Sunday, December 19, 2004

first post

I've been toying with the idea of starting my own blog for quite awhile now, especially since I became a fan of Jeremy's junkmail for blankets and subsequently those I found linked to his blog. I think it will help motivate me in my overall writing, as a form of accountability in a way. And I think there is a rich connection between writing poetry and literary non-fiction. With that said, here's the beginning.

This afternoon, some fellow
MFA poets and I (those still in town before the holidays) gathered at a cozy house to workshop poems, eat yummy treats, and enjoy each other's company. I appreciate this multi-generational group that represents a diverse cross-section of America (Utah, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, among Washington natives and others). I submitted a poem I wrote almost a year ago, but since have tweaked...just never submitted to be "workshopped".

I haven't written a complete draft of a new poem since the last week of this fall quarter. However, I have occasionally written in my journal (where I keep ideas and lines for poems). I've also been reading a lot*, and have enjoyed strategically buying meaningful Christmas gifts on a limited budget. But this is just the post-finals "vacation"...I need to get back to work. My thesis book is due in less than 6 months. The complete rough draft of 40-some poems (minimum 48 pages is required, I think) is due in half that time. Yes, I need to get to work.

* What is on my Christmas break reading list:

(those for fun)
  • A Girl Named Zippy - Haven Kimmel (finished it last night!)
  • The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath (read Ch. 1 last night)
  • Blessed Are the Cheesemakers - Sarah-Kate Lynch
  • Happy To Be Here - Garrison Keillor
  • Lake Woebegon Summer 1956 - Garrison Keillor

(for my thesis or, at least, thesis book list consideration)


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