Apr 08
MeredithPoetry, Reading, Writing
I have not found many writers who can move with ease between genres. Michael Ondaatje does it flawlessly. Everything I have read, from his novels (think The English Patient, Divisadero) to his memoir (Running in the Family) and from his experimental work (The Collected Works of Billy the Kid) to his poetry (The Cinnamon Peeler), I have loved. The richness of his language and the way he weaves his narrative amaze me. So, for today, I’m sharing a couple lines from The Cinammon Peeler.
Two birds loved
in a flurry of red feathers
like a burst cottonball
-from “Application For a Driving Licence”
Women who gave up the accordion because of pinched breasts
-from “Elimination Dance (An Intermission)”
Check out Ondaatje’s bio at Poets.org
Apr 07
MeredithPoetry, Reading, Uncategorized, Writing edson, magical realism, poetry that makes your brain go all fuzzy in a good way
If I had to pick one poet who I could just follow around in hopes that some wonderfulness would rub off on me, I would pick Russell Edson. I was introduced to his work in an experimental forms class and fell in love right away. He has that ability that you see in writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Jorge Luis Borges to tell the most fantastic stories in a way that seems undeniably real. Women are married to apes and chairs fall in love and these are just the things of the every day.
Here are a few lines from his poem “Let Us Consider.”
Let us consider the farmer who makes his straw hat his
sweetheart; or the old woman who makes a floor lamp her son;
or the young woman who has set herself the task of scraping
her shadow off a wall….
You can read the full poem over at the Poetry Foundation’s site.
A question for my readers (if there are, in fact, any of you out there): Who is your favorite poet?
Apr 06
MeredithPoetry, Reading, Writing Gregory Orr, how the ink gets in your veins, national poetry month, Poetry, the poet as witness
Don’t judge a book by its cover, or so goes the cliche. But, I judge every book by its cover. And sometimes I fall in love with books based on their covers alone. Sometimes, my love is rewarded with insides that are just as wonderful as the outsides. Sometimes that pretty face lets me down. Gregory Orr’s book Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved could never let me down.
I fell in love with the cover while shopping online a few months ago, and finally I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I ordered a copy for my very own self. And every time I pick it up and read a few lines it tells me once more why I write poetry. A few of my favorite lines:
But maybe the wind is supposed
To blow right through you;
Maybe you’re a tree in winter
And your poem translates
That cold wind into a song.
I love the fervor of his writing. His conviction that the poet has a calling, a duty in this world. That we create beautiful pairings of words because we must. So I take up my pen and my notebook and head into the world each day, and there’s a reason for it.
Learn more about Gregory Orr at Poets.org. And if you want to read the book I mentioned, Barnes and Noble is one place to find it.
Also, if you want even more poetry in your life, don’t forget to sign up for the “Poem a Day” email list at Poets.org. It’s pretty wonderful to find a new poem in your inbox everyday.
Apr 05
MeredithPoetry
Since I started this little project a couple days late, today I’m going to share a few poets. Also, since I’m not sure of the legalities of posting poems in their entirety, I’m going to give you my favorite lines and then link you to the poem as a whole somewhere else.
G.C. Waldrep
He’s another recent discovery for me. I absolutely adore the way he plays with language, his phrasing, the simplicity he can use to achieve music:
“What is a high sound when a sparrow takes it. When breath snatches. A latch catches.” from What Is a Soprano
John Donne
I really only know one poem by John Donne, but it is my all time favorite poem. It’s hard for me to choose a poem, just as it is hard for me to choose one book, that is my most favorite. I love many all at once and new ones as they cross my path. But this poem is one I have loved since I first read it in a college English class. I have carried it around in my head ever since and it has been posted on my bulletin board for years. I love it for its romance, for its clarity.
We can die by it, if not live by love,
And if unfit for tombs and hearse
Our legend be, it will be fit for verse
Read the rest.
Allen Ginsberg
An iconic poet I feel in love with a few years ago. First, I discovered his poem “A Supermarket in California,” which is, if not tied with “The Canonization,” a close second for my all-time favorite poem. Then I downloaded a CD of his readings and fell harder. I love the way he reads. These lines are my favorite; it’s that kind of imagery and play I wish I could achieve.
What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at
night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!
–and you, García Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?
Read the rest.
Apr 04
MeredithPoetry, Writing
It’s National Poetry Month. When I told Avelino that, he congratulated me. I looked at him, rather perplexed, and he responded “They’re recognizing what you do.”
I write poetry; I have for something like 6 years now. I even call myself a poet sometime, but when April rolls around, I don’t think of myself, my work, being celebrated. Now, thanks to Ave, I am. And in honor of that, I’m going to make a little goal for myself: every day, I’m going to share my favorite lines of poetry. I might even share some of my own poetry.
Vera Pavlova
I’ve only recently discovered Vera Pavlova, but her ability to create something so forceful in such a small space is amazing to me. On of my favorites:
If there is something to desire,
there will be something to regret.
If there is something to regret,
there will be something to recall.
If there is something to recall,
there was nothing to regret.
If there was nothing to regret,
there was nothing to desire.
You can read a few more of her poems over at the New Yorker.
And if you’re looking for more poetry, visit www.poets.org and www.poetryfoundation.org.
