Photo by Colette Jonopulos, Eugene, OR
TURNING THE CLOCKS
—William S. Gainer, Grass Valley
We’ve jumped again,
a little piece of time
has disappeared—
gone without living,
vanished between
breaths,
leaving
in the night—
poof...
gone...
and like a mistress
I didn’t know I had—
returning in the fall,
as if apologizing
for letting me
grow old...
as if—
one hour
would make
a difference—
and poof...
it’s back...
I spend it
sleeping late
on the odd
Sunday morning,
not caring
about
apologies...
__________________
Thanks to Bill Gainer and Taylor Graham for today's poems (we're talking aubades), and to Colette Jonopulos, ex-Sacramentan and co-editor of Tiger's Eye: A Journal of Poetry, for today's photo. Deadline for the Tiger's Eye Annual Poetry Contest has been changed from Feb. 28 to March 31! Send three of your finest, along with a short bio, SASE, and $10 to Tiger's Eye 2009 Contest, P.O. Box 2935, Eugene, OR 97402. Judge will be Thomas D. Patterson. First prize is $500, 2nd is $100, 3rd is $50. Click to the link on the right for more info.
Join us tonight, Wednesday, March 11, when Rattlesnake Press will be releasing a new chapbook from Norma Kohout (All Aboard!!!); a littlesnake broadside from Patricia Hickerson (At Grail Castle Hotel); and a new issue of Rattlesnake Review (the Snake turns 21)! That's at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's.
Who will be the next Sacramento Poet Laureate?
Sacramento Poet Laureate Julia Connor's reign is coming to an end, and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC) is pleased to announce the search for Sacramento's 2009-11 Poet Laureate. SMAC is seeking a candidate who really loves to inspire audiences and the community through readings of his/her work and the works of others. The 2009-11 Poet Laureate will be a beacon of light for the Sacramento community, uplifting, inspiring and addressing these turbulent times.
SMAC is now accepting nominations from the community. All applicants must be Sacramento County residents. Please check the guidelines for further details on eligibility. To download a PDF of the guidelines, go to the SMAC website at
http://www.sacmetroarts.com/poet-laureate.html
Nominations are due by 3:00 PM on April 6, 2009. The new Poet Laureate will be chosen through a competitive review process.
The Sacramento Poet Laureate Program encourages literary awareness by the general public and celebrates the high caliber of talent among Sacramento’s poets. Taking into consideration the current and anticipated budget reductions across all SMAC programs, the Poet Laureate program will continue without the implementation of a project and with a reduced budget. SMAC anticipates re-implementing the project portion of the program when funding becomes available.
The Sacramento Poet Laureate Program was established in February 2000 by SMAC and is designed to extend and bring to life the power and beauty of poetry and the spoken word to our community and to increase literary awareness in Sacramento County.
Please contact Anja Aulenbacher, Grants & Cultural Programs Coordinator with questions by phone (916) 566-3986 or email, aaulenbacher@cityofsacramento.org/.
___________________
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS AUBADE
—Taylor Graham, Placerville
Morning comes cold before dawn
these days. Radio alarm with its worse-
than-yesterday’s news. The brilliant
poem of my dreams disappeared
when I switched on the light.
You and the cat see no cause to get up,
yet at the door our dog waits
with a dog’s alert
patience. The full Worm Moon glints
frost on the grass. Sheep huddle
in their shed, disbelieving spring.
Coffee black as 6 a.m., the computer
has eaten my spreadsheet.
By the almanac, the sun will rise
at 7:27. We must all have faith.
___________________
CEMETERY AUBADE
—Taylor Graham
First light glitters on snail-trail
across a granite headstone,
its slow progress scripted to silence
like the names
engraved—the reckless, the detailers,
the wrestlers and agonists,
drudges and the lovers all lie abed
underneath. What waking
to their dawn?
After winter, every spring’s the same,
for all the fresh-
burst blossoms syncopated
to a breeze. One robin re-invents
birdsong, just for this morning
new.
__________________
Today's LittleNip:
English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment, and education—sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across a street.
—E.B. White
___________________
—Medusa
SnakeWatch: What's New from Rattlesnake Press:
Rattlesnake Review: Deadline for RR21 was Feb. 15; the issue will be available at The Book Collector after March 11, and contributor and subscription copies will go into the mail after that—or send me four bux and I'll mail you one. Next deadline is May 15 for RR22: send 3-5 poems, smallish art pieces and/or photos (no bio, no cover letter, no simultaneous submissions or previously-published poems) to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. E-mail attachments are preferred, but be sure to include all contact info, including snail address. Meanwhile, the snakes of Medusa are always hungry; let us know if your submission is for the Review or for Medusa, or for either one.
Also available (free): littlesnake broadside #46: Snake Secrets: Getting Your Poetry Published in Rattlesnake Press (and lots of other places, besides!): A compendium of ideas for brushing up on your submissions process so as to make editors everywhere more happy, thereby increasing the likelihood of getting your poetry published. Pick up a copy at The Book Collector or write to me and I'll send you one. Free!
NEW FOR MARCH: Rattlesnake Press is proud to present a new chapbook from Norma Kohout (All Aboard); a littlesnake broadside from Patricia Hickerson (At Grail Castle Hotel); and a new issue of Rattlesnake Review (the Snake turns 21)!
COMING IN APRIL: Wednesday, April 8 will be our FIFTH BIRTHDAY PARTY/BUFFET at The Book Collector, featuring a SpiralChap of poetry and photos from Laverne Frith (Celebrations: Images and Text), a littlesnake broadside from Taylor Graham (Edge of Wildwood), and Musings3: An English Affair, a new blank journal of photos and writing prompts from Katy Brown. That’s at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30 PM.
And April 15 is the deadline for the second issue of WTF, the free quarterly journal from Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe that is edited by frank andrick. Submission guidelines are the same as for the Snake, but send your poems, photos, smallish art or prose pieces (500 words or less) to fandrickfabpub@hotmail.com (attachments preferred) or, if you’re snailing, to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. And be forewarned: this publication will be for adults only! So you must be over 18 years of age to submit. Copies of the first issue are at The Book Collector, or send me two bux and I'll mail you one.
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 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.
Wednesday (sometimes, or any other day!): 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 and in-between! 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.
—William S. Gainer, Grass Valley
We’ve jumped again,
a little piece of time
has disappeared—
gone without living,
vanished between
breaths,
leaving
in the night—
poof...
gone...
and like a mistress
I didn’t know I had—
returning in the fall,
as if apologizing
for letting me
grow old...
as if—
one hour
would make
a difference—
and poof...
it’s back...
I spend it
sleeping late
on the odd
Sunday morning,
not caring
about
apologies...
__________________
Thanks to Bill Gainer and Taylor Graham for today's poems (we're talking aubades), and to Colette Jonopulos, ex-Sacramentan and co-editor of Tiger's Eye: A Journal of Poetry, for today's photo. Deadline for the Tiger's Eye Annual Poetry Contest has been changed from Feb. 28 to March 31! Send three of your finest, along with a short bio, SASE, and $10 to Tiger's Eye 2009 Contest, P.O. Box 2935, Eugene, OR 97402. Judge will be Thomas D. Patterson. First prize is $500, 2nd is $100, 3rd is $50. Click to the link on the right for more info.
Join us tonight, Wednesday, March 11, when Rattlesnake Press will be releasing a new chapbook from Norma Kohout (All Aboard!!!); a littlesnake broadside from Patricia Hickerson (At Grail Castle Hotel); and a new issue of Rattlesnake Review (the Snake turns 21)! That's at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's.
Who will be the next Sacramento Poet Laureate?
Sacramento Poet Laureate Julia Connor's reign is coming to an end, and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC) is pleased to announce the search for Sacramento's 2009-11 Poet Laureate. SMAC is seeking a candidate who really loves to inspire audiences and the community through readings of his/her work and the works of others. The 2009-11 Poet Laureate will be a beacon of light for the Sacramento community, uplifting, inspiring and addressing these turbulent times.
SMAC is now accepting nominations from the community. All applicants must be Sacramento County residents. Please check the guidelines for further details on eligibility. To download a PDF of the guidelines, go to the SMAC website at
http://www.sacmetroarts.com/poet-laureate.html
Nominations are due by 3:00 PM on April 6, 2009. The new Poet Laureate will be chosen through a competitive review process.
