Marly Youmans's Blog, page 139
November 3, 2011
Plentitude
As I am rather busy today and have a husband leaving for Morocco tomorrow, I am glad that Dale Favier has done all the work of posting for me. Again today he has written a poem in response to The Throne of Psyche. How marvelous...
The illustration is the under drawing by Clive Hicks-Jenkins of "Touched," the image on the jacket of the hardcover of "The Throne of Psyche" and on the cover of
The illustration is the under drawing by Clive Hicks-Jenkins of "Touched," the image on the jacket of the hardcover of "The Throne of Psyche" and on the cover of
November 2, 2011
Sweet blame
I am tickled to find that The Throne of Psyche has progeny. Dale Favier is blaming me for his four new poems. The mythic Psyche gave birth to Hedone, Pleasure...
October 31, 2011
"The Book of the Red King" poems at Pirene's Fountain
Three new poems from The Book of the Red King are up today at Pirene's Fountain: "Blue Sky, Blue Tree," "The Yoke," and "Fool's Talismans." My penpal Corey Mesler also has poems in this issue.
October 30, 2011
"Travellers and Magicians"
Movie recommendations: a grand movie to watch on a slow Sunday afternoon. I loved the nesting of the stories--one inside another inside another--and the infinitely slow unfolding that is a slap in the face and a reproof to Hollywood. The second film by the Bhutanese director, lama, and abbot Khyentse Norbu is Travellers and Magicians, the first movie made entirely in Bhutan (1993.) Khyentse
October 29, 2011
Leaves in our hair--
I'm afraid that life has been a bit too busy lately. But I have been moving forward despite the dragons and rocks and pits in the path. One maiden has been rescued, a new chariot acquired post-Irene, and much late-night oil burned. I turned in the page proofs of A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage. I read Thaliad entirely too many times and then finally tossed in the final version, my
October 27, 2011
The Psyche Sampler
For a poetry book, The Throne of Psyche is fairly long--at 106 pages, it's roughly double the average book of poems. Let's see; that's 60 poems, counting the seven sections of the title poem. If you would like to take a big bite of the book to see whether you want your very own copy, you may write me. Then you can see whether you want to loll in the grass or on the sand and read my poems (or,
October 26, 2011
"Nice chicken, honey."
I'm always a bit behind the times in the realm of political ephemera, so I just realized that the son of my high school biology teacher in Cullowhee, North Carolina starred in a Herman Cain ad back in August. If you haven't seen "He Carried Yellow Flowers," well, it has the advantages of Nick Searcy, a sense of humor, genre playfulness, and (not least) chickens.
My motto: Chickens loom
My motto: Chickens loom
October 23, 2011
My writing room
I've had requests for a peek at my writing room, but I've always said no, generally because it is often quite messy. But since I cleaned it up so that my daughter could film me in that setting... here goes. Now don't expect an 1808 house to be level (well, this room is in a Victorian-era addition.) The wallpaper was chosen by a little girl who seems to have been quite fond of nails, as I had
October 22, 2011
"And are built again"
I wonder if there is really a reason to grieve the passing of this
Platonic thing we have called Literature, with its periods, its crafts,
its canons of major and minor "figures," and, most precious, its faith
that it is possible, as the critic W. K. Wimsatt once put it, for a work
to "endure as a poetic monument." There are at present few things more
Ozymandian than the idea of a poetic
Platonic thing we have called Literature, with its periods, its crafts,
its canons of major and minor "figures," and, most precious, its faith
that it is possible, as the critic W. K. Wimsatt once put it, for a work
to "endure as a poetic monument." There are at present few things more
Ozymandian than the idea of a poetic
October 20, 2011
The Book of the Red King: Fool's Sacrifice
Photograph: courtesy of sxc.hu and Ulrik de Wachter of Landskouter, Belgium: a rooftop fool next door to St. Nicholas Church in Ghent. After poking about a bit, I believe that the building is the Masons Guild Hall.
* * *
Another poem from The Book of the Red King is up in e-print and audio at that unique organ, The Flea, brainy brainchild of poet and editor Paul Stevens. Here's a taster:
* * *
Another poem from The Book of the Red King is up in e-print and audio at that unique organ, The Flea, brainy brainchild of poet and editor Paul Stevens. Here's a taster:
