Poetic Asides at Writer's Digest

Poetic Asides by Robert Lee Brewer provides writing prompts, interviews, on-line seminars and all kinds of wonderful information. Check it out at:

http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/

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Poetry Tips: Forced Poetry

What I mean by “forced poetry” is when someone asks you to unexpectedly come up with a poem for a momentous occasion such as a wedding, anniversary, birthday, eulogy, or any special occasion in general. My parents often ask me at the last minute to come up with a poem for, say, a 50th wedding anniversary, and I end up trying too hard and coming up with a poem I’m not at all satisfied with. While the receivers have never complained I’ve always wished I had more warning and could have come up with better lines. I’ve learned that there is a silver lining to this recurring event, however: Sometimes the original poem will grow and bear fruit if you keep it with you and return to it for future related occasions. For example, I was completely dissatisfied with an anniversary poem for my own parents but one full year later I had been able to change the old poem into a new and much more improved poem that it was worth the “last-minute stress” from the previous year.

So the next time someone asks you at the spur of the moment to come up with a poem, consider saying “Yes, I’ll do it!” Then hang onto it to so that you can grow it into a better poem for the next year. You may end up thanking the person who pressured you into the poem just as much as the recipient who gets the “new and improved” version.


Thanks for reading, please stop in next week…

Blue Collar Review Open Submissions

Check out the site for the types of poetry published since their submission guidelines are spare: You may send up to 5 poems with your name and contact information on each page sent in an envelope that also includes a self-addressed stamped return envelope to:

Blue Collar Review
PO Box 11417
Norfolk, VA 23517

Check out the guidelines at:
http://www.angelfire.com/va/bcr/Guidelines.html

Check out Blue Collar Home page at:
http://www.angelfire.com/va/bcr/

Thanks for dropping in, please stop by tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=236642
from Light: “I always thought reality” by Inger Christensen, translated by Susanna Nied

http://www.versedaily.org/2009/numbers.shtml
“Numbers” by Katharine Coles

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Lilliput Review Issue #168

The Lilliput Review features poems ten lines or less and Issue #168 is small enough to fit just under the length of your hand. Don Wentworth has put together another fine journal whose subtle themes include barbarians and poets for Issue #168 and I would like to share several with you:

from Waiting for the Barbarians

Because night has fallen and the barbarians have not come.
And some who have just returned from the border say
there are no barbarians any longer.

C.P. Cavafy
Translated by E. Keeley and P. Sherrad




in 5 minutes
the old man
has told me everything

Robert Epstein
El Cerrito CA

I have to wonder if the old man has told a nugget of truth, his life story, or of an event. The curiosity is unbearable!


i stumble
the pebble shows
its darker side

Natalia L. Rudychev
Des Plaines, IL

I think this is a clever and funny little poem, don’t you?


a morning
empty of words –
a shadow
begins to form
on my desk

Mike Montreuil
Gloucester, Ontario

Quite a poetic way of describing writer’s block, don’t you think? That’s how I interpret it at least.


The art of November—
an old man raises orchids;
his humid room—
white and purple petals.

Peggy Garrison
New York, NY

This makes me wish I could breathe in the smell of those orchids and also makes me thankful that we are back to warmer weather.


If you enjoyed this little sample you’ll be thrilled to know that each issue only costs $1.00 and if you have really tight purse strings you can see older issues in their entirety on-line through links at Lilliput Review’s blog: Issa's Untidy Hut.

Don Wentworth is one of the hardest working and most generous editors I know. He has a web-site, Facebook Page, blog, twitter, posts samples of past issues, twitters past poems, and is willing to occasionally post an entire issue for free. He also accepts submissions year round and hand-writes messages to all who submit accompanied by a free issue whether their poem gets accepted or not. He’s also only charged $1.00 an issue for the past twenty years. If that doesn’t motivate you to stop by and pay him a visit on-line I don’t know what will. So please pay him a visit with any of the links posted, you will be happy you did so.

Thanks always for reading, please click in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

Perihelion

Find featured poets and their wonderful poems, discussion essays, and personal anecdotes along with many other great finds at Perihelion:

http://webdelsol.com/Perihelion/

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Poetry Tips: Rediscoveries

Are there any particularly interesting collections or anthologies of poems that few would know about? A friend of mine handed me her Victoria’s Secret collection of poetry books and I had no idea they had made anthologies! It features hard-backed books with romantic scenes from famous painters inside, the book is scented and has its own slipcover box. It’s pretty, girly, and fascinating!

