Our nation mourns the terrible events of Friday night in Aurora, Colorado, and holds those who suffered - and those who are still suffering - in our hearts. From H.D.'s "The Tribute:" 7 As we lift the bright heads of the wild flowers, compare leaf to leaf, as we touch the hemlock and poppy, may … Continue reading Shaping Grief
Category: soon-to-be-published
Midsummer nights
Today I'm letting Adrienne Rich say something inspiring about this sweltering night, which has me camped in front of the A/C register. I love the coolness of her images here: the blue stones in the moonlight, and her solitude "half-blotted by darkness." Here is an excerpt from the final poem of her "Twenty-One Love Poems:" … Continue reading Midsummer nights
Poems for the Fallen Soldier
Today is Memorial Day, and in D.C. and the surrounding neighborhoods, we're visited by groups of motorcyclists (Rolling Thunder) coming to honor fallen soldiers and veterans of the Vietnam War. People crowd on the highway overpasses with signs and flags, cheering on these men and women as they pass. My father fought in World War … Continue reading Poems for the Fallen Soldier
Poems about Motherhood
The miracle of poems about motherhood is that they were written at all, given the time pressures of parenting! Poems that are so personal can also slip easily into sentimentality. Ideally these poems show us the unique details of the mother/child relationship, but also present more universal truths. Here are excerpts from a few of … Continue reading Poems about Motherhood
Art as Inspiration
On Saturday night, I went to an "Art Crawl" at the Columbia Pike Artists Studios near Washington D.C. My artist friend Marina Di Carlo recently set up shop there, and I bought one of her pieces, "Satellites," that I'd been coveting on her website. It's a very modern piece, but the gold tones and intricate … Continue reading Art as Inspiration
Reading for a rainy day
Today, it seems that our balmy spring is gone. It's rainy and grey, and resembles a normal Washington April, which we had thus far avoided. This morning, I turned up the heat and pulled out some poetry books to leaf through on the couch, but my daughter kept pulling them from my hands and placing … Continue reading Reading for a rainy day
Returning to Blacksburg
Today is the five-year anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech that claimed thirty-two innocent lives. I was an English major at Virginia Tech back in the nineties, so Blacksburg is a place full of memories for me. Like many other alumni, I mourn the loss of those lives, and the loss of innocence that … Continue reading Returning to Blacksburg
I met Margaret Atwood! And just now have the presence of mind to write about it…
At the AWP conference in Chicago last month, I was fortunate enough to be confused about the location of the shuttle bus that ferried writers from one hotel to another. I waited for about twenty minutes in front of the Hilton, when a large black car pulled up. A moment later, Margaret Atwood stepped out … Continue reading I met Margaret Atwood! And just now have the presence of mind to write about it…
Writing While Female: Remembering Adrienne Rich
On Saturday, several days after the death of poet Adrienne Rich, I read with other female poets in celebration of SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day in Washington D.C. It could not have been a more beautiful spring day in Georgetown, and we read in the intimate sanctuary of Grace Church. The voices were diverse; … Continue reading Writing While Female: Remembering Adrienne Rich
E.E. Cummings on spring
Tomorrow is the first day of spring, although in D.C., the trees and flowers have been blossoming for weeks. A good day to pull out a little E.E. Cummings, whose poems about spring are some of the liveliest out there. Remember these lines? in Just- spring when the world is mud- luscious the little lame … Continue reading E.E. Cummings on spring
Between Gods 