connect you with others who have the same interests & see what others are doing in the world.



****This has been probably my favorite thing about Facebook (even more than Twitter).  It's connected me to so many writers across the US and international that I would have never met otherwise.  I've learned of new literary journals, new projects, all of it.





2.  They both can help you find your readers.



****If you're a writer with something published, both of these sites are a great place for sharing your work.  If you get published in an online journal, link it up to either of these sites and share your work.  Or announce your new book.





3.  They can both help you find others to read.



****This is similar to #1, but more specifically, I have discovered new poets through Facebook and Twitter, especially during the Sunday night (6 PST) #poetparty on Twitter.





4.  On Facebook, you can have your own "Page" for your book or as an Author Page.



****I recently did this for myself  You can find it here.  (and yes, please feel free to "Like" it.)  .



And I'll admit, I was pretty much apologizing it to my friends for doing it, because honestly, it felt *so* weird to do.  It was the "Who am I to have an author page?"



But I did for two reasons (and I'll be honest, now that it's done & up, I'm glad I did it), but reason one was:



1)  Someone started me a "fan page" -which I thought was very sweet - but my concerns were that I couldn't control the info on that page and people were starting to "like" that page.  So I thought if I started my own, I could control the content, plus add my events to the page & make sure it was updated.



2)  I am getting too many friend requests and I can't keep up.  While I love meeting new people on Facebook, adding friends is time-consuming.  I currently have 50 unaccepted friend requests in my inbox and it's not because these are scary creepy people, I just hate going through and friending people because it's time-consuming.



Mostly because I have privacy settings if I don't know someone well enough, so they can't get into my personal family photos, which are still on my Facebook page from when I first began it thinking it would just be for close friends and family.



But yes, creating a page felt like a big deal for me because an actual "Page" feel big and weird and a little wrong.  It's the modest ego in me saying, "Who do you think you are?" Or maybe that's the critics voice, the voice of the adult saying, "Really?  You?"



But now that's it's up on Facebook, I'm actually relieved because I feel it helps me separate my writing life a little more.  I like to compartmentalize.  I like writing to be over here.  And family photos to be over there.



And it's also nice to see who "liked" me.  These are the people who I will help first, who I will support because they put their name under mine and supported to me when I was nervous about doing this.  Or just "liked" me because they liked me.  And that means a lot, so know, you're on my good list, Likers.  And thank you.



~~~



So there we are. Two Social Networking Sites and their pros & cons to the writer.  They are not essential, but useful.  And the both can be a lot of fun.



But only if you're getting your real work done!  Just don't forget, writing and art come first.



All best,

KellsKelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Thankful Thursday - New Favorite Blog *Insulted by Authors* by Bill Ryan

I learned about this blog through this article in LA Times.



The blog *Insulted by Authors* is by Bill Ryan, who began asking authors to inscribe insults to him when they sign their book for him.



His blog is arranged in a way where it's a little hard just to scroll through and sample, but it's worth the digging around just to find Amy Sedaris' insult to him, which is just as funny and clever as she is (and contains a 4-letter word that I know many hate, but the way she uses it is classic Sedaris.)



I think projects like these are sparks of brilliance in the world.  (Oh, do I see a book deal in the works?? I'd bet on it!)



And I was amused to see some authors wouldn't play along (serious authors...)  And you think they would, what great request at a booksigning than to have someone ask you to write something specific, it makes the signing so much more interesting and so much easier!



And no, he hasn't asked me, but I'd be happy to insult him.

GIVEAWAY: Win 2 Books of Poetry (Agodon & Pagh) in the Big Poetry Book Giveaway:

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Big Poetry Book Giveaway!



If you have a blog and would like to participate by giving away 2 favorite poetry books on your blog, click here for more details.



As for me, I'm Kelli (aka Kells), the one who started this event for poets/poetry last year after being inspired by artists-who-blog who put together a similar giveaway in February.





Some things about me--



I am a poet, writer, & editor (in that order).



I recently founded an indie press with my friend (& co-editor of Crab Creek Review), Annette Spaulding-Convy called Two Sylvias Press.  Our first project, an anthology by women poets called Fire on her Tongue, is currently underway.



My personal motto is "Be the Crystallized Ginger"



I work at balancing my life as a writer/artist/mother/poet/wife/editor



My favorite color is orange.



My current projects include:  a creative non-fiction book (memoirish work on leaving the chaotic world to live a retreat lifestyle, then trying to transition back in), a 3rd book of poems, a writing exercise project, & my work as an editor with the literary journal Crab Creek Review & the anthology for Two Sylvias Press.



My dislikes?  Mean People.  Cold showers.  And cheesecake.



I am an avid mountain biker (I have only been seriously injured once & it was actually on the road *after* a 13 mile mountain bike ride.)



I live in the Northwest & have always lived in the Northwest.



On a good day, I see the world with ruby-colored glasses, with birdsong & beetle music.  On a bad day, I sleep in.



I like to giveaway things.



~



2 FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY--





Book 1:



The first book I'm giving away is my book, Letters From the Emily Dickinson Room (White Pine Press Poetry Prize Series, 2010)







A book about trying to find calmness in a chaotic world.



Some notes about it:  It's titles are in alphabetical order, the second section has letters to Vincent van Gogh, Walt Whitman & a past life, and there are two poems made up of anagrams inside.



