Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 88

Northwest Women Poets: Give Yourself a Retreat for Valentine's Day (& a year subscription to Crab Creek Review)- last day of the special rate!

In the Northwest, Valentine's Day is known to many as the day to prune the roses and prepare the bushes for a season of abundant blossoms. This strikes me as a great expression of love: to believe that winter will eventually end and there will be bouquets of flowers, a scented landscape even in a city garden.



Perhaps that's why Susan Rich and I chose this holiday as the final date for our pre-conference special rates. Those writers who sign up for Poets on the Coast before midnight on February 14th will receive a one year subscription to Crab Creek Review and a reduced rate on our weekend writing retreat.



Since we first posted information on Poets on the Coast, we're excited to announce that we've added an optional yoga component to the weekend. Certified yoga instructor and fitness specialist, Kay Jensen, will lead a morning yoga session on both Saturday and Sunday.



Our September 9-11th weekend is the only conference of its kind (well, that we know of) on the Oregon coast. We're thrilled that writers are coming from all corners of the country to join us; we're hoping that you (or a writer you know) will consider joining us too. For more information on Poets on the Coast or to join us, click here.



You can pay by check by mail or by PayPal.  And if you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line at:  poetsonthecoast (at) yahoo.com

Introducing Mr. Yale Younger Poet - Mr. Eduardo Corral!

So I normally don't post unflattering photos of myself, but when this photo was taken a week ago, I had no idea that the gentleman next to me, Eduardo Corral, would be chosen as the winner of the Yale Younger Poets prize.



But he was.



I think we look like brother and sister in this photo due to our glasses... but obviously, he is the photogenic one of the family.  And the big prize winner.



So if you haven't wished him congrats, do so.  This is not just big.  It's huge.



Many many congrats, Eduardo!  I am SO SO SO glad you won!

Open Letter from Claudia Rankine-- AWP Follow-up #AWP11

Dear friends,



As many of you know I responded to Tony Hoagland's poem "The Change" at AWP. I also solicited from Tony a response to my response. Many informal conversations have been taking place online and elsewhere since my presentation of this dialogue. This request is an attempt to move the conversation away from the he said-she said vibe toward a discussion about the creative imagination, creative writing and race.



If you have time in the next month please consider sharing some thoughts on writing about race (1-5 pages).



Here are a few possible jumping off points:



- If you write about race frequently what issues, difficulties, advantages, and disadvantages do you negotiate?



- How do we invent the language of racial identity--that is, not necessarily constructing the "scene of instruction" about race, but create the linguistic material of racial speech/thought?



- If you have never written consciously about race why have you never felt compelled to do so?



- If you don't consider yourself in any majority how does this contribute to how race enters your work?



- If fear is a component of your reluctance to approach this subject could you examine that in a short essay that would be made public?



- If you don't intend to write about race but consider yourself a reader of work dealing with race what are your expectations for a poem where race matters?



- Do you believe race can be decontextualized, or in other words, can ideas of race be constructed separate from their history?



- Is there a poem you think is particularly successful at inventing the language of racial dentity or at dramatizing the site of race as such? Tell us why.



In short, write what you want. But in the interest of constructing a discussion pertinent to the more important issue of the creative imagination and race, please do not reference Tony or me in your writings. We both served as the catalyst for this discussion but the real work as a community interested in this issue begins with our individual assessments.



If you write back to me by March 11, 2011, one month from today, with "OPEN LETTER" in the subject heading I will post everything on the morning of the 15th of March. Feel free to pass this on to your friends. Please direct your thoughts to openletter@claudiarankine.com.





In peace,

Claudia

openletter@claudiarankine.com

__________________



****I'd love to know if any of you plan on responding and what interests (or doesn't interest) you in this conversation.



Pens ready...

More AWP Recaps #AWP11 #AWP

Erika Dreifus has some links on her blogs for AWP recaps from many other bloggers.  You can check that out here.



Joshua Corey talks about AWP here.



Reb Livingston's recap with cute kid photo too.



Kate Hopper's Mothers-Who-Write blog has a great post about the memoir panel she was on and other info.



Lori A. May sold out of her book about Low-Res programs ( Low-Residency MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Creative Writing Students) and has a recap on her blog here.



