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
Category: Writing
Passion and Work
Today, I'm holding my first book in my hands, fresh from its Barnes & Noble packaging. It contains nearly twenty years of work: poems that were edited over and over, pushed into envelopes, some accepted and some rejected by journals. Some were loved, some not. Now they will reach a wider audience. And now I … Continue reading Passion and Work
Change will do you good
I just returned from my first AWP writing conference in Chicago, at 1:30 a.m this morning. I'm exhausted, but feeling flush with new ideas. I attended presentations on blogging and book publicity, meeting the dynamic writer Brendan Constantine at the latter, who told stories of stuffing publicity postcards in newspapers, and on brochure racks at … Continue reading Change will do you good
Spinning straw into gold
Like many writers, I am a collector of words. For years, I kept a notebook of lines from poems that I loved, sometimes even the whole poem. There is something about writing down beautiful words, even if they are not yours, that changes you. That changes your writing as well, or so it has for … Continue reading Spinning straw into gold
Rilke, on how to avoid writing “toward the median”
Now that the holidays are over, I have time to dig into some of the books I received. Last night, I re-read Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, which I first read in college. What I needed to hear most was Rilke's view on how to preserve your unique voice, despite your critics: You ask … Continue reading Rilke, on how to avoid writing “toward the median”
A Christmas Poem
At Christmas time, I always think of the final section of H.D.’s “The Flowering of the Rod,” which describes so beautifully the wonder of God’s greatest gift: But she spoke so he looked at her, she was shy and simple and young; She said, Sir, it is a most beautiful fragrance, as of all flowering things … Continue reading A Christmas Poem
Juicing up your writing with a dose of randomness
This week I’m taking part in an exercise with SPARK, an organization that pairs visual artists and writers so they may create work based on each others’ work. I was sent a .jpg file of a painting, which I will write a poem “about.” Although I have written a number of poems inspired by paintings … Continue reading Juicing up your writing with a dose of randomness
Another reason why printed books aren’t going away: kids
The New York Times published an article last week about how parents who are huge proponents of the e-book reserve it for themselves – and give their kids the “real thing.” When I was young, my mother took us to the library every week, and we returned home with armloads of books. To this day, … Continue reading Another reason why printed books aren’t going away: kids
Addicted to words? What I’m giving up – and gaining – for the season.
I find myself thinking about Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, and how she suggests that writers “unplug” from words for one week to get their own language percolating. No reading whatsoever. I love this idea. It would be one thing if I spent hours of my day reading high-quality literature, but that’s not where … Continue reading Addicted to words? What I’m giving up – and gaining – for the season.
“I don’t understand it…but I can tell it’s good!” – Explaining poems to non-English majors
I have a friend who’s very smart and educated – but like many people I know, has a mental block when it comes to reading poetry. I don’t know why this happens. Maybe being exposed to Shakespeare or T.S. Eliot too early (really, did any among us have the maturity to appreciate Hamlet or Prufrock … Continue reading “I don’t understand it…but I can tell it’s good!” – Explaining poems to non-English majors
Between Gods 