tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-135021062024-03-06T23:33:55.838-05:00the word cageAKRON POETRY MACHINEmarybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.comBlogger939125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-78475330159668480022018-11-05T15:09:00.000-05:002018-11-05T15:09:04.957-05:00Charleston gratitude and overdue update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been good about keeping things updated <a href="https://marybiddinger.com/" target="_blank">over on my website,</a> but not as successful in updating this dear old blog. Many apologies
for that. I feel some thoughts about writing coming on, so hope to return with
more words soon. Confession: I have over 150 pages of new poetry that I have
not fully revised or sequenced for a book or even printed out until now. I'll
let you know how this turns out.</div>
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In the meantime, a million thanks to the College of
Charleston MFA program and <i>Crazyhorse</i> literary journal for the lovely visit. We
had a robust turnout for my poetry reading, as well as for the talk that I did
regarding first books of poetry and publishing. What a gorgeous place to visit,
too!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now we’re heading into the final weeks of the semester, but
the warm weather and delightful company surely did some good. Before we know
it, we’ll be planning for AWP Portland, though I have a few student poems that
need annotating before that happens.</div>
marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-57703799495826003112018-05-07T11:13:00.000-04:002018-05-07T11:13:13.834-04:00Take on May<div style="text-align: center;">
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It's the first day of finals week and I already have that loopy off-my-routine feeling. Waiting for things to grade, and when those things arrive they'll be magnificent: finals from writers on writing, essays from my grad poetry lit class, and mimetic poems for books on our syllabus. This was an eventful academic year, that's for sure, and next up (immediately next up) I've got plenty of Akron Poetry Prize reading and a compressed, three week World Lit course to teach. And hopefully, later in the summer, new poems.<br /><br />I've got news to share. New poems of mine will be appearing in upcoming issues of <em>Court Green</em> and <em>Waxwing</em>, two journals that I admire immensely. It's such an honor, and helps put a bit of wind to my sails as I am on the brink of sending more work out. I am also incredibly honored to be on <a href="http://oac.ohio.gov/News-Events/ArtsOhio-Blog/PostId/246/ohio-artists-receive-individual-excellence-awards">this list</a>, as a recipient of an Individual Excellence Award in poetry from the Ohio Arts Council. I'm thankful to live in a state where these kinds of grants still exist. <br /><br />I spend a lot of time editing and mentoring and talking about making a sustainable writing life, but at the same time I find myself relying so much on "positive feedback" in order to propel myself forward. I think I have less, not more, confidence as I get older. Is that unusual? I suppose I'll find out eventually. </div>
marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0Akron, OH, USA41.0814447 -81.519005340.889949699999995 -81.8417288 41.2729397 -81.196281800000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-91958940150900211642018-03-23T17:09:00.004-04:002018-03-23T17:10:40.457-04:00The What Next<div style="text-align: center;">
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I'm trying like heck to remember what last year's spring break was like. Has it gotten to that point? Where every year blurs into the past few? Please say no. I suppose having a blog is good because it reminds you of what you did last year and beyond, like a Timehop that's mostly words.<br /><br /></div>
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Just now I put on my go-to blue house hoodie. I'm someone who alternates between cold and not-cold on a pretty regular basis. I regulate between writing and not writing on a much less frequent schedule, as in: during breaks from teaching I write, and during the time when I'm teaching, I am not writing. </div>
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This is difficult because my work as a professor and editor often primes me for writing, such as discussing process or reading a particularly magnificent poem to my classes. Currently we're reading Diane Seuss in my graduate literature seminar, and every time I open <i>Four-Legged Girl</i> I am knocked out of my chair by its power. </div>
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In both hoodie on and hoodie off times I'm frequently victim to The What Next. The Is This Going To Be A Book. The Should I Write More Poems Like This Or Just Stop. I think awareness, and giving it a name, is a crucial first step in confronting such feelings. Then I ask myself if this particular anxiety (I have many) is one that is doing me any good, such as the nagging feeling that I really ought to clean out the cupboards and merge all the almost-empty boxes of uncooked pasta.</div>
