Latest review in the Courier-Journal

It’s great to get a little hometown love, and even better when a writer and fellow poet takes care to do such a thoughtful review.  

Thanks Kathleen Driskell! Check out her own work here!

#Covet #poetry #review

What’s in your AWP bookbag?

The luxury of driving to this year’s AWP conference in Chicago meant that it was no holds barred on the journal and new titles accumulation front.  I’ve got the next six month’s reading already taken care of with:

New poetry titles from my compadres at Red Hen Press: Calamity Joe, Brendan Constantine; Miracle Day, Sebastian Matthews; and The Scarlet Libretto, David Mason – an intriguing publication of the libretto for composer’s Lori Laitman’s opera The Scarlet Letter.  And from across town at Sarabande: Jean Valentine’s chapbook Lucy, No.8 from the press’ Quarternote Series and Small Fires, essays by Julie Marie Wade. Finally, from Graywolf (all softbacks $10!!) two from the “Art Of” series: Dean Young’s The Art of Recklessness and The Art of Time in Fiction, Joan Silber; and, Vanishing Point (Not A Memoir) from Ander Monson.

Too many journals to list but some old and new favorites: Whiskey Island with reversible halves (this was not the only publishing instance of this at the bookfair);two issues of Burnside Review including the “whiskey” issue; Poems & Plays one of the few litmags publishing short plays; Exit 7 (inaugural issue and snazzy looking, too!) from West Kentucky Community and Technical College; a back issue from Hobart themed “gaming”; the literary annual from Hamline, Water – Stone Review; and from Ugly Duckling Presse, 6×6 –  very beautifully produced collection of 6 poems by  6 poets.

What’s in your AWP bookbag? 

— Watch the trailer by Pam Swisher for Covet here

#journals #hamline #sarabande #poetry #redhenpress

Best 200 words a girl could hope for….

About Covet, from Micah Ling at Book Punch:

Covet is a verb. It’s active. Here, in these poems, it’s also a constant choice. And then, you realize that most emotions–most reactions–are choices. Choose to be angry, or don’t. Choose to be content, or don’t. All of these decisions–all of this action–surrounds us, circling, like wild animals. But sometimes, like love or hunger, it seems like the decision is out of our hands. We covet even when we don’t want to. Like hearing old time music and wanting to be right in the middle of it. We don’t want some things to end, even when they have to, like children at certain ages, and seasons. Letting go of things that must change is horrible and grand at once. It’s so fitting that there’s a catalogue here, from an antique show. A preservation of stuff–the life of stuff that goes on. Stuff that has another life. Several more lives. That’s how we hang onto what we don’t want to lose. Memories. Dishes and tools and prisms: all that outlive us. Lost slipper of light / now dulled. Flat / in the dark box, to hang / in celebration, it refracts / dazzle of dance: choose / me   choose me

Check out Book Punch weekly for sharp new 200-word reviews of poetry, fiction and non-fiction.

Watch the trailer by Pam Swisher for Covet here

#Covet #poetry #reviews