Top Replies to a Tweet by Nancy Pelosi Congratulating Joy Harjo, the First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate (a found poem)

IMPEACH.

Televise hearings!! Enforce subpoenas!! Start impeachment investigations!!

Please impeach Trump

#impeachtrump

Bla bla bla Start impeachment hearings now

All I want to hear from you is impeachment inquiry Don’t act as if things are normal

Congratulations to Joy Harjo. Still, impeach!

Congratulations well deserved. Now about those impeachment hearings.

When are you going to do something about 45? I’m beginning to think you may be in cahoots with him.

Impeach and 2 jail CLIMATE control 2

Impeach!

#ITMFA

Great but this is not your constitutional duty

Congratulations, beautiful

You’re about as competent as Paul Ryan. Impeach!

Impeach potus (repeated 19 times)

This is great news! We need Native representation across all of our institutions. We also need impeachment, like today!

I am very happy and lucky to have lived long enough to see a 100% of non-migrant descendance American get such recognition. Well earned!

She’s a wonderful poet and a wonderful choice!

Which language she composes poetry in?

May her talents come to our talents as an art of beauty!

I thought it was Elisabeth Warren.

Acknowledgment of indigenous people finally after genocide of millions indigenous peoples by European immigrants

Nancy I grow up with native Americans Indians friend

Poetry, yes! I love it. But, what about TCB* when it comes to what does matter in real life?

* TCB is an acronym, in this case presumably standing for “taking care of business”

Author comment: I wrote this poem (or more accurately, assembled it) in response to comments on a tweet June 20th by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House congratulating Joy Harjo on being selected as new poet laureate of the United States.

People say don’t read the comments. But I did, and I was appalled but also convinced that they represent a cross section of America speaking for itself. Every line of this poem is a real comment, randomly selected from the top replies and unedited for syntax, spelling or punctuation. The poem ends with a comment by a Twitter user with 8 followers that I felt sums up the antithesis of my opinion that poetry does matter in real life, more than a lot of things.

And, if I need to even say it myself, yes, congratulations to Joy Harjo! I believe she is a wonderful choice for the next poet laureate of the U.S.

Driver Three

I’ve been taking an online poetry class from the UK’s The Poetry School. The tutor is Leah Umansky (@lady_bronte on Twitter), author most recently of The Barbarous Century (Eyewear, 2018).

The class, called “Only Love Studio,” is ostensibly about love poetry, but love is interpreted broadly and includes romantic love, platonic love, and love of place so the subject matter for the poems has been quite far-ranging.

It’s been a joy to be in Leah’s class. Her assignments have pushed me to write in ways I typically might not, and her feedback has been generous, encouraging and insightful. Time will tell if I get any keepers out of this class, but most assignments have produced at least one poem worthy of sharing in one form or another.

Our class of 18 students is diverse, and it’s been inspirational to see the depth of expression possible by poets of different levels. Based on my first experience, I would definitely recommend The Poetry School.

I made an audio recording of last week’s workshop poem called “1982.” It was a bit of retrospective on the experience of American high school when you’re a bit of a nerd. You can hear an early version of that poem below:

This week, I wrote “Driver Three” in response to a prompt related to “love of place.” On the surface it’s a 15-line story about a car ride (well, technically 3) that I had during a work trip to China last week. But more importantly, it’s about the necessity of trusting even in a world with plenty of evidence you should do otherwise. I struggled with it for 4 days while traveling, but when I got home my wife immediately gave me the feedback I needed to figure out how to end it.

It’s a work in progress, but you can see what I’ve got in the video below.

9 Great Poetry Podcasts

Recently I shared a list of 6 Great Ways to Get Poetry in Your Inbox.

In this post, I share a list of podcasts (iTunes podcast links are provided below, but most of these podcasts are available on all platforms) where you can hear poetry read aloud and discussed by poets and poetry editors. There are other lists, but these are the ones to which I subscribe and to which I regularly listen.

  1. The Poetry Magazine Podcast – (iTunes) In this podcast, the editors of Poetry Magazine (Don Share, Christina Pugh, and Lindsay Garbutt) “listen to a poem or two in the current issue.” Often the poets themselves read the poem. Then the editors discuss the poem, often a line at a time, (with the corresponding audio clip re-introduced). It’s a great way to hear new poems and get insight into their workings. It’s also helpful to get in the habit of paying attention to the way the lines within a poem work and contribute to the whole. Don Share’s voice is always welcome in my headphones, and I enjoy his relaxed and unpretentious presentation.
  2. Poetry Off the Shelf (from the Poetry Foundation) – (iTunes) Hosted by Curtis Fox, this podcast “explores the diverse world of contemporary American poetry with readings by poets, interviews with critics, and short poetry documentaries.” This is casual, unpretentious conversation about poetry that’s easy and fun to listen to.
  3. The New Yorker Poetry podcast – (iTunes ** Stitcher) Hosted by poet Kevin Young, poetry editor of the New Yorker Magazine, in this podcast, they “ask poets to chose a poem from the magazine’s archive to read and discuss along with a piece of their own which we’ve published in the New Yorker.” Again, here’s the chance to hear new and archived poetry read aloud and to hear poets reveal their own inner processes. Kevin Young is a great poetry conversationalist (would love to chat with him myself!) which helps to make these conversations lively and interesting.
  4. Poem Talk – (iTunes) Podcast recorded at the Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania, where host Al Filreis leads a roundtable discussion about single poems with a rotating series of guests.  In its own description, the discussions are lively. They are correct in saying so!
  5. The Poetry Review Podcast from the Poetry Society(On iTunes ** on Soundcloud **) – Rotating selection of hosts interview poets who also read from their poems which have appeared in The Poetry Review.
  6. Poem of the Day (Poetry Foundation) – Daily (On iTunes ** -)  Poem of the day read by the poet or a reader other than the poet.
  7. The Kenyon Review Podcast – (iTunes) Literary podcast not limited to poetry.
  8. The Paris Review podcast– (iTunes) Features classic stories and poems, interviews from their archives, and new work and original readings by the contemporary writers of our time.
  9. The Writer’s Almanac – (iTunes ** Stitcher ** TuneIn) As reviewed in the daily email blast item, this is the old standby.  Garrison Keillor was returned in July 2018 with this daily 5-minute item which includes a  writer-related datebook and other histories, as well as a contemporary or classic poem, read in his trademark voice. Many poets have remarked that they love the way Garrison Keillor reads their poems.

