Poetry Hut Blog

Poetry News:

1. — The accompanying CD is particularly valuable because actors can read: its 30 poems are presented beautifully and naturally. —
2. — VIDEO - Kay Ryan: Chickens and the Funnies —
3. — This week we’re looking at a sauce-free poem by the Earl of Rochester, reminding us his range stretched beyond the scurrilous —
4. — N.C. native’s song enshrined —
5. — A poet’s vision for the environment, young artists —
6. — Wordplay: Nan Watkins presents Yvan Goll —
7. — Please remember this very, very important rule, “find out what the publisher wants.” —
8. — King Arthur is propaganda, say French —
9. — But it does represent the edgy relationship of women and their mothers —

Happy Canada Day Canadians!
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Elizabeth Cotten - Freight Train on You Tube with Pete Seeger (She was the maid for the Seeger family — interesting story [if you didn't read the article above]. Her guitar style is pretty influential — “Cotten picking” hmm like Maybelle Carter’s “Carter style” or Merle Travis’ picking, which Chet Atkins glommed onto. [His daughter is named Merle.] Chet used to play “Freight Train” sometimes.

and here is a video of her playing the banjo no embedding available

My back hasn’t gone out, but I’m having some muscle issues I guess. Taking a blog break. Have a good Independence Day.

Poetry News:

1. — Morphine —
2. — The Author Will Take Q.’s Now —
3. — Major Jackson: Where He‘ From —
4. — Clueless CBI gives up Nobel theft probe after three years —
5. — Why Attempt Suicide? Evidence from the Poetry of Suicidal Poets —
6. — Mothers’ reading style affects children’s later understanding of other people’s minds —
7. — Philomene Long, 67, poet [may require bug me not] —
8. — Four of the most celebrated living poets — John Ashbery and former poet laureates Robert Pinsky, Robert Hass and Mark Strand — have new collections —
9. — Bob Dylan is a genius, but he’s no poet —
10. — The owner of a midtown bookstore set fire to hundreds of books on West 39th Street on Sunday —
11. — Poets on Prozac: Mental Illness Treatment and the Creative Process —
12. — ‘Myth’ A poem by Natasha Trethewey [thanks Jessica -- can't wait to hang out at Poet @ Tech on the 21st weee tell the cats I am on my way] —
13. — Interview with Appalachian beat poet Thomas Rain Crowe [links to MP3 & courtesy of WPVM] —
14. — Musical settings of poetry remain rare in jazz —

I don’t know how I missed this post but you should go read it. (I still mispronounce “big words” sometimes LOL.) I’m pretty much done with the “legitimate po-biz world” not that I have ever been in it really hahahahah. Taking a break from sending out stuff to lit mags for sure. Geez o pete, I have poems out from *last summer* that I never got a response back from. :/ That’s not 100% of the reason. I’m just finding the “legitimate po-biz world” increasingly icky-seeming & I’m happy enough just posting poems here, even if folks don’t seem too thrilled, ha. (No offense to anyone in the “legitimate po-biz world” who is reading this blog, I’m sure you are nice people < -- not being a smart ass.) Why, again, did I go into debt for an MFA? hahaha No, I don't regret that, I learned a lot and that is what I wanted to do, learn. I didn't particularly want to teach. I wanted to learn about poetry. Because writing it is fun & I wanted to find out how to write it better. :)

This is my favorite Beatles song.

Hell. It has rained 1 time since I last wrote here of rain. Usually at this time of year our porch/deck here in the woods is full of fallen acorn mast and dropped walnuts. I found one pea-sized acorn yesterday. The poor squirrels. I bought a bag of corn for them at evil Wal-Mart™. It is probably from China so I am probably poisoning them. But yesterday there were 7 squirrels stuffing their faces on the corn and not even hissing at each other. (And some stale Cheerios™ I put out there as well. I eat Cheerios every day. Or oatmeal. Oats and corn are 2 of my very favorite foods. Usually I live on corn during the summer, but not this year.) Poor squirrels so mangy and skinny. I’ll have to go to the farmer’s co-op and get some feed corn this week.