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Read more about the article Burning Down the House: True Story
My Bookshelf (one of them)

Burning Down the House: True Story

Arguably my "biggest" publishing credit is co-authoring Burning Down the House: Selected Poems from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe's National Poetry Slam Champions (Soft Skull Press, 2000), and while I am both proud of and eternally grateful for its publication, its existence has more to do with timing and opportunism than the quality of the work therein. Besides my own attempts at zines and chapbooks, it was my first real introduction to the world of publishing, and it left a permanent mark that partly explains my cynical passion and/or pragmatic idealism for the publishing industry.

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Feminista!’s List of 100 Best Works by Women Writers

I did so much better with the BBC top 100 list that included all those children’s books and titles by dead white men we were required to read in school. I’d only read 18 of the 100 best works by women. So, I’ve challenged myself to read all 100, including rereading the ones I’d read before. So I’ve marked the ones I’d read before and I’ll label the ones as I go back through, plus I’ll  review them as I go. Take the book challenge with me. Let me know what you’re reading and how you like it. via sonyafeher.com…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Testing Smashwords with my Free eBook #wdc09

I had the pleasure of attending the first Writer's Digest Conference last weekend and had a blast. Great presenters; great insights; a fun time at the least pretentious poetry slam I've ever been part of that didn't involve teenagers. Work's been crazy the past couple of weeks with some exciting transition happening, but I do intend to do a proper #wdc09 post over on loudpoet.com when I get the time. (ha!) Last night, though, inspired by one of Jane Friedman's presentations, I decided to finally test out Smashwords and uploaded a short echapbook of newish and old poems called Crazy White Devil,…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Using My Powers for Good

GOOD poetry, GOOD times. GOOD cause. the louderAUCTION The louderAUCTION supports all of the good work of the louderARTS Project.  Proceeds from the event will help our nationally acclaimed team go to the 2010 National Poetry Slam and support all of the good work we do year-round, offsetting the cost of providing workshops, our renowned reading series, and free literary salons. via louderarts.com louderARTS is the evolution of the weekly poetry reading series I founded back in 1998, a little bit louder, now a full-fledged non-profit literary organization that runs some great shows, workshops and events. They have a cool…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

I am Jack’s scattered priorities and conflicting desires

A growing community of writers is participating in an online experiment in crowdsourcing fiction. It’s called #fridayflash, and it can be found via Twitter, Facebook, or by directly visiting participating writer’s blogs. A new #fridayflash happens every Friday, as figured locally, though some folks do post soon after midnight New Zealand time. The idea behind #fridayflash is to get eyeballs on stories—to build that proverbial ‘platform.’ Writers use the power of social networking to gain followers, name recognition, and most importantly, a loyal readership. It seems to be working. From discussions I’ve had with several regular participants most have experienced…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Grass is overrated; give me cacti

I've had a love/hate relationship with our yard this year; I love having one but hate the constant mowing and weeding required to keep it looking decent. I also hate that "decent" here still isn't anything close to my ideal.  When we moved in last summer, I noted our neighbor's gravel and concrete backyard and wondered why anyone would opt for that in the suburbs. I still prefer grass over concrete and asphalt, but after a week in the Southwest, where the terrain was even more beautiful in person than in pictures, I'm more ready than ever to ditch the…

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