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Sometimes this energy can encourage me to revisit a project, or to think about it with more seriousness, but usually it causes me to spin my wheels and fret and do another load of laundry just to feel as if I've accomplished something. </div>
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A book is like a hardy yet reclusive fruit that needs to grow in a certain degree of dark. If you keep walking into its room and flipping the fluorescent overhead lights on just to check to make sure it's still there, you'll make it wilt. Or so I will tell myself as I attempt to write some new poems this coming week. </div>
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If I'm not cold, I'll hang the hoodie over the back of my chair, just in case. </div>
marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-28274263735326753462018-02-24T20:45:00.002-05:002018-02-24T20:45:43.035-05:00AWP 2018 Dance Card<div style="text-align: center;">
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marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-76188922063552266132018-02-08T12:55:00.000-05:002018-02-08T12:55:16.011-05:00New poem who dis? <div style="text-align: center;">
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I don't think I'm alone in saying that poets are often the most in love with their current work. At least that's the case with my poetry. I love my new poems so much that I leave them in the safety of file folders on my computer and do not even contemplate reading them at events or even sending them out until I have an urgent reason to do so. It's like my elementary school sticker collection. I wanted to protect the stickers, to keep them safe by not letting anyone--including myself--see them, let alone peel them from the harbor of their pages. </div>
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Is this poem-hoarding? Perhaps. But yesterday was a brutal winter day, and once I finally made it to campus I had time to do a few revisions, and then I decided to read all new poems at the Lakewood Library event that evening. The day was so busy that I did not have time to fret about whether I'd miss a word, inadvertently "revise" something on the fly, or flub the cadence of a line. And somehow, when I was up at the podium, it all worked out. Since the poems were new I read them extra slowly, and they were kind to me. </div>
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Reading the brand new poems when they were still brand new enabled me to return to the feelings I had when writing them. It was kind of like one of those capsules that expands into a dinosaur sponge when you toss it into the bathtub, only instead of a dinosaur it was a poem. In the wake of this sentiment, I vowed to return to the poems and get them ready to send out. Sometimes you find a "push" in the place where you'd least expect it. </div>
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marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-82088913394934234302018-01-25T16:37:00.001-05:002018-01-25T16:38:30.337-05:00Uphill. <div style="text-align: center;">
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Every year I forget how frantic spring semester can be. We're nearing the end of week two, and my calendar is filling up with meetings and thesis defenses. I'm excited about the thesis defenses, in particular, since we are part of a consortium and defenses mean that I am able to leave town for a day and hang out with different book-length works of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and even playwriting (I do it all).<br /><br /></div>
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This week I did some serious copyediting of university policy for one of my committees, and it made me think back to my red pencil and copyediting symbols of yesteryear. I may have had a hint of nostalgia, but promptly drew a red pencil line through it.</div>
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marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-50786436342061833282018-01-15T10:27:00.002-05:002018-01-15T10:27:52.255-05:00Working from home when home is work. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm not one for mulling over regrets, but often I wish that I could work happily with background noise. I envy friends who can listen to music while replying to emails (without typing the lyrics into said email, as I would do). Cafes are such energizing places, but I can barely concentrate. I grew up in a very quiet house, and work best in absolute silence. Right now as I type this, I am very aware of the clock ticking in the next room, for example, but at least it's consistent.</div>
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Today is rare for me: an entire day to work, hopefully quietly, at home. Zero kid schlepping, no cleaning, minimal laundry, only very slight cooking. I started working at 7:00 am and plan to work straight through until 5:00, with a brief lunch break and some moving around. As I do this, I'm recalling and practicing some strategies that have helped in the past, and I would like to share them with you.</div>
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1. Pick out an outfit that feels as much like pajamas as possible (without also feeling depressing; I walk the line between comfy and sad in terms of house clothes). </div>
