Photo by Kathy Kieth
(I call this one, "Two Seconds Before Chaos",
which is what broke out right after
the shutter snapped.)
_____________
(I call this one, "Two Seconds Before Chaos",
which is what broke out right after
the shutter snapped.)
_____________
Air is
the only
interference
between you
and me
and sight
acts
primarily
on the land-
scape
red earth
yellow sun
blue ocean
include humans
(of course)
to know
that
hugging
the coastline
the fog
is the only true
veil in nature
So
exactly what is
a tweed
under the sunshine?
(No one
is looking)
Go Free
—Gordon Preston, Modesto
from his book, Violins, published by Finishing Line Press
________________
New from Do Gentry:
Sacramento Poet Do Gentry has a new chapbook from Small Poetry Press that has just been released: The Logic of the Heart. It is available at The Book Collector, (916) 442-9295, 1008 24th Street (between J and K Sts.), Sacramento, CA 95816 (bookcollector@sacfreepress.com/).
December Boot Camp:
Molly Fisk of Nevada City writes: It's not too late to sign up for the December Boot Camp, which runs from Sunday, 12/2 through Friday 12/7, in case you'd like to write poems about how your Thanksgiving went this year, and what it's like to go shopping the day afterward. You can also write gift poems for your loved ones or anything else you feel like writing. If you don't know what Poetry Boot Camp is, visit http://www.poetrybootcamp for a full explanation. This is also a good time to purchase a Camp for any of your poet friends as a holiday present. (You know how hard poets are to buy for...) Go to the Registration page and click on Gift Certificate.
The new year is going to bring some changes to Poetry Boot Camp, including special separate camps for beginners and for experienced poets, guest critiquers, more revision camps, and camps with particular topics. I'll let you know more about these innovations in about a month. Meanwhile, enjoy all the non-shopping aspects of December, and write whenever you can. It's a great stress-reliever.
Merry, Happy, etc., and many thanks for your participation and support as we wrap up the fifth year of Boot Camp.
This week in NorCal poetry:
•••Monday (11/26), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents Brad Buchanan's Creative Writing Class from Cal. State University, Sacramento, at HQ for the Arts, 1719 25th St., Sacramento. Open mic will follow.
•••Weds. (11/28), 6-7 PM: Upstairs Poetry reading at The Upstairs Art Gallery, 420 Main St (2nd floor), Placerville. It's an open-mike read-around, so bring your own poems or those of a favorite poet to share, or just come to listen. Free.
•••Wednesday (11/28), 6-8 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center will hold its Annual Benefit at the home of Burnett and Mimi Miller, 1224 40th St., Sacramento. Victoria Dalkey and Quinton Duval will share their poetry; music will be provided by The Swing State (aka SPC Board Member Mary Zeppa and SPC President Bob Stanley); plus food, drink and fellowship. $30. Arts funding is always at a premium. If you can’t fit our party into your busy life, please consider helping to support our ongoing (since 1979) programs with a tax-deductible contribution. Send it to Sacramento Poetry Center, 1719 – 25th St., Sacramento, CA 95816.
•••Thursday (11/29), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac. Featured readers, with open mic before and after. Info: 916-441-3931.
•••Sat. (12/1), 7 PM: Poetry Flash at Cody’s Books in Berkeley presents Sacramentan/rattlechapper Susan Kelly-DeWitt and Davisite Sandra McPherson at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St., Berkeley, 510-559-9500. Info: Poetry Flash: (510) 525-5476, www.poetryflash.org/.
______________________
Tom Goff sends us the following poem, with this introduction:
[A sonnet naked of rhyme, in which Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford or Oxenford, bewails his inability, by high birth and impolitic disclosure of politics, to claim what plays he hath writ, under the pen name William Shakespeare; whereupon cometh a Stratford man of small education, haply named William Shakspere, under whose seeming authorship, the said plays are enabled to be published. The which sonnet containeth the true author’s name, but in a manner as may chance with courtiers, which do both rise and fall.*]
SHAKESPEARE IN ALL BUT NAME
—Tom Goff, Carmichael
Evil stars in bad courses blast me dead,
Desiring silenced all that I work for.
