Blog Posts

Updating Goodreads and Other Summer Notes

8/1/2014

It's August, and that does mean that I have to at least start thinking about the new semester. Right now, that is all I have been doing is thinking about it. Oh, and I did pile all my new textbooks on my desk. That's about it.

As always, summer has gotten away from me. I didn't get all the writing projects done that I wanted to get done, but I wasn't a total slouch, either. The last few weeks or so, I have spent considerable time updating my Goodreads account. I found Goodreads a few years ago and then somehow I lost it (too caught up in all the social media, I suppose). Anyways, I have been copying and pasting all my reviews from my old blog on Goodreads in case I decide to take my old Wordpress blog down. This way, at least members can read my recommendations and reviews.

Speaking of reviews -- I have posted two new reviews under my Book Picks tab (these reviews have also been posted on GoodReads). The first review is a poetry book titled, Waiting at the Dead End Diner by Rebecca Schumejda. As I stated in my review, the world needs more waitress poems.

Here is my contribution: "She Likes to Work Graveyard" published in Fried Chicken and Coffee.

Finally, Followers and Friends of my blogs and website know that I have studied and presented numerous papers on Centralia, a town that slowly disappeared because of an underground coal fire. Centralia has taken on a mythical quality in pop culture and indeed makes an appearance in the work of poets Sherry Fairchok, Barbara Crooker and Karen Blomain. Two of my favorite novels, Coal Run by Tawni O'Dell and Those Who Favor Fire by Lauren Wolk, both feature Centralia-like settings.

But, there's a new book in town. Natalie S. Harnett has recently published a novel titled The Hollow Ground which is also inspired by Centralia. It's a fantastic read -- especially for anyone who likes coming-of-age stories or is interested in the Anthracite region of Pennsylvania.

Now, on to the remaining days of summer!

And Then There Were Four....

7/30/2014

So, somehow, some way, our household of two cats has become four! Welcome to Bennie (short for Benedetta) and Loki (Yes, named after the trickster in mythology!). How are Ali and Charly adjusting to the new kittens? Ali loves them, treating them like her own kittens -- washing them, wrestling with them, teaching them how to get into trouble. Charly, on the other hand, wants to pretend they don't exist. In her mind, she is still Queen of this castle!

New Work in Storm Cellar

7/29/2014

The newest issue of Storm Cellar is here! I have a short nonfiction prose piece titled, "Phoebe Cates's Bikini" in this issue, which joins great work by writers Jeff Burt, Andrew Cox, Sarah Sloat, Jim Davis, and Stacy Graber (just to name a few).

This issue also features a fascinating art portfolio, titled Barbie Falls on Hard Times by Kari Gunter-Seymour. Editor and Publisher, Sidney T. Sheehan describes Gunter-Seymour's work: "Change is all too real. Suppose Barbie were a real young woman, stuck with her own impossible beauty ideal and a life’s many disappointments: Kari Gunter-Seymour’s photo portfolio won’t let us look away. How familiar she is! We even feel for her a little…" The artist herself talks a bit about her work here.

Copies of Storm Cellar may be purchased here, through Etsy.

Love That Dog & Other Ways to Love Poetry

7/11/2014

Last week, when I started my advanced poetry workshop under poet Shara McCallum, she talked a little about Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, a thin children's book that describes a small boy named Jack who does not want to write poetry because "poetry is for girls." The book then follows Jack as he learns to love the art of poetry through both the works of some famous poets and his own writing.

I loved this book so much so that I may buy copies of this book in bulk next Christmas and give it to every child I know. It's not just that the book was such a good story; it also said a lot about the poetry world and poetry writing in general.

In our class these past two weeks, we have spent a lot of time with form -- exploring forms that I already knew, forms I knew but never have accomplished, and forms I never really thought about before. I'm happy to report that in the last two weeks, I wrote two sestinas, a form I teach, I read, but have never managed to finish. Now, I have to admit that neither sestina is especially any good, and indeed, one is probably going to be revised into a more open verse form, but I'm still happy that I managed to finish them. I also managed to revise three other poems and are working on two others. So, this poetry break was good for me and my writing.

In other news, Rochelle Hurt spent some time on the Best American Poetry website this past week talking about many poetry topics, but certainly one that is near and dear to my heart: a Rust Belt poet's relationship to their home and their work. Read "The Aesthetics of Ruin" for a discussion of this relationship as well as some notes about poets who write about debris.

