Pugnacious Pinoy

Thursday, June 18, 2009

At Last, the Rain

We've had 28 rainless days during the end of spring. I've avoided watering everything--the lawn, the rhododendrons, the heather. Everything's crispy and yellowed. But yesterday, it rained. I'm beginning to really like the rain. It's writerly weather.

***

Today I'm going to buy some lumber. The plan is to build planter boxes for a vegetable garden. I'm sick of spending all that cash on things like kale and tomatoes. Plus, since we're living on a budget and we have 6 acres, we may as well use some of our land, no?

I'm not sure what to plant, since I'm a newbie at all this. I'm thinking lettuce would be good, since I like salads in the summer. Squash perhaps? Cucumbers? Tomatoes?

***

Now half way through Almanac of the Dead. I'm thinking I should've started with a "thinner" book for this 32 book marathon. My initial judgment about the book is mildly revised. The pace is picking up and I'm glad the focus of the narrative has turned to Lecha, the medium (or whatever her ability is). Still, it's a slow read. Lots and lots of back story. Character development. Not a bad thing, necessarily. Like I said, I'm only half way through.

***

Writerly things to do:

1. Revise/edit some of my NaPo poems for a chapbook.

2. Send more work out.

3. Write more stuff.

4. Dust off some older projects.

5. Write more stuff.

***

It's so good to have the summer in front of me. Ah!

***

Current Spin:

Telekinesis. It's just the right amount of summer sugar to get me started.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Done! Done! Done!

I just entered the grades for my classes this morning. While I do say that I'm "Done! Done! Done!" I'm not completely out of the woods yet. I still have a few comments to make on my grad portfolios. Shouldn't be bad, since I'll mostly be writing to them about what to do next with their long poems.

***

I've got a number of projects on my plate for the summer, which is great. I've now got time to assemble version 3.0 of In Defense of Small Towns. I've been sending out version 2.5 to publishers and contests, but 3.0 is looking to be a leaner more focused collection. I had been quibbling with myself over the inclusion of poems about illness in the earlier versions . . . those poems are out of 3.0 which, I think, is a smart decision, but in omitting those poems the manuscript now has a lot of gaps which need to be filled.

***

First off, it's interesting how Stephen Burt brings up Ronald Johnson's ARK. I could NOT get through that Johnson book. I tried, but I failed.

Secondly, I somewhat agree with Burt's "disagreement" with Tony Hoagland's assertion that the "narrative" will be the next successor to "Third Way." But I think, also, that there are some really spectacular historical narratives that are being written in contemporary poetry, particularly by minority writers, many of whom are not mentioned in Burt's article.

***

Currently reading: Almanac of the Dead. I'm a third of the way through it and I'm finding it really difficult to "like" the protagonist, Seese. It seems like it's the worst possible telenovela. So far, it's far flatter than Ceremony. Mind you, like I said I'm only 1/3rd through it. Maybe the pacing will pick up, but so far no payoff. . . and it's the first book of my 32 books.

***

Current Spin:

Dinosaur Jr. From their new album "Farm."

Saturday, June 13, 2009

What the New Kids Are Doing

For much of the past decade, the most imitated new American poets were slippery, digressive, polyvocalic, creators of overlapping, colorful fragments. Their poems were avowedly personal, although they never retold the poets’ life stories (they did not tell stories at all); the poets used, or at least mentioned, difficult ideas, especially from continental philosophy, although they never laid out philosophical arguments (they did not lay out arguments at all). Nor did they describe concrete objects at length. Full of illogic, of associative leaps, their poems resembled dreams, performances, speeches, or pieces of music, and they were, in M.H. Abrams’s famous formulation, less mirror than lamp: the poets sought to project their own experiences, in sparkling bursts of voluble utterance. Their models, among older authors, were Emily Dickinson, John Berryman, John Ashbery, perhaps Frank O’Hara; some had studied (or studied with) Jorie Graham, and many had picked up devices from the Language writers of the West Coast. These poets were what I, eleven years ago, called “elliptical,” what other (sometimes hostile) observers called “New Lyric,” or “post-avant,” or “Third Way.” Their emblematic first book was Mark Levine’s Debt (1993), their emblematic magazine probably Fence (founded 1998); their bad poems were bad surrealism, random-seeming improvisations, or comic turns hoping only to hold an audience, whether or not they had something to say.

Thanks to Carol for pointing this article out to me.

***

My thoughts on it when I've had a chance to digest. At the moment, recovering from four hours of brush-cutting.

***

Random thought: Thinking about film, particularly the old celluloid stuff. How each cell was a picture, and how such a concept influenced book making--namely poetry book making.

Now wondering how digital media will reconstitute the art.

I, unfortunately, wasn't wearing my iPod as I cut brush, so I thought of very random things as I waved the cutter from side to side.

***

Current spin:

Fanfarlo. They're selling their new album for $1 here and it's quite good. Worth way more than a buck.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

And so it begins . . .

After my 3PM meeting this afternoon, I will officially start my summer.

***

As I said in posts below, it is not my intent to read all those books in the list. I just posted it to show you/see what everyone recommends. The tastes, I see, are wide-ranging.

***

Baby is teething, big time. Lower right bicuspids. He was in some real pain last night and refused to eat. We've got all the gels and the fix-it medications. Sleep seemed to do the trick.

***

My creative writing students want to be creative writing teachers. There is nothing inherently bad about wanting to pursue this particular line of work. There is, though, a divergent array of obstacles that are in their way. My job as their teacher and adviser is to teach them not only about art, literature, and a life of reading, but to teach them how to navigate the very difficult terrain that comes with my line of work. I also have to stress to them that what I do is not for everyone. Therein lies the crux of the problem--on the one hand, creative writers in academia can thrive and be effective teachers. On the other hand, by becoming a model for students as an artist in an academic environment, (depending on the teachers and the students) you're providing students with a limited world view of the life of an artist. I want to stress that all of these thoughts are my thoughts and are subjective. I can say that I had the benefit of learning from very effective creative writing teachers. They were not perfect teachers, but they did instill in me a passion for writing and especially for reading.

