Catching up out the gates
Not counting my vacation time last week, this week has been the first "get 'er done" week of the year. So far, I've been firing on all cylinders. Recent developments first:
- The World Literature Today magazine is officially out in stores! It looks awesome sitting next to all of those other real magazines. Jack McCarthy wrote me a cool email about finding it in a bookstore.
- Last night's open mic was a ton of fun! It was so good to see all of the poets, and doing so well after the long break! Always great to have new poets in the house too. I know I was naughty, but it was good naughty.
Expect a lot of good things this year. I really want to help poets up their game in whatever poetic corners they want to excel at (writing, performance, Slam, et al.), and some things that are being put on the schedule and format changes will address that goal head-on. It's going to be a great year for Writers' Block!
I read Bill Campana's "Auto-Stigmata" (if you don't know...) and I wrote a quickie on the spot that I boorishly called "Corey and Teri Holding Hands". Come on: I was editing it as I walked up.
- I had my first of ten sessions with the Independence High School writing group, Bust-a-Rhyme, Tuesday afternoon. Had about ten students, all young ladies, with a few returning students from last year. This crop is goign to be all kinds of awesome. They're realy into writing, they're fast, they don't whine, and they all jump at the chance to perform theier exerciseesas they go. On top of that, I really hit a strong facilitation stride right out the gate, no warm-up, so I did a good job too. I had them write a lot, of course, but I also had them perform and interpret some Shajkespeare (Othello, of course) and some other goodies I wheeled out. I think this group may yield a high school slam team that can participate in something I'm working on for the year.
- Really got ahead of the Rust Belt planning. Some other things to work out, but we're way ahead of the game right now.
- Somehwere in there I'm finding time to work out some product oversights I've committed in the past and get some stuff out there in different formats and places. Watering Hole: Juke Joint Poems will soon be downloadable. Like, VERY soon.
See you in the trenches!
- The World Literature Today magazine is officially out in stores! It looks awesome sitting next to all of those other real magazines. Jack McCarthy wrote me a cool email about finding it in a bookstore.
- Last night's open mic was a ton of fun! It was so good to see all of the poets, and doing so well after the long break! Always great to have new poets in the house too. I know I was naughty, but it was good naughty.
Expect a lot of good things this year. I really want to help poets up their game in whatever poetic corners they want to excel at (writing, performance, Slam, et al.), and some things that are being put on the schedule and format changes will address that goal head-on. It's going to be a great year for Writers' Block!
I read Bill Campana's "Auto-Stigmata" (if you don't know...) and I wrote a quickie on the spot that I boorishly called "Corey and Teri Holding Hands". Come on: I was editing it as I walked up.
- I had my first of ten sessions with the Independence High School writing group, Bust-a-Rhyme, Tuesday afternoon. Had about ten students, all young ladies, with a few returning students from last year. This crop is goign to be all kinds of awesome. They're realy into writing, they're fast, they don't whine, and they all jump at the chance to perform theier exerciseesas they go. On top of that, I really hit a strong facilitation stride right out the gate, no warm-up, so I did a good job too. I had them write a lot, of course, but I also had them perform and interpret some Shajkespeare (Othello, of course) and some other goodies I wheeled out. I think this group may yield a high school slam team that can participate in something I'm working on for the year.
- Really got ahead of the Rust Belt planning. Some other things to work out, but we're way ahead of the game right now.
- Somehwere in there I'm finding time to work out some product oversights I've committed in the past and get some stuff out there in different formats and places. Watering Hole: Juke Joint Poems will soon be downloadable. Like, VERY soon.
See you in the trenches!