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2. In anticipation of this work day, purchase numerous moderately healthy snacks from someplace like Aldi or Trader Joe's. Have them on hand and deploy as needed. If the day seems to call for more coffee than usual, don't fight it.</div>
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3. Don't be afraid to move the furniture around a bit. I do best with natural light, so today I moved my desk chair into the dining room to face a large window. I have pillows to best replicate my ergonomic office workspace, and a blanket for my lap, which is a pleasant luxury. I've moved my dog's bed into the dining room so that she completely ignores it and sleeps on the couch instead. This morning she learned that she could push me around the house (hardwood floors) in the rolling desk chair. Thankfully she's now all tired out from that.</div>
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4. Give yourself some non-snack treats, like time on an app or making a blog post (this is my first treat of the day). Don't forget to walk around periodically. One thing that helps me is to remind myself: no cleaning today! Yes, must accomplish (arduous tasks 1-5) but no cleaning.</div>
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5. Be clock-aware, but not extraordinarily so. If you are able to give yourself a number of hours of work at home time, rather than saying "Oh snap, only three more hours," reflect back on all that you've done so far. </div>
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6. Even if it seems stupid to write a particular task on a list or in a planner, do it anyway. Then cross it off. </div>
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Tomorrow the new semester begins. I keep reminding myself how lucky I am to have a day of focused and somewhat restful work time and preparation, even if there's some dog snoring to go along with the ticking clock nearby. </div>
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marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-40728905285337312542018-01-06T20:33:00.000-05:002018-01-06T20:33:40.400-05:00Return of the page.<div style="text-align: center;">
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If you know me you know that I believe in paper. I annotate student and friend poems longhand. I emblazon papers with notes in green and orange and pink and light blue. I use a paper planner in addition to all my calendar and list apps. I devote a significant amount of my life to editing a book series where paper books are also art. So then why is it so much trouble to write lines for poems down longhand in a notebook? How come I'm not like so many poets who keep journals? Should I be blaming the twitter for this? Blaming myself? </div>
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Over the summer I decided that the first step in getting back to paper was investing in a nice notebook. Green is my favorite color, and I value paper that feels good under a pen, so this one looked right. It also couldn't be too fancy, or else I'd be afraid to use it. It couldn't be too big, or I would come up with excuses for leaving it behind. Ideally, it would have that wholesome book smell when opened. I also hoped to return to my early, pre-computer habits of writing things out. When I went to college it was with an electric typewriter, and I typed my poems but wrote them by hand first. Somewhere along the line, I deferred to composing exclusively on computer because I can type faster than I can hand write (thanks to all those secretarial jobs in the 90s).<br />
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Typically I jot notes in my phone because my phone is handy. In a couple of weeks I'll be insisting that my Writers on Writing students invest in a tiny notebook for hanging on to interesting phrases. I keep a wee notepad in my purse, but most frequently defer to the notes section of my phone. However, it's not exactly instantaneous when I'm looking to jot something on my phone. In fact, I often end up in the wrong folder of "notes" and have to punt and go all the way back to the beginning, and in the process I could easily lose a fragment of my fragment. Once I attempted recording notes to myself, but I messed it all up and retained an audio transcript of some fumbling and swears.<br />
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Even though I didn't make any solid 2018 resolutions, I'm trying to write things down in the green notebook more often. One bonus: upon returning to it after a while away, I found a bunch of useful poem notes that I'd forgotten about. Since beginnings are difficult, I set a tab in the notebook halfway through, and started there. And finally, I keep reminding myself how smooth the paper feels under my pen.marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-260757492101218792018-01-01T09:19:00.001-05:002018-01-01T09:19:05.736-05:00Now let me clear my throat. <br />
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Dang, this new year feels new. Like a chill through the sinuses, or a wind that you feel in every seam of your jacket. It's cold and unshakable, but undeniably crisp.<br />