I've been teaching college-level courses since 1994 when I was a biology TA. I did take some breaks in between, but that's almost 15 years of teaching at the college level. I wasn't a great biology TA. I wasn't a great creative writing TA either, but over the years I've gained some insight into how to work in a classroom. I personally was motivated to become a better teacher at the sacrifice of some of my art. Ah yes, so there. I said it . . . at the sacrifice of my art. I'm okay with making these sacrifices because that's how I'm wired. I know that I can't write when I'm teaching during the year because it takes quite a deal of creative energy to prepare for classes, and I'm okay with that. I just love being with students who want to learn about literature. I love filling out my book order forms for the next quarter's classes. I love discussing the books with students who may be encountering an artist's work for the first time.

Not every artist can or will thrive under such circumstances and not every academic environment will allow the artists housed in their towers to make such sacrifices. I like to think about the poet Robert Hayden when I think about writers who teach. Brilliant writer whose own poetic output, it is suggested, was greatly affected by his teaching. I've also had classes with well-respected writers who didn't care about their teaching. It definitely showed and it did illicit some distaste for the course, but there are always teachers who greatly care about their own teaching.

How do you learn to navigate the academic world as an artist? How did I learn to navigate the academic world as an artist? I had good models and I'm still learning.
***

I really like this article by my friend, Papatya, on the whole tenure process: Papatya's article.

***

Current Spin:

Still listening to Eulogies.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Summer Prompt: Watch this, then write a poem

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Waning Confidence

I felt good this morning. Really good. So good that I decided to tackle a task so Herculean that I'd been putting it off for so long.

I decided to chop several poems out of my manuscript and slice up my eight-section long poem. All this makes manuscript version 3.0.

I've taken out stuff that seemed unrelated to the collection's strongest narrative. The long poem, which appears in manuscript version 2.0's first section now has sections sprinkled over three sections. I felt the long poem was too loud with all of its sections together and that by distributing the pieces over the course of the manuscript, a reader can build up a relationship with the themes and ideas contained in each long poem section.

But . . . now that I see how short the sections have become, I'm a little worried. Prior to my cuts, the first section was about twenty-one pages. It's now thirteen pages. I haven't complete all my cuts, but for reference, the page total of 2.0 is 75 pages which is too long. I'm trying to get the manuscript to 55-65 pages.

***

The good news is that those poems that were cut could fit into another project that I'm working on, thereby boosting the numbers of poems for that particular collection.

***

Finals week. I'm collecting my first batch of portfolios tomorrow. I'm so ready for the summer. I'll be done with everything, including grading, by Thursday.

***

Current Spin:

Iron and Wine has a new CD out with a bunch of B-sides and covers. This gem is on the newest CD.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Palpable Heat

It's so close . . . summer. I can feel it. We had a minor heat wave in the Northwest, topping out at roughly 88 degrees at the homestead. Which means my teaching season is almost at a close.

As I've mentioned in previous blog entries, I'll be spending the summer reading and writing. It is in fact my honest and earnest goal to read 32 books this summer while maintaining a writing schedule.

I've been getting a ton of book recommendations on Facebook. I'll consolidate those recommendations and put them here on the blog.

The intent is not necessarily to "review" the books, but to 1) see if I can keep my attention focused on all things literary, 2) lessen the impact of losing cable TV, and 3) modeling good behavior for my son who, in fact, seems to read a lot more than me these days. Of course, I also want to fill up my head with good art, so there's the REAL goal of this exercise.

Now, I do intend to blog about my progress, not that you care.

***

Currently, shoulder to shoulder with L. in bed. He didn't get his full nap today, so we're taking a make-up nap.

***

I have to pee, but I don't want to get up, lest I wake him.

***

We managed to refinance our mortgage this past Friday. Yay! When we first bought our house, our APR was 6.5%. We locked in 4.5% for our refinancing which cuts out about $400 from the monthly mortgage payment. That'll give us a little more breathing room.

***

Meredith got into the Speech Pathology program at WWU. She'll be great. I know her first love is teaching French. She's a brilliant teacher and I for one know that she's done her part to build the French major. The French department is making a big mistake by replacing a brilliant and talented teacher like her.

***

So now, because of all of these life changes, we've been budgeting ourselves. It's good to do.

***

Here's my current spin:

Zee Avi. Because it's Summer! Yay!

Why I love Isabella Rossellini

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Heat Wave

I haven't had much to say since Monday. I've basically been feverishly grading . . . trying to clear my desk before the mad rush of student portfolios arrives.

What have YOU been up to?

***

Looks like we got the refinancing on our house approved. That should definitely lighten our debts. We also just paid off one of our cars (with the money from another sold vehicle), so we're slowly paying down things we owe and cutting back our expenditures. Unlike much of America, we have no credit card debt, so in that regard we're fiscally healthy, apart from the loss of one income.

***

I'm planning on starting a garden . . . not this summer, but perchance I'll build the beds in the Fall (Raised beds are the way to go with our acidic soil out here).

Kale is a biggie on my list. Maybe lettuce too. A student brought bags and bags of the stuff to class one day, saying that she had far too much of it. I want too much lettuce, too.

***

The nice people at Artist Trust have accommodated my schedule. So now I can enjoy the Camano Island Residency for a month any time between July and November. I'm looking at my calendar and planning around August. August seems to be my most productive months. I don't have any other travel plans (July = Kundiman).

Got into Breadloaf, but didn't get any financial assistance this time and 'cause we're tightening our belts, I just can't spend the cash to pay for the trip or the tuition. Thank you to those who nominated me. I'll try again next year.

***

I also missed attending the ASLE Conference. I was all ready to go and then discovered that the ferry times weren't working the way I had assumed they would. Apparently from Anacortes there's only one ferry to and from Victoria, BC.

And the ferry from Seattle was triple the price. If I wasn't teaching today, I would've happily stayed overnight, but alas. I'm sorry Camille!.

***

I brought goodies for my classes today.

***

Current Spin:

Regina Spektor. New album, June 23rd.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Dancing a Jig

I'm dancing a jig because of this: Ta Da!

Came at a good time, too, because of the recent stuff I've been blogging about.

Also, the Camano Island residency will be great. I'll use that time to put some finishing touches on a couple of projects that have languished while I've been working on this third book.

***

I"m also dancing because the end of the academic year is upon me. It's the last week of classes and there's not much left to teach. I'm looking forward to getting back to the writing desk.

***

I saw UP this past weekend with Meredith. If you haven't already, you must see this movie because I firmly believe that it's a masterpiece of animation. It's also intelligently written. The 30 minute montage at the beginning of the film is emotional but not overwrought. To be honest, there are parts of that montage that are devastating and stay with me. But the early emotion of the film is so necessary to drive the action of the film.

I'm curious to see what the movie looks like in 3D. The director of the film was interviewed on Fresh Air. What's interesting is how Pete Docter says that one of his influences was Warner Herzog.

***

Current Spin:

Old School. Sonic Youth has a new album, too.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Continuing with the Reading List

The List (of possible Summer reading) So Far

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Middlesex
Almanac of the Dead--currently reading.
After Dark
Stranger Things Happen
Home for Girls Raised by Wolves
Best American Short Stories of 2005
Coming Through Slaughter
Winners Have Yet To Be Announced
Mixology
Unending Rooms
Anything else? Poetics, perhaps? Remember, 32 books. . .

***

I'm trying to refinance my house. It seems that banks want a whole bunch of information before such a thing happens. In our case, I need to come up with a "Road Agreement" between all the residents of my little wooded road. There are four other families that live on our dirt road and much of our communication has been informal, over beers and bbq. But seems like the hard times in the banking industry call for bigger hurdles. The insurance agency who was asked to "insure" the loan wants a road agreement filed with the county, so I have to gather all my neighbors, get them to sign a document in front of a notary, yadda, yadda.

What's funny is out where I live, our notary is in the liquor store behind the town's only gas station. How's that for charming?

***

I've got a talented bunch of writers who are graduating. Sad to see 'em go.

***

A lot of universities are culling their journal holdings. WWU is no exception . . . That's going to hurt a LOT of journals.

***

Thinking about my manuscript again. It'll be a week or so before I can act on some of my impulses, so I'm storing them here for future reference:

1) Cut all the Syllogism poems and place in Dumbstruck Luck
2) Distribute 8 sections of the long poem throughout ms.
3) Insert Self Portrait as the Burning Plains of Eastern Oregon
4) Cut Eschatology poems.

***

Current Spin:

Old school, I know. I'm feeling nostalgic. I miss my youth today.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Summer Reading List

I'm compiling a summer reading list.

The list will be multi-genre. I want your recommendations.

There's very little on the list so far:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Middlesex
Almanac of the Dead--currently reading.

I need ideas on poetry collections. It's not that I'm unfamiliar with poetry, mind you, it's that I just don't know where to begin! There's so much I've already read. I want to be surprised, you see . . .

Anyway, I'm not particular, though if you've got solid short-story collections you can recommend, that'd be great too.

My ambitious goal is to finish 32 books this summer. Why 32? I have no idea.

***

Other things--I sold my car and my father's truck for money. We're cutting back on a number of other things as well.

Meredith, ultimately, was offered one class in the English dept. for Winter quarter, but unfortunately, that won't replace the seven classes she's used to teaching year to year.

I'm going to look into doing some low-res teaching . . . at least for part of the year to make ends meet.

***
Current Spin:

Echo & the Bunnymen.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Good News About Melissa. Still Concern for Her Companions.

Roxas has been reunited with her family. The fate of her two companions — Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc – is unknown.

***

Thank goodness. It's still unclear what condition Melissa's in, but I'm glad she's back with her family. Keep the pressure up for Juanito and John Edward.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Melissa Roxas

Melissa Roxas, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Roxas is a well-known Filipino American activist, who served as the first Regional Coordinator of BAYAN-USA in Los Angeles and co-founded the cultural organization Habi Arts. Roxas is an active human rights advocate and was instrumental in organizing a BAYAN-USA contingent that participated in the International Solidarity Mission in 2005, an international fact finding mission that called attention to the escalating human rights violations in the Philippines. Roxas went to the Philippines in 2007 to pursue human rights work, where she became a full time volunteer health worker. She was abducted on May 19, 2009 at approximately 1:30 PM in Sitio Bagong Sikat, Barangay kapanikian, La Paz, Tarlac. She was with two other volunteers, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc. .

***

On a personal note, Melissa Roxas was a Kundiman fellow in 2005. She's a supremely gifted poet and a beautiful person and I'm deeply worried about her.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

DeVotchKa at the Nightlight

Be patient w/ the video. I've got the wrong type of video equipment for this kind of thing:

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Some Wishes

Found out that Meredith probably won't have any work coming in from the English department either. This is mostly due to the fact that she had found out that she had been replaced after the various departments already had their 2009-2010 academic schedules in place. The only thing we can hope for now is that someone who teaches linguistics suddenly gets a grant and plans on taking some leave, or if some other non-tenure-track faculty member winds up carrying to large of a load.

I'm still pissed, but we'll manage.

Thank you all for your words of sympathy, encouragement, and support.

***

I and my creative writing colleagues will be meeting with lots of students to talk about MFA/PhD programs this afternoon. So much to tell them.

I've got handouts at the ready.

***
I've been blessed with a sudden burst of productivity these past two years. Summer brings me back to the writing desk more regularly, and I have a number of projects I'll be hunkering down to deal with.

First of all, I've come to some realizations about my manuscript, tentatively titled In Defense of Small Towns. I'm going to make some big cuts this summer. Additionally, the cuts I make will, more than likely, make it into another manuscript I've been working on. The tentative title of that second manuscript is Dumbstruck Luck.

And then there's this business of the "Dear Empire" poems. I don't think I can sustain a whole manuscript like that. I need to think about relationships in that manuscript . . . how I want to produce a narrative--a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts, so to speak.

Finally, I've shelved a project about Filipino migrant workers for a time, because . . . well, because I fell ill, had a child, and couldn't do the research. I might be ready to return to that project.

Anyway, the past two summers had me writing exclusively in August. I'm going to try to maintain productivity from June to September. We'll see what happens.

***

Current Spin:

The Pixies. Yes, old school.

Monday, May 18, 2009

On Narrative Difficulty

Internet's incredibly slow this morning (as many of you know, because we live in the country, we have to use Satellite broadband). It's partly cloudy, so that could account for some of my difficulty on the web today.

I'm currently taking a respite from my grading. I had students write some persona poems and they did so with much difficulty. I suspect it's quite difficult for some newer writers to move beyond the ego. Either that, or they've spent much of their time in college discovering self-hood that to be asked to move out of self-hood stretches them in uncomfortable ways.

I don't remember a time when I struggled with writing outside of myself--mostly because when I was a younger writer, I wanted to get away from myself--who I was then.

***

Currently discussing with some grad students the problem of incorporating characters into a long poem or a manuscript. I'll tell you what I told them--

When you introduce a character in a manuscript, the character(s) often inadvertently become the pivot-point for a manuscript. All poems that surround them then seem to, in some way, service the character. If the surrounding poems don't, then it's up to the writer to determine whether or not they want those surrounding poems to service the narrative of the character or whether they want to take the manuscript in a different direction.

It is, however, relatively easy to move through a collection's narrative once you have a character established. A couple of my grads are finding that they can't stop writing from character. That, unfortunately, is also a side-effect of writing poems with characters in them. It's easy to get attached to the conventions of such writing. Berryman couldn't stop. Neither can (could) Bell.

***

And in other narratives, this is re-hash for most of you, but it's collected here on the NewPages blog: The Future of University Presses and Journals (A Manifesto).

***

Finally, I saw the renewal of an old narrative that I watched with great joy in my childhood. The Star Trek film, was joyous, epic, and just what I needed as a respite from the troubled times my family's having. Sometimes I too want to open the door to a parallel universe.

Loved the updated McCoy and Spock. Wasn't too keen on Simon Pegg's Scotty, or the fresh take on Checkov. I had a hard time seeing Checkov in the fresh-faced actor who played him in the film. But otherwise, I really enjoyed the film.

***

And other things I'm enjoying:

Friday, May 15, 2009

Straight Dish

So many of you were wondering what the bad news in the de la Paz household entails.

It's bad.

Meredith was laid off and then replaced at a time when Western Washington University's President called for campus-wide hiring freezes.

We went to the union to see what our options are and basically because Meredith is a non-tenure-track faculty member she did not have sufficient union protection.

I do want to thank all of you who've e-mailed me via back channel. We're working on our financial situation and we should be okay. We'll just need to cut back a lot.

I go up for tenure and promotion next year, so that may provide a bit of a bonus in salary depending on the situation between the union and the administration.

Additionally, some part-time work is cooking up here and there in the English and Linguistics department for Meredith.

We'll be okay.

I must say, though, that I'm composing this note using a great amount of restraint. . .

Thursday, May 14, 2009

In Oliver's workshop sessions today:

I told students to write down the contents of the garbage containers for their characters.

I muddled over the differences between "Squawk" and "Squeak"

I said ". . . freaking Mary Oliver."

I pulled an assignment out of my ass entitled "Diptych: The Knife in the Actor's Hand/The Ghost in the Wings."

***

Sunny, finally. The window guys are replacing our old aluminum windows for vinyl ones. Should help us save some money in the winter from lowered heating costs.

I don't know how far along they are. I'll find out soon.

***

In an effort to save money, Meredith and I are consciously trying to eat out less. Right now, though, I'm craving sushi.

It's been hard deciding what's going to go. We'll definitely get the most basic satellite TV subscription. That's for sure. But what else will we cut? I'm thinking about losing the land line, since I do tend to use my cell phone a lot more these days.

We were talking about also losing the internet, but I do need it for work. Decisions, decisions.

***

Current Spin:

Sandy Denny & Fairport Convention. "Who Knows Where the Time Goes."

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

DJ School

DJ Qbert has created an online DJ School.

I want to learn how to juggle.

Quickly

Wilco is streaming their new album on their website. Listen here.

***

One more thesis defense to attend this week and then I'll be done.

It's funny what a table of contents can do to a manuscript collection. I know I've said it before, but it's extraordinary what such a gesture can do for the writer.

***

I'm still pissed.

***

Haven't had an opportunity to see the Star Trek movie yet. Soon. Soon.

***

Tonight, I'm presenting awards for the Sue Boyton Poetry contest, co-sponsored by the Whatcom Community Fund.

***

Current Spin:

Silversun Pickups.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Restraint

So much to tell you. There's just so much that I want to say, but there are reasons why I cannot tell you the exact nature of our dilemma.

Thank you all for your support. I can probably tell you more about our plight after a few meetings important parties.

Cross your fingers.

***

Not all news is bad, though. I've got something to announce in June.

***

Also, we're in week 7 of the final academic quarter of the 2008/2009 year. What a crazy year, eh?

I for one am both excited for and dreading summer.

***

It's amazing what constructing a table of contents can do for a collection of poems . ..

***

Current Spin:

Bat for Lashes. "Daniel."

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day Meredith!

IMG_0872, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Downturned but Sunnyside Up

IMG_0835, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Went to see the Skagit Tulip Festival with my family, which was a much needed respite after the bad news our family received on Friday.

I'd love to share the news with you, but we're in the process of going through procedures. Suffice it to say we as a family will have to make some drastic decisions about our lifestyle.

Still, on this day there were tulips and kites and a kid who laughed and talked baby language to horses without malice or irony.

Today, there was bright joy.

Friday, May 08, 2009

From the Family and Friends of Craig Arnold

THANK YOU.

Our dear friends and family,
Though Craig himself has not been recovered, the amazing expert trackers of 1SRG have been able to make themselves and us certain of what has become of Craig. His trail indicates that after sustaining a leg injury, Craig fell from a very high and very dangerous cliff and there is virtually no possibility that Craig could have survived that fall. Chris will pursue what he can about getting specialists to go down into the place we know Craig is so we can bring him home, but it is very, very dangerous and we are not yet completely certain what that will require. The only relief in this news is that we do know exactly what befell Craig, and we can be fairly certain that it was very quick, and that he did not wait or wonder or suffer.

I cannot express again the profound gratitude I feel to everyone who has loved and honored Craig with their goodwill, their immense efforts and energy, and their overwhelming generosity. I believe that where he is, Craig knows.

There will be further occasion to celebrate Craig, and when I know more I will post it.

For my part, I love Craig beyond the telling of it and will always love him as immeasurably, as enduringly, as steadfastly and as unconditionally as I do now and have done these past six years. In leaving our family Craig, in a manner absolutely characteristic of his own vast generosity and capacity to inspire, brought us all closer together than we perhaps have ever been. I feel his presence, loving and understanding and funny and deeply feeling, at all times. I hope you do, too.

With love,
R.

***

Saddened by this beyond words.

***

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Latte and a Rice Krispy Treat

Yes, that's what I'm snacking on in my office after a day filled with talking to students about poems.

My throat is parched and a latte, perhaps, isn't the best solution.

I find that 15 minutes of a conference is often more valuable to students than an hour and fifteen minutes of lecture. Besides, I do like chatting with my students as individuals. They're quite interesting people who've got a lot of things on their minds and in their lives.

In my capacity as the Creative Writing adviser for Western Washington University's English department, I'm finding that I do like the position a lot because I can literally sit students down and talk to them about what brought them to the major, which is supposedly a love for the language.

I do find people who use the major as a place to hide. Of course, there are plenty of those and they make themselves known through their work. But I also find students who are sincerely in love with the language, have stories they want to tell, and have stories that need to be told.

***

My students in the long poem class are in the middle of their projects now. Wow. All I can say. They've got some really fascinating poems--tangled, but fascinating.

***

The sun is out and I suppose it'll stick around through the weekend. The family will probably go to the Tulip Festival this weekend. Good idea, eh?

***

Current Spin:

DeVotchKa. "How It Ends."

YAY! Going to see them on the 22nd!

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Ninja Grandparents, Arts in the de la Paz family, and other things

My parents are ninjas.

They drove all the way from Bellingham to my house. I wasn't expecting them. They have grand-baby fever.

Retirement seems boring . . .

***

My cousin Jovencio has a new website: jovenciodelapaz.com.

Yes, he's an artist.

My other cousin (from a different uncle), Sarah, is musically inclined. She's a trained violinist.

Looks like there's an artistic gene in my family.

***

My parents brought Hum Bao.

They're good ninjas.

***

Current Spin:

Bowerbirds. "In Our Talons."

Monday, May 04, 2009

Hot diggity

So glad to be out of April.

***

May's looking to be a crazy month with lots of graduate students defending during the first two full weeks. I've got two students defending this week and two next week. All of 'em have put together some really incredible and publishable work.

***

Saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The title, of course, suggests that there will be other origin stories.

What can I say . . . it was exactly what I thought it was. I had a big bucket of popcorn and I shared it with my younger cousins. I turned my brain off and watched big explosions and martial arts.

I wanted a bit more of Deadpool, and the geek in me was cringing a little bit at how they sort of mangled his story.

I also wanted more of Gambit . . . but otherwise, I enjoyed myself.

***

Now, looking forward to this:

Star Trek! Check out Leonard Nimoy!

***

Current Spin:

Passion Pit. "The Reeling."

Sunday, May 03, 2009

My very blurry, damp, video of The Shins

Of course, there's lots of background noise, and a shaky hand-camera, etc. The conditions were downright crap. I cut a moment early in the video where James Mercer also complains a little bit about the weather.

What this definitely signifies to me is that I should think about investing in a digital video camera. ;-) *cough*

RIP Al Robles

Al Robles was such an important social force in the Bay Area as well as in Fil-Am letters.

Saturday, May 02, 2009

The Start of May

It's Free Comic Book Day!

***

Going to see The Shins tonight with Meredith. Pray for no rain.

***

I'm so glad National Poetry Month is over. I'm burned out. Don't get me wrong. I love what I do and I love writing and reading poetry,

***

My folks are going nuts over this fight tonight: Pacquiao vs. Hatton.

***

Current Spin:

The Shins.

I'm trying to gear up for the concert.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

The End of April

First, there's this:

Findcraigarnold.blogspot.com.

Then there's this:

NPR Aires the Craig Arnold Search.

***

April came and went so fast. I told my students that this is the end of week 5 of the quarter and they look absolutely beat.

I then preceded to teach them scansion, which only furthered their weariness.

***

Scan this:

1) Soft and easy is the cradle

2) For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

3) Double double toil and trouble

4) Higgledy Piggledy

***

I'm so glad NaPoWriMo is over. I'm gassed, even though much of the stuff was just revisions of things--I did, however, generate a few new solid drafts of things. I'm going to "POOF" the poems as soon as I can get them copied and saved.

***

Current Spin:

Son Lux. "Stay"

Craig Arnold Missing

(He was just here in Bellingham, visiting us, too!)

This is from an e-mail I recently received:

"I'm writing because a dear friend of mine and an exceptionally talented poet, Craig Arnold, whom some of you know, has gone missing on a small volcanic island in Japan while on a creative exchange fellowship. Craig, an experienced explorer of volcanoes, never returned to his inn after leaving alone to research the island's active volcano for the afternoon. The authorities are on the third day of searching for Craig, and are scouring the small island (of only 160 inhabitants) with dogs and helicopters. If he is not found by the end of the day, the authorities will call off the search.

We need your help to insure that the search will continue. The island and areas surrounding the volcano are small enough that an extended search will surely lead to Craig's discovery.WE NEED PEOPLE TO CONTACT THEIR LOCAL CONGRESSPEOPLE AND SENATORS TO PRESSURE THE JAPANESE STATE DEPARTMENT TO CONTINUE THE SEARCH. WE ALSO NEED HELP SPARKING MEDIA ATTENTION FOR THIS STORY, WHICH WE ALSO HOPE MIGHT INCREASE PRESSURE ON JAPANESE AUTHORITIES TO FIND CRAIG. I have attached a document with background information about Craig, as well as information about the details leading up to his disappearance as well as about the island itself. Please feel free to use this as reference material.

If any of you have ideas or know people who might be able to help, we'd appreciate hearing from you. You can contact Rebecca Lindenberg, Craig's girlfriend, at rlindenberg@mac.com. Please, though, take a minute to contact your senator and congressperson via telephone or even email to explain this problem and insist on their help.

We are so hoping to find Craig today, God-willing not seriously injured. If so, this will not be an issue, but we must ensure that if this isn't resolved today, Craig doesn't end up an unsolved mystery. He is too important to too many people, not to mention to arts and letter generally, for this to happen.

We appreciate your help, good wishes and prayers."

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

"Discovery" Winners Announced

And they are . . . here: Clicky!

Forgot to mention

. . . this was from yesterday: HFR Blog Post.

***

Worried today. The Washington State budget was passed and WWU is going to have to make some drastic cuts, many of which will effect the way we teach.

Additionally, since Meredith's not tenure-track, she may lose course lines.

***

Current Spin:

Ryan Adams. "Sylvia Plath."

Up and At 'Em!

I've got a poem up for the week on Linebreak.org.

***

Woke up at 5AM this morning with the "A" refrains for a villanelle in my head. Are they good refrain lines? I don't know, but I had to find out. It may or may not be today's NaPoWriMo piece. Haven't decided.

