Gotta Love Gertrude

I have been slowly reading Ulla Dydo's massive study, Gertrude Stein: The Language That Rises, 1923-1934, a work that delves deeply into how Stein wrote, how her daily life wove into her work, and examines how and where Stein's writing changed as it went from journal entry into finished work, typed by Alice's loving little hands. I find it slow going because of the minutiae--today I was reading about how often Stein used the word "basket" in her writings before she and Alice got the white poodle Basket, and how Basket the poodle thereafter figured into the work.

But then I come to Stein quotes like, "Think in stitches. Think in sentences. Think in settlements. Think in willows."

And I want to spend many hours thinking in willows and thinking in stitches and I wish to live in Steinlandia for all my days.

Does the Right Hand Pointing Know What the Left Hand Forgets?

I have a poem just published at Right Hand Pointing. I stumbled across this site on Oct. 25th. Dale Wisely and his guest editors (in this case Howie Good) publish very short works. 12 lines and under, 75 words and under. I hardly ever write poems this short, so I decided to spend a few hours rooting through my archives for either short poems or failed poems I could hack into (oh, I mean carefully mold and craft) into shortened forms. I sent off my submission, and one hour later Howie Good emailed me to ask one of my poems, "Rows for Hoeing" was still available. Even though I'd been forced to wait a whole hour for a reply, I agreed to publication. This was actually the one poem that fit the guidelines without me having to tinker and chop and alter it. I have always kinda liked it, so I am very happy it found a home. Thanks, Howie and Dale. Writer folks--check out this site and also its companion, Left Hand Waving, a journal devoted to first-person essays. Both have some good stuff to read.

I am off to Atlanta for the annual extended family feast. Happy travels and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Welcome to the blog, and welcome me to blogging

Greetings on a crisp fall evening as I embark on a blog with a focus on poetry but touching on lots of other stuff because hey, poetry is complicated and mixed in and mixed up with a lot of other things. I plan on posting the work of poets and writers I admire, doing some interviews, and sometimes posting poems or beginnings to poems. I hope to connect with other writers via this here web-thingy.

Today I was wondering what ever happened to a poem that had been accepted by Nth Postition, and lo and behold it had been published back in July:
http://nthposition.com/dearideaofagrandfather.php


Thanks, Nth Position!