I *Wowed* 'Em!

Review of my reading Saturday night at the Arkansas Times' annual Pub or Perish event.

Well, not "review" so much as a "mention," but I'll take it. More info here at the Sonnet Project, where you can also download audio of the entire reading--if that's your thing. :)

Thanks again to David Koon of the Times for making it all happen, and to all my friends who came out to drink and lend their support--not necessarily in that order. ;)

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Poetic Recognition in the Blogosphere

"Whiskey Wisdom, #113" was selected by Charles M. Rowland II as his "Poem of the Week" on Friday, February 20. I can't log in to post a thank-you comment, so I'll do it here: Thanks Charles! It's good to know somebody's reading. :)

Poem of the Week: "Whiskey Wisdom, #113"

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Things I Might Lose This Year

My keys. My wallet.
The money inside.
Or just some spare change.

Articles of clothing:
socks, underwear, a shirt.
Perhaps (inexplicably) a shoe.

A few pounds.
Internet passwords.

The one screw I need
to hold it all together.
The need for that screw.

Friends.
A loved one.
More than one.

My job. My fear
of losing my job.

My conviction that I should
be something I'm not.
My state of not being that thing.

My nerve.
My hesitancy.

Seconds. Minutes.
Hours. Days.

My sense of failure.
My fear of same.

Everything.

Nothing.

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International Review: Undead Vol. 3

Well, in the U.S. it's all about the poetry these days, but today's vanity-googling turned up a very nice review of Undead Volume 3: Flesh Feast from HorrorScope, a horror website based in Australia. The good news is, they LOVE me down under!

Scott Standridge’s ‘If You Believe’ is a chilling tale that may have you blocking up your chimney this Christmas. It begins gruesomely, and gets worse. Ramsey Campbell would appreciate the sense of dread with which the author manages to imbue one of our beloved festive icons.

I admit I get a really big thrill from the idea of ANYBODY reading what I wrote and liking it, but that thrill is augmented even more by knowing the person enjoying my writing is on the other side of the world--I feel like I'm really reaching out, I guess.

So thanks to my Australian friends--I love your beer!

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The Sonnet Project--In German!

Holy crap, I've been TRANSLATED! Quick, does anyone know German?

http://www.sonett-archiv.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=155

Mine's a little rusty, and Babelfish and Ubiquity only take me so far...but still, I'm really inordinately pleased with this discovery!

I mean, I'm always tickled beyond all reason when I learn that someone, somewhere is reading my stuff anyway...but to learn that I'm being read in GERMAN? That's above and beyond!

Like I said, I can't make out very much, but it's fairly clear someone's using some of the Sonnet Project entries for translation exercises...which is a use for my poetry that I whole-heartedly approve! I just wish I knew German so I could tell if they're any good or not... ;)

And Sneaky, my translator, if you're reading this--please contact me! You've made my day!

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And Yet MORE Poetry News!

Guess who's the Spotlight Poet for November 2008 over at well-respected and awesome poetry site The Hypertexts? That's right--yours truly, baby.

Editor Mike Burch has compiled a wonderful, extensive online poetry journal with a strong bent toward the classic and the formal, and I'm honored to have been noticed by him and invited to submit some of my best work. Not only that, but now I can say I've been anthologized with such poetry giants as Richard Moore, X. J. Kennedy, Rhina P. Espaillat, and Scott's all-time poetry hero Jack Butler! So yeah, I'm pretty pleased and proud about the whole thing.

Check out the lovely write-up poet and editor T. Merrill gave me here, along with no fewer than 12 of my sonnets, some of them newly revised and improved. Let me know what you think!

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Remember:

There's nothing you can say that hasn't been said.

However--some things bear repeating.

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