Dear word-pals!

An uneventful writing week. I haven’t written anything new this week, although I did revise a poem for the “benefit” of one reader/poet/virtual friend of mine. A poet who I will get to meet this summer because I have arranged for her and another poet-friend to be the featured readers at a lovely monthly series.

I’m thinking to organize a Sunday poetry picnic at a Portland park around the time she is here, but need to commit to the idea — reservations are due very soon. Not sure I have my winter ambitions fanned to action!

I have been reading a fair amount. Several poets have caught my attention. One is Tracy K Smith with her latest collection, Life on Mars. She writes so well of her father’s death, her grief. I borrowed the book from the library, but think I need to have it as a friend and support.

I’m also about halfway through Ramona Ausubel’s debut novel, No One Is Here Except All of Us. I ordered up several books from the library that was on someone’s notable or anticipated list (I can’t recall whose, now) and had to wait a bit on this book. She’s also been touring lately, and was in Portland just last Wednesday, but I missed her. This may be her first novel but she has quite a number of short stories out and about. I must have read her in the annual Nonrequired Reading, because I so enjoy that anthology. Here’s a list of her writing: http://ramonaausubel.com/published-works/.  And I highly recommend this read. I am pretty sure I will finish it today and will be sad to see it end.

I also am reading a short memoir piece, “The Love Of My Life” by Cheryl Strayed. It’s linked to from a very interesting essay on Brevity called “The World Is Not Tidy: Liz Stephens on the D’Agata Dust-Up”. It’s about facts and fiction in writing non-fiction, and I think you would all like to read it, too. (I have David Shields book if anyone wants to borrow it. I have not read John D’Agata’s book or his public response to the question of facts. Yet.) Here’s the link to the essay: http://brevity.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/the-world-is-not-tidy/.

About my mother, and dad. I head out to Arizona again on Wednesday and return Sunday. Mom is in a great deal of pain, and is fairly debilitated by it. She is on pain medications, and takes them on schedule, but it is not doing much for her and she is starting to stay in bed all day again. Mom says she doesn’t care that she doesn’t want to get up and about. I don’t know what to say to that, not being a naturally optimistic or sunny person.

I hope you are writing and or reading and feeding your creative side.

Much love~

No related posts.