Category: This Writer’s Life

The 2018 Oregon Poetry Association Annual Conference, September 29-30, Eugene, OR

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After attending the Oregon Poetry Association’s 2018 conference, I’ve been thinking about what makes a good conference. I’ve attended many, from small events put on by a few dedicated volunteers to big noisy affairs (AWP comes to mind). What struck me most about the OPA conference was its collegial, non-competitive atmosphere. It was a pleasure … Continue reading The 2018 Oregon Poetry Association Annual Conference, September 29-30, Eugene, OR

STONE, empty chair: Erica’s new haiku collection

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I just received the proof from Lulu of my first self-published book, titled STONE empty chair. It’s a collection of my best haiku, starting about ten years ago and ending in August, 2018. It’s a little book full of little poems – just 6.5 x 4.5, with 50-odd haiku, in four chapters: Winter, Spring, Summer … Continue reading STONE, empty chair: Erica’s new haiku collection

Saving the Most-Rejected Poems

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A couple of times a year, I search my submission spreadsheets for poems with the dubious distinction of having collected the most rejections so far. If these poems are not currently under consideration for publication, they go into a special category: Most Rejected Poems.Then I print them out and spread them on the floor of … Continue reading Saving the Most-Rejected Poems

13 Ways to Support Poetry – guest blog post by Dick Allen

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Thanks to Trish Hopkinson and Dick Allen for this wonderful list! I especially like 2, 3, 4, 12, and 13. Trish Hopkinson Great guest blog post rewind up today from Dick Allen… the 13 ways to support poetry below include what to ask your local library, how to support the poetry community, and quotes from … Continue reading 13 Ways to Support Poetry – guest blog post by Dick Allen

Organizing the Field

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I’ve been so excited about my new poetry project, Field Notes, that I forgot how difficult it is to organize a poetry collection. So far, the 40-odd poems I’ve assembled fall into the following themes: Tree, Plant, Weather, Flowers, Seed, Insects, Earth, Grass, Compost, Bird, Stone, Ocean, Animal, Desert My first thought was to put the poems into seasonal categories, i.e., Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall. … Continue reading Organizing the Field

Flowers of Rhetoric: A List of Obscure Literary Terms

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I found this list in a 2003 letter from my father. At the time, I was beginning my MFA degree in Creative Writing at San Jose State University. My father was worried that I would succumb to the “tricks of rhetoric, which are the opposite of poetry.” In the same letter, he went on to … Continue reading Flowers of Rhetoric: A List of Obscure Literary Terms