Whatever I ache to speak, they chide me no:
A partless actor must all speech leave off,
Resentful-mute. What stood my love upon,
Designs of an English stage, in me alone
Originate, yet to one who signs his X,
X or what scribble he can make, must go
Eternal lines and name. This comes as dread
Nonsuits the great who rise and rule, yet fear
Faint semblances which satire out loud—la!—
Oily deceits and policies they speak low.
Reward avoids players and plays that lend the grand
Dark mirrors of darker deeds, that they may see.
*That is, a double acrostic. For the rousing story behind this limping conceit, see Mark Anderson’s 2005 book, Shakespeare By Another Name.
____________________
Thanks, Tom!
—Medusa
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).
SnakeWatch: Up-to-the-minute Snake news:
Rattlesnake Review: The latest issue of Rattlesnake Review (#15) is available for free at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, or send $2 to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. Issue #16 will be out in mid-December; its deadline of Nov. 15 has passed. Next deadline (for Issue #17, due out in mid-March) is February 15. (Sooner than you think!)
New in November: On November 14, Rattlesnake Press released Among Neighbors, a rattlechap from Taylor Graham; Home is Where You Hang Your Wings, a free littlesnake broadside from frank andrick; and A Poet's Book of Days, a perpetual calendar featuring the poetry and photography of Katy Brown. These are now available at The Book Collector, from kathykieth@hotmail.com, or on rattlesnakepress.com/, as is October's Conversations, Vol. One of B.L. Kennedy's Rattlesnake Interview Series.
Coming December 12: The Snake is proud to announce the release of Metamorphic Intervals From The Insanity Of Time, a SnakeRings SpiralChap from Patricia D'Alessandro; Notes From An Ivory Tower, a littlesnake broadside from Ann Wehrman; and a brand new issue of Rattlesnake Review (#16). Come celebrate all of these on Wednesday, December 12, 7:30 PM at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's.
the only
interference
between you
and me
and sight
acts
primarily
on the land-
scape
red earth
yellow sun
blue ocean
include humans
(of course)
to know
that
hugging
the coastline
the fog
is the only true
veil in nature
So
exactly what is
a tweed
under the sunshine?
(No one
is looking)
Go Free
—Gordon Preston, Modesto
from his book, Violins, published by Finishing Line Press
________________
Thanks, Gordon. Gordon Preston co-presents a reading series in Modesto, and was one of the editors of Hardpan. Yes, "was"—sadly, that wonderful journal is no longer publishing. Darn—we were all set to do a feature on them in the next Rattlesnake Review. Well, at least we have some poems from Editors Gordon Preston, debee loyd and Karen Baker for the issue, so that'll be a plus.
New from Do Gentry:
Sacramento Poet Do Gentry has a new chapbook from Small Poetry Press that has just been released: The Logic of the Heart. It is available at The Book Collector, (916) 442-9295, 1008 24th Street (between J and K Sts.), Sacramento, CA 95816 (bookcollector@sacfreepress.com/).
December Boot Camp:
Molly Fisk of Nevada City writes: It's not too late to sign up for the December Boot Camp, which runs from Sunday, 12/2 through Friday 12/7, in case you'd like to write poems about how your Thanksgiving went this year, and what it's like to go shopping the day afterward. You can also write gift poems for your loved ones or anything else you feel like writing. If you don't know what Poetry Boot Camp is, visit http://www.poetrybootcamp for a full explanation. This is also a good time to purchase a Camp for any of your poet friends as a holiday present. (You know how hard poets are to buy for...) Go to the Registration page and click on Gift Certificate.
The new year is going to bring some changes to Poetry Boot Camp, including special separate camps for beginners and for experienced poets, guest critiquers, more revision camps, and camps with particular topics. I'll let you know more about these innovations in about a month. Meanwhile, enjoy all the non-shopping aspects of December, and write whenever you can. It's a great stress-reliever.
Merry, Happy, etc., and many thanks for your participation and support as we wrap up the fifth year of Boot Camp.