The Rainbow-Colored Gorilla Plays Foosball

Just for fun, here’s an ekphrastic poem inspired by a photo my friend Ed Ackerson posted to Instagram the other day. The photo seemed to urgently want to tell a story so I had to make one up around it.

The Rainbow-Colored Gorilla Plays Foosball

We were down 10 points when
boom! The rainbow-colored gorilla
sat down on the foosball table. Maybe

he was wound up after the pride
parade. Or maybe he was just angry.
Oooo oooo oooo, was all he said,

but that’s all he ever said. We had
to abandon the game after that
due to the smell and carry the table,

gorilla and all, out to the alley behind
the house. He didn’t budge, and soon the
weeds grew up around him. To this day,

he patrols the penalty arc, rain or shine.
Best goalie I’ve seen in Uptown in years, one neighbor said.
Greatest of all time! Insists another.

6 great ways to get great poetry in your inbox

The Writer’s Almanac is back. But while it was on hiatus, my poetry habit necessitated I find other ways of getting poems to my inbox each day. It turned out to be a fruitful endeavor. My inbox now overflows daily with diverse and excellent verse. Below are 6 of my new mainstays:

1.

rattle

 

Rattle – Easily my favorite contemporary literary journal devoted exclusively to poetry. Rattle also publishes interviews with poets, and each quarterly print issue includes a bonus chapbook.  To sign up for their poem a day (and bonus poems!) go to https://www.rattle.com/purchase/, select Subscribe and enter your email in the “subscribe by email box.”

 

 

2.

poetry foundation.JPG

 

Poetry Foundation – Poetry Foundation publishes Poetry Magazine. Founded in Chicago in 1912, Poetry is the oldest monthly devoted to verse in the English-speaking world. The best poets and poems of the 20th Century have graced its pages. Go to https://www.poetryfoundation.org/newsletter and sign up for the “Poem a day” newsletter.

 

 

 

3.

poets.org

Poets.org‘s Poem-a-day – daily email featuring over 200 new, previously unpublished poems a year. 2018 includes a different guest editor each month who curate the selections. Sign up from https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem-day

 

4.

pome

Matthew Ogle’s Pome – (that’s no typo, Matthew Ogle’s email list is called “pome”)  – it includes short daily poems or excerpts from poems. You will always find the time to read these. Sign up from https://tinyletter.com/pome

 

5.

writer's almanac

 

Garrison Keillor – Garrison Keillor has rebooted the Writer’s Almanac. No longer distributed via Public Radio airwaves, it’s now distributed exclusively from Garrison Keillor’s own website. The online-only audio version is the same as before, complete with that unforgettable theme music and inspiring biographical birthday notes. You can subscribe by email and iTunes

 

 

6.

knopf

Knopf Poetry (sent every year during National Poetry Month only) – Knopf has been publishing great poetry since 1915. For more than twenty years, they have sent out a free poem every day in April. Sign up here any time of year.

 

 

I’d love to hear of your favorite “poetry by email” newsletters.  Please leave them in the comments.

 

 

Audiobook version of A Flash of Insight and Other Poems now available

I am excited to announce that the audiobook version of A Flash of Insight and Other Poems was released for sale on Audible, Amazon.com and in the iTunes store on Tuesday, January 23rd.

It was a joy to record this book, to have the chance to finally read out loud all the poems in this collection, several of the older ones I had never read out loud before to myself or anyone else. It was a pleasurable discovery how well many of them fit my voice at 53 even if some were written in my 20s, 30s, and 40s.

I’m also grateful to a friend in Finland (who declined to accept credit) who helped me to master the collection and made the audio sound as good as possible for a project that was recorded in my own home.

Remember, that if you sign up for a 30-day Audible membership, you can get this title for free! Please check it out here or at the link below. You can sample the introduction to the book via Audible.  You can also hear a few of the poems here on my blog. Please note, however, that the audio versions on this blog were published before mastering or may even be alternative takes not the same as those is in the official Audible release.

Guy Lombardo and Champagne

Our grandparents knew
Guy Lombardo and champagne
are the keys to New Year’s Eve.
Hours before midnight, in the shoe store,
I could not keep my big mouth shut about the boots you found
which you were terribly excited about.
I just had to say I had bought that same brand last year,
and the heel came off
within weeks. Don’t you remember?
Your excitement faded. Your smile dimmed.
You no longer wanted the boots.
From that moment on, nothing I could say would convince you to buy them.

So what if they might fall apart in 3 months?
What right had I to take away the pleasure you might have found
from your first new pair of boots in 3 years!
At midnight
my foolishness almost forgotten
I asked you to dance to “Auld Lang Syne”
when it came on the music player. And then
“Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think).”
It was intimate, exciting,
just the two of us,
dancing in the candlelight
to Guy Lombardo.
Who knows what the new year holds in store,
for us, or our shoes.