IT'S APRIL
and life so unattractive; the dead earth suddenly turns vampire
and breathes, breathes, breathes, with it begin to breathe
the souls of the dead, in harmony,
following orders from the cruellest month;
they yearn to lie down quietly among sweet flowers.
The mirrors in the room get fidgetty
looking into the terror-filled eyes of old men
and in the dumb fear of old men they arouse the desire
to breathe, breathe, breathe......
The whole sky could fit
into a dirty puddle of rain.
—Ferida Durakovic
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Shazam! National Poetry Month is starting with a bang around here, with lots of goings-on this week and for the entire month! See below for this week's offerings, including the Sacramento Poetry Center Conference and the Gathering of California Poets Laureate, all right here in Saca-tomato!
Medusa has a few new snakes flying out of her head, too, including two more new features: LittleNips, our new daily SnakeFood for Poetic Brains, and the weekly (Wednesday) HandyStuff Quickies: Tools for the Poetic Trade. As usual, poets from around the globe will be encouraged to contribute; more about that later.
Meanwhile, it's Tuesday. Time for Seed of the Week. Taylor Graham sent us this response to last week's SOW:
FROM SEED
—Taylor Graham, Somerset
...to make two spires of grass grow where one did not before.
—Elihu Burritt (1874)
Some sickly daisies, and those jaundiced weeds
that find their way between the native stones,
were all the field would bear. Their stubborn seeds
could grow in ground that’s rocks and bones
leached, dried, and worthless. But a man brings trust
and hard hand-labor to the land he weds.
Where once rose nothing from the soil but dust,
now see how wheat and rye-grass nod their heads
and find their way between the native stones
of field-wall and a farther, greener swale.
His broad brown ox is all the help he asks
for plowing, mowing, harvesting. The veil
of twilight covers never-ending tasks.
Don’t speak of fear his rustic rites might fail.
A farmer’s faith, that this new crop succeeds
the sickly daisies and the jaundiced weeds.
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Thanks, TG! All SOW poems will be posted and a few of them will go into Medusa's Corner of each Rattlesnake Review. Send your work to me at kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No deadline for SOWs; 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.
This coming week's SOW suggestion comes from Sal Buttaci, who challenges us to write some tyburns, defined as a six-line poem with a set syllable count. The first four lines rhyme and are all descriptive words. The last two lines rhyme and incorporate the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines as the 5th to 8th syllables. The structure is:
line 1 - 2 syllables
line 2 - 2 syllables
line 3 - 2 syllables
line 4 - 2 syllables
line 5 - 9 syllables
line 6 - 9 syllables
Sal sends us some tyburns of his own:
FLOWERS
One day
Bouquet
Displays
Decay
In the garden, One day bouquet dies.
Early fall yields displays decay-wise.
___________________
POETRY
A crime:
All rhymes
Sublime
In time
Are forgotten. A crime: all rhymes tossed
From creation. Sublime? in time, lost.
___________________
LOVE OR WHAT?
Kisses
Hisses
Misses
Wishes.
It’s up to you. Kisses, hisses? Sick!
Love or dreaming? Misses, wishes? Pick!
__________________
AFTER KNEE SURGERY
A cane?
Insane!
The pain’s
To blame.
I’m not that old. A cane? Insane! Mine.
I have no choice. The pain’s to blame. Fine.
__________________
Try your own hand at tyburns and send me your fruits. Are you (wo)man enough for the mighty tyburn?
Chris Olander of Grass Valley writes: Great news for me: the student I was coaching in the Poetry Out Loud contest won the California State Contest; she and her mother get an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington DC to compete in the National Championship Contest! She has as much chance of winning that as anybody else, and I think she's going to be tough to beat! Congrats, Chris, to you and your charge. Check out B.L. Kennedy's Conversations Volume Two for an interview with Chris, in which he talks about his long-time involvement with California Poets in the Schools.
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This week in NorCal poetry:
•••Tonight (4/1), 6-9 PM: The Bonefolders: Poems-For-All Building Party. Help Richard Hansen’s Poems-For-All crew build the hundreds of poem booklets they want to put on the street for Poetry Month. Each little booklet made as part of the Poems-For-All (PFA) Series goes through the same ritual: Cut. Fold. Staple. Bonefolders are the small tools used to make a neat fold in paper. The Bonefolders are those kind souls willing to come out and help PFA build little booklets to be given away for free. Care to be a bonefolder? Join us anytime between 6 and 9 PM in the relaxed atmosphere of The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. Come to fold poems or just hang out and enjoy the light refreshments. There are jobs for any skill level. Building little poem books is theraputic and you're welcome to take some with you! (And the fun will be repeated on Saturday, April 12, too!)
