Runaway Manuscript + Dysfunctional Poetry Zine = Saturday

How do you know when one project is done and the next is starting? Or, alternately, how do you stop picking at a manuscript and quit sticking new things into it? I guess I know that my new ms is underway, but I keep wanting to insert new poems into the manuscript I just finished (and it's over 60 pages, so not necessary).

If anyone knows the answer, please share.

Maybe I'll duct tape socks over my hands so that I stop picking on it.

In other news, there's a sweet new online litmag out there called Slant, and I am super excited to have three poems appearing in the debut issue. When I saw the call for subs I wondered if I had any poems about dysfunction. How dysfunctional of me! I have very few poems that are not about some sort of dysfunction. I thought it was especially refreshing to see a journal with such an open thematic guideline. Usually I'm like, "Oh shit. Do I really have five cauliflower poems to send for this special cruciferous vegetable issue?"

Here's the scoop:

Slant is a poetry e- journal featuring three poems per author on the subject of dysfunction. We’re interested in poetry that explores various dysfunctional environments be it mental, familial, natural, political, societal and others. If you have a poem addressing your dysfunctional sunglasses, send them in, too. We’re interested in the humorous, the serious, and the rebellious. Because we are theme based, we like reading and publishing poetry in batches and therefore require that the poetry showcased by each author stands as a cohesive whole.

If you are interested in submitting to Slant, please send three (only three) poems to slantpoetry@gmail.com with “poetry submission - your name” in the subject line. Please include a brief bio (brief!) along with your submission. Please include your poems within the body of the email. If you have special formatting requirements, please query us beforehand regarding our attachment policy. We read on a rolling basis and do not commit to scheduled release dates. All work published in Slant will remain in our archives. Each author will have one full page dedicated to their poems for (around) a two week time period until a new batch of poems by a different author will take their place.

At times, the editor may choose to include artwork on the poetry page along with the published poems. All showcased artwork is chosen solely by the editor.

We expect to put out one print anthology annually containing selected poems published to the Slant web journal from the previous year.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for a response. Any questions should be sent to slantpoetry@gmail.com.

Fine. I'll do it. Just this once.

20 poetry books that made me fall in love with poetry (or that made me continue loving it).

These are in no particular order.

You are Happy - Margaret Atwood
Collected Poems of Zbigniew Herbert - Zbigniew Herbert
Les Fleurs du Mal - Charles Baudelaire
The Cinnamon Peeler - Michael Ondaatje
Powers of Congress - Alice Fulton
Residencia en la tierra I & II - Pablo Neruda
In the House of Slaves - Evelyn Lau
Homage to the Lame Wolf - Selected poems of Vasko Popa
Bright Existence - Brenda Hillman
Rose - Li-Young Lee
Awake - Dorianne Laux
Nightmare Becomes Responsibility - Michael S. Harper
The Back Country - Gary Snyder
The Country Between Us - Carolyn Forche
Gathering the Tribes - Carolyn Forche
Trilogy - H.D.
Harmonium - Wallace Stevens
Ariel - Sylvia Plath
The Selected Poems of Federico Garcia Lorca - Federico Garcia Lorca
Fate - Ai

PS: I am very eclectic.

This can only mean one thing.

The padded mailers have been purchased (after I dropped them all over the floor, and then dropped my purse, and then dropped the BOR I brought to size the envelopes with, oh my). Next week, Jay and I will be sending out contributor and subscriber copies. If you'd like to order one, here's the link. If you'd like a free sample first, check out the poems that we've linked to in the table of contents.

In other news, my website has been overhauled. Would you like to take a peek? I took a bunch of the photos on there, including the splash page pic, which I snapped while stopped at a railroad crossing in Cleveland.

As of this morning I can say with confidence that I am now entirely recovered from AWP. Onward!

What AWP Means to Me

Here, at long last, is my AWP post mortem. I'm going to do it in bullet points, if that's okay with you. Only without the bullet points. I'm postmodern like that.

AWP 09 Chicago was my favorite AWP ever. My evaluation involves a very sophisticated formula that weighs location, quality of panels (attended or avoided), professional accomplishments (like selling a shitload of books), offsite involvement, people met, cheeks kissed, hugs delivered and received, and overall sense of good will. As far as location goes, I still prefer Atlanta, which was like heaven on earth to me. But overall this was a great AWP.