~~~

Book 2:



As for book two to give away, I'll be honest, I have *so* many favorite books of poems, that it was hard to pick just one.  But I choose a collection by a good friend who recently opened her guest room up to me when I went on my 3-city book tour, Ms. Nancy Pagh!



Nancy Pagh wrote No Sweeter Fat.





which is one of my all-time favorite books of poems.  Nancy's ability to mix humor with music, music with poignancy, poignancy with halibut, is incredible.



So speaking of halibut, here's a poem by Nancy from her book, so you can see for yourself how incredible she writes--



Among the Vegetarians

(apologies to WW)



Sometimes I would like to turn and live

among the vegetarians --

they are so placid, and so self contained.



They understand the eggplant's secret

firmness, the tabula rasa the bean curd is.



I contemplate them long and long.

Death does not linger on their breath.

The darker crevices

of their cutting boards are safe.



They exist without asking another

animal to kneel and spill itself.



The gentle eyes of the vegetarian

flash liquid revelations

to me and I accept them.



Theirs is an appetite to know and be filled

with the scallop the coho the razor

clam's dignity apart.



My hunger takes

the cream-white flesh of the halibut

the migrating eye of the halibut

the scythe-mouthed strike of the halibut

the graveled bed of the halibut

the cold gray sea of the halibut

in every bite.



It is incised, protean, unassuaged

by toast.



My hunger wants more than the halibut

and finds it in the halibut.



Believe me sometimes

I think if you were as much of this world

as the halibut

I would have to eat you too.





--Nancy Pagh

from No Sweeter Fat (Pittsburgh, PA: Autumn House Press, 2007)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This drawing is open from now through ALL OF APRIL, National Poetry Month!



If you'd like to be entered, please leave your name and email address by midnight, APRIL 30th, 2011 in the comment section of this post and I'll be randomly choosing 2 lucky winners on May 1st.





Good luck & Good Reading!



xo,

Kells

The Big Poetry Giveaway! 2011

After participating in the One World, One HeArt giveaway last year, I thought for National Poetry Month we could do a poetry book giveaway where bloggers giveaway 2 books of poems-- the first can be your own & the second book must be of another favorite poet of yours.



The goal is to share our favorite poets with others as well as to visit different blogs and see who others are reading. There is also a benefit for those who participate as it will bring people to your blog and share your work and/or the work of a favorite poet with them.







GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES--





The Poetry Book Giveaway is officially started and the giveaway will run through April 30th (all of National Poetry Month).





If you want to have your blog be part of this giveaway, here's what you need to do by APRIL 15, 2011--





1)  Create a blog post that includes the above image (so we know you're participating) that announces the two poetry books you are giving away.  You are welcome to include a little note about yourself, your own book you're giving away (if you have one) and the poetry book(s) you choose and why you love them.