•••April 2-3: Gathering of California Poets Laureate. Schedule as follows:
Wednesday, April 2 — Evening Reception for Laureates
5-9 PM at the Fragrance Garden next to California State Library 10th and N Streets
6-7 PM: informal barbecue dinner
7-9 PM: laureates informal reading (5 minutes per reader)
The public is invited — $15 covers the cost of dinner. Seating is limited, please RSVP to Bob Stanley at bobstanley@sbcglobalnet or 916-240-1897.
Thursday, April 3 — Laureates' Conference
9-9:30 AM: Welcome, presentation by California Poets in the Schools/Poetry Out Loud
9-9:55 AM: Keynote by Al Young, California Poet Laureate
10-12:45 AM: Discussion by Community Poets Laureate
Thursday, April 3 (cont.) — Laureates' Public Poetry Reading
1-3 PM by the Capitol Fountain, Capitol Mall and 10th Street
(5 minutes per poet—bag lunch will be provided for laureates and volunteers)
3-5 PM: Thank yous and farewells
The public is invited. Seating is limited for the morning conference. Please RSVP to Bob Stanley at bobstanley@sbcglobalnet or 916-240-1897
Participating poets laureate: Al Young [California], Sandra Wade [Lake County], Mary McMillan [Lake County], Dorothy Lee Hansen [Napa county], Meredith Laskow [Placentia Library District], Geri DiGiorno [Sonoma County], Mary Rudge [Alameda], Joel Fallon [Benicia], Diane Lando [Brentwood], Ruth Blakeney [Crockett], Connie Post [Livermore], Sam Pierstorff [Modesto], Rod Clark [Pacifica], Garland Thompson [Pacific Grove], Martha Meltzner [Pleasanton], Fionna Perkins [Point Arena], Julia Connor [Sacramento], Dian Sousa [San Luis Obispo], Jack Hirschman [San Francisco], Perie Longo [Santa Barbara], Ursula Gibson [Sunland-Tujunga], David Smith-Ferri [Ukiah] and others.
Brought to you by:
California Arts Council
Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission
Poets and Writers
California Poets in the Schools
•••Wednesday (4/2), 9 PM: Charles Curtis Blackwell and Vincent Kobelt at Bistro 33, 226 F St. in Davis. Playwright, poet, and performance artist Charles Curtis Blackwell has written plays such as Is, The Color of Mississippi Mud, which was produced in Washington D.C. and Sacramento, and I’m a Boxer, a Love Story. His book The Fiery Response To Love’s Calling was published in 1999, and he has produced three spoken word CDs, one featuring jazz drummer Billy Toliver. Currently a resident of the bay area, Blackwell organizes writers’ workshops and community cultural events at the Faithful Fools Agency in the San Francisco Tenderloin.
Founder of the Garage Sale Art Project, poet Vincent Kobelt has been reading and performing his work throughout California since 1990. During the summer Kobelt teaches at the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA/Innerspark), and every third Saturday of the month he hosts “Live at Carol’s,” a reading and performance series featuring California poets at Carol’s Books on Del Paso Blvd. in Sacramento. Kobelt has recently authored a CD called The Jive and a poetry anthology titled The Jive’s in the Jug. His poetry performed at the Bistro 33 open mics has made him a crowd favorite.
Poetry Night, hosted by Brad Henderson and Andy Jones, takes place on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at Bistro 33.
•••Thurs. (4/3), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sacramento. Featured poets, with open mic before and after. Info: 916-441-3931.
•••Friday (4/4) and Saturday (4/5): Sacramento Poetry Center Conference, 2008. Schedule as follows:
Friday, April 4:
6 PM: late registration, passes, hors d'ouevres, book sales
6:45 PM: Reception opening, introduction
7 PM: Reading at The Space: Camille Norton, Joshua McKinney, Jane Hirshfield
8-8:30 PM: Closing/Book Sales
Saturday, April 5:
8:45-9:20 AM: Breakfast, Late Registration, Briefing from President
9:30-11:30 AM: Workshop A: Camille Norton
9:30-11:30 AM: Workshop B: Joshua McKinney
11:30 AM: Lunch
1-1:30 PM: Al Young Lecture
2-4 PM: Workshop C: Ellen Bass
2-4 PM: Workshop D: Quinton Duval
4:15-4:30 PM: Closing remarks by President
4:30 PM: Reading at The Space: Quinton Duval, Ellen Bass, Al Young
5:30 PM: Closing Book Signings
Fees: Members: Friday, $10 [Reading only]; Saturday, $10 [Reading/Lecture only] Both Days, $35
Non-members: Friday, $10 [Reading]; Saturday, $15 [Reading/Lecture only]. Both Days $45. Special one-time SPC membership fee at the conference: $25. Mail to: 1719 25th St., Sacramento, CA 95816.
•••Friday (4/4), 7:30 PM: The Other Voice, a poetry reading series sponsored by the U.U. Church of Davis, presents three poets: Lisa Dominguez Abraham, Denise Lichtig, and Catherine French. Lisa Abraham's work has appeared in a number of journals, most recently in The Suisan Valley Review and Hardpan. Her chapbook, Low Notes, was released last fall by Red Wing Press. Denise Lichtig has been published in Hayden's Ferry Review, Antioch Review, The Suisun Review, and Dry Heat. She has received a Pushcart nomination and was a semi-finalist in the Discovery/The Nation contest. Here in Davis she has a private practice in Chinese Medicine and teaches Tai Qi. Catherine French lives in Sacramento and is the author of Sideshow from the University of Nevada Press. Her poems have appeared in The Nation, Gettysburg Review, Zyzzyva, and other journals. She is currently at work on her second collection of poems. We meet in the library of the church located at 27074 Patwin Rd. in Davis. Refreshments and Open Mike follow, so bring along a poem or two to share.
•••Saturday (4/5), 7:30 PM: Cornered: Five Years of SN&R’s Poet’s Corner: A celebration of five years of poetry in the Sacramento News & Review. Poetry Editor Kel Munger is putting together a line-up of poets from among those who've been published in the papers' weekly Poet's Corner.
•••Friday (4/4)-Sunday (4/6): Nevada City Poetry Retreat. Join Nils Peterson and Sally Ashton for a Gold Country get-away in historic Nevada City near Grass Valley. We will divide our time between creating new poems and revisioning old ones. You'll be invited to see if a "golden thread," as William Stafford taught, can lead you to the place where the inner and outer landscapes meet. Saturday evening, we'll have a session working on reading and presentation technique. In your free time, you may wish to explore historic Nevada City’s charming downtown or hiking trails.
Schedule:
Friday: 7-10pm: Reception and Session 1
Saturday: 9:30-Noon: Session 2
Lunch at the cabin
2-5pm: Session 3
Out to no-host Dinner
Evening Session 4: Reading/performance technique
Sunday: 9:30-Noon: Session 5
To Register: Sally Ashton at sallyashtn@aol.com; 408-892-3115 OR Nils Peterson nissepete@aol.com
Fee: $135; $50 deposit due at registration. Saturday lunch & light snacks provided. Meals & lodging not included; please make your own arrangements. (General Lodging Listings: http://www.ncgold.com/lodging/index.html)
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LittleNip of the Day: SnakeFood for Poetic Brains:
Welcome to our new daily corner for odd things to stimulate the brain: quotes, jokes, words, little-known facts about famous/not-so-famous/infamous poets—quick little nips to catapult you into a meditation, a poem, or a delete-in-disgust. Today's LittleNip is a word, and a dandy one it is: agrexophrenia (fear of being overheard or otherwise detected during sex).
We're not going to have a give-away every day, but to inaugurate LittleNips, send me a poem (either your own or somebody else's) with the word, agrexophrenia, in it, and I'll mail you a copy of Ann Privateer's new rattlechap, Attracted to Light. Yes, there's a deadline on this one: Friday, April 4. (Get it done early; you've got a lot to do this weekend!)
And hey, don't be shy. Got a LittleNip of your own to send me?
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APRIL
—Thomas Merton
April, like a leopard in the windy woods,
Sports with the javelins of the weather;
And the hunters,
Eye-level with the world's clean brim,
Sight their strings, in masking rocks not moving,
And shower with arrows
The innocent, immortal season.
Hear how like lights these following releases
Of sharpened shaft-flights sing across the air,
And play right through, unwounding, clearest windworks—
To disappear, unpublished, in the reeds.
Where their words are quenched, the world is quickened:
The lean air suddenly flowers,
The little voices of the rivers change;
So that the hunters put away their silver quivers,
Die to the level of river and rockbrim,
And are translated, homeward,
To the other, solemn, world.
___________________
—Medusa (back with a bang! Didja miss me?)
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: News from Rattlesnake Press
The latest Rattlesnake Review (#17) is now available for free at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. If you'd like me to mail you one, send two bux to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. Next deadline is May 15 for #18, due out in mid-June.
Coming April 9: We will mark the Snake’s fourth birthday by throwing his Fourth Annual Birthday Bash at The Book Collector on Wednesday, April 9, including a buffet at 7 PM, followed by a reading. That night, there will be three history-making releases: Ann Menebroker’s new chapbook (Small Crimes); Ted Finn re-emerges with a new SnakeRings SpiralChap of his poetry and art (Damn the Eternal War); and Katy Brown inaugurates her blank (well, not really) journal series for our HandyStuff department with her MUSINGS: Photos and Prompts For Capturing Creative Thought. Please join us to celebrate four years of [your] poetry with fangs!