A Poet

A poet must be a psychologist, but a secret one: he should know and feel the roots of phenomena but present only the phenomena themselves in full bloom or as they fade away.

Ivan Turgenev (Russian writer)

Unutterable

New words are so much fun. I have my Google home page set up to give me a couple of different “Word of the Days.” Today, one of the words was unutterable. What a great word! It means defying expression or description.

I luxuriated in the unutterable beauty of my child’s love for me.



Please comment with a sentence using the word.

Get inspiration from others locally.

How to meet other writers in your area.

I’m very lucky to live in the beautiful small Southern town of Charlottesville, Virginia, where Rita Dove, John Grisham, and Rita Mae Brown walk around town.

William Faulkner served as writer-in-residence at Charlottesville’s University of Virginia from 1957 until his death. In addition, Edgar Allen Poe was a student at the University of Virginia, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

Inspiration is everywhere here in central Virginia from the Charlottesville Festival of the Book (where national authors come to promote their books; in 2009, Rita Dove did a reading with another local, Boyd Tinsley from The Dave Matthews Band ) to Thomas Jefferson’s University of Virginia (with its nationally known MFA program) to the local writers reading their poetry at poetry slams and during open mic events. It’s easy to find people with whom to write and read your work.

Some of you may not be so lucky. I’ve lived in many places where the creative world seems stagnant. Blue-collar workers struggle just to get by, there’s no time or energy left for creativity.

Here are a few ideas for meeting other creative people like you.

· Put an ad on the community page on Craigslist. Just be safe and smart about it. Meet with others in a public place.
· If you live in or near a college town (and most of the U.S. is pretty close to even a small school), try advertising on the school’s bulletin boards, especially in the English or Drama departments.
· Try networking. You’d be surprised how many people at least know a writer with whom they can connect you. Talk to co-workers, friends, and neighbors.
· Create a blog like I did.
· Post ads at the local library and check their Web site for groups you can join. Sometimes you can find writers in book groups.
· Google your town and the surrounding areas to find writers and groups.

Another Hero Fallen

Reportedly…

In writers’ news, Nobel laureate Sir William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies, has revealed in his private journal that he tried to rape a 15-year-old girl when he was 18. It also turns out that he was an alcoholic trying to sooth his demons, perhaps because as a schoolteacher, he set up groups of boys to fight in a scary precursor to Lord of the Flies.

So many writers have demons, is it necessary for the creative mind?


Sources: The Huffington Post, Guardian News and Media.

The Struggle between Harley and Yuppie

The Struggle between Harley and Yuppie

Who am I?
I want both but I am neither.
Why can’t I choose?
Each provides some security and some fear
The money I spend to be a yuppie. I know I’m not. I falter as I play the role.
It feels false to me. Does it feel that way to others?
The Harley in me comes from my love of my father.
But I’m uncomfortable there too.
So I walk the tightrope between the two with no real identity
As I listen to opera and Kid Rock.
I have a tattoo and French-manicured nails.
I wear 6-inch stiletto Harley heels with Anne Taylor tank tops.
I drive a Jaguar and long for a Harley.

Please discuss.

Review of 2009 National Poetry Slam

In an article from The Huffington Post on the top performers at the 2009 National Poetry Slam in West Palm Beach, Florida, I found the glorious slam called "Werewolf " by Sierra DeMulder. I wonder how she managed to come up on stage with such an intense personal experience and rock the stage. You can feel the agony and bravery behind her words and actions. Brava!

Summer Reading

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

I just finished reading “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” by Rebecca Wells. This is one of my favorite books of all time. Some of you may remember the 2002 movie that starred Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, James Garner, and Ashley Judd. Usually, I read the book first and then see the movie. In this case, I saw the movie first and adored it, so I read the book. The characters in the movie were so real that when I read the book Sandra Bullock’s image and voice popped into my head whenever Siddalee Walker spoke. As the movie’s characters were such a great adaptation to the book’s characters, I can easily go between the book and the movie and enjoy both as an extension of each other—something that almost never happens for me.

Siddalee Walker struggles with life and love, because of the damage that she suffered as a child through the unhappy marriage of her narcissistic alcoholic mother and somewhat-absent father. She calls off her engagement to Connor McGill and goes off to a cabin to figure out what she should do. Her mother’s best friends, the Ya-Yas, have been there her mother’s whole life and through her mother’s scrapbook, stories, and their genuine love of each other and Sidda try to explain the tragedies that shaped her mother, Vivi Walker, into the complex creature that Sidda alternatively loves and hates.

The intricate relationships between the Ya-Yas, their husbands, their children, and the Louisiana social life are so thrilling and real. What I like so much about it is that despite the hardships, they stick up for each other without question. The relationship between the women may be crazy and dysfunctional at times, but in the end it is what sustains them through their lives.

Have you read a book that you love and want to discuss? Please comment.

The New House

The New House

What a deal. A foreclosure,
But what price have the previous owners paid
To be free from the burden of debt.
I see their pain in the big, childishly painted wooden letters
On my daughter’s bedroom walls.
How did Ally feel leaving her room?

Please discuss.

Always Do Your Research.

No man’s knowledge here can go beyond his experience.

John Locke (1632-1704)

Research, research, research. I can’t say it enough. No one wants to look stupid in front of his or her audience. I’ve seen brilliant people make very embarrassing mistakes. And nowadays especially never trust one source for your research, especially if you are looking on the Internet. Read multiple sources to gain a well-rounded expertise about whatever you are writing. Never take anything for granted. If you use slang in fiction, make sure the term was used during that period. If you talk about a specific gun (which, of course, you’d better, because you want as much detail as possible) in a cowboy story, make darn sure it was actually used by cowboys then.

Fireworks

Fireworks

Illegal light show in my front yard.
I stand back worried as the shower of
Colored sparks grows higher and higher.
Once my daughter was deaf from it.
Sixteen now, she laughs and throws poppers at my feet.
We wait ‘til dark although even being illegal, the show isn’t very good.
Why did we travel so far for so little?
The grocery store has sparklers,
But they aren’t fun at all.

Please discuss.

A Child's Imagination

Everything you can imagine is real.

Pablo Picasso

I believe that reading and writing are the most important skills a person can have. It's a parent's responsibility to encourage their children to read and write. A child's imagination is an amazing thing. Encourage it through bedtime story reading and story telling, buying books at used bookstores and book fairs, and summer library reading programs.