***

I got caught up with all my school and office work, thankfully. Of course, since it's the start of the work week for me, I expect more stuff to pile onto my plate.

***

Lots of long poems in this month's issue of Poetry Magazine. I think I'll bring it in to my class. Ilya Kaminsky has a REALLY long poem in there.

***

Current Spin:

Martha Wainright.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Lousy Day Yesterday

Sunday started with my mother deciding to drive herself to church. My dad had earlier, gone back to Ontario, OR, to finish up some paperwork, so it was my family staying over with my mother to keep her company over the weekend. Anyway, my mother had been to the church a couple of times and knew, roughly, how to get there.

Here's the thing, though--she's a lousy driver and has lived in a small dinky town where all the roads are straight and it takes only a few minutes to get from point A to point Z.

Anyway, while I was taking care of Lucas, I got a call from my mother. "I got in an accident, big time" is what she said, verbatim. Her voice was low and steady, so I wasn't sure how she was doing. I asked her if she needed me to come down and she did, so I drove down to help her out. Needless to say, when I got there, there were two patrol cars and my mother sort of standing there, a little helpless-looking.

My mother isn't as independent as one would hope. My dad controls the finances, a lot of the paperwork, etc., so my mom doesn't know how to navigate through such things when he's not around. Likewise, my dad can't cook and doesn't necessarily take the best care of himself if my mother weren't around. So there's a couple dynamic at play here. Meredith and I, in contrast, are quite independent.

So, finally, after the citations were issued and the tow-truck hauled the wreckage away, I dealt with all the authorities on behalf of my mother--insurance, auto body, authorities. . . All told, a lousy day. Having your folks move to your town is a blessing and a curse.

***

Today, though, is shaping up to be a better day. The folks at the auto body shop did a lot to boost my mother's confidence. All in all, my mother was pretty ashamed about the whole accident.

***

Lots to do today. Grading, prepping, gym. I'm ready for the summer.

***

Current Spin:

St. Vincent. "Paris is Burning."

Saturday, April 25, 2009

The big push to Summer

Half way through the final academic quarter of the school year. It's been an interesting one, thus far, though I feel like it just started.

I've been quite busy these days. I finished up a grant application for Artist Trust. I've never been great at applying for these kinds of things. We'll see. Plus, I'm a little unsure of my work sample and how I submitted the thing. They wanted fifteen pages of work, but my poems lately have been long, so I formatted the sample so that the poems are all together instead of a poem per page. Hard to explain right now, since I'm multi-tasking. Let's just say I'm not so confident in the package that I put together.

I also have been scrambling to put together an AWP panel for Kundiman. I've got all the preliminary stuff done, now it's just fixing up the language of the proposal.

Finally, I'm judging a local poetry contest, so I've got to read several manuscripts. Whew!

Anyway, I'm trying to keep afloat. My office and particularly my desk are a mess.

***

Got my contributor's copy of From the Fishouse: An Anthology of Poems that Sing, Rhyme, Resound, Syncopate, Alliterate, and Just Plain Sound Great, edited by Camille Dungy, Matt O'Donnell, and Jeffery Thomson. It's a hell of a thing, and it's bundled with a CD. Very cool and supporting readings are coming to a bookstore near you.

***

Current Spin:

A.C. Newman. "The Palace at 4am"

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Post Concert

IMG00051-20090422-2324, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

It was the first time I had ever been to a concert by myself, and I definitely do prefer going with someone else.

Alas, I could never get that second ticket. Mt. Baker Theater had sold out many weeks ago and the scalpers on Craig's List were selling them for way too much. There was no way that I would shell out extra coin for them.

Outside of that, I thought it was a solid concert. Ra Ra Riot came on to the stage as the opener and they were plagued by a few sound problems. The cellist's microphone wasn't working, but her cello and the violinist's sound was definitely working--in fact, their sound was drowning out the vocalist. All technical problems aside, they were an interesting and entertaining band, playing many of their hits from The Rhumb Line. (The cellist, had a CRAZY electric cello).

As for Death Cab for Cutie,, it's clear they've geared up for their summer tour with some real raucous numbers. Much of the pacing of the concert was fast, with many songs bleeding into other songs. I thought that there would've been a bit more interaction/interplay between the audience and the band, given Bellingham's their hometown, but it seems the pace of the playlist eliminated many of the possibilities for banter.

Really, there seemed to be only one slow number--"I Will Follow You Into the Dark," with Gibbard, solo, playing an acoustic guitar. Otherwise the concert was loud, danceable, and spirited with the echo of the crowd singing along.

What I was disappointed in, as I had mentioned earlier, was that there were relatively few deviations from the set at hand. It seemed that, "by god" they were going to play all these songs. I did miss the banter. The music, though, was tight.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

On This Thing I've Been Writing

So it's been 22 days for this NaPoWriMo project. Like I said in my first post, this was a project I had been thinking about--some of the poems had already been written, but all the poems posted on the blog are new versions. Most are quite different from their previous incarnations.

I did have one hiccup on Day 19, I believe. I got tired of the epistolary pieces, so I did something else, revisiting another sequence/series by constructing a new "Self Portrait" poem.

Anyway, regarding the epistolary project, a few things I've discovered:

1) The setting is, in my mind, a different reality or locale. I don't think it will work as a real place or a real time.

2) It's an allegory. See #1. I can be as broad as I want with poem and still have it adhere to the general tone and movement of a singular work.

3) There's a character that's central to the narrative--The Artist. But the artist is not the speaker. The artist is the subject, in a way, though he/she is not always in the epistolary pieces. I'm still discovering this character and his/her relation to the speaker.

4) The "Redaction" sections are newish--I saw the idea of pentimento in painting as applying to these sections, where there are smallish, minute "edits" to the previous narrative. I haven't figured out how or why these occur in the pieces, or if there is an occassion for the changes.

Some questions about the direction of this thing:

1) Is it a long poem as I had first suggested?

2) While, tonally, it seems consistent, is there enough variation to move a reader forward?

3) Should there be "Setting" pieces interspersed throughout the project's current narrative? In other words, should there be different poems that not only disrupt the "Dear Empire" pieces, but poems that contextualize the very ambiguous epistolary pieces?

