Sherman Alexie on The Colbert Report and Holiday Giving…

I watched Sherman Alexie on Stephen Colbert’s show the other night. He gave an impassioned speech about the need to support books as local products – everyone talks about shopping in local stores, buying sustainable local produce, etc., but no one recognizes that the art of the book has become increasingly small and local in the face of the electronic world of words. He also talked about artist’s rights; he will not allow any of his work to be available for Kindle or other electronic readers. Although I’m not sure that this is the answer, it raises a question about how to use electronic media to support the art of the book.

In that spirit, why not buy your friends and loved ones some wonderful books this holiday season? Not the bestsellers lining all of the big box shelves, but poetry chapbooks, small press fiction, or even a handmade art book.  Perhaps a subscription to a literary magazine? The possibilities are endless. Here are some places to start…Finishing Line Press, Word Tech Press, Tilt Press or Dancing Girl Press

The Colbert Report	Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Sherman Alexie
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

Family Album: A Reading at Woman Made Gallery

Sunday, December 13, Woman Made Gallery in Chicago will host a reading called Family Album from 2 PM – 4 PM.  I will be one of the featured readers along with other fine poets listed below (blurb from the Woman Made website):

“Co-Curator: Toni-Asanti Lightfoot (with readers from Young Chicago Authors) and Shelly Nation-Watson, co-host of Loyola Radio’s poetry show, Wordslingers. Other readers include Alice George, Carol Kanter, Gregg Shapiro, and Donna Vorreyer.”

The gallery is beautiful and full of women’s art, and the readings at the gallery are always interesting. If you are in the Chicago area, come by – it’s free!

RWP Prompt 103: Pomegranates

The photo below was the image prompt for Get Your Poem On at ReadWritePoem. I went in a fairly traditional direction (who can’t think of Persephone when they see a pomegranate?), but I tried to focus on sensual images in a modern setting.  I would love your feedback.

Persephone’s Apprentice at Whole Foods

She lingers in the produce aisle,

fingers the dimpled skin, short stem

plucked rough from a branch now

nubbed with absence. Bloody pumpkin,

devil’s fruit, its weathered rind

summons her touch with promises.

The weight of it in her hand disturbs

the seasons. She hears whispers,

tears the rind with her teeth, plucks

the seeds from the white flesh, and

slides them under her eager tongue.

She detects the sulfur in the air, sees

the green mist of the underworld

swirl at her feet. Sated, still she holds

the tattered fruit, gently, like a ragged heart.

RWP Prompt 102: Food Associations

This started with food, but ended up somewhere else. I’m not sure exactly where. Let me know what you think.

Hysterical Blindness

It is good to stay in the dark, blindness forcing your senses into other realms.

Your ears ring with bells from sun-soaked Tuscany, with birdsong from a cobblestone square in Vienna. You have never been there. You never will.

Your hands stroke serene faces carved in stone at Angkor Wat, caress the smooth flowers inlaid into marble at the Taj Mahal. You have never been there.

You catch the scent of bread baking in your mother’s kitchen, the sweet fruit, the chocolate, the roasted meat. You cannot taste it anymore. You never will.

It is good to stay in the dark, pretend your eyes are closed when they are open.

Your corneas paint the night in wide strokes, absence of light attacking with the toothy, black gums of a junk yard dog in an alley. You have never been there.

Your eyelashes block the glare, filter the glow of stars and streetlamps. Your eyes dilate and darken shadows. You long to see the sun. You never will.

The checklist is in the mail…

Today I mailed off the last requirements for my first chapbook – cover art (by the wonderful and talented Tim Venchus), author photos, bios, back matter and blurbs. It’s a good feeling. Usually a writer waits for either acceptance or rejection – this time I will be waiting for an actual product. I will keep you posted on the progress and be sure to let you know how to pre-order the book in February!

Poetry Pentathlon…it’s a win

Last night, the first annual Poetry Pentathlon was held at Jak’s Tap, hosted by the Waiting 4 the Bus poetry collaborative in Chicago. Six poets went head to head in five categories, and three judges scored each poem on a scale from 1-5, including some strange decimal points.  All of the poets were wonderful, and some of the poems and performances (like Brent Messick’s “Roman”) made me feel lucky to be in the company of such talented people. In the end, I barely squeaked out a “victory” over Matt Barton, whose performance skills I envy. To make it even better, I got to spend the evening being cheered on by my brother Steve and my niece Krissy, who just moved back to Chicago from Atlanta. Life is good.

More Poetry News…

Some news from Waiting 4 the Bus poetry collaborative here in Chicago – my poem “The Sweet Science” will appear in the second issue of their new print endeavor entitled Exact Change Only. And Monday night, November 16, I will be competing in a Poetry Pentathlon sponsored by the collaborative – myself and 7 other poets will be going “head to head” reading five assigned poems: a Shakespearean sonnet, a poem written to a prompt line, a revison of a truly awful poem provided by the judges, a persona poem, and a good, old-fashioned rant.  If you are in the Chicago area, come to Jak’s Tap on Jackson at 7:30 for the poetry fun.

First Chapbook Accepted for Publication!

I am thrilled to share the news that my chapbook Womb/Seed/Fruit has been accepted for publication by Finishing Line Press in Kentucky. Presales of the book will begin in February, and the actual book should be out this coming summer. I have a talented friend working on the cover art, and I can’t wait to see the end results. Thanks to everyone who has supported my work – this is something I’ve been hoping for a long time.

Shakespeare on Shuffle?

I have the Complete Works of Shakespeare on my iPod Touch and when I have a spare moment, I listen to random scenes. This has given me an idea. I am considering a new series of poems where I choose a Shakespeare quote at random once a week and then use it as inspiration/epigraph for a new poem. Like Shakespeare on Shuffle…

Four and Twenty Live Today!

I have two short pieces in the new, downloadable magazine Four and Twenty. This journal features poems of no more than 20 words and no more than four lines. I think it’s a great way to appreciate the well-rendered line or the perfect kernel of an idea. Check it out.