I tried looking through my books but there is nothing particularly interesting to “rediscover” because everything I have is still available at the book-store or on-line through the small press sites.

How about you? Do you have interesting collections in your own “archives?” If so, share your findings in the comments section so that we may be on the lookout at our nearest used book store or library.

Thanks for dropping in, please stop by again next week....

Juked Open Submissions

Please visit the site and familiarize yourself with the kind of poems they publish before submitting. Happily, they accept simultaneous submissions as long as you declare if your poem has been accepted elsewhere. You may send up to five poems or one piece of prose in an e-mail to submissionsATjukedDOTcom. Be sure your subject heading reads Submission: (genre) by (your name).

For more details, click the link below:

http://juked.com/info/


Good luck to all who submit, please drop in tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.versedaily.org/2009/asunder.shtml
“asunder” by Craig Arnold


http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16269
“Affirmation” by Donald Hall

Bonus Links:
Suzanne Smith e-mailed me with the news that I’ve made it to the list of top 100 Poetry Blogs. I’m very honored to be included alongside Ron Silliman and countless other fine blogs, please check out the list at:

http://www.universityreviewsonline.com/2005/10/top-100-poetry-blogs.html


And Alternating Current is having a great big Poetry Chapbook sale, some chapbooks cost a mere $1.75 so please check out details at:

http://alternating-current-weekly.blogspot.com/2009/05/poetry-clearance-sale.html


Thanks for clicking in, please drop in tomorrow for more Open Submissions…

Taxi Cab Poet Confessions

Alternating Current's tribute to Dave Church in this collection of poems titled Taxi Cab Poet Confessions is superb. Ranging from the brash and bawdy to reverent and sentimental, poets from the small press unite to express their own encounters and memories of the small press hero. Dave Church was born in 1947 and lived on Rhode Island making his living as a taxi driver after changing careers from doing home improvement work such as painting and carpentry. Thanks to the bio at the front and a reprint of an interview towards the end of this tribute I can share a little more about him. Dave Church passed away after Thanksgiving Day in 2008 of a heart attack and the poems below reveal the ripple effects in this world:


Two Guys Building A Poem
By: Rod Weston and Dave Church


The butterflies in my belly
Come alive before my feet
Hit the floor in the morning.

Yesterday’s footprints in the snow.
A bird silent on a wire.
Today’s roadmap.

In the chair by the window I wonder
Who belongs to the footprints in the snow.
The bird disappears.

The circumstances of a life
Are reflected by gray clouds.
I have for myself this moment.

Silence—
Until the bird reappears on the wire
Warbling a song.

My feathered friend reminds me
To forget about
Spies, women, intrigue.

A spider crawling up the screen
On the outside
Looking in.

Its dark eyes seems amused
At such a ghastly sight
As me.

I tap the screen.
The spider tumbles to the roof.
I wonder why I did that.

Once again I’ll weave
A patchwork of coffee and smoke.
Memories fading.

Warm rain melting the snow.
May flowers pretty soon to bloom.
Butterflies in my belly fluttering still.


The small moments in life are reflected with wonderful detail in this collaborative poem. I love the lines “I tap the screen./The spider tumbles to the roof./I wonder why I did that.” Such a small moment that few ever think to write about yet we all have those very small moments and I’m happy it was included in this poem along with the more eloquent lines of “Once again I’ll weave/A patchwork of coffee and smoke” in the following stanza. The butterflies at the end are a reminder of Spring’s awakening in the silent snow. I think this is a beautiful poem.



For Dave Church
By R. Emolo

Blown-out poet dude warrior.
Older than dirty.
Taxi squad poet.
Old prune juice farts poetry.
Luck skilled bastard.
Fuck killed faster.
Fighting the landladies.
Gypsy taxi squad poet.
Rhode Island read.
Drinking toast!!!

Did I mention some of these poems are brash and bawdy? This one makes me grin mischievously and I had to share it with all of you. The opening two lines are the perfect set-up for the humor you can find in this poem.