Apr 04
MeredithBookmaking
Mistakes are where learning begins. It’s a phrase that’s been getting tossed around a lot in my pedagogy class this semester. I’m pretty sure it’s true. I’m deep in my final semester of grad school and up to my elbows in paper and glue as I take my final thesis from words in my head to a book.
After weeks of editing and design, this weekend I started on construction. I measured and counted and measured and counted. I rearranged and started over. And as I glued the last piece in place, I couldn’t wait to see this beautiful thing I had made. As I shut the book so I could press it (i.e. super-flatten it), I felt it resisting the fold. Panicked, I opened it up to see that my endpapers-painstakingly cut and tipped in-had bunched around the spine. The book wouldn’t close all the way. Though I had measured the spine (at least three times) and allowed extra, it wasn’t enough. In 15 seconds, more hours of work than I care to count flew out the window.
And yet, I didn’t feel despondent. This is why I was making a test copy. To see what would go wrong so I could fix it when it counted. And everything had gone beautifully till that last second. So the good news is that it won’t be difficult to fix.
That moment that have could have turned into a pity party with my best friends anger and frustration reminded me that mistakes are what we learn from. That’s how we learn to problem solve. Frankly, I’m impressed with my ability to remain so rational on so little sleep and with such a short amount of time left till this thing has to be finished. So tonight I’m back to my little binding station to re-work it again so that when it matters, it will be perfect.
Feb 04
MeredithUncategorized
Ave took this photo during one of our recent snows.
It’s the great blizzard of January ‘10, and it’s coming tomorrow. Some are predicting as much as 45″. We’re tucking in for the weekend. I hope you all stay nice and warm and have plenty of food and drink so that your forced hibernation is enjoyable. I’ll be drinking hot chocolate and working on homework. What are your plans?
Jan 27
MeredithUncategorized
Photo by Nature's Pics, shared under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
I’m a pessimist. I don’t often expect happy little surprises in my day. But lately, I’ve stumbled across a number of them, from the pair of books my dear friend Ginny sent me to my new favorite ginger tea. This week I’ve had an extraordinarily high number of pieces of happy and I want to share them with you:
On Monday, my brand new copy of Pictorial Webster’s: A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities by John M. Carrerra arrived in the mail. It’s a collection of engravings from 19th century editions of the Webster’s Dictionaries. I’m smitten, and think that anyone who loves dictionaries, printing, or vintage art should check it out. The content is fabulous and the book design is, in my humble opinion, beautiful.
On Tuesday, I started my last semester of grad school. Admittedly, more of a mixed bag than these other happiness makers, as this final semester brings with it an overwhelming amount of work, but I love school and starting anew is always exhilarating.
And then, today, I got two lovely little bits of happy.
Around lunch time, I caught sight of the first robin of spring. Throughout my life, the idea that the robin was a harbinger of fairer weather has stuck with me. Perhaps it’s not true, but whenever I see that first robin, I get a little thrill. I can imagine the melting feeling of sitting in the warm sun. I usually write down the sighting as well.
And then, tonight, I returned home from class to find a package waiting for me. Now, I’ve been trying to curb my spending, but I can’t help myself and sometimes I cave. This time I caved at an Etsy shop, and bought a beautiful edition of Jerome K. Jerome’s Idle Thoughts. My camera has gone kablooey, but at some point soon I’ll still Ave’s and get a decent picture of this favorite new find (and a number of other projects of late) posted.
I can only hope the rest of the week keeps up the trend. Tell me: what unexpected (or even expected) things have made you happy lately?
Jan 18
MeredithUncategorized a promise to myself i might actually keep, the birds nesting in the walls of our house are causing little avalanches, toast with jam and tea is nice
I’m not sure I’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution; not a real one anyway. Perhaps in random conversations about such things I’d chime in with a “yeah, I need to get more exercise,” or “being more organized sure would be nice,” but I never really meant it. Then this year, for some reason, I became particularly vehement in my refusal to resolve. What was the point? What made the beginning of the year the time for that, anyway? And it’s not like anyone ever sticks to their resolutions–I particularly like to set myself ginormous tasks, no matter the time of year, then berate myself as I crash and burn because they’re unachievable.
But then my friend Jason surprised me with his 2009 resolutions recap. Instead of grandiose promises, he’d set himself goals that were realistic and measurable. So this year, instead of resolutely breaking my resolutions, I’m making myself a few small goals. And sharing them with you.
1. Clear out my respective inboxes, get them to zero unread messages, and keep it that way (When I decided on this goal, my Gmail inbox alone had 350 unread emails languishing away. At this writing, I’ve gotten it down to 36 unreads.)
2. Go for a walk at least twice a week. Even just a short one around the block. No matter the temperature or how insanely busy and stressed out I am during my last semester. And not because I need to lose weight, even though I do. Because walking gives a time for solitary contemplation.
3. Clean up the craft room in January. As I finish my final semester of grad school, I’m going to need a clear space to create.
4. Clean up the craft room in May. Because in finishing grad school, I will have made a complete wreck of it all over again.
5. Open an Etsy shop, even if it’s not till June (I’ll need time to recover from all the book making). Even if I only have 5 books to list for sale. Do it anyway.
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