Negotiating Summer

6/21/2014

Today marks the first day of summer, although we've been enjoying summer weather for days here in western Pennsylvania. Yes, we've had our fair share of thunderstorms and sticky temperatures, but for the most part, we've had comfortable days and cool nights. If we could have this kind of weather in the months ahead, I would be very happy indeed.

I am teaching an online class this summer and am learning a new program along the way. That has been keeping me fairly busy, but I have found that I am slowly drifting away from my writing goals for the summer. (Perhaps the nice weather has been too distracting?) I wanted to finish five essays that I started, and yes, two are finished (or as finished as any piece of writing can be, I suppose), but I am getting bogged down in the research for two others. As for the fifth essay -- well, I had a great start, but I'm on page five and I have discovered that I'm not sure where to go with the rest of the piece. Perhaps I should slide the draft under my pillow at night and then maybe, I will wake up with a great resolution.

For the most part, poetry has been pushed to the side this year. However, this past month, I did write two new poems and I revised two others. Not terribly productive, I know, but it's better than what I have been doing with my poetry, and I really want to take another look at my manuscript with some fresh, new poems in hand.

A final note about summer plans: Chautuaqua's season officially has officially started, and there are some wonderful workshops on the schedule. If you live in the area, you should take a look at what the Writers Center if offering. As for me, I will be taking an advance poetry workshop with poet Shara McCallum -- so looking forward to jumpstarting (hopefully!) my poetry writing!

Pennsylvania on My Mind

6/15/2014

This past month or so, I have spent considerable time reading about the history of Pennsylvania. For the most part, I have researched local history -- the natural history of western Pennsylvania along with the "manmade" history of the area's lumber and oil industries. Finding specific information about local history can be a bit tricky -- I am not from a big city and when it comes to the working-class history of Pennsylvania, the coal history and steel industry often take center stage. Most of what I know about local history I know from when I used to work at a small newspaper and had access to the newspaper archives.

I have realized how much I didn't know about the world where I grew up. When I write, I am leaving big gaps in my essays. This is slowing down the writing process quite a bit, although I realize that I may be getting a bit too caught up with the research that I am getting distracted from my own writing.

Still, I was thrilled to find a few books about local history by Dennis McGeehan. These books are comprised of old photographs and stories. Together, they tell a scattered history of my part of the world. (I strongly believe that real history is scattered -- that history should not be presented as a straight linear line of events labeled with mere dates.)

I have also recently finished Here and There: Reading Pennsylvania's Working Landscapes by Bill Conlogue. (See my review here.) Conlogue's work reminds me of the importance of research, but it also reminds me that part of a writer's job is to give a voice to a time or place that may not necessarily have a presence (at least a written presence) in history.

Rejection and the Redheaded Stepchild

6/8/2014

Rejection is part of the writer's life and I don't believe that I could write anything today about rejection that hasn't already been said. Perhaps the best quote I have ever heard about rejection is this: "Rejection is a sign of a writer at work." Yes, I put quotes around this sentence, but it's really a paraphrase because I have no idea who said it, and a quick Google search didn't help me. I did, however, find this interesting website titled Literary Rejections. Many of the quotes are familiar to me, but others were new -- with lots of advice about rejection worth thinking about.

Still, this isn't really a post celebrating rejection. Instead, it's a post celebrating the publication of my poem, "Chameleon" in The Redheaded Stepchild, a journal that specializes in finding homes for the rejected poem. In other words, this is a journal that celebrates rejection! My poem joins work by poets Carol Berg, Kimberly L. Becker, and Lauren Camp (among others!) Stop by and enjoy all the work!

To Show and To Tell

6/3/2014

It never fails. I could spend months preparing for a new course or doing major revisions to a course I have taught before, and the minute I put my final grades in for said course, I pick up a book that would have been perfect for the class. This time, it's Phillip Lopate's To Show and To Tell -- a guide that would have been excellent for my Advanced Prose class this past spring.

Still, not all is lost. Currently, I am wrapping up some of my own work through a WOW! Women on Writing workshop that focuses on flash creative nonfiction/memoir writing. The class, taught by the wonderful Melanie Faith, has really allowed me to focus on my own prose pieces. Lopate's words have echoed throughout my head as I have finished my final pieces for the workshop. His book explores the craft of creative nonfiction (or literary nonfiction) and offers a lot of insight about this fourth genre.

