Guess which poets listed (or possibly omitted) in the below dream anthology belongs in the blanks.
* * *
_______ and I walk around my kitchen. We're talking about using sensation, both pleasure and pain, to control animals. I say that I've seen zookeepers be nice to animals. _______ says all the zookeepers he/she's seen have been nice. I know that not all of them are nice, some can be very cruel. I tell him/her about the camels outside my house being controlled with a knife. We walk to a concert and see the camels. We go up to them and join their circle by sitting down. The camels recognize us. The performance starts.
* * *
I'm on a mission with _______ and other poets. We're running across an outdoor, dusty space, trying to get somewhere. We have to set off a series of events so some necessary explosions can go off. Were trying to blow up some basilisks. Some of us die doing this.
* * *
I'm a Project Runway contestant. Betsy Johnson is the judge. During the competition she doesn't like any of my ideas. _______ tells me that she's heard a very negative story about who I was in 9th grade. Back then I was a bad and unsafe school bus driver. In 10th grade it was decided that I was completely unworthy of the honor and wasn't invited back. I try to address this issue with Betsy. I point out that in 9th grade I was only 14 years old and not old enough to drive a school bus. Then I remember some advice that the person who'll likely win this challenge is the one who's low key and doesn't get on Betsy's radar. I'm clearly on Betsy's radar. This is not good. I start tearing up pieces of my dress before the judging even starts. They're going to hold this against me. A woman tells me that they're making plans to cut me. I can't really argue with this. I know it's my time to go.
* * *
I'm in _______ 's gender studies class. I'm supposed to write 2 papers about Blue _____.
* * *
I'm meeting with _______. _______ has accepted my unwritten book, Oranges and Oranges, for publication at his/her press. We're having a conference call with the cover designer. I suggest that we do a Sci-Fi inspired covered, one that takes the original style of sci-fi books, but twists it around and makes something new from it. The designer doesn't want to hear any of it. She isn't even considering what I'm saying. She says, "oh, you want some beefcake on the cover" -- and I say "no, I want a woman on the cover!" But I'm at a loss and can't say much about the book because I haven't written it yet.
* * *
Saturday, December 31, 2011
guess the dream poet - part 2
Guess which poets listed (or possibly omitted) in the below dream anthology belongs in the blanks.
* * *
Something about forgetting or not recognizing _______ .
* * *
I'm in a yoga class with _______ . The class is getting full and I want to get out before it starts, but _______ slows us down and now we're stuck in this crowded class. We're spinning hula hoops on our arms. I try my best not to hit the person next to me. Now there are zombies everywhere and almost everyone is dead. There's somebody here who can control the zombies. For some reason I feel safe, like I won't be turned into a zombie like everyone else. The man sends me into another room. A zombie follows and attacks me. I'm waiting for the man to come in and stop this. He doesn't. Nobody saves me.
* * *
I'm at a home inspection. _______ is the seller. He/she seems very skittish and it seems like I intimidate him/her. I'm suspicious. He/she moves funny. I grab him/her and accuse him/her of having a gun. I find one under his/her shirt and grab it. I call for help while holding the gun to _______ 's head.
* * *
_______ helped me interpret a Tarot spread. I do another on my own. I lay out the cards and realize that somehow I did it wrong--there should be 3 cards but there is 4 piles of cards (several cards deep). I decide that both center cards will be the present. One of the cards is the Adorable Puppy.
* * *
I read an announcement that _______ died. I'm surprised.
* * *
I see _______ walking around a bookfair, holding a big stack of books, including 6 copies of the Bedside Guide that he/she seems to have swiped from my unmanned table. I pretend to corner him/her, like I'm going to tackle him/her, but I'm just playing around. _______ freaks out, drops all the books and runs into a drainage pipe, like Gadhafi. I tell him/her it's OK, he can have the books I was just playing around. _______ says that he/she is not teaching now and that he/she is unemployed. He/she said he/she wanted one of the books for his mother. I tell _______ that he/she should start his/her own MFA program -- one that wasn't affiliated with anything. Something totally independent and unique.
