Poetry News:

1. — Poetry workshop: Try Sean O’Brien’s exercise on poetic dramatisation —
2. — Brian Turner and Bruce Weigl from Lannan Podcasts by Lannan Foundation [links to MP3] —
3. — The revival of Cid Corman’s journal Origin reminds me of when international discussion of poetry took place at a slower, more intense, pace —
4. — One includes “text, pictures, sound, video, liberation”; the other “development, marketing, immersion, adaptation, obsolescence, art.” —
5. — The hunt was on last night for an anonymous Cabinet minister said to have composed a deeply unflattering poem about Gordon Brown —
6. — Poet is a centerfold —
7. — Poet encourages masses to find their inner verse —

Poetry News:

1. — Does poetry have any real agency in the world? It might not seem so, but poets have made some stirring arguments that it does, —
2. — Canadians are playing key role in `Books 2.0′ —
3. — Saying he has a mandate to make poetry more accessible, P.E.I.’s poet laureate has launched a website —
4. — the plowboy interview: Wendell Berry —
5. — A suspicious degeneration —
6. — Ida Fink, Tuvya Ruebner and Nili Mirsky are the winners of the 2008 Israel Prize for Literature, Poetry and Translation —
7. — One thing that unites the fast-growing small presses on this year’s list is their willingness to experiment —

Poetry News:

1. — NZ’s ‘best-loved’ poet dies [and more at your tributes] —
2. — It’s a great time to be a poetry reader —
3. — Police make arrests in Robert Frost house damage —
4. — Poets Forum Reading: Free Audio Download —
5. — Rough and tumble aren’t the only words that drive Metro Detroit’s literati. —
6. — Under the influence of the Romantic poets, he turned away from a life based on calculation —

Poetry News:

1. — Blog or self-published (logroll) “reviews” are not reliable sources [link found here] —
2. — a unique film festival was held where poetry was the focus of the cinematic medium —
3. — Exploring Gertrude Stein’s nooks and crannies —
4. — Synchronously with the growing decline of the novel we are witnessing the beginning of a new golden age of poetry and the interesting spectacle of hard- headed publishers armed with fat contracts scrambling to annex each new poet of promise who “swims within their ken,” according to George P. Brett, President of the Macmillan Company, who is in London on business —
5. — A PRIZED POET: Winner of prestigious award links art form to influences of daily life —
6. — I, too, throw it: Marianne Moore tossing out the first ball, opening day at Yankee Stadium —
7. — “The blood jet is poetry / There is no stopping it” —
8. — In The Circuit by Alice Notley —
9. — Stray Questions for: Kay Ryan —

Well this was an icky experience yesterday & only partially successful due to my freakishly malformed interior nasal septum environment. But it was a good try. (Still having ear problems & quite a lot of pain.) Getting the septum fixed in Dec I think — I’m talking to the surgeon at Vanderbilt about it soon. They are supposed to be good, but, a.) it’s my face b.) it’s my freaking ***SKULL*** and c.) it’s my face. Plus like your brain is right there too, isn’t it?

Poetry News:

1. — Thank you very much for inviting me to speak about Poetry and Power —
2. — the latest wrangle in the US reflects a wider problem in deciding what’s good poetry and what’s not —
3. — VA Tech professor writes poems about shooting —
4. — Poets are good at discerning life within what otherwise might seem lifeless [congrats]—
5. — Business of Words with Collin Kelley, Month of October, Guest: Reb Livingston —
6. — Sean O’Brien has become the first person to win the prestigious Forward Prize for Poetry three times. —
7. — For years, Baltimore has laid claim to one of our greatest writers. Nevermore! —
8. — Old and, though no-one knew it then, close to death, Auden’s behaviour in Ilkley can best be described as eccentric —
9. — The court cited the lower court‘ findings of fact questioning the validity of the certificate‘ facts, such as … the publication of the poems without a copyright notice —
10. — ACLU “˜Howls”™ Against FCC Destroying the Best Poems of a Generation —
11. — Burma: Act Now! —

Congrats to Eclectica on its 54th issue. That’s quite an achievement, as online lit mags seem to come and go. In the latest issue, Scott Malby did a review of this site. Thanks, that is kind.

