Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Drought, Writer's Block or Something Else?

February 11 2016
October 17, 2014


Perhaps the longest drought between writing poems since I began writing poems in 2001. Well I stopped writing poems from 1983-2000 because of my poetry writing experience at The University of Delaware where the professor gave me the "support and encouragement" to make me want to quit. If famous poet professor felt a certain way, he must be right. I was only registered for that class to improve my song writing anyway.

Poems are like dead fish when creativity dries up

The Zippers, VD, Timothy Gager, Tommy Conwell

 
So it's a drought, not writer's block because I've said I do not believe in writer's block---even lectured on not believing it. It's life that gets in the way, or perhaps it's your inner editor.




So there was this first time period in my life of poetry not written for a period of almost twenty years. Then in 1999, I had two children and there just wasn't enough time to write the 3000 word short stories, I'd been writing. Short poems that I could begin and end during a kid's nap seemed to kindle my need to write. Then, something happened. Doug Holder published a poem titled  "Insect".



Insect (2001)

I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation
But instead I was a fly
caught on a no-pest strip
in a dirty old
kitchen in
Mississippi
 --------------------------


Nifty.  Of course, the proponent of poems never being finished, just captured as various snapshots, I'd break it differently now. Perhaps like this...

Insect (2016)

I’d love to be a fly on the wall 
for that conversation
But instead I was a fly
caught on a no-pest strip
in a dirty old
kitchen in
Mississippi
---------------------

Between 2001 and October 2014 I wrote 615 poems, and had 184 of them published. I also published two books of poetry and three chapbooks. Friends were amazed at how prolific I had become. 

So what happened between October 17, 2014 and now? I finished a novel, "The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan" and am about to wrap up "Grand Slam's (A Coming of Eggs Story)". See it in pictures HERE. I also decided that my poems require too much help and I doubted my ability to write them on my own, as I, as a person, feel more accomplished the less help I get. So the longer it went, the longer I was fine without writing. 
Harris Gardner, Poet and Curator of BNPMF

Then I received a call from Harris Gardner inviting me to read for Boston The National Poetry Month Festival at The Boston Public Library, which I let go to voicemail. I'd not written anything in over a year and I couldn't foresee recycling, once more, old work. The next day I returned his call with full intent of declining the reading, but a funny thing happened. As he was talking about the festival, I felt I could write some new work before the April 7-11th event. I was, as they say in poker, pot committed....even able to accept help from another poet, and I came up with the following:



Throw Questions Out in the Air like a Lasso (2016)



Hatred is a burning siren
warnings of a terrible twister



out there, it’s only one. Earth

tilled by machine We need soil,



water, fertilizer to grow a single weed

left bent. Throw questions out in the air



like a lasso. Cowboy, when the closed rope

loosens, it’s impossible for the horns to catch.


----------------------------------------------------


Nifty. Of course, it's short, but I've started and I am full of gratitude. Hope to see you all, out on the road.


Friday, February 5, 2016

Dire Memories, Pop Culture, What was big on the night of Dire Literary Series #1?

 Tonight is Dire Series #179 and it's the 15th Anniversary of the Series.

Some Facts:
1) We've never been snowed out. Though today we're getting 6-10 inches, it's going to stop at 3 PM and we will be open.

2) I've never missed an evening because of sickness,  traveling, or had a substitute host for any of them, although some of them I may may or not have been there. Blackouts were ROOOOUGH.

The series started at The Cantab on the first Tuesday of every month, February 6, 2001. Lasted two months


 For the next 177 months, after a month off, the series moved The Out of the Blue Art Gallery and has stayed there. The gallery has moved twice since...

168 Brookline Ave until September 2002
106 Prospect St until October 2014
and now at 541 Massachusetts Ave,

#1 song: Shaggy feat. Ricardo "RikRok" Ducent - It Wasn't Me



#1 Movie: The Wedding Planner



Apple realeased













The attack on the World Trade Centers hadn't happened but 2 weeks earlier, this did:



and one day earlier, Kelly Ripa joins Live! as a permanent co-host with Regis Philbin.





Television's Top Ten 2000-2001


Rank
Show
Network Airings Rating Share
1 Survivor CBS 14 16,9 26,6
2 ER NBC 32 15,4 25,2
3 Who wants to be a millionaire? (wed) ABC 21 13,7 21,6
4 Who wants to be a millionaire? (tue.) ABC 24 13,0 20,7
5 Friends NBC 33 12,6 20,5
6 Monday Night Football ABC 13 12,6 21,4
7 Law & Order NBC 30 12,3 20,3
8 Everybody Loves Raymond CBS 33 12,3 18,2
9 Who wants to be a millionaire? (sun.) ABC 28 12,3 18,4
10 The Practice ABC 27 11,7 18,9