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I've accepted the challenge of blogging regularly here at The Word Cage again. I often have much to say, but save it for my students or the twitter.<br />
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What a whirlwind of a 2017. The University of Akron Press went to the National Book Awards to cheer on Leslie Harrison's <i>The Book of Endings</i>. Black Lawrence Press accepted my first collection of prose poems, <i>Partial Genius</i>, for publication in 2019. I read many stunning books and worked with brilliant student writers. I finally got around to organizing some parts of my life. I started sending poems out again after an unintentional hiatus.<br />
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Rather than setting resolutions, today I'll share two revelations that I've had in the past year, as a writer and a human. Maybe you'll find them helpful, too.<br />
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#1: It's okay to stop "customer servicing" when you are not on duty. I learned how to be a good worker by working really hard, and that meant taking orders without challenging authority, and doing everything possible to make sure that supervisors or customers or vendors were pleased with me. Want to order six mugs of sudsy dish water? Certainly, sir! Remove every trace of okra from this soup? Absolutely.<br />
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In 2017 I gave myself the permission to stop customer servicing all the time, especially when outside of work, or when it could potentially do me harm or weaken a boundary. When you are always trying to make everyone happy with their meal/experience/new baby doll dress, it subjects your own happiness to an impossible standard. I imagine I'll have more to say about this in the coming months.<br />
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#2: You can say less for the sake of less. I have some stringent but ultimately helpful guidelines that I honed in 2017. If I am writing an email and frustrated or angry, my limit is two sentences. If I am defending myself for some reason, I now use terms like "unworkable" and "regrettably," whereas before I might have launched into a detailed treatise on all affronts and hardships and such. I give myself two key terms. They should be words that are difficult to use in a poem without serious finessing. Then I hit "send" and try to let go. It's challenging for somebody who likes to provide extensive support for all assertions, but a useful practice. I think of this as the post-oven result of a Shrinky Dink. Compact, crystallized, unbending.<br />
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I'll be using this space to talk about writing and life. I also blog <a href="https://marybiddinger.com/" target="_blank">over at my website</a>, with more photos and things related to my poems and publishing.<br />
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This semester I am teaching Writers on Writing, where we read advice from various authors and talk about our creativity and what feeds or starves it. I plan to share some of those thoughts here.<br />
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One actual resolution that I have this year is to make a physical, handwritten list of every book I read. I try to keep a list on Goodreads, but it's often incomplete (and stacked with books I haven't finished...eep).<br />
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2018 is here. I've recovered from being pretty sick. I'm writing a lot but have no idea what I'm doing, and that's okay. In other words, everything is exactly as it should be.<br />
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<br />marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0Akron, OH, USA41.0814447 -81.519005340.889949699999995 -81.8417288 41.2729397 -81.196281800000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-75125976465076925002017-12-10T10:28:00.002-05:002017-12-10T10:28:23.154-05:00That's a wrap, fall 2017 edition. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The universe is telling me to go back to sleep today. This doesn't happen often, and I can't do it. But there's something about all the edges being softer for once, or things feeling way less urgent, or the sound of a dog snoring in a chair becoming the exact metronome needed to gather the nerve to drink a little more coffee. Right now my hair looks like it belongs on a witch doll, and maybe the witch doll is me. I'm totally cool with that.<br />