3 most popular links for last month (as far as Feedburner is concerned):

“This country’‘ best-selling contemporary poetry book, according to the most recent list on poetryfoundation.com”

All about the latest Best American Poetry

The announcement that Paul Muldoon will be the next poetry editor of The New Yorker provoked Ted Genoways, editor of VQR, to to call out American poets

Attn Nashville word nerds: this program (New PBS Series Probes the Origin, Technology and Art of Writing) begins tonight at 7pm on Nashville Public TV.

Poetry News:

1. — The mystery of how we read a sentence has been unlocked by scientists —
2. — In recent years literary research has come to focus more and more on visual forms, and digital poetry brings to a head this concern with the visual —
3. — To the Death…May the Best Writer Win —
4. — Poetcast: September 10th, 2007 New work by Kim Addonizio [links to MP3]—
5. — Alison Lurie on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [contains spoilers] —
6. — Paging David Lynch —
7. — True to its title, Sean O’Brien’s latest collection oozes water —
8. — Nashville: Poet Robin Becker to read at Vanderbilt on Oct. 1 —
9. — I like that phrase - “Lucky Camera” —

Ugh — I had to tell Darryl that Joe Zawinul died. (One of his musical heroes.) Wow, 2007 has been a rough year for musicians — Maynard Ferguson, Michael Brecker, Pavarotti, Max Roach, and Joe Zawinul have died. Here is a video of Joe Zawinul with Cannonball Adderly, way before Weather Report and the Zawinul Syndicate. He’s even playing an acoustic piano

(link)

Poetry News:

1. — Poet and short story writer Grace Paley, a literary eminence and old-fashioned rebel who described herself as a “combative pacifist,” has died (and NYT) —
2. — Fatwa offers unlimited money to kill Taslima —
3. — Remembering Liam Rector —
4. — Out of this has come a small industry in creative writing courses —
5. — We Need Models of Revision —
6. — four impressive new collections —
7. — Langston Hughes was one of the most respected poets in 20th century American literature, though you”™d never know it from Isaac Julien‘ pretentious and monotonous 40-minute hodgepodge —
8. — the similarities and differences between the “New Gen” poets [of the U.K.] and their U.S. contemporaries —
9. — Until yesterday, Deboer was one of just two independent distributors operating on the East Coast —

“The next Powerball drawing will be on Saturday, August 25th, 2007 with an estimated Grand Prize of $300,000,000 ($140,300,000 cash).”

Michael G. generously posted some gazpacho recipes in the comments of yesterday’s post. Sounds great — I will be eating that all weekend I think. Over 100F yesterday again.

Sweet baby carrots recalled in six states

FDA officials said the carrots might be contaminated with bacteria (Shigella) that poses a serious health risk from some people, especially the very young or elderly.

The product was sold under two labels — “Los Angeles Salad Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots” and “Trader Joe’s Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots.”

The “Los Angeles Salad Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots” label was distributed by Kroger Co. and King Sooper stores in Tennessee, Kroger Co. and Ralph’s supermarkets in California, Publix supermarkets in Georgia and Florida, and Get Fresh stores in Nevada.

All of the packages were sold in flexible plastic bags in 7- and 8-ounce sizes with a “sell by date” up to and including Aug. 16.

The second label — “Trader Joe’s Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots” — was distributed by Trader Joe’s stores in Arizona and California in 7-ounce flexible plastic bags with a “sell by date” up to and including Aug. 8.

The recall was initiated after it was discovered the same product sold in Canada was contaminated with Shigella.

Consumers with questions can contact Los Angeles Salads at 626-322-9017.

Poetry News:

1. Subverting violent computer games with religious poetry —
2. the relationship between coffee, literature and commerce —
3. Report after report testifies to declining literacy in America [link good for 5 days] —
4. The Major Poet is a continuation of all the other Major Poets who have read here —
5. Reading Akhmatova’s essays, one is soon convinced that she would have been an excellent ­full-­time critic of literature if she had been given permission —
6. A Book of Russian Poems —