Tuesday, June 4, 2013

new news

and suddenly june is upon us.  and here we are, the year half-before us, half-behind us.  the exciting part:  i am now part of the board for the hawkeye campership fund, the nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial assistance for campers attending camp hawkeye whose families would otherwise not be able to afford residential summer camp.  


words to describe the camp:  oh my holy i think the moonshine on the lake just stole the breath from my very chest.  what's that, new hampshire is always this awe-inspiring?  excuse me, but the grass is always greener here.  beautiful, diverse, extraordinary, balanced, fabulous: camp hawkeye. boom.  

consider sending a deserving youngster to camp for some nature cuddles.  or send your own baby beans (8-16).  with any luck i will be teaching them poetry and the art of the handwritten letter, this summer or in the years to come.

look for camp updates throughout the year, writing relevant or otherwise. and ways that you can help build foundations for bright young ones (who could also be young fitzgerald's).


Friday, March 1, 2013

Day 28: So it Ends, With a Renga

what can i say? except, well, maybe, this was an absolutely extraordinary & exhausting experience.  but, it was exactly what i needed.  to kickstart my writing goals for 2013, to capitalize on the idea that we must make time in our lives for our goals & big picture dreams as much as possible.  & i was able to raise funds for a cause i believe in, while doing something i love.  i am so thankful.  for this space/time to write.  for my loved ones who supported me through the month.  and thankful my dear brain did not just fade away, but kept churning out ideas & pieces, the beginning of which are starting to form into something, bigger.  bottom line is this:  so glad to have done this, but so glad i have a few days to just watch re-runs of big bang theory & spend time with my family.  but poetry, i do love you.

read our final collaborative piece, a renga to finish with a collective sigh, here.

& while my poeming for tupelo is at an end, my dear friend & fellow lesley poet, kali lamparelli is writing during the month of march.  check out her way with words.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

14 for 30: to thine self be blue

heart day brings us to the midway point of the 30/30 project.  & what better way to raise a glass to this lovefest, then through poetry.  ok, admittedly today's poem doesn't necessarily shout joyful, but it does come from a very important place.  read, my day 14 poemon the hook, here.

in other news:  my brain is weary.  my words are getting heavier to process.  but on this day of affection i ask, what could be better than working toward something you believe in.

go hug someone.  go make a mix tape that you love (include the macabees!). be kind to each other.  

xoxo

Monday, February 11, 2013

the 11th day of poetmas

here we are. day 11 of 28.  i'm listening to some new fall out boy.  trying to maintain. trying to recharge my waning synapses via some sweet (highly anticipated!) tunes & soon i will be reading something, well, just for fun.  here's the thing:  this project is becoming a fantastic challenge.  it is both incredibly hard & incredibly fulfilling.  & my god, the poets that i happen to be sharing this forum with are incredible.  so, to summarize:  incredible project + incredible poets = thankful for my inclusion.  

today i wrote about handling sorrow.  read my poem, sorrow leaves the body by ox cart, along with my glorious compatriot's day 11 poems, here.

& now onto the next one.  xo

Thursday, February 7, 2013

7 for 30: Cures for Poem Dehydration?

now normally, in a situation like this, i would stretch.  or rub ice on my shins.  maybe go get a pedicure while i drink approximately 3.7 gallons of water.  but here.  but this.  is a whole new animal:  brain conditioning by poem.  yep.  & to be frank, my brain is feeling a little like it just ate a family size bag of sea salt & vinegar chips.

all that to say though:  this is a phenomenal project.  it is getting my brain off the couch & into creative 5k mode.  & perfect.  i want to write & pull more & more pieces together for my manuscript.  for a bigger project.  for myself.  for all kinds of good reasons.

so what next?  hydrate or perish.  hyrdate & polish. & more of the write, write, lyric, write, write.

to read my poems for the first 6 days, peek them here.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Going 30 for 30: The Tupelo Press Project

oh my.  oh my goodness.  for the month of february i am taking part in the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project.  basically: i will use my running skills, (which lord knows i am always working on), & writing chops, (come on mfa, get it girl!) to produce a new poem every day for, in this case 28 days (as february is shorty mcshorterson).  the goal:  raise funds for the outstanding Massachusetts publishing house, Tupelo Press.  through sponsorship of my words, you are helping to sustain a non-profit literary press, that in turn, is able to sustain the poet & the art of poetry.

i am excited by this challenge.  as in running, i tend to rise to greater heights with the pressure of small benchmarks in my path.  this definitely gives glorious pressure & i look forward to what it brings.  i am surrounded by amazing poets & writing for a remarkable cause.  i am so hopeful.

my 30/30 compatriot lenĂ© gary, had the fabulous idea(!) that we each write a manifesto on why were writing this month, or at all.  my february manifesto can be found on lenĂ©'s smart, smart blog, bite my manifesto.

to follow my word-race poem extravaganza, please visit the Tupelo 30/30 page.  i may post the poems here also as we go along.  if you would like to sponsor me (perhaps? please? you love books don't you?) please be in touch.

my words heart your words. & support.


Sunday, January 13, 2013

run like Pre, write like, well Tolstoy?

“Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, ‘I’ve never seen anyone run like that before.’ It’s more than just a race, it’s a style. It’s doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.”--Steve Prefontaine

ok, so, perhaps running isn't going to turn you into the world's greatest Russian novelist.  wait, scratch that, arguably one of the world's greatest writers, ever, not just by Russian standards.  BUT wait. there has to be something to this. it definitely helps me write more, & like more of what I write.  for me, cadence in running, leads to cadence in writing.  in training to run longer races, i'm noticing more desire to write.  more focus.  more energy. & i have to say: thank goodness.  jeez.  

& really aren't the strengths from long-distance running coming from the same place:  your sweet little cupcake of a brain?  conquering miles for me, is much more mental, than anything else.  so why not kill two birds with one stone: svelte calves & the next (please, please, please) worthy piece of lit.