post-AWP rundown

05 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in poetry

≈ 2 Comments

Here’s a quick recap of how I spent my days:

Wednesday: Arrive at Midway at 2:20 p.m. Take the El to Roosevelt and walk 3 blocks to the Best Western at 11th & Michigan. Check in, drop bags in room, and head back out the door to find Miller’s Pub at Wabash & Adams, where I meet 2 friends for drinks. Great pub. After a few hours, head for sushi at Oysy, where we are informed that Oysy has run out of rice. That’s right: a sushi restaurant has run out of rice. And edamame. WTF? Their shrimp cocktail was pretty good though. Collapse into bed by 10:30.

Thursday: Plan to run, don’t. Sleep in instead. Greet Donna at the hotel & drop her stuff in our room before heading to the first panel, a discussion/quick demo of videopoems, followed by a panel on the use of race in persona poems. Lunch at Yolk, the most excellent restaurant next to the Best Western. Return to the conference for a 3 p.m. panel on political poetry, followed by a 4:30 panel presentation by the New York Writers Coalition. Stop by the bookfair during the day & freak out about all the people. Hug Laura from Weave, take an adorable picture with her & Donna. Talk to the lovely woman at the Drew MFA Program table. Plan to go to a reading with Donna, don’t. Retreat to the hotel room & attempt to recover instead. Head for dinner at Lou Malnati’s for some excellent deep dish pizza and a giant-sized glass of iced tea. Collapse into bed by 10.

Friday: Plan to run, fitness center is locked. Wait for 20 minutes for it to be opened. It never is. Run outside instead, where I discover it is harder to run without a treadmill than I expected. Complete a mile (alternating run/walk, of course) anyway. Head for a 10:30 panel on youth-oriented community programs that was pretty awesome. Wander the book fair for a bit, buy Manoleria by Daniel Khalastchi on Donna’s advice, and serendipitously meet him. He is adorable and charming. Then head back to Yolk for lunch with Sacha, my friend from the Mailer Colony. Bail on the rest of the afternoon’s panels, spend a few hours in my hotel room reading, writing, and hiding. Head to the 6 p.m. NJ writers’ informal cocktail hour, then to Patricia Smith’s book release party, which was also pretty awesome. Dinner at Panera, then back to the hotel. Collapse into bed by 10:30.

Saturday: Plan to run, don’t. Spend about 2 hours watching house-flipping shows on A&E. Say goodbye to Donna, who is heading home. Blow off the entire day. Spend 2.5 hours walking Grant Park, Millenium Park, Printers Row. Take some pictures. Back to Yolk for lunch alone, then hiding in my hotel room for the rest of day, working on homework. In bed by 10:30.

Sunday: Up and on the El back to the airport by 7:30. Anxious to be home. Nearly get body-scanned in Midway; avert that crisis at the last minute thanks to a slow-moving elderly traveler who held up the line. Arrive back in Philly with minimal issues. Listen to a story about how my cat fell into the kitchen trash can and couldn’t get out. Almost crash the car from laughing so hard. Dinner at home with Donna and Karen, then bed by 10.

Oh, the writerly life.

I’ll probably blog some more in the coming days about how it felt to be at the conference, the panels, etc. It’s just too much for one entry.

In the meantime, some pictures:

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pre-AWP blog entry

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in awesome

≈ 2 Comments

Chicago I am coming to visit you! In 25 hours I will be in the midst of your wondrousness!

In the meantime, please enjoy this picture of an adorable non-human primate with the best mustache ever:

(psst – it’s a Tamarin)

Friday Goodness: miscellany edition

24 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in friday goodness

≈ 1 Comment

Hey y’all! It’s Friday! Here’s some good things:

1. I decided to start posting again on my commonplace blog, RipeAgain. (For those of you playing along at home, yes, that is the same title as my 2008 chapbook through Finishing Line Press.) I decided this a few days ago, but didn’t start posting again until today, so things are still in process over there. Look for some changes to the appearance and stuff in the coming weeks.

2. I already said this on Facebook, but I’ll say it again: Lucas Silveira has the best YouTube channel out there, hands down. If you don’t agree with me, well, too bad for you. Highlights include covers of Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” Madonna’s “Borderline,” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”

3. Oh my goodness! AWP is next week! And I’m going! I’m excited to see so many people: the 273 kinds of awesome that is Donna, the lovely and hilarious Laura from Weave, the charming and handsome Brit known as Daniel, and some more people who I know will be there but I am too excited to remember right now. Psst: I’m also a little nervous. But I’m working through it. And since my Wednesday evening plans fell through, I’ll be hanging in my hotel room alone, working through the nervousness. Unless you! You right there! You’re going to AWP, yeah? Well, if you’re currently looking at being lonely on Wednesday night and you want to be lonely together, let me know!

4. This is the look I’m going for at AWP, by the way:

If you are trying to find me, look for the totally-wigged-out kitten in the many layers of scarfing.

