napomo

Sadly I'm not participating in NaPoWriMo this year. Too many outstanding commitments, too much travel and too little time. I participated the last three years and wrote A LOT of poems, many ended up in God Damsel.

It's not that I couldn't use the push. I'm having a tough time writing poems that I'm satisfied with. My dreams suggest a certain unconnectedness and my inhabiting an aimless space, just sort of waiting. Although lately there have been confrontations with devils and the return of shadowy murderers. Maybe they'll chase my ass up the right tree. There haven't been any trees yet, just dark alleys, back seats of cars and underground barrooms.

I did receive a suggestion last night. Finally. After the bride insulted me (for something I didn't do and then said I couldn't help it because I was my mother's daughter), I stormed away to the bathroom. There was an old woman having trouble finding soap to wash her hands. I showed her where to find it. Then the woman who usually stands for jealousy appeared, tall, newly slender (from all the yoga she's been doing) and wearing a thong. She bent over right in front of me. I stormed out of the bathroom in disgust. (Yeah, lots of storming away in this dream) The groom came up and suggested that I collaborate with jealousy, that she's had a difficult time lately too, someone who loved her, died unexpectedly, and she was lonely.

Now I'm trying to figure out how one collaborates with jealousy.


The Rumpus is celebrating National Poetry Month. I'm featured on April 21. It's the only "new" poem I've been willing to submit for publication anywhere. Feel free to let me know what you think, cause I'm not so sure what I do.

I also have poems (from God Damsel) in the latest West Wind Review.

There's a new literary website called We Who Are About To Die. I'm one of the contributors. Sometime this week I'll post a conversation I'm working on with poet Hoa Nguyen.


My AWP swag just arrived--if you're going, be sure to come up and ask for yours. It's practical and something I'm pretty sure you can use. No Tell doesn't have a table. You'll have to approach me like a human being and introduce yourself. I'll be the lady with the violet highlights in her hair and (possibly) with that "I'm gonna hurl" expression.

I'll be reading on Friday night 7pm at the Meadowlark Poetry Marathon with katie degentesh • ben doller • sandra doller • chris davidson • daniel borzutsky • charles alexander • arielle greenberg • geoffrey gatza • ana božičević • aaron belz • peter davis • amy guth • kate greenstreet • kathleen ossip • susan schultz • tony trigilio • amy king • joseph harrington • james belflower • jeff t. johnson • chad parmenter • rachel loden • keith newton • janet holmes• luc simonic • tony robinson • steven schroeder • jorn ake • julie dill