Your Poetry Crush
Dear Poets,
Way back when I was first teaching for WWLA, a class meeting fell on February 14th. The week before I tried to diplomatically ask if anyone ‘needed’ or wanted to reschedule. To my delight, everyone seemed glad to have a plan for the night. I suggested we each bring along a book by our current poetry crush and we had a wonderful evening.
There was discussion of author photos, scrutiny of acknowledgement page thank yous, mention of Google-stalking, and piecing together subtle allusions to deduce a poet’s romantic status. There was also a kind of release in being able to gush about what made us fall in love with a poet’s work — the suddenness with which something was revealed, a tenderness in articulating an old wound, a sense of shared vulnerability that came through the page. Beyond the fun of talking about what drew us to a particular poet was the sense of how poetry also generates a kind of love — one that we each aspired to also send out.
I was reminded of this last Friday night when I was attended Gerda Govine Inuarte’s book launch for her latest, Ballet of Ingredients. She said something before her reading that stuck with me: “We need to let the words out. The words need to breathe.” It’s so easy to keep our poem-fragments on the computer (in more antiquated terms this was once called “writing for the drawer”) but hearing her read and remembering how much each book meant to those at this class session is a goad — you should bring your work out into the world.
Meanwhile, Happy Galentine’s Day, chocolate-eating, or whatever you enjoy. My favorite iteration is International Quirkyalone Day, an invention by my dear friend Sasha Cagen, who was just in L.A. to film a segment on ‘self-marriage’ for Dr. Phil! She’s hosting a Quirkyalone dance party later today if you want to join in.
Sharing with love:
A few people recently asked where to find places to submit work. I’ve mentioned Radha Marcum’s newsletter before, but her latest offers a solid round up.
This deadline is — tomorrow! If you qualify, this looks like a cool literary organization serving poets with disabilities. I noticed a lot of interesting essays on poetry & disability on their website. “If you are a poet (age 21+) who identifies as disabled and is interested in building community and pursuing artistic excellence in a diverse cohort of writers, consider applying to be a Zoeglossia Fellow.
Poets can now apply for the A Public Space Writing Fellowship. Applications open March 1 and close March 31st. From their website: “The aim of these fellowships is to seek out and support writers who embrace risk in their work and their own singular vision. Writers who have not yet contracted to publish a book are invited to apply. Submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and—this year, for this first time—poetry are welcome. Three fellowships will be awarded.”
Meanwhile, the University of California-Riverside Writers Week is happening as I type. Free to the public and lots of great Zoom events.
Someone just told me about the Soul Bone Literary Festival — a new one to me — starting today and going through next week. Also on Zoom and free. I think this class, “Demystifying the Manuscript” with Kelli Russell Agodon (editor of Two Sylvias Press) and Susan Rich looks good.
SunJune Literary Collaborative’s next (free) generative writing session is coming up on February 21st. The theme is: “A Many-Splendored Thing: On Writing Poems of Love & Friendship.”
If you’re local, drop in to the Altadena Library for this upcoming reading with the wonderful Carla Sameth and guests.
I have to confess I haven’t read this yet, but I am seeing a lot of buzz about this essay, “I Don’t Fuck With the Term ‘Lyric Essay’” by Anne Boyer.
This NYT article “A Writer’s Lament: The Better You Write, the More You Will Fail” seems more practical: “A paradox defines writing: The public sees writers mainly in their victories but their lives are spent mostly in defeat.” Margaret Atwood opines: “Before every one of your readings, have a Fisherman’s Friend.” I appreciated this quote from James Baldwin: “‘Discipline, love, luck, but, most of all, endurance.’ …James Baldwin’s writing advice can be summed up in a word: Persevere.”
This is good too: “Actual Literary Etiquette” by Rebecca Makkai. Her GIF game is strong.
Finally, let me send some love out to Chris Daley, former WWLA administrator and writer and teacher extraordinaire. Her Submission Sunday Substack is excellent and one of my best sources for finding places to submit. Chris just relaunched her website services (and more!) and is building incredible sites for writers.
I’m not sure where I found this on the web, but I like it. Happy V-Day to you!
As ever, I hope to hear from you! ✍️