STRANGER
—Taylor Graham, Somerset
Where do you hang your hat?
he asks. It has an ominous
ring, a hanging. Hat,
a cut-off sound, a word
that’s not allowed to linger
on the tongue; stopped abruptly
on a plosive, the hissing tsk
of a T. Snakelike. And what
does he really want
to know? A street address,
x-marks-the-spot of your
life? Why tell him
where a Stetson drifts
in moonlit dreams all night?
__________________
Thanks, TG, for responding to yesterday's Seed of the Week: "Where do you hang your hat?" Actually she sent two on the subject; see below.
AGE OF TIME
—Taylor Graham
(Vladimir Vitkovsky, oil on wood)
The clock is much too heavy for a boy.
A grandfather clock, burdened
with all its generations. His mother
in the latest bonnet gazes past him, as if
she knows she’s on parade, her dress
evanescently beautiful, perhaps
already out of style by afternoon.
No time to waste. But must a boy
carry the clock all the way home?
When will she hang up her bonnet
and let him set the timepiece down,
to wind it the rest of his life?
Writing About Our Lives:
Ellen Bass (www.ellenbass.com) will be giving a Writing About Our Lives workshop at Esalen, Big Sur, September 5-7. She writes: This workshop will help keep the channels open. There will be time for writing and time for sharing and feedback. From beginners to experienced, all writers are welcome. Whether you are interested in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or journal writing, this is an an opportunity to explore your truth and expand your craft. Esalen fees cover tuition, food and lodging and vary according to accommodations, ranging from $320 to $605. The sleeping bag space is an incredible bargain. Some work-scholarship assistance is available, as well as small prepayment discounts and senior discounts. All arrangements and registration must be made directly with Esalen, but if you have questions about the content of the workshop, feel free to email me (ellen@ellenbass.com) or call me at 831-426-8006. Please register directly with Esalen at 831-667-3005 or www.esalen.org/.
Calendar addition for tonight:
•••Wednesday (6/18), 9 PM: American River College Professor Traci Gourdine will read from her poetry at Bistro 33, 3rd & F Sts., Davis. Traci Gourdine's poetry and stories have been published in numerous literary magazines, and she has been anthologized within Shepard and Thomas' Sudden Fiction Continued (Norton Publishing). She is co-editor of Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming (Candlewick Press), an anthology of writing by young Native writers, as well as We Beg to Differ, poems by Sacramento poets against the war. She has also co-edited the Tule Review for the Sacramento Poetry Center. She chairs the Creative Writing department for the California State Summer School for the Arts and is chair of Sacramento's Poet Laureate Committee. For ten years she facilitated writing workshops within several California state prisons. Open mike to follow.
This week's HandyStuff Quickie: Six-word memoirs:
Deena Heath, Director of the Stockton Arts Commission, writes: Did you see the story in the Stockton Record [Monday] about six-word memoirs? Kind of fun! Check out the listed website: www.smithmag.net/.
I checked into it, and it does indeed look like fun. You can just type your "bio" in, and some previous ones were flashing on the screen. Two of my favorite, today's-Medusa-appropriate ones: "Smooge the cat before flipping pancakes" by Angela Smith and "Men, chocolate, cats, no particular order" by Jeni Anne.
__________________
WHAT SAY
—Michael Cluff, Highlands
When I lift
this pen
or fingers
to this paper
or this keyborad
it will astound, shock, surprise, flabbergast
bullocks me.
It hasn't been done
yet.
__________________
Today's LittleNip:
Loafing is the most productive part of a writer's life.
~James Norman Hall
___________________
—Medusa
SnakeWatch: What's Up With Rattlesnake Press
New in June: Day Moon, a new chapbook by James DenBoer, and Mindfully Moon, a littlesnake broadside by Carol Louise Moon, as well as Volume Three of Conversations, our third book of interviews by B.L. Kennedy, featuring Art Beck, Olivia Costellano, Quinton Duval, William S. Gainer, Mario Ellis Hill, Kathryn Hohlwein, James Jee Jobe, Andy Jones, Rebecca Morrison, Viola Weinberg and Phillip T. Nails. All this PLUS a brand-new edition (#18) of Rattlesnake Review! Now available at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, or (soon) from rattlesnakepress.com/. (Snake contributors and subscribers will be receiving their copies in the mail next week. If you're not among either of these, and can't get down to The Book Collector to get your free copy, send me two bux and I'll mail you one: P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726.)
The Snake will be snoozing through July and August, leaving Medusa to carry on alone. Then on September 10, we shall burst back onto the scene with Ten Poems, a new chapbook from Patrick Grizzell, plus Issue #19 of Rattlesnake Review. (Deadline is August 15.) Meanwhile, look in on Medusa every day, and, for heaven's sake, keep sending stuff! The snakes of Medusa are always hungry...
Medusa's Weekly Menu:
(Contributors are welcome to cook up something for any and all of these!)
Monday: Weekly NorCal poetry calendar
Tuesday: Seed of the Week: Tuesday is Medusa's day to post poetry triggers such as quotes, forms, photos, memories, jokes—whatever might tickle somebody's muse. Pick up the gauntlet and send in your poetic results; and don't be shy about sending in your own triggers, too! All poems will be posted and a few of them will go into Medusa's Corner of each Rattlesnake Review. Send your work to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No deadline for SOW; respond today, tomorrow, or whenever the muse arrives. (Print 'em out, maybe, save 'em for a dry spell?) When you send us work, though, just let us know which "seed" it was that inspired you.
Wednesday: HandyStuff Quickies: Resources for the poet, including whatever helps ease the pain of writing and/or publishing: favorite journals to read and/or submit to; books, etc., about writing; organizational tools—you know—HandyStuff! Tell us about your favorite tools.
Thursday: B.L.'s Drive-Bys: Micro-reviews by our irreverent Reviewer-in-Residence, B.L. Kennedy. Send books, CDs, DVDs, etc. to him for possible review (either as a Drive-By or in future issues of Rattlesnake Review) at P.O. Box 160664, Sacramento, CA 95816.
Friday: NorCal weekend poetry calendar
Daily (except Sunday): LittleNips: SnakeFood for the Poetic Soul: Daily munchables for poetic thought, including short paragraphs, quotes, wonky words, silliness, little-known poetry/poet facts, and other inspiration—yet another way to feed our ravenous poetic souls.
And poetry! Every day, poetry from writers near and far! The Snakes of Medusa are always hungry.......!
_________________
Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their POETRY, PHOTOS and ART, as well as announcements of Northern California poetry events, to kathykieth@hotmail.com (or snail ‘em to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726) for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets. Previously-published poems are okay for Medusa’s Kitchen, as long as you own the rights. (Please cite publication.) Medusa cannot vouch for the moral fiber of other publications, contests, etc. that she lists, however, so submit to them at your own risk. For more info about the Snake Empire, including guidelines for submitting to or obtaining our publications, click on the link to the right of this column: Rattlesnake Press (rattlesnakepress.com). And be sure to sign up for Snakebytes, our monthly e-newsletter that will keep you up-to-date on all our ophidian chicanery.