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Every semester I'm like wow, what a semester filled with surprises, but this year has changed the calibration on the wow scale, because I certainly was not expecting to cancel a week of class and jet to NYC and celebrate at the National Book Awards. But everything came together as I hoped it would, and though at present my to-do list looks like a gigantic novelty to-do list to be bestowed upon some unlucky sweepstakes winner, I'm going to make it through, even if this particular Sunday is cough and yawn and witch hair and stepping away from the inbox and listening to a dog snore.marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-52685259329975665902017-11-28T20:43:00.000-05:002017-11-28T20:43:48.644-05:00PARTIAL GENIUS<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's a big news day here in Akron, OH, as Black Lawrence Press <a href="http://www.blacklawrence.com/welcomebackmaryb6/" target="_blank">announced that it has acquired my first collection of prose poems</a>, <i>Partial Genius</i>. This is my seventh full-length book of poems, and my sixth book with BLP, and I am absolutely thrilled. Here's what I had to say about writing this book, which is due out in summer of 2019. A million thanks to BLP, to my friends and students, and to the editors who have published these poems in journals. </span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;">On writing <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Partial Genius</i></em></span></h2>
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When writing the chapbook <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Saint Monica</em>, which became my first collection with Black Lawrence Press, I stumbled upon a form that felt both compelling and expansive. The prose poem in five stanzagraphs made its first appearance with “Saint Monica Composes a Five Paragraph Essay on Girard’s Theory of Triangular Desire.” I wrote this piece with the well-worn essay format in mind as a gimmick, but ultimately felt that each discrete prose chunk forged its own identity while striving to, as they say in composition class, provide support for the thesis. I decided to return to this form with <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Partial Genius</em> and to create a series of these poems that align and overlap to illustrate the experiences of one central speaker.</div>
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The poems of <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Partial Genius</em> build upon the form in a collective narrative arc, working in unison to craft a larger story where plot points shift via juxtaposition and association. Thematically, this book is post-youth, post-love, mid-epiphany. What do you do when you finally realize that you are really good, but only at unremarkable things? What value does memory hold when weighed against other heavier commodities such as money and time and conventional beauty? <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Partial Genius </em>ponders the years spent waiting for reconciliation of past wrongs, the ownership of former selves, and the desire to truly fit into one landscape or another.</div>
marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0Akron, OH, USA41.0814447 -81.519005340.889949699999995 -81.8417288 41.2729397 -81.196281800000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-39802559373537356672017-11-25T22:21:00.004-05:002017-11-25T22:21:55.317-05:00Either // Or<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love it when long weekends or holiday breaks are when I become possessed with reading and can do nothing but. I love it more when long weekends or holiday breaks are when I become possessed with writing poems and can do nothing but. Sometimes the body seems to know what it needs, such as stillness and words on a page that aren't asking for suggestions. Other times it's like hitting a buried water line but that line is filled with words and you invite them to seep up into the grass, to break the pavement open, to saturate the floorboards. Right now, I'm reading. Pretty soon, writing. One, or the other, but for me it's never both. </div>
marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-17495247433741824012017-11-21T09:00:00.000-05:002017-11-25T22:30:33.165-05:00National Book Awards recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What an honor to accompany University of Akron Press author Leslie Harrison at the National Book Awards, in recognition of her <a href="http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2017-poet-harrison-book-of-endings.html" target="_blank">NBA finalist poetry collection</a> <i>The Book of Endings</i>. This was definitely a highlight of my career as editor of the Akron Series in Poetry for the past ten years.<br />
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A million thanks to all our readers, and to everyone who cheered us on!marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-78584098158845653862016-05-10T15:15:00.000-04:002016-05-10T15:19:40.362-04:00Cover reveal for THE CZAR! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="line-height: 30.6px;">This book is not a book, it’s treatise on empire, a manifest destiny, a pack of wild peasants outside the gate, a mesmerizing tour d’effluvia in its Czar not Czar, throne not throne, overthrown mistresses, Lady Czar is no Czarina, cappuccino foam isn’t foam, revolution was a hoax, naming and renaming, unlearned cursive, unheard flute solo, empire under construction, not New York, not Sacramento, non-tabloids, non-violent non-women. Biddinger and Robinson rebuild our world and take it away piece by piece to show the conviviality of our destruction. </span><span style="line-height: 30.6px;">–Elizabeth Colen, author of </span><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 30.6px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">They Could No Longer Contain Themselves</em></div>
marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0Akron Ohio11.867350911459308 -124.453125-13.654683588540692 -165.761719 37.389385411459308 -83.144531tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-53306728683395618902016-03-27T20:01:00.000-04:002016-03-27T20:01:01.782-04:00AWP 2016 Dance Card: LA<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rOnmQNQp8I4aK90fwxNUvzM_8O4pbOri0DHVDkrlopkzaOtjmOZwD73Phe9M9kgyXx4E7XlTgX5QReX1EMED4H4w-vI_LoOEgEa_r3oPEaGqD3cfuHXQIw9NkNTfXjvHwW3e1A/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rOnmQNQp8I4aK90fwxNUvzM_8O4pbOri0DHVDkrlopkzaOtjmOZwD73Phe9M9kgyXx4E7XlTgX5QReX1EMED4H4w-vI_LoOEgEa_r3oPEaGqD3cfuHXQIw9NkNTfXjvHwW3e1A/s320/IMG_2611.JPG" width="314" /></a>We've packed up the boxes of books and buttons, and look forward to bringing a whole lot of Akron to AWP LA. California is my birth state, and I always find it both strange and welcoming. Below please find this year's dance card.<br /><br />I'll be spending most of the days representing the University of Akron Press at table #313 in the bookfair. Stop on by to check out our beautiful new books. Also, I'll be reading from <em>Small Enterprise</em> and signing copies, thanks to Black Lawrence Press. And finally, please consider checking out our awesome UA Press offsite event with Cleveland State University Poetry Center and Rescue Press.<br /><br />I'll be reading from <em>Small Enterprise</em> at the BLP offsite & party<br />Thursday, March 31st<br />7:00 pm, CB1 Gallery<br /><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/events/800789553386259/" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/800789553386259/" style="color: #00aadc;">Black Lawrence Press offsite reading</a><br /><br />Please join us for a reading by authors from the University of Akron Press, Cleveland State University Poetry Center, and Rescue Press<br />Friday, April 1st<br />7:00 pm, Seahorse Sound Studios<br /><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/events/208685009485067/" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/208685009485067/" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Midwest Goes West: A Mixtape for LA</a><br /><br />I'll be <a data-mce-href="http://www.blacklawrence.com/blp-at-awp16/" href="http://www.blacklawrence.com/blp-at-awp16/" style="color: #00aadc;">signing copies of <em>Small Enterprise</em></a> at the BLP booth (#1526) from 1:00-2:00 on Saturday, April 2nd</div>
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Safe travels to California, convention-goers! To the many folks who showed their support for the UA Press during our rather dramatic summer, please stop by table 313 to get your POETRY LIVES button, along with our sincere thanks. </div>
marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-12488690174310237162015-09-14T09:27:00.001-04:002015-09-14T09:29:09.667-04:00This is happening. <div id="goodreadsGiveawayWidget154765">
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After a long day of teaching, I didn’t expect this box on my doorstep, and for a moment I thought I should wait until morning to unbox <i>Small Enterprise</i>, but then realized I’d be up all night wondering what she looked like. I have so much gratitude to Black Lawrence Press, photographer Heidi Thoenen, and many more folks. But for this morning, I just want to share two photos welcoming my 4th book to the world.marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-41692667194080425452015-06-09T16:45:00.000-04:002015-06-09T16:45:13.077-04:00Summer Postcard <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUj3zpM1V_2WoUki8ZXm8EnJZ1Ny8s9ngoFZP9DiNgZ5VDVLFtzwhKr-B-TwWPdhSxdfMtwNq8xdf40edsXrcntvoB2YOCtsGJwp0yCuGfJH4LyNtkAlyNnemMBWFyQzaIR83JiQ/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUj3zpM1V_2WoUki8ZXm8EnJZ1Ny8s9ngoFZP9DiNgZ5VDVLFtzwhKr-B-TwWPdhSxdfMtwNq8xdf40edsXrcntvoB2YOCtsGJwp0yCuGfJH4LyNtkAlyNnemMBWFyQzaIR83JiQ/s400/IMG_0265.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-73250101469849711522015-04-05T09:23:00.001-04:002015-04-05T09:23:41.649-04:00AWP 2015 Dance Card <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4vPV9DATin-C6rThSZJT6fFeoBQEn7hCWpwX6vua2YzC96Ko9aeueCh6tHB8p2sXHjY4O7F0Ro45l9WmxEEEPta_eqluph9o7Mn9vfJCjMjsZhzGRwJiMR0i4ujGNynDHKKPZQ/s1600/awp+dance+card.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4vPV9DATin-C6rThSZJT6fFeoBQEn7hCWpwX6vua2YzC96Ko9aeueCh6tHB8p2sXHjY4O7F0Ro45l9WmxEEEPta_eqluph9o7Mn9vfJCjMjsZhzGRwJiMR0i4ujGNynDHKKPZQ/s1600/awp+dance+card.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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AWP 2015 is this week!<br />
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Please stop by the University of Akron Press & <i>Barn Owl Review</i> table to check out BOR #8 and our many fine poetry titles. We are at TABLE 933.<br />
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Here's the rest of my dance card.<br />
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THURSDAY, 4/9:<br />
12:30-1:30 Hanging out at <i>The Account </i>(table 1331) and signing books.<br />
2:00-3:00 Book signing at the Black Lawrence Press table (2030).<br />
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7:30 Reading poems at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/571934442909008/" target="_blank">AWP Offsite Reading with <i>Denver Quarterly</i>, <i>Colorado Review</i>, and <i>Laurel Review</i> </a><br />