5. I just described myself as a kitten. Heh.

6. OH. MY. UGLY RENAISSANCE CHRIST. Have you seen this?

7. Furthermore, AND THIS?!?!

8. Here are all the songs that have been stuck in my head today: “Tongue Tied” by Grouplove, “Party Rock Anthem” by whoever sings that horrible song, “Blue Bayou” by Roy Orbison, and “MMMBop” by Hanson.

9. The day is half over and now I am going to wrap up this post.

Happy Friday!

therefore we must suffer

21 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in health

≈ 5 Comments

I started running again.

When I was in high school, I ran track for a single season. I ran hurdles – poorly – and it hurt. I ran for exercise, but not super regularly.

It’s been a long time since I’ve run for fitness. And I started again last week. I’m embarrassed by how out of shape I am, despite the kickboxing (I can only imagine it would be worse if I didn’t do the kickboxing). I can run for 1/4 of a mile at the start, then I have to alternate with walking until I get to a mile. I’m also embarrassed by how painful the running is.

I have gone for a run 5 out of the last 8 days (the other 3, I was kickboxing) – today, my ankles, shins, knees and thighs hurt, along with my shoulders and shoulder blades. This is how I know I’m out of practice: I have forgotten how to relax the right muscles while running.

But I’m going to push through. My goal? To be able to run one mile consistently by March 17. That’s pushing it, I know. But I’m going to try: that’s the date of Jake’s next karate run. He’s scheduled to run 2 miles before his next belt test, and I want to be able to do the second mile with him.

So here’s my tentative schedule:

week of Feb 13-19: Run .25 miles, then alternate run/walk by .10 increments (at least 3x during the week) – complete

week of Feb 20-26: Run .40 miles, then alternate run/walk by .10 increments (at least 3x during the week)

week of Feb 27-Mar 4: Run .55 miles, then alternate run/walk by .10 increments (at least 3x during the week) – this will be challenging, as I will be at AWP. But the hotel has a fitness center and I have determination.

week of Mar 5-11: Run .70 miles, then alternate run/walk by .10 increments (at least 3x during the week)

week of Mar 12-18: Run as much of 1 mile as possible (at least 3x during the week)

I’ll keep you posted. Wish me luck, kids.

 

(today’s post title taken from Dean Young’s excellent poem “Not in Any Ha Ha Way”)

for fear we will take too much

16 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by in identity

≈ 6 Comments

(today’s post title brought to you by the awesome Sojourner Truth)
There are so many discussions taking place right now that will ultimately impact the way women can exist in the world:

In Virginia, the Senate voted to ratify the Equal Rights Act (that’s right, the Virginia Senate is just now, in 2012, getting around to agreeing that women and men are equal – but not without some debate as to whether or not that’s an important thing to acknowledge).

Also in Virginia, there is a bill making its way through the legislature that would mandate a transvaginal ultrasound prior to abortion. If passed, this law would make it absolutely unavoidable for any woman seeking an abortion to have a probe inserted into her vaginal canal.

There’s the whole birth control mandate argument, with supporters of the mandate applauding the president for ensuring access to preventive health care, and opponents arguing that forcing the Catholic church to provide prescription birth control coverage is tantamount to Hitler targeting Jews during the Holocaust. (For realsies, that’s happening.)

Don’t forget Liz Trotta, who thinks women in the military shouldn’t be so whiny about being raped too much. Oh and stop wasting all those taxpayer dollars on bureaucratic bullshit like crisis response units and advocacy and good God if you don’t want to get raped stop having a vagina, ladies. (Bonus: Watch Samantha Bee’s satirical response, same link.)

Too, there’s Santorum, with his whole “Bitches be crazy, no front lines for them” thing (except, as my lovely and inimitable Donna pointed out, “we don’t war in lines”).

And of course the votes in the NJ State legislature on marriage equality, and Christie’s determination to veto (this will impact more than just women, of course).

I’m sure there’s more. Lots more. I just can’t bear to talk about it.

Listen, here’s the thing: people talk in hypotheticals a lot. “If gay marriage gets legalized,” and “If we don’t overturn Roe v. Wade,” and “If this,” “If that.” And a lot of this hypothetical talking comes from people who are men, or who are not gay, or who are not really ever going to have to worry about access to birth control or what will they do if they get raped or what happens if their Humvee gets blown up or or or. But these people who do all this talking are so dead set on hearing themselves talk that they forget: there are real people, actual living, breathing, blood-in-the-veins people who will be impacted in some very significant way by the words coming out of their mouths.

I am a woman. I am queer. I have been pregnant and I have been not pregnant. I have found myself in circumstances that make me feel safe, equal, privileged, loved, and valued. I have also found myself in circumstances that make me feel the opposite of those things. I am an intelligent, forward-thinking human capable of making decisions that are right for me at any given moment. And if, at some point in the future those decisions are not right for me, I am capable of learning from them and moving forward. I have fingers, toes, a heart, lungs, kidneys and a scar on my ankle.