Sandy Longhorn recaps AWP on her blog and what liked.



Lyle Daggett has where he was and what he saw, plus the books he bought at AWP.



And here's a great surprise for anyone who didn't make it to AWP, you can hear full audio of the panel on Social Media that Jane Friedman moderated on her blog.



~





Oh, for those who asked "#AWP11" and anything with a # helps with Twitter, which this blog title/post magically ends up on after I write it. (Ah, technology).

The Follow-Up: Claudia Rankine Posts her AWP Response on her Website #AWP11

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Go to www.claudiarankine.com and under "Criticism" press *AWP.





Also, Sara Jaffe posted an excellent response to what she saw and heard, being in the audience at that reading that day.



****

So, now I know.  



Also, many thanks to the friend who sent me another response, which I was going to post here, but since we have the Claudia's actual words and Sara's response, which was posted publicly on her blog I won't.



It's too early in the morning for me to have any big, smart thoughts on this, but again, my heart leans towards Claudia and with gratitude for speaking up for what she thinks and believes in.



I have Tony Hoagland's book (What Narcissism Means to Me) and obviously, I didn't read it that carefully because I didn't know that poem when it was mentioned (or that it was in that book, oops).



So, you can read Tony's poem, read Claudia's response and come up with your own opinions.  I am not really a fan of conflict or any thing that puts one person vs. another person, but I think this is an opportunity for a larger conversation and I'm always open for that, for people to talk about the larger issues and not about the weather (and honestly, I am so sick of hearing about the weather...she says under blue skies and a planned mountain biking trip later this afternoon).



I'd love to hear others thoughts on this if you're willing to share.

Thankful Thursday - Other Bloggers: Kristin Berkey-Abbott, January O'Neil & Susan Rich

January, me, Kristin, Susan in DC - Busboys & Poets Reading


While I've confessed that AWP can feel overwhelming to me, here is one of the reasons I feel these big events are important-- for the smaller moments.



I have never been good in big groups or large parties, but I am awesome one-on-one, and pretty decent in a party of four.



For me, I will live through the uncomfortable feeling of a large group to meet people I'm really interested in knowing.  More than anything, I love talking to other poets.  I love a moment like this where all of us, from our various locations can come together.



For this I am thankful.  Thankful for my poetry friends, for Susan, for January, for Kristin.

For giving a reading in a city 2800 miles from home and having people show up.





For the $3.99 yellow sweater dress I am wearing.  Um, I mean, for the opportunity to read in a new place with new friends and old friends.

Kristin does a great blog post with more photos about the reading and the place, Busboys and Poets to learn more about this cool venue I was thrilled to read at.

What Happens at AWP Doesn't Stay at AWP (or actually, no one knows what happened - Rankine & Hoagland: What Happened?)

So I reported not much happened at AWP in DC, but of course, things *did* happen, I just didn't hear about them until 4 days later.



There was a lot of excitement about Claudia Rankine's response to Tony Hoagland's response to her (possibly last year?) and his poem, "The Change" (oddly, it was featured on Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac in 2008).  I have tried to piece together what happened, and honestly, I still don't have an accurate account.



It sounds as if Claudia called Tony out for writing a racist poem (see "The Change").  What she said at AWP this year, is still a mystery to me.



Jeannine Gailey and I tried to google it last night while she waited with me for my ferry, but interestingly, when we googled "Tony Hoagland" one of the choices that comes up for him is "Tony Hoagland Racist." (Seriously, how many poets do you google that have *that* come up as a most-googled choice by their name.)



Ron Silliman linked to Tisa Bryant's response from the reading (which I've linked up, but leads to "This content is currently unavailable" sign) after seeing it on Facebook, but either it's been taken down or is private.



I've decided this event is the most talked about thing no one has any idea about.



So, if you were there, please clue us in.  It's the biggest no-info available story from the conference, the biggest thing no one saw.



By the way, here's a poem by Claudia Rankine because I think it's important to focus on her (not T.) but on someone who said what she believed...I so admire that in people.



It's hard to stand up to "big names" in such a small fishbowl of poets, scholars, and readers.  So for me, I love that she did.  Though I wish I knew exactly what was said, so I could love it more (I'm making my own assumptions based on the little I know).