Republic - Calhoun Square<br />
3001 Hennepin Ave Suite 2200, Minneapolis<br />
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FRIDAY, 4/10<br />
3:00-4:00 Chillin' at the South Dakota Review booth (736) and signing books.<br />
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Safe travels to all the folks heading to Minneapolis.marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-28383856962279691262015-03-20T12:25:00.002-04:002015-03-20T12:25:49.626-04:00March and the Madnesses. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bMaXqX2xnxgj-CvBmfvR93ex2XZgSCp5xg6QwoEUhJ19s_ywS2GgkAs0FnPzpdCLSHrTdE9MvAPIYSR18BxHBTHNRPE8PX-5w0oaXOEphyphenhyphenGnuDRlxG3R6nPNO-pelA_U6c_S/s1600/photo+2+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bMaXqX2xnxgj-CvBmfvR93ex2XZgSCp5xg6QwoEUhJ19s_ywS2GgkAs0FnPzpdCLSHrTdE9MvAPIYSR18BxHBTHNRPE8PX-5w0oaXOEphyphenhyphenGnuDRlxG3R6nPNO-pelA_U6c_S/s1600/photo+2+(7).JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This is my ready for Spring Break face. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hello from Akron, OH. I am crawling toward Spring Break. I desperately need Spring Break. Vowing to write, revise, and submit poems. Also, to read a book. I always read a book over break. Last year I did pretty much nothing but read <i>The Goldfinch</i>. Haven't decided on this year's Spring Break book yet.<br />
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In other news...<br />
<i><br /></i><i>Green Mountains Review</i> is featuring my poem <a href="http://greenmountainsreview.com/?p=5212" target="_blank">"I Was on the Line" </a>online.<br />
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New Pages <a href="http://www.newpages.com/item/28850-a-sunny-place-with-adequate-water" target="_blank">reviewed </a><i>A Sunny Place with Adequate Water</i>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm reading in Minneapolis for the AWP Offsite Reading with <i>Denver Quarterly</i>, <i>Colorado Review</i>, and <i>The</i> <i>Laurel Review</i>. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/571934442909008/" target="_blank">Here's the scoop</a>. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xr9j0mkn-utiaq_hNjvw7OHPGyUt8EcFQs4VuqtjdfT6kMJhZkIFFZQHS54YTHQzAKro2AItxaI7R9ShJub3IVZ1x52Uosc4RhInShpnfQfW8IVHGVrV7vVeMUiV2ZVV8L3l/s1600/photo+1+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xr9j0mkn-utiaq_hNjvw7OHPGyUt8EcFQs4VuqtjdfT6kMJhZkIFFZQHS54YTHQzAKro2AItxaI7R9ShJub3IVZ1x52Uosc4RhInShpnfQfW8IVHGVrV7vVeMUiV2ZVV8L3l/s1600/photo+1+(6).JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Spring almost arrives in Akron, OH.<br />
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marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0Akron, OH, USA41.0814447 -81.519005340.889949699999995 -81.8417288 41.2729397 -81.196281800000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-6508379500051869502015-02-25T23:30:00.000-05:002015-02-25T23:30:01.078-05:00Hit the road, February. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofdNYJgNte6kWEBpc3Vjwot0GbJNNIiR4XMrSi7G1h2JUcgc1oNF0Ci6tB2wyrD7PsZhxvyX-bvxgZ2c1XHkkGPhCnCbOUH3hgeyHSEEOH4AYxKiFEEnhD5wRrzadDNexm3wE-A/s1600/photo+(99).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofdNYJgNte6kWEBpc3Vjwot0GbJNNIiR4XMrSi7G1h2JUcgc1oNF0Ci6tB2wyrD7PsZhxvyX-bvxgZ2c1XHkkGPhCnCbOUH3hgeyHSEEOH4AYxKiFEEnhD5wRrzadDNexm3wE-A/s1600/photo+(99).JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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This month has been pretty ridiculous. Snow! Record low temps! Kids out of school for four days straight. Deadlines swooping by like crows. I'm hoping that March brings some stability with it. I now appreciate being able to go to work much more than I ever did before. </div>
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In other news, there's a <a href="http://tcjww.org/2015/02/13/a-sunny-place-with-adequate-water-by-mary-biddinger/" target="_blank">new review</a> of <i>A Sunny Place with Adequate Water</i> at <i>The California Journal of Women Writers.</i> Yeah! Many thanks to Stacey Balkun and <i>TCJWW</i>.</div>
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We've been working on <a href="http://www.barnowlreview.com/BOR8.html" target="_blank">BOR issue 8</a>. It's going to be gorgeous. Stop by the table at AWP and say hello. </div>
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I am making arrangements for my poetry break this summer. Not a break from poetry, but a break for poetry. I've never really had one before, and I want to do it right. </div>
<br />marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0Akron, OH, USA41.0814447 -81.519005340.889949699999995 -81.8417288 41.2729397 -81.196281800000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-62952937563219753012015-02-02T15:57:00.002-05:002015-02-02T15:59:23.880-05:00Winterlude. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcbdXTtKD6HJ4gkSZLfUgz9Gxc9ycGtiHDsJPkee5SDF-d-GaNN_X5f5lcqUtQ2SIVWXRP4iAOQXUa_poNQUs9847QoQvOqCG7NCIO_6ZhiHtOLtV6b2Vtbwhg7Fnz9uPS8bdqw/s1600/photo+2+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcbdXTtKD6HJ4gkSZLfUgz9Gxc9ycGtiHDsJPkee5SDF-d-GaNN_X5f5lcqUtQ2SIVWXRP4iAOQXUa_poNQUs9847QoQvOqCG7NCIO_6ZhiHtOLtV6b2Vtbwhg7Fnz9uPS8bdqw/s1600/photo+2+(6).JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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After living in the Midwest for 35+ years, I have no excuse for being surprised by wicked winter weather. And yet, every time it knocks me a little off balance, especially when I lose a Monday.<br />