For me, the most intriguing chapter has been about the line between showing and telling. Show, Show, Show, is what I tell my students, when in back of my head, I know that I actually do too much showing in my own work. I tend to overload with images, so yes, my readers do get clear pictures in their heads of the story, characters, and setting -- they just don't know the purpose of these images! Between Lopate's advice and the feedback from the WOW class, I have officially been given more permission to tell, as well as show. Let's just hope that my new work isn't all about merely telling...

Summer Reading List

5/17/2014

Final papers and tests have been graded. Final grades have been posted. Final ceremonies including awards programs, end-of-the-year parties, and graduation have been celebrated.

So, let the summer festivities begin!

Every year, JCC releases a summer reading list to campus staff, faculty members, and administrators. Today, I am posting my contributions. All of these works are books I have read this year, and because they are all by female authors, they would be great picks for the 14 books by women authors challenge for the year 2014. See this post for more information about this challenge.

The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin

I am a fan of Benjamin’s novels, and her latest book, The Aviator’s Wife which explores the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh did not disappoint me. Critics have raved that the novel was historically accurate – I just loved learning about the woman behind the successes and sorrows of Charles Lindbergh.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Ann Fowler

Fowler’s retelling of the relationship between F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda is a page turner gives an interesting perspective about this notorious relationship. Was Zelda Fitzgerald’s beloved muse or his literary downfall? This novel suggests that she was neither – but an important literary figure in her own right.

The Empathy Exams: Essays by Leslie Jamison

Jamison’s collection of essays explores empathy in its many forms. While some of the essays may be a little too academic for many readers’ tastes, other essays, including the ones that explore the world of medical actors, the people who suffer from Morgellons disease, and the victims of a murder that sent innocent people to jail, are worth reading over and over again. In her blurb, writer Mary Karr states this book “will make you a better human being.” I don’t know if it made me a better human being but many of Jamison’s stories kept me up late at night thinking about how the world (including myself) can be more empathetic.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Kent’s book is a haunting novel that retells the story Agnes Magnusdottir, who was convicted for her role in the murder of two men and was the last person to be executed in Iceland. Readers will fall in love with Kent’s lyrical picture of the starkly beautiful landscape and rugged characters.

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizbeth Kolbert

In her newest book, Kolbert explores our planet’s histories of extinctions by looking at research and data from dozens of scientists, both past and present. Yet, her book is not just a scientific synopsis – indeed, readers will be with Kolbert as she travels the earth looking at the remains of extinct animals and searching for those that are slowly dying.

Edible: An Adventure into the World of Eating Insects and the Last Great Hope to Save the Planet by Daniella Martin

Martin journeys around the world and makes a great case for how the benefits of eating insects may be a feasible solution to the world’s hunger problems. Balancing logic and emotional appeals, she examines how insects are cost beneficial and healthy. She even includes recipes at the end of her book!

Loud in the House of Myself: Memoir of a Strange Girl by Stacy Pershall

It’s true that memoirs exploring mental health conditions seem to be a dime a dozen in today’s market, but Pershall’s book which follows her journey through her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, is both funny and touching without added melodrama.

The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

This book is marketed as a young adult novel, but don’t let this stop you from reading this fun and engaging retelling of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau from the doctor’s daughter point of view. (And you don’t have to read Wells’ book to understand the world of Megan Shepherd!)

Welcoming Spring

5/1/2014

Hello May! I am sure glad to see you. April was a month of trials and tribulations, so I am looking forward to the end of the semester and the start of summer. Except that right now it doesn't feel too much like summer. In fact, even though I am seeing more green than I have in the last few months, it doesn't feel much like spring. My tulips are struggling to open in the rain and the robins look miserable. Predictions say it's going to be a cool summer here in the Northeast, so I'm not packing away my winter sweaters, yet.

On the good news front: two acceptances for two poems. I am excited that my poems will appear in upcoming volumes of Slipstream and So to Speak.

Finally, drum roll, please.....the winners of this year's Great Poetry Giveaway are....

Margo Roby has won a copy of The Waiting Girl by Erin Ganaway

Katrina Roberts has won a Chapbook Poetry Grab Bag (which will include a copy of Wearing Heels in the Rust Belt).

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to leave a note on my blog. Please visit again.