Anyway, to Claudia's work--



Here's a prose poem by her called "Don't Let Me Be Lonely."



And here's info about Claudia Rankine.

What Happens at AWP Doesn't Stay at AWP (or actually, no one knows what happened - Rankine & Hoagland) #AWP11 -

So I reported not much happened at AWP in DC, but of course, things *did* happen, I just didn't hear about them until 4 days later.



There was a lot of excitement about Claudia Rankine's response to Tony Hoagland's response to her (possibly last year?) and his poem, "The Change" (oddly, it was featured on Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac in 2008).  I have tried to piece together what happened, and honestly, I still don't have an accurate account.



It sounds as if Claudia called Tony out for writing a racist poem (see "The Change").  What she said at AWP this year, is still a mystery to me.



Jeannine Gailey and I tried to google it last night while she waited with me for my ferry, but interestingly, when we googled "Tony Hoagland" one of the choices that comes up for him is "Tony Hoagland Racist." (Seriously, how many poets do you google that have *that* come up as a most-googled choice by their name.)



Ron Silliman linked to Tisa Bryant's response from the reading (which I've linked up, but leads to "This content is currently unavailable" sign) after seeing it on Facebook, but either it's been taken down or is private.



I've decided this event is the most talked about thing no one has any idea about.



So, if you were there, please clue us in.  It's the biggest no-info available story from the conference, the biggest thing no one saw.



By the way, here's a poem by Claudia Rankine because I think it's important to focus on her (not T.) but on someone who said what she believed...I so admire that in people.



It's hard to stand up to "big names" in such a small fishbowl of poets, scholars, and readers.  So for me, I love that she did.  Though I wish I knew exactly what was said, so I could love it more (I'm making my own assumptions based on the little I know).



Anyway, to Claudia's work--



Here's a prose poem by her called "Don't Let Me Be Lonely."



And here's info about Claudia Rankine.

Confession Tuesday - The AWP Version #AWP11 !

Me touring in DC - in front of one of many museums I fell in love with.
I confess I've been missing in action here at Book of Kells due to an incredible vacation/AWP in Washington, DC.  I thought I would live in the real and virtual world at once, but no, the real world won out and I was a bad blogger - though I took great notes with pen & pencil.



There is so much to report and people wanted me to get the gossip before I left, so we better get the confessional--



I confess if there were any moments of poets behaving badly, I missed them.



Actually, I think the conference has become so large, it's really hard to know what's going on, who's doing what (and with who) and what's the place to be.  My last AWP I recognized so many more people, this AWP, a sea of strangers who I knew loved: 1) writing 2) books  3) language  and/or 4) parties (there were a lot of graduate students at this AWP).



So while my last (2004, Vancouver) AWP was hissing with stories that would circle and recircle through the conference, there wasn't anything anyone *had* to tell me.



~



I confess the best part of AWP is meeting people I've only talked with or known from either their books or online.



Here's some people I saw walking and talking and I will confess, yes, they are alive and lovely people (not robots!) and I was glad to meet them in person--



January O'Neill, Deb Ager, Nin Andrews (though I didn't get to spend as much time with her as I would have liked as I had to run off to the Crab Creek Review table), Eduardo Corral, Bernadette Geyer, Kristin Berkey-Abbott, Reb Livingston, Sally R. Kindred, Lyle Daggett, Marie Gauthier, Angela Vogel, and many many of the poets and writers we published in Crab Creek Review.  By the way, I know there are friends and writers who I met that aren't listed, but my mind has gone to that quiet spot where it's refusing to pull up names.



People I had met at the last AWP or other places I was able to see again -- Aimee Nezhukumatathil, C. Dale Young, Oliver de la Paz, and Charles Jensen.  The Old School blogging community.  BTW, this list is also a list of people who are gorgeous, just thought I'd add that.



I did not bump into Victoria Chang, Sandy Longhorn or Mary Biddinger, and I was a bit bummed about that.



~



Even with all the people I *knew* and knew, on the last night of AWP I found myself missing my local tribe of poets.  Susan & Lana had gone home a day early.  Marty was dining with her editor.  Jeannine had stayed home. My family was tucked in at our hotel.  And there I was, big city feeling a little lonely.



