Over three months. What can I say? It’s been a busy summer? Well, that’s certainly true–I’ve had the kids off school since June 14th. They are renovating Hainesport School and so not only was summer break extended, but there was also no township recreational program. All of which means the driving has been crazy, and I’ve had very little free time that wasn’t urgently required by editorial firefighting or ice skating.
So, what’s new? Well, importantly, I’ve just brought the new issue of The Barefoot Muse online. Do go and check it out! The featured poet is Jehanne Dubrow, and there are poems by familiar faces such as Carol Taylor, Peter Branson and Maryann Corbett, as well as some new names I think you will love, like Eric Norris, David Hirzel and Laura Maffei. My editorial also sheds more light on my lackluster blogging!
Three of my NaPoWriMo poems have already been accepted for publication! Tilt-a-Whirl took “Triple Lutz” and “Waiting for the F Train,” and US1 took “April 6th.” Soundzine also took three poems, although I don’t think the issue is up yet, and Atlanta Review took a sonnet, “The Pre-History of Music.”
My panel proposal for AWP 2011 was accepted, which I’m really excited about, and I probably have a gig teaching formal poetry at the West Windsor Art Center in the Fall.
In over five years I have never been late getting The Barefoot Muse online, and today is no exception, despite the fact that we are leaving for a ten day trip to the UK tomorrow. Let me go finish packing! When we get home and the kids go back to school, then I promise…aw, heck! No promises…!
Okay, so I have not been a devoted blogger lately. In fact a certain friend of mine, who has checked my blog religiously for over 2 months now (or so she says) will be positively amazed to see her daily ritual turn up a result. Said result is not due to any tardy enforcing of a New Year’s Resolution, by the way–I keep those for things I am even less likely to accomplish, such as losing ten pounds and giving up wine–but to the long-awaited arrival of my latest love-child. No, not a baby brother for Becky and Lorna, but Volume 8 Issue 2 of The Raintown Review.
And what a stonking good issue it is, from the striking cover photograph by Katy Maslow to the stalwart list of contributors on the back. Also poems by Ned Balbo, Paul Bone, Greg Alan Brownderville, Michael Cantor, Jehanne Dubrow, Maureen Gallagher, Kevin Higgins, Rose Kelleher, Rick Mullin, Timothy Murphy, Aaron Poochigian, Deborah Tyler-Bennett, and others. We have incisive book reviews by Nick Friedman, Fintan O’Higgins, and Aifric Mac Aodha. In my editorial I survey the general run of metrical poetry-oriented magazines (we come out looking well, strangely enough), while Associate Editor Quincy R. Lehr is on a tear about something or other in an essay entitled “Down with ‘Good Poetry!’” (Just read it; the title makes sense in context.) In short, you are going to love it! (Contributors and subscribers should start receiving copies within a week or so.)
Speaking of which, if you haven’t yet, or haven’t recently, think about subscribing. Yes, I know that there are a gazillion magazines out there asking for your hard-earned cash. But The Raintown Review is “essential reading for the formal poetry community” or so it says in my essay…
And that might mean YOU!
Last night the kids’ school contacted all parents to inform us that the school will be closed Monday and Tuesday due to two possible cases of Swine flu. Oh joy!
Seriously, I do understand that one must err on the side of caution when it comes to the health of a community’s children, but I also doubt that these are really cases of Swine Flu, or that closing the school would have any more benefit than simply quarantining these children, if the diagnosis proves true.
What I do know is that I was planning to start the first draft of my Emily Bronte essay today (It’s due May 20) and that is now looking unlikely to happen. Sigh!
In more positive news, I have two events coming up in May that are worth publicizing. On Monday 11th May, Rachel Bunting and I are reading for the Delaware Valley Poets at Barnes & Noble in Princeton. That starts at 7.30 p.m. And on Sunday May 17th I am reading for the Journal of New Jersey Poets at the West Caldwell Literary Festival, which runs from 1 to 5 p.m.
I hope to see some of you there!
…I have been meaning for a while to write a brief entry which might prove useful to other MacBook users.
As you may recall, I got my MacBook in early 2008, and fell in love with it straight away. Like many a dreamy-eyed lover in the first flush of romance, I was at first able to forgive its little foibles. In particular, the wireless Internet connection had a nasty habit of dropping.The connection could usually be re-established by rebooting the cable modem, wireless router, laptop or all three, but the phenomenon interfered with IM conversations, viewing Youtube videos, and confused my Mail application.
Now, this problem is widespread and pretty well documented online. But no one was offering a solution I felt technologically competent enough to implement. Apple, too, were keeping remarkably silent. My husband asked their support folk when he went in to purchase his iPhone right before Christmas, but they implied it was a hardware issue with my computer and that I would have to bring the MacBook in.
Then, as part of a Christmas present upgrade (which has also FINALLY got me wireless printing) I received an Airport Extreme Wireless Router, in other words, a wireless router made BY Apple and specifically designed with Airport in mind. It works perfectly. In fact I don’t think my Internet connection has dropped once since.
My purpose in blogging this is partly to offer it as a solution to all those frustrated MacBook users out there who are experiencing the same problem I was, but also to point up an important fact Apple seem bent on suppressing. Your MacBook is NOT as compatible with technology designed primarily for PCs as Apple would like you to think. Clearly, the problem was NOT with my MacBook (which now works just fine) OR with my older wireless router (My husband’s Windows based laptop never lost connection in the same way) but with some basic incompatibility between the two. A little honesty wouldn’t go amiss here, Apple! Happy New Year!
I’m 38.
I don’t know how I feel about that. On the one hand, everyone tells me I don’t look it. I’m probably in better shape than I was ten years ago.
On the other hand, several of my favorite poets had written their best work and/or killed themselves by now.
I was going to go out for lunch with some girlfriends but one of them is having a crisis so we’re going to convene at another’s house with all the kids and try and give her some support. I don’t know how I feel about that either. What’s the line? I want this to be about ME for a change?
I guess I’m just having some birthday blues. I’ll get over it.
NOTE TO SELF: Vodka shots solve nothing…
So I’m here, and it’s great so far! Everyone is very friendly and smart. The two faculty readings we had tonight were fantastic – Jill McCorkle’s story almost made me cry.
I’m having some issues with my Ethernet connection, and I need to buy a mug and some milk for my tea. But I’m going to sort those out tomorrow. Right now I’m going to bed.