The Sacramento Poet Laureate Program encourages literary awareness by the general public and celebrates the high caliber of talent among Sacramento’s poets. Taking into consideration the current and anticipated budget reductions across all SMAC programs, the Poet Laureate program will continue without the implementation of a project and with a reduced budget. SMAC anticipates re-implementing the project portion of the program when funding becomes available.
The Sacramento Poet Laureate Program was established in February 2000 by SMAC and is designed to extend and bring to life the power and beauty of poetry and the spoken word to our community and to increase literary awareness in Sacramento County.
Please contact Anja Aulenbacher, Grants & Cultural Programs Coordinator with questions by phone (916) 566-3986 or email, aaulenbacher@cityofsacramento.org/.
___________________
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS AUBADE
—Taylor Graham, Placerville
Morning comes cold before dawn
these days. Radio alarm with its worse-
than-yesterday’s news. The brilliant
poem of my dreams disappeared
when I switched on the light.
You and the cat see no cause to get up,
yet at the door our dog waits
with a dog’s alert
patience. The full Worm Moon glints
frost on the grass. Sheep huddle
in their shed, disbelieving spring.
Coffee black as 6 a.m., the computer
has eaten my spreadsheet.
By the almanac, the sun will rise
at 7:27. We must all have faith.
___________________
CEMETERY AUBADE
—Taylor Graham
First light glitters on snail-trail
across a granite headstone,
its slow progress scripted to silence
like the names
engraved—the reckless, the detailers,
the wrestlers and agonists,
drudges and the lovers all lie abed
underneath. What waking
to their dawn?
After winter, every spring’s the same,
for all the fresh-
burst blossoms syncopated
to a breeze. One robin re-invents
birdsong, just for this morning
new.
__________________
Today's LittleNip:
English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment, and education—sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across a street.
—E.B. White
___________________
—Medusa
SnakeWatch: What's New from Rattlesnake Press:
Rattlesnake Review: Deadline for RR21 was Feb. 15; the issue will be available at The Book Collector after March 11, and contributor and subscription copies will go into the mail after that—or send me four bux and I'll mail you one. Next deadline is May 15 for RR22: send 3-5 poems, smallish art pieces and/or photos (no bio, no cover letter, no simultaneous submissions or previously-published poems) to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. E-mail attachments are preferred, but be sure to include all contact info, including snail address. Meanwhile, the snakes of Medusa are always hungry; let us know if your submission is for the Review or for Medusa, or for either one.
Also available (free): littlesnake broadside #46: Snake Secrets: Getting Your Poetry Published in Rattlesnake Press (and lots of other places, besides!): A compendium of ideas for brushing up on your submissions process so as to make editors everywhere more happy, thereby increasing the likelihood of getting your poetry published. Pick up a copy at The Book Collector or write to me and I'll send you one. Free!
NEW FOR MARCH: Rattlesnake Press is proud to present a new chapbook from Norma Kohout (All Aboard); a littlesnake broadside from Patricia Hickerson (At Grail Castle Hotel); and a new issue of Rattlesnake Review (the Snake turns 21)!
COMING IN APRIL: Wednesday, April 8 will be our FIFTH BIRTHDAY PARTY/BUFFET at The Book Collector, featuring a SpiralChap of poetry and photos from Laverne Frith (Celebrations: Images and Text), a littlesnake broadside from Taylor Graham (Edge of Wildwood), and Musings3: An English Affair, a new blank journal of photos and writing prompts from Katy Brown. That’s at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30 PM.
And April 15 is the deadline for the second issue of WTF, the free quarterly journal from Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe that is edited by frank andrick. Submission guidelines are the same as for the Snake, but send your poems, photos, smallish art or prose pieces (500 words or less) to fandrickfabpub@hotmail.com (attachments preferred) or, if you’re snailing, to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. And be forewarned: this publication will be for adults only! So you must be over 18 years of age to submit. Copies of the first issue are at The Book Collector, or send me two bux and I'll mail you one.
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 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.
Wednesday (sometimes, or any other day!): 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 and in-between! 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.
