Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 90

Confession Tuesday - Things I Never Learned Edition

Madonna of the Pomegranate detail by Sandro Botticelli, 1487


Dear Reader,



It's been a week of completed deadlines and crossed off to-do lists.  Still, this week I've been thinking about all the things I've never really learned or understand.  So let me share, here's where my mind is.



To the confessional--





I confess that I still never really know whose turn it is as a 4-way stop.



It's embarrassing to say, but I am the car that either waits for the wave or randomly darts when it looks/seems/could-possibly-be my turn.



~



I confess there are certain foods I don't eat because I never learned how to prepare or cook them.



Dear Pomegranate.  Dear Beets.  Dear Anything-to-do-with-Pork.  Dear T-Bone steak.

(Though I confess I never learned to like steak.)



~



I confess I have never understood what exactly the "School of Quietude" was in poetry (and why I existed).  And honestly, I guess I don't understand why we must try to label aspects of the same art.  On that same note, I also find it interesting why artists/writers sometimes want to be labeled, when personally, I found I've spent my whole life trying to avoid them.



~



I confess I do no know how certain candy bars stay in business-- particularly the Idaho Spud Bar, 5th Avenue Bar, Oh Henry!, and Chunky chocolate.  I don't think I've ever in my life seen anyone purchase one of these, but they must be.



Wait, as a child I think I purchased a Chunky chocolate.  And I think it was good.



~



I confess I never learned to eat politely with a large fork or spoon, or even understand why restaurants use ridiculously large utensils.  I swear, I have felt like Jack who has climbed the beanstalk when I eat at some restaurants.



~



I confess I never I learned how to say goodbye to someone I love(d).



While I have never been sentimental, sometimes I wrap myself up in nostalgia and fall asleep on the grass outside the stadium.



Sometimes I don't think I've learned how to not love someone.  People leave our lives for various reasons and I don't think I have never learned how to let my favorite people go.





Amen.

Why I was late for the Twitter #poetparty. . .

Me, Lana Ayers, & Susan Rich at Eagle Harbor Books on an island in Puget Sound




Every Sunday Night, Deb Ager  hosts an event on Twitter for poets, the hashtag (Twitter term) to find it is #poetparty (basically put this in the search and you can find the conversation.)



I came in quite late, so wasn't really part of the conversation, but the good thing is it happens every Sunday night (6 pm PST or 9 pm EST) on Twitter.



I had just arrived from an incredible reading with Lana Ayers & Susan Rich where we read poems on the theme of "Possibility."  Lana read from her new book, A New Red (poems about Red Riding Hood) and Susan from her new book, The Alchemist's Kitchen.



Two quotes I wrote down spoken by the other poets were these--



Lana Ayers (from one of her Red Riding Hood poems):  "If you are hungry, eat desire."



Susan Rich (from her intro to a poem she wrote to me about writing in her studio House of Sky): "A friend said that 'we improvise jazz' and we thought we were writing..."



A lovely evening all around.

Artists & Those Who Love Art: The 5th and FINAL OWOH Event!

Last year I participated in this One World, One Heart and had a lot of fun, both in giving away a few things I made as well as learning about other artists in the world.



Basically, bloggers post things they've made to giveaway.  You leave a comment from January 30-February 17th to be entered in that specific drawing.



If you make things, you can list something you make on your blog to giveaway.  You can find out all the details here.



Last year, I posted something I made to giveaway and also entered a few contests. (Here's what I gave away last year, not sure what I will be giving away this year.)  I won some incredible items that I keep in my writing studio.







Because of the incredibly fun OWOH event, I hosted the Great Poetry Giveaway for National Poetry Month in 2010 where 50 bloggers gave away poetry books to readers.  I do think I'll plan on doing that again this year if anyone is interested-- watch for more details about that in the spring.  It was a great way for poets to giveaway their books or poetry lovers to giveaway their favorite books and find new poet-bloggers to follow.



~

Blog Request: Compiling a Poetry Manuscript, Part 1 of Many...

R. suggested this for a blog topic:



I'd love to read a post about the process of compiling a poetry manuscript (like when to know to use sections, how to order the poems, what to exclude, etc).





Since this is a topic I could blog pages on, I'll be breaking this subject up over the next couple months, blogging about it then returning to it.





One book I'd definitely recommend for anyone wanting to read more on this and get their advice and ideas from not just me, but quite a few poets, I'd suggest this book:  Ordering the Storm: How to Put Together a Book of Poems  edited by Susan Grimm.  





The book is 112 pages with 11 essays by individual poets on how to put together a book of poems.  I read this book quite a while ago, but I do remember finding it quite informative and enjoyed getting personal takes on how to create a poetry manuscript.