* * *
Something about forgetting or not recognizing _______ .
* * *
I'm in a yoga class with _______ . The class is getting full and I want to get out before it starts, but _______ slows us down and now we're stuck in this crowded class. We're spinning hula hoops on our arms. I try my best not to hit the person next to me. Now there are zombies everywhere and almost everyone is dead. There's somebody here who can control the zombies. For some reason I feel safe, like I won't be turned into a zombie like everyone else. The man sends me into another room. A zombie follows and attacks me. I'm waiting for the man to come in and stop this. He doesn't. Nobody saves me.
* * *
I'm at a home inspection. _______ is the seller. He/she seems very skittish and it seems like I intimidate him/her. I'm suspicious. He/she moves funny. I grab him/her and accuse him/her of having a gun. I find one under his/her shirt and grab it. I call for help while holding the gun to _______ 's head.
* * *
_______ helped me interpret a Tarot spread. I do another on my own. I lay out the cards and realize that somehow I did it wrong--there should be 3 cards but there is 4 piles of cards (several cards deep). I decide that both center cards will be the present. One of the cards is the Adorable Puppy.
* * *
I read an announcement that _______ died. I'm surprised.
* * *
I see _______ walking around a bookfair, holding a big stack of books, including 6 copies of the Bedside Guide that he/she seems to have swiped from my unmanned table. I pretend to corner him/her, like I'm going to tackle him/her, but I'm just playing around. _______ freaks out, drops all the books and runs into a drainage pipe, like Gadhafi. I tell him/her it's OK, he can have the books I was just playing around. _______ says that he/she is not teaching now and that he/she is unemployed. He/she said he/she wanted one of the books for his mother. I tell _______ that he/she should start his/her own MFA program -- one that wasn't affiliated with anything. Something totally independent and unique.
guess the dream poet - part 1
Guess which poets listed (or possibly omitted) in the below dream anthology belongs in the blanks.
* * *
Chris and his friend find a restaurant to take me to for my birthday celebration. I remind them that I invited _______ to join us. Chris and his friend would rather this poet wouldn't join us because he/she has drab shoes.
* * *
I'm with _______ and a bunch of other poets. We're headed to "Lulu's Pizza." Newt Gingrich, wearing a funny hat, is going with us.
* * *
__Poet 1__ hands me a poem written on a sock. He/she asks me if I know of__Poet 2's__ affair with another writer's wife. I say "just a little" but I'm not sure if I know anything about this. The affair is known as Black _______. __Poet 3__ interrupts our conversation and says that we shouldn't be discussing the illegitimate autistic children of poets. I thank __Poet 1__ for the poem.
* * *
I'm watching a music video with _______. _______ is in the video. I'm wondering why she didn't tell me about the video. Then I wonder if she did, but I just forgot. I'm jealous because _______ is becoming successful and I am not. We rewind the video and watch again. It takes forever to rewind. _______ is bent over to bring attention to her breasts. She believes this is her "good angle." The video is all about her body and how she wants to be thinner. It seems really shallow and I'm disappointed. I remind myself that I'm a much more thoughtful poet.
* * *
Chris and his friend find a restaurant to take me to for my birthday celebration. I remind them that I invited _______ to join us. Chris and his friend would rather this poet wouldn't join us because he/she has drab shoes.
* * *
I'm with _______ and a bunch of other poets. We're headed to "Lulu's Pizza." Newt Gingrich, wearing a funny hat, is going with us.
* * *
__Poet 1__ hands me a poem written on a sock. He/she asks me if I know of__Poet 2's__ affair with another writer's wife. I say "just a little" but I'm not sure if I know anything about this. The affair is known as Black _______. __Poet 3__ interrupts our conversation and says that we shouldn't be discussing the illegitimate autistic children of poets. I thank __Poet 1__ for the poem.
* * *
I'm watching a music video with _______. _______ is in the video. I'm wondering why she didn't tell me about the video. Then I wonder if she did, but I just forgot. I'm jealous because _______ is becoming successful and I am not. We rewind the video and watch again. It takes forever to rewind. _______ is bent over to bring attention to her breasts. She believes this is her "good angle." The video is all about her body and how she wants to be thinner. It seems really shallow and I'm disappointed. I remind myself that I'm a much more thoughtful poet.
The Dream Poet Anthology 2011
Below are the names of every poet who made an appearance or was mentioned in my dreams during 2011. Some of these poets I know well, others are acquaintances and some are complete strangers. If you find your name is on this list and you do not know me, it means that I know of you via your work or reputation and my psyche has attached some type of meaning or symbolism on you to represent something.
2011 Contributors:
Kim Addonizio, Rosa Alcalá, Kelli Russell Agodon, Sherman Alexie, Wendy Babiak, Julianna Baggott, Clay Banes, Jennifer Bartlett, Jan Beatty, Sandra Beasley, Tara Betts, Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Matt Bell, Aaron Belz, April Bernard, Simeon Berry, Mary Biddinger, Sven Birketts, Elizabeth Bishop, Julie Bloemeke, Anne Boyer, Ana Bozicevic, Blake Butler, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Kelly Cockeram, Shanna Compton, Eduardo Corral, Bruce Covey, e.e. cummings, Brent Cunningham, Jordan Davis, Neil de la Flor, Michelle Detorie, Adam Deutsch, Joseph Donahue, Bob Dylan, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Jill Alexander Essbaum, Cherryl Floyd-Miller, Daisy Fried, Gabriel Fried, Elisa Gabbert, Bernadette Geyer, Lea Graham, Arielle Greenberg, Tod Goldberg, Nada Gordon, Noah Gordon, Paul Guest, Shafer Hall, Josh Hanson, Ron Hogan, Joan Houlihan, Dave Housley, Honoree Jeffers, Henry Israeli, Charlie Jensen, Tayari Jones, Steven Karl, Mary Karr, Kirsten Kaschock, Erica Kaufman, Alan King, Amy King, Craig Kirchner, Rauan Klassnik, Ivy Kleinbart, Jennifer L. Knox, Jenn Koiter, David Lehman, Patricia Lockwood, J. Michael Martinez, Joe Massey, Steven Allen May, David McDonald, Erika Meitner, Didi Menendez, Gina Myers, E. Ethelbert Miller, Kasey Mohammad, Dan Nester, Maud Newton, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Hoa Nguyen, Mel Nichols, Alice Notley, Ed Ochester, January O'neil, Danielle Pafunda, Shin Yu Pai, G.M. Palmer, Karl Parker, Richard Peabody, Jessica Piazza, Scott Pierce, PF Potvin, Nate Pritts, Liam Rector, Barbara Jane Reyes, Anthony Robinson, Joseph Ross, Jeff Rudy, Carly Sachs, Metta Sama, Michael Schiavo, Steven Schoeder, Zachary Schomburg, Ravi Shankar, Laura Sheahen, Kim Gek Lin Short, Paul Siegell, Ron Silliman, Sandra Simonds, Nicole Steinberg, Gary Sullivan, Tree Swensen, Bronwen Tate, James Tate, Brent Terry, Maureen Thorson, Qiana Towns, Natasha Trethewey, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Laura Van Prooyen, Matt Walker, Allyssa Wolf, C. Dale Young, Kevin Young, Mike Young, Matthew Zapruder
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I'm a writer, but not a poet. Why am I included on a poet list?
A: Simmer down and accept the compliment.
Q: Does my appearing on this list mean that you are obsessed with or stalking me?
A: Possibly.
Q: Will you tell me the details of the dream I appeared in?
A: No, absolutely not. Assume the dream was totally demented and would disturb you a great deal.