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In much warmer news, many, many thanks to Danielle Susi and <i>The Rumpus</i> for <a href="http://therumpus.net/2015/01/a-sunny-place-with-adequate-water-by-mary-biddinger/" target="_blank">this review</a> of <i>A Sunny Place with Adequate Water</i>. Here's a tidbit:</div>
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<a href="http://www.blacklawrence.com/a-sunny-place-with-adequate-water/" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #c00000; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6000003814697px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A Sunny Place with Adequate Water</em></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">, Mary Biddinger’s new collection from </span><a href="http://www.blacklawrence.com/" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #c00000; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6000003814697px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Black Lawrence Press</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">, is an idyllic scene…post-apocalypse. It is where beauty becomes darker. Where the light of an electric rail line illuminates an abandoned parking lot and where bombs are filled with thread.</span></div>
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Lately I've been making an effort to revise some new poems and then send them out for consideration. I am proud of myself for following through. Look for new poems in <i>Trigger</i>, <i>The Laurel Review</i> (prose poem issue!), <i>Gargoyle</i>, and <i>jubilat</i>.</div>
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Have you seen the<a href="http://barnowlreview.blogspot.com/2015/01/barn-owl-review-8-heres-cover.html" target="_blank"> sexy new cover of BOR 8</a>?</div>
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Here's a little Akron snow. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oOtdz42_w7Wvh9pDfEqm8F3kyEkXgzyZdSy7Wrb4j3ra2PJd7Pkm-VCBn_ZkDYHNTjm1FqixafNFMH7FB_ZgLBUhJvtWG4VMQBvUz9p2mwQwpMW98oTkE8RJBiYfZLGle0ojlQ/s1600/photo+1+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oOtdz42_w7Wvh9pDfEqm8F3kyEkXgzyZdSy7Wrb4j3ra2PJd7Pkm-VCBn_ZkDYHNTjm1FqixafNFMH7FB_ZgLBUhJvtWG4VMQBvUz9p2mwQwpMW98oTkE8RJBiYfZLGle0ojlQ/s1600/photo+1+(5).JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-46243133152400317682015-01-16T13:14:00.000-05:002015-01-16T13:14:48.116-05:00The New<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcfxqVnWEx_iWPRDW_hnxO-l_UeuBDV5cAGeowv3Jcludq4hTsroIbhxLbKYw-l8iKOElQ6biz0Wx4ZIibNG0Nd_sIsiaJANM9pdRejevLXahcG9VM3KlQq7X75dner4miqhAbQ/s1600/photo+(90).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcfxqVnWEx_iWPRDW_hnxO-l_UeuBDV5cAGeowv3Jcludq4hTsroIbhxLbKYw-l8iKOElQ6biz0Wx4ZIibNG0Nd_sIsiaJANM9pdRejevLXahcG9VM3KlQq7X75dner4miqhAbQ/s1600/photo+(90).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here's what 2015 looks like so far in Akron, OH. There's no filter on that photo, either. I'm thankful for different types of light, and the time to notice them. </div>
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<br />marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-10808994578803437352014-12-05T13:42:00.000-05:002014-12-05T13:45:54.001-05:00Gratitude. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Z1jdX-NlnS68Cqkp-10FB_VOLE9nqVGSkWvIJCuMpr-g1B8JM2xh1T2e8mZsykq-qceH6MU7c69H1LyzRPXXwtwal_8OtxHASULaT365EoIlV2B_SmumcxppF8yYK7SbSxAAHw/s1600/photo+(88).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Z1jdX-NlnS68Cqkp-10FB_VOLE9nqVGSkWvIJCuMpr-g1B8JM2xh1T2e8mZsykq-qceH6MU7c69H1LyzRPXXwtwal_8OtxHASULaT365EoIlV2B_SmumcxppF8yYK7SbSxAAHw/s1600/photo+(88).JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2014/12/announcing-the-2014-nea-fellowships-in-poetry/" target="_blank">Thank you, thank you, thank you. </a><br />
<br />marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0Akron, OH, USA41.0814447 -81.519005340.889949699999995 -81.8417288 41.2729397 -81.196281800000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13502106.post-11376897007589997292014-11-18T12:01:00.000-05:002014-11-18T12:01:31.372-05:00First snow (of many). <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxL3DqfgY5V8GFkcnsopqo8GUgXyqFEwFHfhWyQs1CgfdYffS9nESDcdD7KKU4L2Cbex6vRSmDBtNTDHi0GU2SIZMJUt5I4ksQnMV1Z_gIlsjUvs-uIIhaxCyfhD12nFGu9nY9g/s1600/photo+(84).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxL3DqfgY5V8GFkcnsopqo8GUgXyqFEwFHfhWyQs1CgfdYffS9nESDcdD7KKU4L2Cbex6vRSmDBtNTDHi0GU2SIZMJUt5I4ksQnMV1Z_gIlsjUvs-uIIhaxCyfhD12nFGu9nY9g/s1600/photo+(84).JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a><br /><br /></div>
<br />marybidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14100986477346925113noreply@blogger.com0Akron, OH, USA41.0814447 -81.519005340.889949699999995 -81.8417288 41.2729397 -81.196281800000008