~





To be quite honest, I always remember Marvin Bell saying when asked, "How should I order my manuscript?" -- You can throw all your poems up in the air and pick them up, that's one way...





He was making the point that there is no one way or one right way to order and organize your manuscript.  And I also believe that.





My biggest advice to the poet organizing his/her manuscript is to know why you do everything you do.  





If you put poem about robins after a poem about gravestones, understand why it's there.  If you have sections, know why you have sections.  If you've alphabetized your poems, know why you've alphabetized them.  If you don't have sections, know why you don't have sections.





I believe a book of poems needs to be deliberate, created and crafted.  It's not just your best poems in whatever order, there should be reasons for the order, reasons for the poems chosen, reasons for each part of your book.





Someone said once that the published book is the final poem, and it's something I believe in.  





Of course, I'm someone who likes organization and believes it's important and believes the book is the final poem.  Maybe you don't.  Just know why you are doing the things you do.  If you put a poem after another poem because you don't really care about order, that's fine, just understand that and know that in the end, it will affect your reader (maybe in a good way, maybe not).  But in the end, you need to be the one who is happy with your manuscript and to understand why you are making the choices you are when you are creating it.  





I was thinking about an image I saw recently of a Buddha and underneath it were the words, "Inquire Within."  I think much of that applies to poetry, creating a manuscript and art-- the poet in you knows the answers.  I'll give you some suggestions over the next couple months, but ultimately, only you know what is best.





~





More about compiling a manuscript in future posts...

Thankful Thursday: Victoria Chang interviews Allison Benis White

Self-Portrait with Crayon by Allison Benis White





Double Thankfulness here-- Victoria Chang has been blogging a bit and does a great interview with Allison Benis White.



I just was handed this book by a friend so I was very excited to see an interview with the poet.  Yes, this is a beautifully written book and yes, I'd recommend it.   Oh and if you're interested in prose poems, it's the trifecta because the book is written entirely in prose poems.



(Note:  With the exception of Nin Andrews and a few other poets, I think sometimes the prose poem is used when the poet is tired and has just given up---um, I realize I'm talking about myself here and my a few of my own prose poems--but when a prose poem is good, you can feel it.  These poems, you can feel...)



Here's a bit from the interview about her writing process, something I always find fascinating--





VC: What's your writing process like?  Do you have any rituals?

ABW: I like to write in bed at night, in a spiral notebook, before I go to sleep. What I write is fairly stream of consciousness—I don't worry about making sense or writing what anyone would consider poetry (actually I'd be pretty horrified if anyone ever read these notebooks—they'd think I was sentimental and deranged). Anyway, when I gather up enough material, I look for interesting phrases, sentences, images, relationships, etc., and then I work on the computer from there.

Blog Request: What Are Other Ways Besides Contests to Publish Your Poetry Collection? An interview with Jeannine Hall Gailey

This is a home in Seattle where the owner, an elderly woman refused to sell no matter how much they offered her (and I love that the big business had to build around her).  But it reminded me of a micropress or small press exist in a world of giant publishers.  Love them for their beauty and balloons...












I asked Jeannine Hall Gailey about micropresses as another way to be published besides contests.  





Her generous response is below.  If you are looking to be published, I definitely recommend reading my interview with Jeannine below...













JHG:   Thanks for asking! A lot of this information will be covered in more depth in the 2012 Poet's Market article on "When To Go Small: Targeting Micropresses and Small Presses" that I just turned in. 





I'm a big proponent of small presses because I believe this is the way that most poets, realistically, will be "discovered" - not through some big, expensive contest, but with some small press that happens to dig exactly the kind of poetry that that poet writes. 





It's more democratic, and I believe in giving back to these people who toil away for the love of literature. 





If you want to be published, you need to be aware of what's going on in the publishing world, and that there's a movement towards more diversity, more small/micropresses, more poets starting up their own presses doing one or two books a year. You need to be buying books from all kinds of publishers, not just from Norton or the big guys.  





(Note:  Bolded by Kelli because I think it's a hugely important point.) 





Now, to the questions...





KRA:   Tell me what the difference between a small press and a micropress.  Is there any?





JHG: Well, a micropress is a very small small press - I think there's an entry on Wikipedia I saw that defined "micropresses" as only having one or two people working for them, and only producing one or two books a year. But there are many small poetry presses that have two or three people working on them, and produce two or three books a year. I'd say Rebecca Livingston's No Tell Books is a micropress, and maybe Adam Deutsch's Cooper Dillon Books, but Kitsune Books might be considered a small press, because it's a slightly bigger operation. Still, there are no hard and fast rules.









KRA:  Your next book will be published by a micropress. Tell us a little about the press, your book and how the partnership between you came about.