Also, make sure to include a link to this page, in case others have questions or want to participate.  I will keep a running list on the side of my blog as well as on this post (note: the side list will be the most up-to-date, I'll update this list every few days).





2)  Once you have your blog post up, leave me a comment below with --





a)  the name of your blog 

b)  your full namec)  a link to your giveaway blog post





I will be keeping a complete list of bloggers who will be giving away poetry books for National Poetry Month and will add you to it.  (I'll update this page every few days with the complete list.)









Then on May 1st, 2011 (or 2nd or 3rd if you can't make the 1st), choose 2 winners for your giveaway.





--You can do this buy putting everyone's name who commented on the giveaway in a bowl and choosing one. Or you can use the random number generator and then count down the comments until you get to the winner. (Make sure to email them so they know they won...)



**** If you are participating in this giveaway, you must be willing to mail 2 separate books of poems to ANYWHERE in the world. You pay for the postage, the winner DOES NOT.



Questions you still may have about the giveaway--





1) Can I enter the drawing if I don't participate in the giveaway?

Yes, the drawings are open to anyone.



2) Can I enter the drawings if I am a blogger giving away two books?

Yes, again, the drawings are open to anyone.



3) Can the two books I give away both by written by me?

No. One book in your giveaway must be by another poet, specifically one of your favorite poets.

4) Can I give away two books that I wrote and one book from someone else?

Yes! You can give away as many of your own books as you like as long as you make sure to give away a book by someone else. You are also welcome to give away a subscription to a favorite literary journal as an extra prize if you like, but again, you cover the cost.

5) I'm not a blogger, but can I participate?No & Yes.  You cannot participate in giving away 2 books of poems, but you can enter to win books in the giveaways. 6) Do the books I give away have to be new?

No. But only give away gently-used books. They should look newish (and smell newish).



7) I'm not a poet, but I love poetry can I participate in the giveaway?

Yes! Just give away books by two of your favorite poets.



8) I'm a poet, but only have a chapbook, does that count as a book?

Yes! Chapbooks are books! Feel free to give away your chapbook and then another collection by a favorite poet.



9) I don't want to pay postage if someone wins. Can I still participate?

No. You must be willing to mail the books to the winner at your cost. That's what makes it a giveaway (not a pay-me-for-postage-to-send-you-your-winning-book-away.)



10) Do I need to have a blog to sign up for the drawings?This is completely up to the blogger who hosts the drawing you sign up for. When I did it for last year, I allowed readers without blogs to sign up but only if they include their email so I could get ahold of them if they won.

11)  If I don't have a blog and I sign up for a drawing, how will the blogger contact me?Make sure to leave your name and email address!

12)  How long will you be accepting posts/links for the giveaway?

All emails with your blog name, your full name & a link to your blog giveaway MUST be emailed to me by midnight PST, April 15, 2010, if you want to participate. 

13) What are the exact dates of this giveaway?The giveaway begins immediately.  And you can enter someone's contest as SOON as a blogger posts their giveaway. 

The giveaway ends April 30th, 2011 at midnight (PST or Hawaii-time, not sooner).

The winners will be chosen on May 1st, 2nd or 3rd, depending on the blogger's schedule.  

14)  How will I know if I've won?  A blogger will contact you probably by email to let you know and will then ask for your mailing address to mail the book out to you.

15)  This is becoming an annual thing, why do you do this each year?

Because I want to introduce people to poets they may not have heard of.Because I want more people to read poetry.Because I love the idea of poetry books being mailed off to new readers.  Because I like learning about new blogs and bloggers.Because it's National Poetry Month and I want to bring more attention to poets and poetry.





 

Confession Tuesday - The Weight Edition

Three Graces by Sandro Botticelli




Dear Reader, another week has passed and here I am thinking about what to confess.

I watched a video this week that has made me think about body image.  Oh, there is so much to confess here.  I should just begin...







I confess, It says I'm 5'8 on my license because when I told the clerk I weighed 125 lbs he wouldn't change my weight.  He said, "It's only 5 pounds. I'm going to leave it at 130."  So I said, "Fine, I'm 5'8"," which he changed my height to.  (I'm actually 5'7 1/2").