This was my last AWP of only wearing three hats: editor, professor, poet. Next year I will be adding program director to that pile. I hope the program director hat has a lot of sequins, and stays in place while I shake it on the dance floor. If not, I will make the necessary modifications.

Since this AWP was in Chicago I figured I'd see all my old peeps. But I only saw most of my old peeps for thirty seconds! This was due to all of the conflicting offsite events, and other nonstop programming. Not to mention the lack of elevator bump-into time, aside from a last minute meetup with Kristy and Daniela in the Hilton. The whole time I'd been wondering when I would see them.

AWP always makes me thankful for my friends. This AWP made me realize that it's never too late to make new girlfriends. Somehow I used to think that all girl bonding ended after freshman year, popping popcorn in the dorm. It's not true! I love my Pittsburgh girls Laura, Crystal, and Margaret, and I am so thankful for our interstate friendship.

Among the revelations at this year's AWP: boy, am I glad that I'm in this field rather than in something where quirkiness isn't acceptable. I really don't consider myself to have an administrative side or a professorial side or an editorial side or a poet side (or a blogger side, for that matter). It's all just me. I am so thankful to be in a creative field where I can be my zany self.

I love being an editor. You have no idea how sweaty and anxious and exhilirated I was in the bookfair, peddling titles from the Akron Series in Poetry. It's such an honor working with our authors, and getting the word out about our book series. If you didn't pick up a brochure, our guidelines are here. Your manuscript will be in good hands at Akron. I'll sweat through multiple black sweaters for it.

This AWP also made me excited about my poems, and my new manuscript that's starting to peek out into the world. If there's anything I need to work on ASAP it's promoting my own work a little more. Michael Meyerhofer, my new Steel Toe Books brother, has Blue Collar Eulogies coming out very soon. We're going to be putting together a kickass teaching guide for instructors who want to use our books together. It will include interviews, creative writing prompts, essay writing prompts for use in composition, literature, and creative writing courses, and much more. See, I'm promoting my own work here (albeit while promoting someone else's).

I love offsite readings, whether I'm reading or not. The diode/Anti- reading was the highlight of my trip. What an honor to read with those folks, and to look out into the audience to see so many poets who I admire. I am surprised that I didn't swoon. Many thanks to Patty and Steve for setting it all up.

At this AWP I realized that people read this blog. Thank you for reading this blog, and for stopping to say hi! It's funny, because just about all of the bloggers I've met are just like the people I've imagined them to be. Often they're even cuter in real life, too! I want to squeeze the heck out of them. Oh Anne Haines, you are such a delight! And Brent Goodman! You guys are making me exceed my exclamation point quota!

When I got back I had an AWP hangover. A figurative one, not a literal one. I spend so much time preparing, shipping things with Freeman and painting my toenails, that it's a downer to come back to all the things that have been put off. Now I'm moving into the good memories mode, as I become rehydrated.

I know you've been waiting to hear which picture I will deem the best of AWP 09. Below please find my favorite, taken by John Gallaher on the #22 bus in Chicago. I think this just about sums it up. I like how this looks like a painting of mannequins. Or at least it does to me.

Goodbye, AWP 09. I had one really good meal, and a lot of hors d'oeuvres, some fine jack & diet cokes, and a wonderful time. Next year it'll be in Denver, the land of all my relatives, the conference of even more hats.

AWP: the old fashioned way.

It's "home from AWP with bounteous pictures to upload" evening, and facebook is being wonky. The horror! So here are a few highlights. The full scoop to come later. I will say that it was my favorite AWP ever, and that I had a total blast. Thank you to all the folks who bought Akron Series in Poetry books, and copies of Barn Owl Review #2! Our sales were unprecedented, and we are so appreciative.

Dorking out with Eric Wasserman and BOR #2


Torturing The Colt while he sold BORs.


Akron Series in Poetry authors get to ride to their readings in style (on the #22 bus with John Gallaher).


The Akron Series in Poetry table was bedecked with Mardi Gras beads thanks to Alison Pelegrin.