I confess, what I should have done was called up January to see where she was.  What I should have done was phone Nin and say, I'm free for dinner!  What I did was what I always do in situations where I don't want to be a burden on others' time, went to the Kay Ryan reading by myself.



Actually, I was fine . . .



(I'm making it sound a bit like a sad tale of the orphan at AWP who no one loved, but sheesh, there were people everywhere, if I wanted a friend, there were 7000, all who came wearing nametags and with their hobbies already filled out to match mine-- Writing, Reading Books, Literature). . .



But it was a good reminder for me (and some good advice to you if you ever attend one of these ginormous functions and find yourself alone & wanting company), have a few phone numbers to call/text to see who's doing what.



Anyway, I think all the cool kids went to the Amy Hempel reading, but that's another confession...



~



I confess this was the first time Crab Creek Review had a booth at AWP and one surprise was all the poets and writers who came up and introduced themselves.  I hadn't realized that would happen, but it was so wonderful to meet these people in person after publishing their poems and stories.   This was truly a highlight.



~



Other highlights--



Meeting Wyn Cooper, a favorite poet of mine.



Sitting in a panel and not having them take out their academic reading and speak in a monotone voice, but to actually speak to the audience in an interesting, conversational way.



Meeting people in person and liking them, a lot.



Attending the panel on "Should we write for free?" and "How to make a writing life outside of academia."  Both of these panels were the most open and honest in the details of a creative life and what it takes to live as a writer.



The panel on writing on writing on spirituality with Dinah Linney, Brenda Miller and David Biespiel, those three were incredible in talking about how the spiritual plays into their creative lives.



Meeting my editor, Dennis Maloney in person and my first DC reading.



The Seriously Funny reading and hearing David Kirby & Barbara Hamby read (in person) for the first time.  If you haven't read them, you need to.  



~



I confess (and this is a weird confession), I told myself if I didn't die on the flight to and from DC, I wouldn't be afraid of flying anymore.  Yes, I'm one of those people.



Actually I had read a lot about flying before I left and what it's safer than (um, taking a plane ride is safer than walking, biking, driving and/or having sex) -- really.  Seeing that list was a very good reminder for me how we create our own fears in our mind and give them exclamation points.



As a mountain biker who talked my way out of an ER visit last August, but still ended up having an MRI to make sure my brain was still working, I realized, the most dangerous thing I do is on the ground and on two wheels (and usually involves bumps, bruises, scratches and large tree hazards).



For some reason I wasn't feeling worried about the flight.  In fact, I wasn't worried so much that I told myself, if I fly without worrying before then I can fly anytime because it means my worries aren't keeping the plane in the air  (if that magical thinking attitude makes sense).



So I didn't worry.  And going through security was a breeze (seriously, can the media make something seem 1000x worse than it is).  And I will fly again before another 12 years goes by.



And I learned a lot.  And I met some incredible people.  And I learned a lot about myself. And I toured DC and loved it.  And I came home inspired to write again.  Write well again.  And that was worth it.



And while on my last post I said you will see me at Seattle 2014, I've been thinking about maybe Boston...  I confess, while I like to say AWP is overwhelming to me (and it is), it is worth a few moments of being uncomfortable for the bigger moments it produces.  And it came through for me there.



Amen.

There is so much I could blog about from AWP. From how so...

There is so much I could blog about from AWP.

From how some people go crazy for it, love it, want to eat it up and wear it in their hair

To other people, who attend because they think they should, or because they want to make a connection, find a publisher, editor, or poetgod.

I am someone who has a love/hate relationship with AWP. I love meeting the live person behind the words but I hate anything that feels like a) networking b)phoniness c) hierarchy.

I love telling my favorite poet that I love her work, but I am not good in big groups. I do not like doing anything that resembles shmoozing or trying to fit into conversations.

The second night, when the parties really got started and the bars and readings were filled, I skipped everything, even my MFA reunion to go back to the hotel and read books and watch Cake Boss with my family who came to DC with me.

Yes this photo below is a good representation of what I most loved about DC-- sightseeing.

But I did have a good time at AWP. Maybe not as good as some, but enough to know I'll be there for 2014.

No, I don't have to go every year. But I do think I won't let 7 years go by until my next one like I did last time. There are good people and poets out there. It's nice to connect in person, to see the poet or reader, what is usually hidden by the page.