I confess I don't actually weigh 125 (and haven't since I was 12), but I have always considered my driver's license weight as a nice place to keep my "goal weight" so I always keep my DL weight 10 lbs lower than what I weigh.  (If you do the math you will see I really weigh 135).

I confess that my weight fluctuates about 10 lbs during the year (I'll weigh anywhere from 132-142), when I look in the mirror, I can't tell the difference.  I don't know if I'm skinny, curvy or chunky; I only see me.



I confess I was brought up in the 70's with a family of women who had a dysfunctional relationship with weight.  I swear, I know females in my family who lived only on Tab soda all summer. It's taken me years to try to change the messages that were given to me as a girlchild and still, sometimes they sneak back in with a weird, "You'd be much happier 5 pounds lighter."

I confess I like chocolate and dessert more than being a size 6.  

I confess I refuse to let the culture's obsession with weight, change what my daughter thinks of herself. Because of that, even on what feels like my ugliest days, in all of her life I have made a point never to complain about how I feel about my body or the way I look in front of her.  And actually, this small change in my behavior has actually be something that has helped me like my own body better.

I confess I always assumed women in their 30's, 40's, 50's, and above were happy with how they looked.  I guess I assumed there was an age you pass where you know longer worry about the size of your hips. ( Note: I have learned to appreciate the size of my hips.)

A friend and I were having a conversation yesterday and laughing about how our bodies are changing and there's really nothing we can do about it except accept it.  There's a great satisfaction in knowing that I don't have to worry about whether I look good in a bikini because I'm not putting one on.  And it helps me love this body (love the skin that you're living in), because if I don't there's no hope for the body that's on order 20 years from now.  And we decided that if someone didn't like us because we weren't a) thin enough b) pretty  enough  c) young enough  etc, then they really wouldn't be someone we'd want in our lives anyway. 

I confess when I look at other women, I don't notice their body sizes, I notice what they are passionate about.



