My own Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, and occasional commentary on all of the above.
Wole Soyinka has this quote, "The tiger does not sing his tigritude." But, I think that if the tiger entered a world of leopards, he probably would. -- Mara JebsenApropos of nothing, I just love how Mara's mind works and her writing is second-to-none. This weekend was...tiring and counterproductive. Short, aimless getaways just don't work with kids this young. India throwing up in the car Friday night just as we had pulled into the Pathmark parking lot to go grocery shopping was a sign to cancel the whole trip and stay home. We didn't, of course, and the three-day weekend…
I. Poetry Slam, Inc. Two poetry slam-related things I never expected to see: 1. Taylor Mali is the new President of Poetry Slam. Inc. 2. This. The Taylor thing is actually an interesting wrinkle that could mean PSI becoming relevant again. People may not agree with Taylor's positions on a lot of things but there's no question that he'll bring a different approach to the organization and a fresh new energy. Of course, it could also be the final nail in the coffin as he unapologetically turns it into a competition that eschews any sense of community for purely cutthroat…
Hit Urbana last night after the pleasantly unexpected distraction of 50%-off sushi. FRESH sushi! Yum. Got there in time for the slam which, to my surprise, I kind of enjoyed. Over the years, Cristin has become my favorite host on the scene, hands down. She knows her audience, has impeccable comedic skills and timing, and is cute as hell. Makes a night where someone like RAC loses to some Steve Colman-lite guy bearable. Speaking of RAC, I think she's officially become one of my favorite poets on the scene. Watching her last night was a breath of fresh air. Her…
The feedback from louder than words has been great. Much of it overwhelmingly positive, and where there was critique, it was generally offered honestly and clearly. Eric, Helen, Diane and I met Tuesday night to digest it all and tweak the format in a way that puts more emphasis on - and sets aside more time for - the debate. One of the comments we received - or, more correctly, I received as it was all directed at me - took issue with some of the things I said in my introduction, challenging me on both facts and opinion. The…
People I'm feeling right now: M.C. Siegel: mcpoet.blogspot.com The honest truth is that when I feel like I'm resisting this tendency I, for the life of me, cannot write. Emotional anguish and solitude are the perfect catalysts for my writing. Sadly enough, when I'm happy it's like being on soma, I have no ambition to commit my thoughts to paper. All I want to do is stay happy, kill time, and ignore the issues that make for the majority of my writing. It's just like drug-addiction...and it's the most normal thing in the world to do. The question I'm always…
Been reading Esmerelda Santiago's When I Was Puerto Rican and Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals simultaneously over the past couple of weeks, and thoroughly enjoying them both. I was concerned that Santiago's book would turn out to be another semi-autobiographical disappointment along the lines of Edwidge Danticat's Breath, Eyes, Memory, with a Lifetime TV plot full of "exotic" archetypes and cliché. Fortunately, it's a cut above that, largely because her writing is much less forced. It reads more like a well-written memoir than a pretentious literary whitewash. One of her strengths, that Danticat shares, is her talent for painting vivid…
Today's lesson: How to be productive while getting absolutely nothing you intended to do done! Exhibit A: this web site! I completely redesigned the blog & loudpoet.com so they now share one cohesive look. Weird thing is...I don't love it. I like it, and I'm definitely going to keep it awhile 'cause it was a pain in the ass to create (shout-outs to CoffeeCup's HTML Editor, one of the best mid-level HTML geek products available!) and, if nothing else, it's a start. NOTE: it is sized at 640 wide on purpose because not everyone is using a 'sexy 19" flat-screen!'…
