Archive for February, 2009
Friday, February 27th, 2009
Cooking Dinner
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
COOKING DINNER
Spring again. Its warmer breeze. Open screen door.
Another war buds up, pliant and green,
thick spores of restlessness
like pollen in the air–you could sneeze with it;
your heart could stop beating in a moment.
____bless you, you’re whispering.
[...]
2 Comments » - Posted in american fractal, audio, poems by Tim
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
You Must Submit
sub⋅mit
1. to give over or yield to the power or authority of another (often used reflexively).
2. to subject to some kind of treatment or influence.
3. to present for the approval, consideration, or decision of another or others: to submit a plan; to submit an application.
4. to state or urge with deference; suggest or propose (usually [...]
8 Comments » - Posted in insipid industriosity by Tim
Monday, February 23rd, 2009
What’s Really Wrong with Poetry Book Prizes?
Last September, I chimed in on David Alpaugh’s provocative essay, “What’s Really Wrong with Poetry Book Contests.” The problem is economic — book contests are an easy way to get poets to subsidize their own publication. You can think of it as a publishing co-op, something like Cahuenga Press, only instead of a dozen people [...]
No Comments » - Posted in american fractal, sagacious sulking by Tim
Thursday, February 19th, 2009
16 Days
That’s how long I lasted. I wanted to try writing a post every weekday, and I could barely keep it up for half a month. Megan always talks about trying to set attainable goals, and I think I did a bad job. How do the real bloggers do it? Don’t you get tired? Don’t you [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in american fractal, random riff-raff by Tim
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
Return of the Dancing Bear
This is the brick wall I stared at for three days straight. It was a nice wall, sturdy and white, with an electric outlet, which would have been convenient if the Hilton didn’t charge $20/day for internet access. I really did mean to live-blog. Lots of interesting people stopped by the booth, and had I [...]
4 Comments » - Posted in rattle rubbish by Tim
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
See you in Chicago
Well, I’m off to the AWP tomorrow morning, but today’s going to be too busy for a proper post. I will try to do some live-blogging from the conference, assuming free internet access is easy to find. What does that mean? Cell phone pics of Mark Doty shuffling through throngs of autograph seekers? My cell [...]
6 Comments » - Posted in rattle rubbish by Tim
Monday, February 9th, 2009
The Best Kept Secret in the Valley
If you ever get shot or suffer heat stroke in the San Fernando Valley, the Encino Medical Center might be your best bet for a no-fuss trauma unit. We’ve had to go a few times, and it’s always empty — which gives one the comforting impression that if there ever was an actual life-threatening situation, [...]
6 Comments » - Posted in rattle rubbish, sagacious sulking by Tim
Friday, February 6th, 2009
Happy Quinceañera!
Rattle turns 15 this year, and we’re celebrating it with Red Hen Press — who also happens to be turning 15 — at parties in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. The first is a week from tonight, off-site at the AWP. If you’re going to be in Chicago, stop by the Red Head Piano [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in rattle rubbish by Tim
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
I Like Killing Flies
The way I choose to function is to pick an arbitrary, stupid goal, become totally involved in it, and pursue it with vigor. And what happens to you in that pursuit is your life.
–Kenny Shopsin, from the documentary I Like Killing Flies
We watched this last week, and it’s one of the best documentaries I’ve seen [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in personal prattle by Tim
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
Lost Among the Pillars of Grass: The Three Poetries
Turning yesterday’s post on its head less than 24 hours later, I’ve been reading John Ashbery, The Tennis Court Oath, and am forced to admit, once again, that there isn’t just one poetry. There are whole swaths of people who get things out of poetry that I don’t care all that much about. And that’s [...]