JHG:   My first book, Becoming the Villainess, was published by a small press, Steel Toe Books, run by Tom Hunley, and my second book, She Returns to the Floating World, will be published (in July!) by Kistune Books, another wonderful small press, edited by Anne Petty and Lynn Holschuh. They do fiction and poetry, as well as pop-cultural criticism, and put out a handful of books a year. I know they're putting out at least one other book of poetry next year, by poet Helen Ruggieri.





I actually found them while I was researching another article for Poet's Market on speculative poetry (that article was in the 2010 edition, I believe.) I loved their name (since one of the main persona characters in my second book is a kitsune, which means fox-woman in Japanese.) And I did my research - I read a book or two that they had put out, followed them on Facebook and Twitter. It was actually their twitter feed than convinced me they were the right press for me - they would tweet about anime they liked, or J-pop, or teas...I mean, the editors and I had a lot of things in common. I had a really good feeling when I sent in my query, and a few weeks later, I had the good news!









KRA:   Are micropresses only for poetry? 





JHG:  Micropresses aren't only for poetry. Another press I covered for my Poet's Market 2012 article, Small Desk Press, does poetry, but also hybrid forms like short-short fiction collections. So fiction writers ought to think about this as well - it's a great opportunity for something a little edgy and strange to find a home with people who actually care about the books.









KRA:  What the pros and cons to a micropress that you haven't mentioned?





JHG:  I think the pros of working with a small press or micropress are that you will probably have a closer relationship with your editor(s,) the editors will think of you as more than just bottom-line business like a big publisher might, and they probably care quite a bit about what they put out, so they will invest in time helping make your book the best it can be. The downsides are probably all about volume; big presses might have more pull, more distribution, and more money for ads. Not neccessarily. In the world of poetry, let's face it, most publishers aren't getting out new poetry books into every Barnes and Nobles no matter who they are. And very few presses can afford to send poets on reading tours, that type of thing.









KRA:  How does one go about finding a micropress that fits their writing?





JHG:  The best way to find a micropress that fits your manuscript is to read widely and do your homework. Go to small press fairs, local arts festivals, fill up your tote at the AWP bookstore with small press works from places you haven't seen before. If you go to a reading and love a book, find out who's behind the book. Go on Facebook and twitter, look up their web sites and blogs, and read up on the people you want to read your work.









KRA:  Where can people find out more about your and your projects?





JHG:  Me and my projects? Well, they can keep track of me at my website, www.webbish6.com, and my blog, http://myblog.webbish6.com/. I'm also on Facebook and twitter (twitter handle is @webbish6) and I try to keep folks up to date through those channels. My second book is due out in July, the book should be available from Amazon, directly from Kitsune Books, and from fine smaller bookstores who don't mind placing an order. My first book, Becoming the Villainess, is available from Amazon and directly from Steel Toe Books (and same deal - if you can get your little bookstore to place an order for it, Tom keeps books in print, for which I am thankful.) I am thankful every time someone buys a book directly from the press - that's the best way to keep these wonderful little gems in business, is to buy as many books from them as you can afford.





KRA:  Thanks, Jeannine!  Great info for anyone who wants to publish a book and avoid poetry contests.  I so appreciate your time!

Confession Tuesday

The Brown Hat by Henry Strater

1930, 33x21", Oil on canvas

OMAA Permanent Collection, Maine

© 2010 Oqunquit Museum of American Art




Dear Reader,



It's been one week since my last confession and one snowstorm I drove home from a poetry reading in, which brought me to this conclusion--  I was born to drive in the snow.



I confess I don't feel much has been going on in my life to confess about, but it's Tuesday, so I must come up with something.  Hmmm... 



To the confessional--



I confess last night I took a large pair of scissors and cut up my yearly posters from the last 10 poster nights and kept only my favorite images.   It felt good to keep only my favorites and discard anything that no longer appealed to me.



The image above, The Brown Hat by Henry Strater, is an absolute favorite of mine from my 2002 poster.  It was my center image.  I remember someone saying I liked it because it looked like me.  And I admit I can see the resemblance, I have her eyebrows.  Though I think it looks more like Tea' Leoni (I believe that's her name, she's married to the guy from The X-Files).



~



I confess I was surprised to find that 3 of my posters had images of Albert Einstein on them and I couldn't figure out what that meant-- an intellectual theme, a doing-your-own-thing theme, a bad-hair-day theme.



When I ask myself why the image of Albert Einstein resonates for me, I think it's for two reasons-- he appreciated the imagination and he was smart.  Two things I also appreciate in others.



~



I confess some of the images I kept might inspire poems.  But I confess further that I haven't been writing much (if at all) and I've been submitting my work less than that.