Q: I'm a poet and I'm psychically awesome, why aren't I included in this anthology?
A: There are three possible reasons you are not included:
1. You didn't appear in my dreams in 2011. Resolve in 2012 to be more ambitious psychically.
2. You did appear in my dreams, but I don't remember. I forget many dreams. Your omission is a simple case of editorial oversight. You were screwed, unintentionally.
3. You did appear in my dreams, but I am loathe to publicly admit such a thing. This applies to a small percentage of poets appearing in my dreams. Your omission is a simple case of editorial bias. You were screwed, intentionally.
2011 Contributors:
Kim Addonizio, Rosa Alcalá, Kelli Russell Agodon, Sherman Alexie, Wendy Babiak, Julianna Baggott, Clay Banes, Jennifer Bartlett, Jan Beatty, Sandra Beasley, Tara Betts, Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Matt Bell, Aaron Belz, April Bernard, Simeon Berry, Mary Biddinger, Sven Birketts, Elizabeth Bishop, Julie Bloemeke, Anne Boyer, Ana Bozicevic, Blake Butler, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Kelly Cockeram, Shanna Compton, Eduardo Corral, Bruce Covey, e.e. cummings, Brent Cunningham, Jordan Davis, Neil de la Flor, Michelle Detorie, Adam Deutsch, Joseph Donahue, Bob Dylan, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Jill Alexander Essbaum, Cherryl Floyd-Miller, Daisy Fried, Gabriel Fried, Elisa Gabbert, Bernadette Geyer, Lea Graham, Arielle Greenberg, Tod Goldberg, Nada Gordon, Noah Gordon, Paul Guest, Shafer Hall, Josh Hanson, Ron Hogan, Joan Houlihan, Dave Housley, Honoree Jeffers, Henry Israeli, Charlie Jensen, Tayari Jones, Steven Karl, Mary Karr, Kirsten Kaschock, Erica Kaufman, Alan King, Amy King, Craig Kirchner, Rauan Klassnik, Ivy Kleinbart, Jennifer L. Knox, Jenn Koiter, David Lehman, Patricia Lockwood, J. Michael Martinez, Joe Massey, Steven Allen May, David McDonald, Erika Meitner, Didi Menendez, Gina Myers, E. Ethelbert Miller, Kasey Mohammad, Dan Nester, Maud Newton, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Hoa Nguyen, Mel Nichols, Alice Notley, Ed Ochester, January O'neil, Danielle Pafunda, Shin Yu Pai, G.M. Palmer, Karl Parker, Richard Peabody, Jessica Piazza, Scott Pierce, PF Potvin, Nate Pritts, Liam Rector, Barbara Jane Reyes, Anthony Robinson, Joseph Ross, Jeff Rudy, Carly Sachs, Metta Sama, Michael Schiavo, Steven Schoeder, Zachary Schomburg, Ravi Shankar, Laura Sheahen, Kim Gek Lin Short, Paul Siegell, Ron Silliman, Sandra Simonds, Nicole Steinberg, Gary Sullivan, Tree Swensen, Bronwen Tate, James Tate, Brent Terry, Maureen Thorson, Qiana Towns, Natasha Trethewey, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Laura Van Prooyen, Matt Walker, Allyssa Wolf, C. Dale Young, Kevin Young, Mike Young, Matthew Zapruder
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I'm a writer, but not a poet. Why am I included on a poet list?
A: Simmer down and accept the compliment.
Q: Does my appearing on this list mean that you are obsessed with or stalking me?
A: Possibly.
Q: Will you tell me the details of the dream I appeared in?
A: No, absolutely not. Assume the dream was totally demented and would disturb you a great deal.
Q: I'm a poet and I'm psychically awesome, why aren't I included in this anthology?
A: There are three possible reasons you are not included:
1. You didn't appear in my dreams in 2011. Resolve in 2012 to be more ambitious psychically.
2. You did appear in my dreams, but I don't remember. I forget many dreams. Your omission is a simple case of editorial oversight. You were screwed, unintentionally.