Editors: Wants and Needs Update 2009
--Idea based on the fine original by Jon Taylor
By David S. Pointer

Nothing Wallace Stevens or
Lyn Lifshin might have penned.
No Dave Church clones. No
Bukowski hacks or hackettes.
No poems with poetry in them.
Nothing from the Beat School.
Definitely no Black Mountain
or experimental. No tag team
haiku hacking unless prearranged
by our German editor in Switzerland.
No circle hacks. Would like to see
more eco-friendly non-nature poems.
The guest editor would like to see
more middle of the road edge poems.
No sainted granny poems unless your
grandma drinks Blue Thong martinis…
I guess the only things left to mail
are muse magic, truth and passion.


I like this poem of what editors desire in their poets’ poems. Quite a few mentions of “hacks” as all too often people try to imitate those they admire instead of following their own beating of the drums. I love the quirky lines such as “No sainted granny poems/unless your grandma drinks Blue Thong martinis” as guidelines. You could just take this poem and post it as quirky guidelines to a small press publication, couldn’t you?


GOD is in The Cab
By Steve Dalachinsky

for your return address
these past 2 years
you put:

God
30 Forest St.
Providence R.I.

Now R.I.(P.)
as Providence would have
you…
pickin’ up yer last fare
with yer heart
somewhere in the “…forest
of the Night”

up there right now
playin God to a host of passengers
in yer Technicolor Cab
pickin up hookers ‘n hustlers ‘n
gangsters ‘n lefties ‘n righties
‘n poets ‘n drunkards ‘n petty thieves…

tellin’ us “hippies” we should be
grateful for the free rides
speakin’ out like the music on
Main Street
wingin’ wishes just off the right
of Center
“tougher than bone or wood”
warm man/child
father lover/plain talker
teller of like it is

funny eye/cat speakin thru
the jive
i owe you lunch
/ you owe me a book
a visit
a letter /
savin’ on postage does not
make me happy right now
this has been a month of heart
attacks & suicides
& politics as usual
no matter what the believers
may think
but you crew-mate dreamer behind that macho mask
righteous gentleman are here with me now
returning my words.

I love the slang talk jive of this poem and the rhythm it produces. You can almost hear this man telling Dave Church like it is from his end, his observations about the life of his fellow poet and friend. I love poems that tell it like it is.


There are countless tributes to Dave Church and poems by Dave Church in this collection. You can visit Propaganda Press and pick up your own copy of Taxi Cab Poet Confessions for $6.00, which will also include a free bonus chapbook from the archives. I believe this collection will move you and I hope you will be able to enjoy learning about Dave Church as much as I have.

Thanks always for reading, please click in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

Poetry Tips: A Quote From Thoreau

I’ve been reading Walden as time allows and absolutely feel the need to share part of this passage with you:

“A written word is the choicest of relics. It is something at once more intimate with us and more universal than any other work of art. It is the work of art nearest to life itself. It may be translated into every language, and not only be read but actually breathed from all human lips; -not be represented on canvas or in marble only, but be carved out of the breath of life itself.”

If that doesn’t spark appreciation or inspiration then I don’t know what else to say.

Thanks for dropping in, please stop in after Memorial Day next week on Tuesday…

Rattle Poetry Prize

I got this via post-card and here’s the scoop: First Prize is $1000!

To be eligible to win the contest you must send an entry fee of $18.00 which automatically includes a one-year subscription to RATTLE, or an extension to those who already subscribe, and you can send up to four poems altogether. No simultaneous submissions and don’t forget to enclose a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope when you mail your entry by August 1st to:

RATTLE
12411 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604

OR you can e-mail your poems to submissionsATrattleDOTcom but be sure to title it as “submission – your first and last name.” Paste your poems into the e-mail and you’re done!

Winners will be announced no later than September 19th and the poems will be published in the Winter 2009 issue.