Here's Alison signing Big Muddy River of Stars.


With Akron Series in Poetry author Heather Derr-Smith, author of The Bride Minaret.


Hanging with Gary McDowell, who always smells so good.


After the diode/Anti- reading with Jay Robinson and Noah Falck. Thanks to the TypewriterGirls for their spectacular negligee escort and supreme dance moves.


And finally, here I am with the sign after we cleared out. What a great conference! I'm not quite ready for it to be over (in more ways than one).

Chicago a go go.

With Simone at the Sarabande reading at Black Rock, in my old hood.

Progress report.

Delayed a bit in Cleveland Hopkins airport (with much AWP-bound company). Ate a bagel sandwich and got mayo on American Hybrid. So far that has only made it more enjoyable.

The folks who drove are almost there already. But I got to have a lazy morning and take my time packing. My suitcase only weighed 40 lbs--about 40 less than in the past. I'm hoping that I didn't forget something important.

Airports are much less loathsome when there's wifi. I sure wish somebody would go get me a diet coke, though. I'm feeling sleepy all of a sudden.

Hello, beautiful stranger.

Barn Owl Review #2 has arrived, and it's beautiful. Many thanks to all of the editors and contributors, and to the folks at Weave for hooking us up with the Mechling Bookbindery, which did a superb job with the printing.

Contributors who will be at AWP--please swing by Table 724, Hilton Chicago, Southwest Hall, lower level and get your copies. Fans and former contributors, please stop by and say hello, and check out our new issue. You can also order a copy here, and we'll ship it right after AWP, along with the contributor copies and current subscribers.

Thanks so much for supporting our independent mag!

How can it be?

In just a couple of days, I'll be back in Chicago for the first time since I moved away in July 05. This makes the usual overload and hyperstress of AWP even more acute. I'm also transitioning into program director mode, though thankful I'm no longer chairing the Pedagogy Forum. Not that there's anything wrong with it, of course, but this time around I'm so happy not to have any on-site obligations other than the book fair.

As usual, I'm bringing a bunch of MFA students along, and for some this will be their first AWP. I remember how terrified I was my first time. It actually took me a few years to be brave enough to walk through the book fair (instead of lurching through) and to say hi to the editors. I was so self-conscious. Would the folks from Pleiades laugh at me for submitting to them every year? Would it be obnoxious if I introduced myself to the people from Indiana Review? What if I dropped my tote bag on the floor and everything spilled out?

Thankfully it gets easier every year, though I do tend to spill my bag at least once.

Please don't forget to stop by the Akron Series in Poetry table (422). All of our books will be discounted to $10, and we'll have giveaways of selected titles at lunchtime every day. We take checks and plastic, too, and if you'd rather not haul the books back we can have them sent (and get you the discount price). We are friendly and nice--don't be shy. I hear that Alison Pelegrin is going to have some fantastic swag to go with her book, too.

So, I managed to find a rather exciting dress for the diode/Anti- reading. I realize that there are quite a few events to choose from, but only one will have this particular dress (I hope). I'm just saying. The poetry will be spectacular, too.

diode and Anti- Offsite Reading & Reception

Bob Hicok * Mary Biddinger * Jake Adam York * Paul Guest * Noah Falck * Joshua Ware * Steven Schroeder * G.C. Waldrep * Patrick Lawler * Lee Ann Roripaugh * Brent Goodman * Adam Clay * Matt Guenette * Ada Limon

Date:	Friday, February 13, 2009
Time:	7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location:	Curtiss Hall, 10th Floor, Fine Arts Building
Street:	410 S. Michigan Ave
City:	Chicago, IL
	View Map

Tomorrow I should have some exciting news about the birth of Barn Owl Review #2. Stay tuned.

Map of the Folded World

I've worked on a number of editing projects for the University of Akron Press, but this is the first one that I was able to see through from beginning to end. Honestly, it was just as exciting as seeing my own book in print. Many congratulations to John Gallaher on the arrival of Map of the Folded World, and many kudos to Amy Freels for her design savvy.

Please stop by the UA Press table at AWP and get your own copy. We did a quick limited run for the conference, and the full deluge will print soon thereafter.