3. You did appear in my dreams, but I am loathe to publicly admit such a thing. This applies to a small percentage of poets appearing in my dreams. Your omission is a simple case of editorial bias. You were screwed, intentionally.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
my "sabbatical" (of sorts), or I'm such a chick
From now until at least the end of 2012 I'll be on a sabbatical (of sorts). This means I won't be reading or considering manuscripts, writing reviews or blurbs, participating in panels, attending conferences and bookfairs, organizing readings or literary events (other than the one reading at my home that I've already committed to doing) or other things of that nature that I have not already agreed to do. I have to draw this line for a while -- even though it means not being able to personally support other poets as much as I'd like and to the extent that they may deserve.
These past couple years I've had a challenging time focusing on my own work and meeting the commitments I already obligated myself to doing. I flaked out on too many things lately because I just couldn't manage to get it all done or keep it all straight. While I may not receive the number of requests a better known writer receives, I receive several a week on average. Some weeks, like this one, I receive more than one a day. Some requests are minor, some are not so minor. Sometimes the person asking believes it to be a much less consuming request than I perceive it to be.
For instance, people asking for a blurb or review with less than a month turnaround are sort of exasperating. This happens a lot so I put this out there as a public service announcement: You really should give 3 months (closer to 6 months, if you're asking a "big name"). It will not just take me a "couple hours" to do (I don't work that fast) and I (like most people) don't have gobs of spare hours in any week. Those kinds of rush requests are asking me to drop another commitment or sacrifice my own writing time. Even if I'm really excited about your upcoming book, you're making it difficult for me to help you out. In some cases, I have dropped something or given up my own writing time, but that's not going to be the case going forward.
This is not directed at any specific person. One of my reasons for posting this is so I can refer people to this "announcement" to show that I'm really not blowing them off. Or at least not them specifically. I'm blowing off the world and I'm a total chick worrying that people will be mad at me for saying no to them.
I am still supporting all the No Tell Books titles -- so if you need a review copy, need to be put in contact with one of the authors, etc., I'm here for that.
And of course I'm still here as a human being. I'm not retreating into a cave. I'll still be responding to emails. I'll still be blogging. I'll still be on FB and Goodreads. I still want to hear from friends and kind people who just want to say hello.
These past couple years I've had a challenging time focusing on my own work and meeting the commitments I already obligated myself to doing. I flaked out on too many things lately because I just couldn't manage to get it all done or keep it all straight. While I may not receive the number of requests a better known writer receives, I receive several a week on average. Some weeks, like this one, I receive more than one a day. Some requests are minor, some are not so minor. Sometimes the person asking believes it to be a much less consuming request than I perceive it to be.
For instance, people asking for a blurb or review with less than a month turnaround are sort of exasperating. This happens a lot so I put this out there as a public service announcement: You really should give 3 months (closer to 6 months, if you're asking a "big name"). It will not just take me a "couple hours" to do (I don't work that fast) and I (like most people) don't have gobs of spare hours in any week. Those kinds of rush requests are asking me to drop another commitment or sacrifice my own writing time. Even if I'm really excited about your upcoming book, you're making it difficult for me to help you out. In some cases, I have dropped something or given up my own writing time, but that's not going to be the case going forward.
This is not directed at any specific person. One of my reasons for posting this is so I can refer people to this "announcement" to show that I'm really not blowing them off. Or at least not them specifically. I'm blowing off the world and I'm a total chick worrying that people will be mad at me for saying no to them.
I am still supporting all the No Tell Books titles -- so if you need a review copy, need to be put in contact with one of the authors, etc., I'm here for that.
And of course I'm still here as a human being. I'm not retreating into a cave. I'll still be responding to emails. I'll still be blogging. I'll still be on FB and Goodreads. I still want to hear from friends and kind people who just want to say hello.
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