Tag: poetry
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“A body falls like a story: / beginning, middle, end.” — Amy Newman
Except in my case — my falling came to an abrupt halt. The back staircase was slick with rain, and I slipped on my first step, holding Aidan — who was entirely unhurt — (I sprained an ankle once falling down our front staircase holding Vincent, and he too was unhurt — I’m very good […]
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Sub·mit (səb mit′) — origin: ME submitten < L submittere < sub-, under, down + mittere, to send
It’s September, the first days of autumn — officially here in two days — beginning of migration season — birds & leaves — colder temps and colds. Naturally, my children are celebrating by both of them coming down with whoppers of colds. I’m not the nervous type, but Aidan’s breathing so concerned me last night […]
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On Revision
I don’t mean the sort of revising that is part of the usual process of writing a poem. I’m thinking more about the revising of poems that have already appeared in print. If you’ve ever seen Galway Kinnell read, you might have noticed the margins of the book he’s reading from filled with pencil scrawls. […]
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Saturdays are the golden brown…
…of the pancakes I made the boys this morning, of Vincent’s shorn hair cascading to the floor as I gave him a trim, and the Indian pudding cooking in its water bath in the oven. The recipe I’m using is from an ancient edition of Fannie Farmer — who knew there were so many variations! […]
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Gentle Reminders of What Makes the Poetry Blogosphere Such a Great Place to Be:
I was lucky enough to take Jeannine Hall Gailey‘s online manuscript workshop this summer, and I can’t begin to tell you what a rich experience it was. There are plenty of resources, both online & in print, that give you advice on how to sequence a manuscript, but there’s nothing like having a close & […]
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W.S. Merwin on Linebreaks
“I think of stopping at a given point as a rhythmical gesture, and also as a gesture of meaning — because where you stop, if the rhythm is working, is going to have an effect on the meaning, particularly if you’re not punctuating. But it’s important to stop in such a way that the stop […]
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Draft of the Week, #16
Considering all my whining about time and the lack of it, you might be wondering how goes the writing? In fits and starts. I’ve managed to write two drafts so far this month, which is a nice return to form, and only one of which caused agony and gnashing of teeth. Because it was a […]
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Rainy Day Bliss
Ask and you shall receive — only one rainy day, and it flew by, but what a lovely day it was. I didn’t actually accomplish any writing — too much else backed up at the station — but I sent out a clutch of new submissions on the heels of a rejection and two acceptances, […]
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Children are all about imaginary time…
…as in, any time not spent with them is strictly imaginary and illusory, or, in fact, altogether nonexistent. These warm sunny days, while energizing & welcome, make the perennial juggling of daily life an even harder challenge. When it’s cold, wet, and dark, it’s nice to stay indoors, easier to interest the boys in pseudo-crafty […]
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These are a few of my favorite words. Apparently.
The most recent incarnation of my manuscript, as analyzed by Wordle. My aversion to simile? Another case of “do as I say, not as I do” it seems. Or maybe I just have a lot of likes in the world. Note “world” to the left of “like.”
Marie Gauthier 