This week in NorCal poetry:
•••Monday (11/26), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents Brad Buchanan's Creative Writing Class from Cal. State University, Sacramento, at HQ for the Arts, 1719 25th St., Sacramento. Open mic will follow.
•••Weds. (11/28), 6-7 PM: Upstairs Poetry reading at The Upstairs Art Gallery, 420 Main St (2nd floor), Placerville. It's an open-mike read-around, so bring your own poems or those of a favorite poet to share, or just come to listen. Free.
•••Wednesday (11/28), 6-8 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center will hold its Annual Benefit at the home of Burnett and Mimi Miller, 1224 40th St., Sacramento. Victoria Dalkey and Quinton Duval will share their poetry; music will be provided by The Swing State (aka SPC Board Member Mary Zeppa and SPC President Bob Stanley); plus food, drink and fellowship. $30. Arts funding is always at a premium. If you can’t fit our party into your busy life, please consider helping to support our ongoing (since 1979) programs with a tax-deductible contribution. Send it to Sacramento Poetry Center, 1719 – 25th St., Sacramento, CA 95816.
•••Thursday (11/29), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac. Featured readers, with open mic before and after. Info: 916-441-3931.
•••Sat. (12/1), 7 PM: Poetry Flash at Cody’s Books in Berkeley presents Sacramentan/rattlechapper Susan Kelly-DeWitt and Davisite Sandra McPherson at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St., Berkeley, 510-559-9500. Info: Poetry Flash: (510) 525-5476, www.poetryflash.org/.
______________________
Tom Goff sends us the following poem, with this introduction:
[A sonnet naked of rhyme, in which Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford or Oxenford, bewails his inability, by high birth and impolitic disclosure of politics, to claim what plays he hath writ, under the pen name William Shakespeare; whereupon cometh a Stratford man of small education, haply named William Shakspere, under whose seeming authorship, the said plays are enabled to be published. The which sonnet containeth the true author’s name, but in a manner as may chance with courtiers, which do both rise and fall.*]
SHAKESPEARE IN ALL BUT NAME
—Tom Goff, Carmichael
Evil stars in bad courses blast me dead,
Desiring silenced all that I work for.
Whatever I ache to speak, they chide me no:
A partless actor must all speech leave off,
Resentful-mute. What stood my love upon,
Designs of an English stage, in me alone
Originate, yet to one who signs his X,
X or what scribble he can make, must go
Eternal lines and name. This comes as dread
Nonsuits the great who rise and rule, yet fear
Faint semblances which satire out loud—la!—
Oily deceits and policies they speak low.
Reward avoids players and plays that lend the grand
Dark mirrors of darker deeds, that they may see.
*That is, a double acrostic. For the rousing story behind this limping conceit, see Mark Anderson’s 2005 book, Shakespeare By Another Name.
____________________
Thanks, Tom!
—Medusa
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).
SnakeWatch: Up-to-the-minute Snake news:
Rattlesnake Review: The latest issue of Rattlesnake Review (#15) is available for free at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, or send $2 to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. Issue #16 will be out in mid-December; its deadline of Nov. 15 has passed. Next deadline (for Issue #17, due out in mid-March) is February 15. (Sooner than you think!)
New in November: On November 14, Rattlesnake Press released Among Neighbors, a rattlechap from Taylor Graham; Home is Where You Hang Your Wings, a free littlesnake broadside from frank andrick; and A Poet's Book of Days, a perpetual calendar featuring the poetry and photography of Katy Brown. These are now available at The Book Collector, from kathykieth@hotmail.com, or on rattlesnakepress.com/, as is October's Conversations, Vol. One of B.L. Kennedy's Rattlesnake Interview Series.
Coming December 12: The Snake is proud to announce the release of Metamorphic Intervals From The Insanity Of Time, a SnakeRings SpiralChap from Patricia D'Alessandro; Notes From An Ivory Tower, a littlesnake broadside from Ann Wehrman; and a brand new issue of Rattlesnake Review (#16). Come celebrate all of these on Wednesday, December 12, 7:30 PM at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's.