Sunday, January 25, 2009

From the editor

A little news from the editorial seat...

I have a review published in RATTLE -- http://www.rattle.com/blog/2009/01/alabama-steve-by-karyna-mcglynn/.

And a poem in a new online publication, Sweet, that has a very attractive website and a sweet tooth to boot. Check it out at http://www.sweetlit.com/, or to see my poem go directly here: http://www.sweetlit.com/Rebecca_Ellis.html.

Poetry at your feet


Here in the new-fallen snow on the blacktop driveway, a bird has swooped down and left the first poem of the day. The wing as scribe...

Sunday, January 18, 2009

No Dodge

Even poetry can succumb to economics. The venerable Dodge Poetry festival will take a pass this year due to the same financial stresses other foundations are experiencing. Universities, arts foundations, and your 401k all depend on interest earned and stocks invested. Few have escaped the financial sector's latest troubles.

If you have a favorite arts organization, check your wallet and see if you have any extra to share. This would be a good time to do it . . . they all need your help.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Bringing Poetry to the Community

Interviewed on KDHX's Literature for the Halibut, Julia Gordon-Bramer talks about her work as director of the Writers Voice literary center, bringing poets and other writers into St. Louis. Arranging the 'tours,' she sees a different side of well-knowns such as Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey and Gloria Steinem. Julie Gordon-Bramer is articulate, frank, interesting, and brings a new perspective to the idea of doing what you love.

Listen to the podcast here (select the podcast for January 1).

KDHX only posts podcasts for about a month. This one first broadcast on January 1, so get it while you can.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Add to your reading list: The Heart's Traffic

Ching-In Chen's new book, The Heart's Traffic -- described as a novel written in poetry -- is out (or soon to be out) from Arktoi, an imprint of Red Hen Press. I have it on order from our local independent bookstore, Left Bank Books.

I was lucky enough to be in an online writing workshop with Ching-In and on the strength of what I saw there, I'm going to stand in line to get my copy hot off the press. She's an exciting writer, innovative and brave, with a gorgeously rich sense of language, and in her writing and life she weaves together many different identities and worlds. The Arktoi website has a bio of Ching-In Chen, and links to an interview and to her project Mangoes With Chili, which is an annual 'floating cabaret' of poetry performances by queer and transgender people of color. http://www.redhen.org/arktoi.asp

Left Bank Books 314.367.6731 (yes, they will order any book, unlike the big chains, and they will mail it to you if you're not local!)