New Pubs (& an award in the gang, too)

Here's some news and a promise (at the bottom)...

I got the good word about winning a 2012 AWP Intro Journals Award. My winning poem "National Acoustic Symphonic Academy" will appear in Hayden's Ferry Review.

Aaaaaaannnnddddd...

More grace: 2 poems accepted for publication in New Delta Review. Their names, you ask? "Future Birthdays" and "Monday Afternoon, Frame-by-Frame," good sir!

Here's promise time -->  As I'm about to graduate and realize all the extra time I may have, I'm going to post things on this blog at least once a week! Let's not get ahead of yourself, Matt, and promise daily. Though that would be a neat goal to reach.

M. out, weblings!

Reading (now)

Just bought The Braindead Megaphone by George Saunders. That'll be started tonight.

Cloud Shaped Room came in today. Very excited to re-read a fellow WVU MFA-er (alumnus): Matt Anserello.

Starting the Matthew Zapruder saga, too. Step one: American Linden.

For fiction...

(oh, what?)

I was gonna overload with some more Saunders, but I should probably not. SO, I have Aimee Bender's The Girl in the Flammable Skirt in my bag. But I also find myself lonely for Millhauser's The Knife Thrower.

Peeves Me

Please, no more sickly gushing, high-falootin praises and/or critiques of poetry.

Why can't we talk about poetry in terms of how we enjoy it, like how we'd consider food or music.

Aaron Rote and Matthew Zapruder helped me come to put words to that realization. Thanks, chaps.

Thesis Other Side

As of Monday, March 5, 2012 I have submitted my thesis for defense.

The title is Disaster Recovery Drawer.

And it's great to feel like I'm able to work and read again!

...

Also, I just updated my publications to include links to the poems.

This gray day

Quickly, before class...

Jennifer (my fiancee) got me The Twilight Zone Collection II for Christmas.

I watched episodes last night. They were about dolls.

Oh, and Serling was there. We were all there.

I am still here, cobwebs

I've taken a sabbatical from here. And it was unintentional.

Things I'm doing/still doing:

cycling

writing

reading The Difficult Farm

STILL reading The Mysteries of Pittsburgh

(not sure why I only seem to get 2/3 the way through a Chabon book before I peter out...)

And planning. Always planning.

And Dubstep.

Thin Kimono

So I just noticed I never updated the Michael Earl Craig situation.

Got Think Kimono.

Read Thin Kimono.

Thought Thin Kimono was surprisingly illogical of MEC. And I mean that in all the right and wrong ways. Actually just the right ways.

It's been a rewarding experience for me. This is what poetry should feel like. I also feel like I get a sense of MEC's growth as a poet from book to book. TK was a predicted growth yet with a windfall of possibilities. He did things I didn't expect and kept me tripping for the things I already like (while evolving those techniques even more).

Bravo.

READ IT!!!

And this is for all of you

An Joyous Occasion

Got the good word over the weekend: 5 of my poems will graciously be published in Connotation Press. I will keep you in the loop.

Working on some neat stuff lately. You be prepared.

New Book by Schomburg... when!?

According to a recent post on Zachary Schomburg's blog The Lovely Arc, he's got a new book lined-up. If you don't check his blog daily, there's a darn good chance we have no business talking.

On the recommendation

Courtesy of Aaron Rote, I'm now reading a new poet (to me): Jack Gilbert. He's a good mix of what I think others value in poetry, what I value in poetry, and what I'm trying to value in poetry.

Here (there) 'tis.

Reading Now

Okay, just finished reading Can You Relax in My House and it was easily fantastic. Michael Earl Craig seems to be the synthesis of something good for me. I'm eager to get Thin Kimono in which hopefully happens soon. Not quite sure which I like better of the two books I've read of his. I like them both quite a lot. Yes, Master was my first experience, and I think, for whatever reasons, I'm on board the most with that one. Reporting soon on TK.

Willem Dafoe reads Poe's "The Raven"

Twilight Zone trivia

Okay, this is my favorite Twilight Zone episode (well, at least in the top 5). What episode is it?

First Publication

Thanks to a life-changing, aesthetic-altering poet and his online journal, I've received my first acceptance for a publication of one of my poems. It will be appearing in the journal past simple 10, due out sometime in a few months. I'm really excited about this. I mentioned the poem earlier on this blog. VERY loosely based on the premier of The Jazz Singer, as far as the actual events go.

I'll keep you updated as this goes along.

Student Papers for a week

Time to grade student papers!

New Poetry Project

Seems I'm always starting these. Gosh, I've got quite a stash of projects. Look out, publishers!

Seems all this talk and entertainment of time has finally got to me.

Doing a "chapbook" on my ideas of the future. Something along the lines of 20 possible futures... working with titles.

??

More to come, all you readers.

Time Passes

Spent the morning watching this guy.

Teaching

Did a creative writing day. That was fun. Students wrote stories based on pictures I handed out. I wish I could find one of these pictures. Found them in a fever-rush. The students are focusing on telling a story about their own lives, so I wanted them to get some extra practice. Hoo-ray! creative writing.

Books I'm Reading

Here we have a new book of poetry for me to read: