The waiting . . .

A I write this, I am waiting for my personal copies of Hobble Creek Almanac to make it to my door front.  I have been given a deadline, which if not met, I am to contact my editor at Aldrich Press, but you probably can tell I am hoping my books beat that deadline.  It would be a real treat to have my book early, to see it in the flesh, or pulp as it were.  Until then, it's the waiting time. 

This specific time many of you are familiar with is full of ritual for me.  Number one on my list is to pretend I have dozens of other writing related issues to tend to as not to appear too desperate.  With that in mind, please have patience while I talk about other things which I will treat with much more seriousness than they are worth.

I just signed the contract for my poem, "Ode to Pablo Neruda," to be included in the 99 Poems for the 99 Percent anthology.  No links yet, because I seriously don't know where anything is on the net and I don't feel like searching for it right now.  This is my very first anthologized poem and I very happy for that.  Not just because this is my first anthologized poem, but because I really like that particular poem.

My poem, "Poem for David Lee, Three Sisters Mountain," just finished its tenure over at Heron Tree.  It is an integral part of my book, Hobble Creek Almanac, but it appears under a different title over at Heron Tree for clarity.  The original context of the poem is set and the title, "Eastern Pretty Skies" is a very natural title.  With this book, I really feel like I am getting closer to the kind of poetry I am meant to write as my life's work, and this poem in particular is a really good representation of that writing.  I am hoping to have at least one more Springville book in me, so I can have a trilogy, a long sequence of poems about one specific place.

I continue to work with BlazeVox Press towards getting my manuscript, Sailing This Nameless Ship, ready for publication as part of their Kindle Editions.  I am perfectly happy seeing this book as an e-book.  To be honest, there was a really long period (the majority of these poems were written in 2008-2009) where I never thought they would ever see the light of day.  To have this outlet be such a great press is a wonderful option.  I can see no downside to having my feet trenched in both the print and electronic worlds of publishing.  Right now it's all about the proofing and aesthetics.  It keeps me somewhat busy.

And just last night, I got back into the submission game, sending out three new poems.  It's not my usual voice, but what I am beginning to see is some real joy from taking little side roads off the beaten path of my usual voice.  Every now and then I begin to think I can't write like other poets (read: I can't write in the currently popular vernacular) and that holds me back in some ways.  Well the truth is I can write those kinds of poems, and while I enjoy reading them, I don't really writing them en masse.  Don't get me wrong.  I am not claiming the high road here.  I don't think myself above such writing, just different, and it is nice to see I am writing different poetry as a  matter of choice rather than out of not being able to write those kinds of poems.

 As you can see, if you have been able to read through all of that bragging, I have been quite fortunate of late.  It feels nice to be here, and it's this I need to build on to negate those times when I feel frustrated and just a little out of sorts about my life as a poet.