I am tired of other people talking about me as if I am a hypothetical.

screw you, chaucer (and other valentine sentiments)

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in love, poetry

≈ Leave a Comment

Happy Valentine’s Day, kids.

Here are some lovely poems you can read, in the event you’re trying to impress someone today with your appreciation of fine, fine literature:

Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Love is Not All”
e.e. cummings’ “i like my body”
Anne Sexton’s “The Kiss” (this one in several languages!)
Carol Ann Duffy’s “Valentine”
Yehuda Amichai’s “A Pity. We Were Such a Good Invention.”

Also, if negging is your style**, try this one:

Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130″

 

**If negging is your style, you suck. And should refrain from ever talking to anyone. Ever. In life. (Good luck with that.)

good news

07 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in California, dying of yay, glbt

≈ 1 Comment

You probs already know by now (after all, this is Teh Interwebz and it’s been more than an hour since the ruling was released), but Prop 8 was ruled unconstitutional by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California.

Hooray!

A few quick quotes about today:

from Steven Goldstein, who heads up New Jersey’s own Garden State Equality (NJ is due for a full State Senate and Assembly vote on marriage equality next week):

Today’s victory also renders Governor Christie’s call for a statewide referendum on marriage equality far less credible, as the Court of Appeals today ruled that a referendum like Proposition 8 is impermissible because it takes away the constitutional right of marriage equality.

There are tons of great responses showing up on my Facebook feed; some verbatim status updates:

from Cristina: This is awesome!!!!!!!! and also: Huge victory in California

from David: Another victory. Here is a bit from the decision. I expect this will be appealed in the Supreme Court next. “Although the Constitution permits communities to enact most laws they believe to be desirable,” the opinion states, “it requires that there be at least a legitimate reason for the passage of a law that treats different classes of people differently. There was no such reason that Proposition 8 could have been enacted.”

from Jessy: Damn straight. (a commenter responded to this: Or damn gay, as the case may be.)

from Matt: Good news, America!

from Alex: its days like this that makes me happy

and mine: FUCK YEAH, ALL YOU FORWARD-THINKING PEOPLE

And my favorite tweets so far about this decision:

month of letters: day 7

07 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in month of letters

≈ 3 Comments

On Sunday, I sat down and wrote out letters and postcards for the week.

I have since received 2 letters myself: one from the lovely Andrea, a postcard bearing a wonderful Jane Hirshfield poem, and a notecard from the lovely Margo, with some thoughts on the process of writing letters for this challenge.

I even made a couple Valentines:

(yes, that is an ironic Ronald Reagan stamp you see. Donna saw them at the post office and couldn’t resist.)

So far I am enjoying the month. The act of writing letters makes me pause to think carefully about what I want to say. I’m also trying to include other items, like the Valentines, a few photographs, which is causing me to think about what my recipients might enjoy.

It’s an intimate exercise.

the world is too much with us: a meditation on vulnerability

03 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in friends, month of letters

≈ 8 Comments

Today is February 3. It is Day 3 of the Month of Letters challenge; so far, I am meeting the challenge, with postings to friends in Minnesota, Texas and Northern New Jersey.

Day 2: a letter and some photos off to Austin, TX

This weekend, I will spend at least an hour organizing mailings for the coming week.

Today’s letter is written to a dear friend in Northern New Jersey. In it, I said the following:

I believe in being vulnerable. I believe it is a good and necessary thing in this world. I believe that being hurt and allowing others to see it is a path toward growth, toward greater compassion and forgiveness. And maybe wisdom.

I think that, more often than not, I practice this in my daily life. I am open to people from the beginning, and often even after others suggest I shouldn’t be. I have several friends who believe that vulnerability is a weakness, or something shameful, and I simply disagree.

Day 3: a letter of openness

I read the most appalling article this afternoon. It was painful in so many ways, and I really feel now that my heart is heavier than it was an hour ago. There is a physical ache in my chest, and, in this moment, I am fearful in ways that I have only barely imagined.

I wanted to close down when I read this. I wanted to not feel anything. Instead, I am choosing – actively, consciously choosing – to feel it. And already, I am experiencing the compassion: a Twitter friend is sending me  poems to act as a balm, starting with Dorothy Parker’s “Resumé.”

Be vulnerable, friends.

 

[post title taken from Wordsworth's awesome poem]

 

we should have stayed

29 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in geocache

≈ 1 Comment

This weekend we geocached for the first time in months. Some pictures:

Perhaps the most amazing moment occurred as we were walking along the path toward a cache: suddenly, we saw a small herd of deer (about 12) bounding through the woods to our right. A man was walking along the same path, coming toward us from the opposite direction. The deer were clearly startled – they tried first to run in the direction of the man, spotted him, reversed toward us. Upon spotting us, they headed off into deeper woods, away from the path. But they were in clear sight for nearly a full minute, long enough for even Jacob (who never seems to be looking in quite the right direction) to have a good look at them. Beautiful and graceful. It was a lovely moment.

Also, we found all 3 geocaches, which is something kind of remarkable for us.

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