4) Who is the speaker? What's at stake for him/her? He/she is the lens of the piece, and indeed, he/she is writing to "Empire."

5) Who is Empire?

Paneling

IMG_0802, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Charles Baxter & Sam

IMG_0798, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Fielding questions from the audience

Sam Ligon

IMG_0795, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Introducing Charles Baxter

Food Porn

IMG_0789, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Mizuna's Rack of Lamb over seasoned orzo. Delish.

Sleepy Corner of Downtown Spokane

IMG_0793, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Kate & Gundar

IMG_0780, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Also at Mizuna's

More Get Lit! pictures

IMG_0781, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Me n' Brenda Miller at Mizuna's.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Jane Smiley

IMG_0774, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Beautiful Bing Crosby Theater

IMG_0762, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Dani

IMG_0763, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Our fabulous host, Dani Ringwald in a dress that's off-the-chain.

Poetry in the Streets of Spokane!

IMG_0776, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

From L to R, Me, Ken Letko, Martha Silano, and Christopher Howell

Benches in a Fireplace

IMG_0757, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Exactly. Benches. Fireplace. Bizarre.

A Peak Inside

IMG_0754, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Swag Bag

IMG_0753, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Get Lit! was a great time. Each of the authors got one of these handsome bags filled with goodies.

Pulitzers

Details are here

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Wandering aimlessly

I at last found a WiFi connection after the connection in my hotel room sputtered out yesterday.

I think there's a bandwidth counter for the hotel's ISP. One particular author has been on the internet 24-7. This author will not be named, but I will tell you that this person's laptop is on a shared network and it's visible on my computer.

There's a temptation to snoop, but I won't.

***

I teach a workshop on the Prose Poem in . . . oh, now 45 minutes.

***

Finally found a place w/bandwidth in the lobby. But they're setting up tables as I type this.

***

There's an unbelievable amount of footage of poets reading. Here's one thing I found:

***

Current Spin:

Fever Ray. "When I Grow Up."

Kind of creepy, I know.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Coffee Break

Stayed up really late writing the Day 17 poem. Unfortunately I got up early this morning. It's how I'm wired these days.

***

Speaking this morning at 9:00AM with poets Ken Letko and Martha Silano. Should be fun.

***

Ran across this video from the La Blogoteque series:

#74.1 - Vic Chesnutt - Sponge
by lablogotheque

Thursday, April 16, 2009

And then there's this

Happened upon this question just before logging off. Do you still shop at record stores? NME poses this question and an article here.

Me? Absolutely I still shop at record stores, though less so nowadays. If I'm in downtown Bellingham, I almost always have to stop at Everyday Music. It's such a great record store . . . I lose all track of time there.

There's nothing quite like diving through stacks. I feel a similar joy when browsing through book shelves at book stores.

Life, Friends, is not so boring

First, this:

I showed this video to my long poem graduate students (thanks Mary). I found it to be quite interesting after having reread The Dream Songs.

This round, the book seemed much darker . . . sadder, but I was also more overwhelmed by the weight of it than previous readings.

Listen for the cash register. Also, look for Al Alvarez's pipe.

***

Next, I'm blogging to you from Pendleton, OR. I'm completely filled with a weird nostalgia. The sage desert basin is as picturesque as ever.

Also, it was great to finally meet the great Shaindel Beers. I, of course, butchered her name. For that I apologize.

Anyway, pictures to follow.

***

Finally, I listened to the new Metric album on the drive down, so they're my current spin (Warning--shaky camera):

Additionally, I spun these guys:

The Knife.

AND, the new collaborative album by this rock goddess:

PJ and John Parish

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Busy Week of Readings and Teaching

Hitting the road bright and early tomorrow.

I'll be driving six hours to get to Oregon and the BMCC Arts and Culture Festival.

I'm scheduled to read on Wednesday, April 15th, from 2:00-2:50 in the Art Gallery on the BMCC Campus in Pendleton, OR.

After, I'll head back north to do several panels, readings, etc. at the Get Lit! Festival in Spokane, WA.

Come see!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Strange Days

Still stunned by the death of Deborah Digges.

***

Amazon, after all, is the retailer many in BookLand love to hate. While it only represents about 10 percent of the business (Barnes & Noble controls more than 35 percent), Amazon has consumer “mind share,” economies of scale, and some nerve: The online retailer provides enormous discounts to consumers, argues publisher discounts in its own favor, and now, with the Kindle, seems to have a stranglehold on the dissemination of e-books, as well. And there’s something about Amazon that isn’t exactly “nice.” For one thing, executives seem to work on the Beg Forgiveness, Don’t Ask Permission business model; when it launched the Kindle2 earlier this year, executives must have known there’d be an outcry among agents and publishers about “audio rights.” But they launched it anyway—and the minute BookLand squawked, Amazon reneged and offered an audio opt-out clause.

--Sara Nelson's take and why she thinks Amazon has the right to determine what it wants it wants to sell and how.

***

I'm at least, fortunate to have a ton of used and independent book stores in my vicinity. Buy local or bye bye local.

***

I still want goats.

***

Then there are these goats:

The Mountain Goats. "No Children."

Deborah Digges, RIP

AMHERST - Award winning poet and professor Deborah Digges died Friday night of an apparent suicide at the McGuirk Alumni Stadium at the University of Massachusetts.

My Life's Calling

My life's calling, setting fires.
Here in a hearth so huge
I can stand inside and shove
the wood around with my
bare hands while church bells
deal the hours down through
the chimney. No more
woodcutter, creel for the fire
or architect, the five staves
pitched like rifles over stone.
But to be mistro-elemental.
The flute of clay playing
my breath that riles the flames,
the fire risen to such dreaming
sung once from landlords' attics.
Sung once the broken lyres,
seasoned and green.
Even the few things I might save,
my mother's letters,
locks of my children's hair
here handed over like the keys
to a foreclosure, my robes
remanded, and furniture
dragged out into the yard,
my bedsheets hoisted up the pine,
whereby the house sets sail.
And I am standing on a cliff
above the sea, a paper light,
a lantern. No longer mine
to count the wrecks.
Who rode the ships in ringing,
marrying rock the waters
storm to break the door,
looked through the fire, beheld
a clearing there. This is what
you are. What you've come to.

by Deborah Digges

Monday, April 13, 2009

Amazon's Jungle of Stupidity

An update about the fiasco is here.