Good luck to all of you who submit and please drop in tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://juked.com/2009/04/pineappleandsoda.asp
“Pineapple and Soda” by l. Christopher


http://poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19501
“Bats” by Paisley Rekdal

Thanks for clicking in, please check in tomorrow for more Open Submissions…

Stain: A Literary Journal

Stain is based out of Brooklyn, New York and is a product of a group called the Stained Glass Confessional that meets at the Stain Bar to perform poetry, stories, and more. Janice Brabaw, the editor, created this anthology featuring the performers from her press, Tangled Up In Blue which you can find out more about with the links provided at the bottom. The variety in the anthology is a great collection of various personalities in poems, pictures, stories and emotional expressions as anyone could wish for. Luckily, Janice Brabaw has given me permission to share a few of the poems in their entirety:


Innocence
By Patricia Carragon

Innocence came out to play
And saw storm clouds instead.

The fluffy days of childhood
Played tag with problems,
But never could get the stains out
As new problems settled in.

We still wash our dirty laundry
In water and detergent,
Not expecting them to look
Squeaky clean.

The more we scrub,
The darker the stains
After each rinse.

We dry our clothes inside,
Never hang our history
On a clothesline.

It would only clash against
The pretty greenery
Next door
And the neighbors
Would complain.


Don’t you think this is a clever poem? I do. Comparing innocence to washing the laundry may not be a novel comparison but I love that the stains only get darker the harder you try to scrub them away and how the neighbors would complain if you hung your “dirty laundry” out to dry for all to see. Very typical of society who is typically dysfunctional but always going to great lengths to hide it or get rid of the dysfunction.



STR8 Appearing
By Frank Kelly

When was it first uttered,
This boast?
Who first devised this intricate equation?
Gay,
But not gay appearing.
Not straight, no
(Let’s get that straight),
But straight appearing.
Or, even better,
S-T-R the number 8 appearing –
Like some fabulous brand of straightness
To complement our iPhones and Sean John hoodies.
No one will know what you are
By what I appear to be.
We can pass
For our admired
Aped
Feared
Disdained
Ever-fascinating
Former (and occasionally current) oppressors
Now become our role models.
Not-like-them in sexual orientatin
Like-them in everything else.
Indeed, on a good day,
Indistinguishable.
We march out of our closets and into the gym
The iron closet
Where we sweat and strain
To become STR8 appearing.
Free? Not exactly.
Free weights? Exactly!
Broadway buzz? Sure!
But also buzz cuts!
And abs?
My dear, abs-solutely!
Granted,
We can and do discriminate in our color schemes
Between seafoam and mint,
Heather and oatmeal,
But in this era of sensitive straight males
So do they!
Not just equals,
With kids and house and church and family,
We’re the same.
So the question now becomes:
Why go to all the trouble of being gay in the first place?


Frank Kelly brings up an interesting dichotomy, of gays appearing to fit in with the very same people who have or may still be oppressing them. There are plenty of questions to ponder on about that strange socialization of fitting in and an excellent poetic way of bringing about those questions.



Fall
By Darcie VanHamlin

Fall to madness as often as you please,
but do not faint.
Fall to your knees at the songs of birds,
but do not practice fits of fancied dreams winging their way
into the night.
Fall to loving things like pools of light,
wrinkles in your clothes and papers without words,
but do not exit a room without leaving someone with a
peculiar admiration and more.

Fall into habits of whispering when no one’s there to hear,
but do not write the words of your heart upon your skin or in your hair.
Fall to the ground as often as you can, in tears and blubbering sobs,
but do not fall into a lover’s arms without first taking careful consideration
as to whether or not you feel like pushing them out the
window at the slightest provocation.

Fall to being idiosyncratic,
but do not fall to being a heroine to those with idle hands and idle minds.
Fall to life as often as you please.
Just fall,
but do not faint.


I think this poem says more the more often you read it. In general, you know you can fall for and into things with full awareness but then you can look deeper into the kinds of falling Darcie describes.


If you enjoyed this short excerpt into Stain, you can pick up your very own copy and find out more about Tangled Up In Blue Press by going to:

http://www.janicebrabaw.com/the-best-of-stain-anthology.html

You can also join Stained Glass Confessional and find out more about them at:
Stained Glass Confessional on Facebook

Thanks always for reading and please click in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

Delirius Hem

Or “This is what a Feminist (Poet) Looks Like.” This blog features female poets with articles and interviews. It is smart and entertaining, I urge you to check it out at:


http://www.delirioushem.blogspot.com/


Thanks for clicking in, please stop by tomorrow for another featured journal...