Though I confess even as a feminist, as a woman who knows all about all this craziness in our culture that is put on women and their weight, I still am surprised that I care about the number on the scale as much as I do.





~~~



This is the video trailer called Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Images on Women (thank you Ren Powell who linked it up on her FB page) that inspired this post.  It's a great reminder on how we are fed fake images as real.  It's a great reminder that by saying, "I love myself as I am" is the best way to defeat this type of thinking that there is a "perfect body."  It's a great reminder that even Cindy Crawford doesn't look like Cindy Crawford.



Amen.

Ansen Seale's Kickstart The Corn Crib Project...

Have I posted this here? It's another artist doing great things.



Sometimes I don't understand why certain things inspire me so much. I cannot tell you how many times I've watched the video. I've also become a backer for this. Not much $$ as I currently have to cut back on things for a bit, but I do need to keep supporting other artists the best I can.



He's already reached full funding (you can still back him if you want- cool rewards for being a backer), but I post this here because I was all worked up this morning because of an article I read trashing the NEA.



Art adds beauty to life.

It adds inspiration and a feeling of being connected to something bigger.

It adds things money can't buy.



So enjoy what another person is passionate about.

And be passionate yourself. And go out, create.

Book of Kells Announces the Big Poetry Giveaway 2011 beginning Thurs., March 24!

Dear Friends,



If you remember last April for National Poetry Month we had a big poetry giveaway, where about 50 or so bloggers gave away 2 books each. Well, I am organizing it again this year!



The official start of the Big Poetry Giveaway (as it's now called) will be Thursday, March 24 (aka Thankful Thursday) and will last through April 30, 2011.  If you'd like to participate, the guidelines will be up Thursday and you have until April 15th to get me your info & link, so I can link you up to the complete list of bloggers participating.



Basically, bloggers give away 2 books of poem at the end of April.  The first can be your own book, and the second is to be a FAVORITE book of poems of your choosing.



People will come to your blog and leave a comment saying they'd like to win your book and at the end of the month, you randomly choose two winners and mail them out the books.  



If you don't have a blog or don't want to participate, then you can just enter as many drawings for free books of poems as you like.



~~



I think this is a great way for bloggers to share their favorite books of poems as well as their own work.  And if you have a blog, but haven't published a book or chapbook yet, you can still participate-- just give away 2 of your favorite poetry books.



So that's it.  Let me know if you have any questions, otherwise, wait until Thursday, March 24th when all the info and FAQs will be up!



Last year we had 50 or so bloggers who participated.  I'd love to have more!  That was 100+ books of poems and even a few subscriptions to literary journals that were given out.  It seemed to be a fun, satisfying event for all who participated.



Hope you join us this year!  Start thinking of what book(s) you'd like to giveaway...

Ahh, There is hope in the world! A New Press- Welcome Ashland Creek Press! (Thankful Thursday)

Thankful Thursday and I want to spread the news...



There's a new press in town--

Welcome Ashland Creek Press!   A new small indie press looking to do big things.



I love that in a world where people are quick to say "print is dead" along with "no one reads books anymore" that we know how wrong that is and here are two people who are willing to stand by that statement.



(By the bye, I think eBooks & print books can live together in harmony, but that's another post...)



~

Back to Ashland Creek Press--Here's a short description of the press:



Ashland Creek Press is a small, independent publisher of books with a world view. From travel stories to eco-literature, our mission is to publish a range of books, as well as short stories and articles, that foster an appreciation for worlds outside our own, the animal kingdom, and the ways in which we all connect.



Founders: Authors Midge Raymond (Forgetting English: Stories, which can be pre-ordered here) and John Yunker (The Tourist Trail)



Here are the submission guidelines if you're interested in being published by them.



And Facebookers, please "LIKE" their Facebook page.



~~



What I love about this press is that it was started by authors, AUTHORS!  I think there is something amazing about working with a press that understands *your* side of the business.  And both of them do as they both have books.



Also, they are good people.  And funny.



Check out Midge's book trailer, one of the best book trailers I've seen--











Support your indie presses, friends.  These will be the folks who take care of us (just as we should help take care of them) while the larger presses eat their young and play Monopoly with the bookworld, these will be the presses that allow us to have our words.



Congrats to Midge and John for being part of a larger conversation of literary and for their vision of seeing how we all connect!

The New Charmed Life: Because Ordinary is the New Extraordinary

I went and saw Marie Howe (What the Living Do: Poems, The Kingdom of Ordinary Time: Poems, The Good Thief: Poems )  last night in Seattle.  She was incredible, generous, grounded, and smart.  I could have these traits in all my favorite people, all the time.



Before the reading, I went out to celebrate my finalist status for the Foreword Prize with my co-editor Annette Spaulding-Convy, Ronda Broatch, and Martha Silano to Wild Ginger, one of Seattle's best restaurants. We met up with Jeannine Hall Gailey afterwards.



I think we were also celebrating life.



I must say, with all the terrible one-thing-after-another happening in Japan, I cannot help but look at my small life, my small evening of poetry, a good dinner, friends, and be thankful.  Tragedy does not study geography.  Nature does not pick and choose, and their earthquake could have been our earthquake, your hurricane, someone else's drought.



I will be honest, poetry feels like a luxury.



But it's not for me. It can't be.  Even when the world seems to be falling apart city by city,   writing is still a part of my order.  Still, hearing the stories out of the Japan, I think we need to redefine the term "charmed life."  It is not a flat-screen tv, or getting the job, or buying an iPad because of a surprised check that arrived in the mail.



I think a charmed life needs to be defined as waking up and turning on the hot water to take a shower, drinking coffee, opening your refrigerator to the numerous choices, going to the market, turning on the lights, reading a book, seeing a bird on the porch, opening up your front door and taking a large breath of air.



So, it's not thankful Thursday, but giving thanks again for the small things in life.  For the poets, the poetry, for the robins and mourning doves in the magnolia tree, for the family and friends who are not missing, for the Yoshino cherry tree in my yard preparing to bloom-- I will look it differently this spring, its petals each a hope and prayer for the country across the sea us.



Extraordinary