Freaking BS.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Moving Targets

Someone recently asked me what my "style" of writing was. I have never been able to give the type of answer I feel most people are looking for when I respond.

My usual answer is "It depends on what I'm working on at the moment." My other answer is "It depends on what I'm reading or what's influencing me."

Sitting on my hard drive at home are four manuscripts in various states of completion. The styles of the manuscripts are quite varied. Sometimes, I write in one particular mode to take a break from writing in another particular mode. I've got a bunch of these rhetorical poems that are in couplets which I feel are a direct response to longer, narrative, biographical pieces. The longer biographical pieces are probably a response to the historical sequence I had been working on in the mid 2000's. And then, of course, there's this latest epistolary sequence which started as a series of postcards but has become something larger and beyond the postcards.

I don't know what to tell these people who want to know about my "style" of writing. I guess I'm a firm believer in being a moving target. I've always felt an artist should evolve or change . . . so I try to evolve/change from project to project.

***

Heading over to Eastern Washington for the Get Lit! Festival. I've got a host of responsibilities/readings. That event should be the last of the academic year for me.

***

Current Flashback:

R.E.M.

I saw them in Boise, Idaho promoting their GREEN album. That was a LONG time ago. Michael Stipe still had long hair and he was wearing black eyeliner. The BSU Pavilion was relatively empty.

Friday, April 10, 2009

I'll be reading tonight:

Village Books. Bellingham, WA. 7:00PM.

***

Still trying to figure out who's writing the letters in my long poem. Haven't gotten the POV down yet. I'll just keep writing.

***

Current Spin:

Hope Sandoval and the Warm Intentions. "Suzanne."

Feeling mopey. Which is kinda fun.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Up & At 'Em!

5:06AM here. What the hell am I doing up writing poems?!

***

Contemplating heading downstairs and running on the treadmill. Would it make too much sound? Currently realizing how hamster-like such a move would be.

***

I'm annoyed that my iPod can't sync to two computers. I mean, I basically have the same exact music library between my laptop and my desktop. Why does it keep resetting the iPod?!

*whine*

***

It's true, I'm hardly ever serious on my blog. I'm having far too much fun. And anyway, I really am a goofball in real life, though not so much in the classroom. All my poems house my pent-up seriousness, I suppose. I mean, I've always been serious in my poems. Humor is such a hard thing to do in poetry. I think I've written one funny poem in my lifetime.

Have you ever written a funny poem?

***

I've been admiring my neighbor's planter boxes. I need to borrow my other neighbor's Bobcat. Now that the weather's warming up, I'd like to have a mini-garden, or perhaps a few rows of planter boxes. I know my mother would like that. She had a pretty fierce garden at our old place in Ontario.

***

Current Spin:

Grandaddy. "Summer Here Kids."

I wish. Puffy coats and bearded drummers, still. . .

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

An Interruption

Yes, I'm aware of the fact that I'm working on a long poem. No, I don't consider it cheating for NaPoWriMo.

***

Speaking of long poems, students are baffled and taken by Berryman's The Dream Songs.

We've been talking about closed form long poems and open form long poems. Berryman's poem being the example of the later.

Whether these epistolary pieces are part of a closed work or a long work has yet to be decided. I do know that I've already written pieces that could serve as interruptions. The "interruption" pieces are not epistolary poems.

***

More on the budget crisis . . . talk of raising tuition at 4 year institutions. Not much else is known since representatives from the universities are still trying to negotiate with the senate. What's clear is that there's a deep divide along party lines. Guess which party is advocating deep cuts in educational spending?

***
Ah sunny spring days, where have you been?

***
Current Spin:

St. Vincent. "These Days."

Hell of a cover. Ah Brooklyn.

An Explanation:

Here. I talk about the opening poem of Furious Lullaby.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Love love love

This crazy band:

Micachu & The Shapes. "Lips"

***

Also love these sunny Pacific Northwest days. Gorgeous.

***

And did I mention I like my Tuesday/Thursday teaching schedule?

***

I now love my new phone. Can't get an iPhone 'cause I live in the county, so this is the only type of "Smart Phone" available to me. Still, love it.

First week of classes

Logistics were ok. I'm was in a crappy classroom (I somehow always get put into this particular classroom), but I managed to transfer.

It makes such a difference--even a small window makes a difference.

***

Worried about the state budget, particularly about the number of cuts that are projected. The budgets proposed by the Washington State House and Senate last week call for 21% to 25% budget cuts to Western Washington University. If enacted, these will be among the highest cuts in the nation.

If enacted, people will clearly lose jobs and because Meredith is not tenure track, we may be in trouble.

***

At least there's music:

The Heartless Bastards. "Brazen"

Thursday, April 02, 2009

About the NaPo poems

I'm keeping these up longer because I want to be held accountable to/for something. They will go poof, but for now, the longer they stay on the blog, the more pressure I feel to revise 'em.

--The Management

I've been a dad for a year . . .

IMG_0616, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

And it's been an adjustment, but let me tell you, it's worth it.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Hmmm . . . Should I Participate?

Ever since Maureen Thorson came up with NaPoWriMo, I've wanted to participate. Now the Academy is in the mix.

If I do choose to participate, it won't be through the Academy or as a fund raiser. When I wrote my poem-a-days for the month of August, I felt the camaraderie between poets, but I also had time to savor the company.

Now, in the midst of a new quarter, I'm not sure I'll be able to do a NaPoWriMo justice.

We'll see.

***

First day of the quarter. Sunny. Bright. Horrible classroom. Looks like a holding cell.

***

Long Poem writing prompts for my graduate class forthcoming. Basically, students will be writing one long poem. Some of the prompts/assignments will be generative while others will be revisionary. We'll see what happens!

***
Current Spin:

Great Lake Swimmers. "Pulling On A Line."

Shout Out!

To my friend, Joseph Legaspi, whose poem was selected by Ted Kooser for the poem in his American Life in Poetry column.

Congratulations, Joseph!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

I can't walk and chew gum

Meanwhile, there's Anne Rossi playing violin, percussion, and singing.

Amazing that she managed to stay on the box w/out falling off.

***

Heading home today and praying for good weather. So far it's sunny in Mankato.

***

I'll see y'all in B'ham!

Friday, March 27, 2009

KRISTIN!

IMG_0573, originally uploaded by odelapaz.

Kristin Naca had lunch with me at Bliss Cafe.