Much of my life since about December 15th has been focused on family things, details, tasks, chores, deadlines and other projects.  I no longer worry when I'm not writing, but I know I will.  There was a time when lack of writing time made me angry and resentful, now I realize that I can go without writing and it's okay-- my heart still beats, I can still find happiness and love in others--because I know I will be writing again soon.



~



I confess I was surprised to see that on the years before I lost my vision for 6 weeks due to optic neuritis, I had images on my poster of women all with things covering their eyes (from rose petals to cucumbers) and one drawing of a woman had no eyes.



I'm not saying I believe that these posters hold the magical power that "created" my loss of sight, but I do wonder if deep deep inside me I intuited something...  Or perhaps, it was just a coincidence, something I'm now drawing meaning and connection to based on a huge event in my life.  It's probably that but still, whenever I put an image of a woman on my poster, I make sure her eyes aren't covered.



~



I confess while I've changed some over the last ten years, I realize much of my goals are the same--live simply, be compassionate, stay organized, and write.



It makes me wonder if people *really* change?



Are our deepest beliefs, characteristics, and feelings still the same as they were many years ago?  From childhood?  I know I'm a much kinder and less selfish person than my 16 year old self, but I would think (hope) most people are.  I know some of me of changed, but I know there is still a part deep inside me that's quite the same tomboy who loved collecting rocks.  I still find beauty in rocks.



But maybe it's that my older self needs to realize that if I find I have a bad habit I want to change that things just don't go away overnight-- it's a series of small steps over a long time.



Whether I'm working towards living a certain way, it's not something that just happens in 21 days, but years of practice.  I guess part of me always believed we can change quickly, but change is much of a 5K event than a sprint. 



I know I stumble a lot and still have so much to learn.



Amen.

Poster Night - Our 10 Year Celebration!

My Poster - not this blurry in real life...


Last night was the 10th anniversary of our Poster Night. You can read about last year's poster night here.



Since 2001 my same 4 friends have been meeting at my house sometime in January to make our yearly poster of the year.



Some make their poster with goals in mind, some just choose images from magazines that appeal to them, some do a little of both.  There is no wrong way to make a poster.



Basically, my friends arrive at 4ish (we started early thinking we'd end earlier, but we didn't end until midnight again.)  We have food and drink, we talk.  In celebration of our 10th year we opened a bottle of special champagne I had been saving and made a toast.



Then we sat down and cut images out of magazines for the next couple hours.  We talk as we do this, then sometimes it will get very quiet.  Once we have a nice pile of interesting images we each like, we grab a large piece of poster board and a glue stick and get to work.



I would say that of everyone's posters, mine is usually the one I like least.  It's weird to say since it's mine, based on my favorite images, but usually when we're done, I look at everyone's and they seem to make more sense and have more stronger themes and ideas in it.  I always like what others do with their images. It's kind of similar to liking someone's drawing better than your own.



The good news is that I usually wake up the next day and like my poster.



Once all the posters are done (around midnight apparently, no matter when start) we go around the table and talk about them.



I am usually clueless about mine.  Here's some things I said last night--



I have a fisherman in it because I appreciate hard work and well, I've always romanticized fishermen and their nets (no that is not innuendo).



I have a pretty file cabinet that looks like a piano to represent staying organized.



There's a woman sitting atop a triangle hedge and in the center, an elephant in front of a hazy Eiffel Tower.  I'm not sure why, but I like that it looks as if the elephant is smiling.



I like how the girl standing on "happiness" is looking inward instead of outward.



I have a bra made of a map, maybe that means travel.  Or support the world.



I have two people dancing the tango because once I am organized and the work is done, I can play.



~



Last year my theme was "Live on Less," this year, there is a definite focus on organization "Organize Your Life."  There's also a focus on working hard and oddly enough, butterflies.  



My writing always plays a role in it, but the last two years, I think it's been a little less for me.  I am not writing as much as I usually do and feel to be in a sort of transition, that "something's-a-brewing" feeling.  There are paintings and drawings of three people on my poster this year-- Albert Einstein, Jane Austen and Frida Kahlo.



Some people call these vision boards, but I just call mine my yearly poster.  I will spend the rest of the year looking at it more closely (I keep it in my writing studio) and seeing if I can draw any connections from my real life into my paper life.

Believe... MLK Jr. Day

"I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. I believe that even amid today's motor bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will be proclaimed the rule of the land. "And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid." I still believe that We Shall overcome!

"This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born."

(Excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, December 10, 1964.)

Thankful Thursday...on Friday - Book Trailer by Sandra Beasley

Completely forgot to be thankful yesterday!



I'm thankful for this poet, Sandra Beasley  (and now memoir author) and her new book trailer: