Good News

I'm pleased to tell you that my poem, Idiosyncrasies of the Body, has been selected for the 2008 Best of the Net anthology, published online by Sundress Publications. The image above is an enticement to visit my poem.

Editor Erin Elizabeth Smith describes the press's mission as follows: "This project works to promote the diverse and growing collection of voices that are choosing to publish their work online, a venue that still sees little respect from such yearly anthologies as the Pushcart and 'Best American' series. This collection will hopefully help to bring more respect to an innovative and continually expanding medium."

I, for one, am tickled silly to be included along with the other 16 poets and poems selected by Dorianne Laux, this year's judge and one of my favorite poets. The notification of my inclusion came as a complete surprise as I hadn't even known that I'd been nominated. So I skipped that whole period of waiting and hoping and went immediately to the good news part.

The anthology, out late this year, was posted two weeks ago, but I'm just now announcing this news as when the poem first appeared all my carefully deliberated-upon stanza breaks had been omitted and the poem appeared as one long stanza. I notified the editor, but she was out of town and unable to get to a computer. Now the breaks have been restored, and the poem appears as I intended it to appear.

Tell me I'm not the only one who would fuss about missing stanza breaks. To me, they really matter. I think that there's a logic in line breaks; certainly, that was my intention in this poem. Also, as its subject matter is pretty intense, I think those moments of pause are necessary.

Good News Department

Lovely news today! My book, What Feeds Us, is featured in the new e-issue of Rattle. If you click the link, you'll be taken to the page which lists e-issues. Once there, click on the cover image (as seen here), and the issue will open as a gorgeous pdf which, if you like, you can save to your computer. My feature includes five poems from the book: "Annelida," "Meditation in the Park," "The Best Words," "A Boy's Bike," and "Idiosyncrasies of the Body." I feel honored by and grateful for this attention. Please pay me a visit!

And there's so much more there than just me. Poet John Amen's book, More of Me Disappears, is also featured. There are two poems which received the Neil Postman Award for Metaphor, stunning artwork by Dianne Carroll Burdick, two essays about poetry and craft, a generous excerpt of an interview with Marvin Bell, and half a dozen poems to whet your appetite for the upcoming summer print issue of Rattle. The poets include Bob Hicok, Lynne Knight, and Gregory Orr. This entire issue is a visual and graphic delight.

Editor Tim Green has done a wonderful job with the e-issues, a terrific concept for another way of getting poetry out into the world. This is just one of his additions to the journal since taking over as editor. Other contributions include a beautifully enhanced website. At the website you will find book reviews, sample poems from the current issue of Rattle, and an ever-growing audio library of poets reading their poems which previously appeared in the journal.

Reviews

A nice piece of news: A lovely new review of my book, What Feeds Us, now appears online at Rattle. The reviewer, Karla Huston, did a terrific job and I am very appreciative! I also say three cheers for Rattle which regularly runs reviews on their website. As all poets know, without some reviews it's difficult to get the word out about our books. I therefore often encourage poets to be reviewers themselves. It just makes sense that if we want to receive reviews we need to be willing to write them. If we don't, then who will?

I've been writing reviews of poetry books for several years. It's a bit time-consuming and it's challenging, but I always feel that it enriches me as a poet. I learn something about poetry from each review I write. And I find that I read much more carefully when I'm writing a review of the book in hand. The close and repeated readings usually make me more appreciative of what the poet has accomplished. I pick up a lot that I missed on the first reading.

If you've been avoiding writing reviews because of time, keep in mind that there are many journals that take very short reviews; you don't have to spend weeks on the review. Some such print journals that come to mind: Mid-American Review, Boston Review, Cider Press Review, and New Letters; and some online journals: Poemeleon, Rain Taxi, Rougarou. In addition to what you'll learn while doing the review, you'll be providing an important service and you'll gain some nice publication credits. Everybody wins; everybody gets a prize.

Another journal I want to mention is Review Revue. This journal has been around for maybe three years. It's a tabloid format, easy to fold up and tuck in your pocket. Easy to read on the train. The journal, which comes out three times a year, is devoted entirely to essays, reviews, and interviews—all about poetry. It's one of the best bargains around at only $12 a year per subscription; even better at $20 for a two-year subscription.

The most recent issue, which arrived just yesterday, contains an interview with Fleda Brown, former poet laureate of Delaware; a review of Brown's new book, Reunion; an essay about Georgia O'Keefe by poet Christopher Buckley; an essay about Mark Strand; a review of two collections from Iris Press by poet Phebe Davidson; and an article of tribute to Jean Pedrick by poet Sebastian Matthews. And there's more. (Notice, please, that several of these articles / reviews are by poets!)

I want to encourage you to support this journal. But I must also encourage the editors to make a strong commitment to getting issues out on time. I know that's a persistent problem that many journals suffer from for a variety of reasons. But RR is always late. Hey, there's even part of an editorial about it in this latest issue. This issue, by the way, is dated December 2007. It's now the end of March. (Also, Editors, if you're going to advise readers at the end of a page "continued on page 8" or "continued on page 19," you really should number the pages!) I'm hopeful that the editor's apology means improvement in the meeting deadlines department. This journal is worth keeping around.

A Fruitful Day

This is the cover image of Skirt Magazine, a women's publication, very large 11 x 17 inches, full of lovely graphics and full-page ads for women's products and services, and a number of articles. The magazine circulates in a variety of cities and is distributed six times a year. Each issue also features one poem by a woman poet. A few months ago one of the editors contacted me and asked for permission to reprint my poem, "The Fruitful Woman," which appeared in my first book, Eve's Red Dress. I'm not sure how they came across the poem, but I was happy to say yes. Today's mail brought three copies of the March issue. My poem is beautifully displayed on a single page. The page is pale lime green with a swirly design. Then there's a rectangle in the center of the large page, and my poem is in the middle of that. This format draws the eye right to the poem. Here's the poem.

The Fruitful Woman

Today I dress for you
in scarlet. I am
a tomato, plump
and luscious. I pulsate
with seeds.

Today I clothe myself
in yellow. I am
a peach, succulent
and ripe.

For you, I swathe myself
in gold—all melons, oranges,
tangerines, nectarines.

I am a garden of earthly delights.

I am the red apple
you would fall for
a thousand times.

I am the apricot you would die for.

I am all strawberries,
blueberries, raspberries,
and cherries, all these and more.

Today I am royal for you.
I dress in a gown
of purple plum.

Come, lift me out of my skin.

Blog Biz

Fellow blogger David Pitchford has posted some very generous praise of my book, What Feeds Us, at Bitter Hermit. I love it when a Google Alert comes through with such a nice surprise. David's words have made me happy all day. Check it out!

Then this morning I reconnected via email with a friend from the Frost Place, Sue Payne, who I met the first year I went there which was shortly after I'd started writing poetry. We've seen each other there a number of times. But then I'm in NJ and she's in Chicago, so it was too easy to fall out of touch. I was delighted to learn that Sue has married, left a job that did not satisfy her and found one that does, and is well and happy.

Sue found me via David Graham's new list (I think it's new), Poetry Blogs. This is a list of blogs related to poetry. Check it out! That's two good Davids in one day.

Plus, while I have now finished my second box of Valentine chocolates, I still have one left. As long as they are here, I can't seem to stop stuffing my face.

And tonight American Idol gets serious as we're down to the top 24. The show is on tonight, tomorrow, and Thursday. Don't even think about inviting me somewhere.

One more thing about poetry blogs, be sure to check out Reginald Shepherd's comments on the subject at Critical Mass: the blog of the national book critics circle board of directors. Reginald details some of the benefits that have come to him as a result of blogging. It's an excellent read.

Good News Department

Friday night I received the good news that my poem, "Temptation by Water," has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. The poem first appeared in the spring issue of Valparaiso Poetry Review. Editor Ed Byrne nominated six poems:

John Balaban: “Finishing Up the Novel After Some Delay”

Barbara Crooker: “Lemons”

W.D. Ehrhart: “Coaching Winter Track in Time of War”

Anne Haines: “Swallowed”

H. Palmer Hall: “Vietnam Roulette”

Diane Lockward: “Temptation by Water”

My poem is an ekphrastic one, based on "The Open Window" by Henri Matisse:

I wrote the poem while on a three-day women's poetry retreat in Spring Lake, New Jersey. Tomorrow I will return for the third year to this retreat, though it's now held in Ocean Grove. There will be six women poets. We will spend our mornings and afternoons giving each other writing prompts. We will have a few hours of free time in the late afternoon and then will go out to dinner together. I hope to return well nourished with at least a dozen new poems in draft form.

More Good News

Ed Byrne has posted all six VPR nominees for the 2007 Best of the Net anthology. Turns out I'm in very good company. Check out their poems.

From the fall issue:
Nick Bruno: Malinconia

Jared Carter: Prophet Township

Frannie Lindsay: Walking an Old Woman into the SeaFrom the spring issue:
Michelle Bitting: The Exterminator’s Wife

Anne Haines: Swallowed
Many thanks to Ed for the honor and for publishing such a terrific online journal.

Website of Interest

Someone sent me a link to poetryvlog. Once there you will find a selection of poets reading their work, 5 poems each, on video with audio. Nice for when you need a reading but can't get out to one. There's a link that provides you with instructions on how to submit your own video. Little annoyance: my AOL browser instructed me to download QuickTime which I did. Then I was asked to download a Netscape plug-in, but when I attempted to do so, I received an apology from AOL that they haven't yet found a plug-in for Macs. I was able to view the video using Safari and Firefox, but why isn't AOL providing a plug-in?

Good News Department: Ed Byrne just let me know that he's nominated my poem, "Temptation by Water," for the 2007 Best of the Net anthology from Sundress Publications. The poem appears in the current issue of Valparaiso Poetry Review. Other nominees will be posted this weekend at Ed's blog.