Writers Blogs: Questions and Observations Post Panel at AWP (Associated Writing Programs) Conference in Seattle

Apart from getting my picture taken in the book fair holding a loft a giant stuffed fish, late yesterday afternoon I was on the panel chaired by poet Zack Rogow with novelist Charles Johnson (standing in for E. Ethelbert Miller) and another extraordinary poet, Mark Doty.

Doty gave the lie to my rather cavalier assertion that blogging about oneself was narcissistic. I still have zero interest in blogging about my personal life (so far, no tweeting about my food, either!!), but Mark read from his blog a piece about his personal life, a painful story about how his house "bit him," pure poetry, and all I can say is, I salaam.  Do read more over at Doty's blog.

Charles Johnson paid homage to dear Ethelbert, who has long been an angel of both Washington DC and national literary culture.

Zack Rogow's talk, about his go-to blog, Advice for Writers, started out with practical tips for bloggers and ended with a reading from his blog of his new translation of Rilke's "Archaic Torso of Apollo," the poem that ends with one of the most jarringly perfect last lines.

My talk was "Eight Conclusions After 8 Years of Blogging."

To get a sense of the level of things, I first asked the audience, maybe 150 writers, how many had blogs? Up went the overwhelming majority of hands. How many had been blogging for more than 2 years? A sparse scattering. Five years? I counted two hands. Oh my goodness, I felt like Methuselah.

As for the questions, what struck me about many of them (both during and after the event) was their anxious flavor, the concern about the variety of problems a blog could bring a writer. There are valid concerns, of course, and it's good to get one's mind around the genre, or at least take its temperature and a sounding before doing a cannonball into the deep end. But it seems to me that what we basically have here is the very same fear around any writing, any publishing. It's all just "monsters under the bed" stuff, after all. Or, as Rose Rosetree calls it, STUFF, that is, astral clutter, including frozen blocks, in one's personal energy field.

Speaking of clutter, one of the many appealing things to me about blogging is that it doesn't require physical space except for, say, a place to plunk one's laptop while typing. All of my book projects, on the other hand, have each produced a mountain of research files and then contracts and then marketing materials and such, plus a little (well, not so little) library of related books. Finding space is a challenge.

More anon.

COMMENTS

Poetic Voices Without Borders 2, Reading in Arlington, Virginia

In Celebration of Poetry Month and the Release of

Poetic Voices Without Borders 2:

Thursday April 23, 2009 at 7 PM
The Arlington Arts Center
3550 Wilson Blvd. (across from the Virginia Square Metro stop)
Arlington, VA ~ 703.248.6800

A Special Reading with the Following Poets

Luis Alberto Ambroggio, member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language and PEN, is the author of ten published books of poetry. His poetry is recorded in the Archives of the Hispanic-American Literature of the Library of Congress.
Naomi Ayala, recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, is the author of two books of poetry: Wild Animals on the Moon and This Side of Early. She has been featured on Poetry Daily, and her poems and book reviews have appeared in such publications as Ploughshares, MARGIN: Exploring Modern Magical Realism, Saheb Ghalam Daily (Afghanistan), Feminist Teacher, and the Washington Post.
Mel Belin’s first book, Flesh That Was Chrysalis, was published by The Word Works, Inc. He has been a winner of Potomac Review’s third annual poetry competition, a runner-up in an Antietam Review competition, and published widely in journals and magazines nationwide. His poetry has been aired on a program distributed by National Public Radio.
Jody Bolz, the author of A Lesson in Narrative Time (Gihon Books, 2004), has published widely in literary journals (the American Scholar, Indiana Review, and Ploughshares, among them) and in many poetry anthologies. She taught for more than twenty years at George Washington University, serving twice as acting director of the creative writing program there. Bolz edits Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry magazine, established in 1889.
Ye Chun, a native of China, has published one book of poetry: Travel Over Water (The Bitter Oleander Press).
Teri Ellen Cross holds an MFA in Poetry from American University. A Cave Canem fellow, her poems have been published in many anthologies and online. She resides in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Patricia Garfinkel has published three books of poetry, the latest, Making the Skeleton Dance (George Braziller Publishers). She has published numerous poems in literary journals and magazines, won two Poetry-in-Public-Places awards, and gave the first poetry reading ever held at the National Air and Space Museum. She is a senior science policy analyst and speech writer for the director and deputy director of the National Science Foundation.
Peter Klappert is the author of six collections of poems, including Lugging Vegetables to Nantucket (Yale Series of Younger Poets, 1971), The Idiot Princess of the Last Dynasty (Knopf, 1984), and Chokecherries: New and Selected Poems 1966-1999.
Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Virginia’s former Poet Laureate, is the author of five poetry books and co-editor of two poetry anthologies. Her award-winning poems have appeared throughout the United States and abroad in numerous publications, including Nimrod, Prairie Schooner, Poet Lore, and Mid-American Review. In 1992, she was named a Virginia Cultural Laureate for her contributions to American literature.
C. M. Mayo is the author of Miraculous Air: Journey of a Thousand Miles through Baja California, the Other Mexico (Milkweed Editions), and Sky Over El Nido (University of Georgia Press), which won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. Her poetry has been widely published in literary journals, among them, BorderSenses, Lyric, Natural Bridge, Rio Grande Review, and West Branch, and several anthologies, most recently in the first volume of Poetic Voices Without Borders. Visit: www.cmmayo.com.
Judith McCombs has published poetry and short-short fiction in Calyx, Feminist Studies, Kansas Quarterly, Nimrod (a Neruda Award), Poet Lore, Poetry, Poetry Northwest, Potomac Review (Poetry Prize), Prairie Schooner, among other publications. Her poetry books include Against Nature: Wilderness Poems and The Habit of Fire: Poems Selected & New, which was a finalist for the 2006 Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award. She teaches at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and arranges the Kensington Row Bookshop Poetry Readings.
E. Ethelbert Miller, a literary activist, is board chair of the Institute for Policy Studies and a board member of the Writer’s Center and editor of Poet Lore magazine. The author of several collections of poems, his last book How We Sleep on the Nights We Don’t Make Love (Curbstone Press, 2004) was an Independent Publisher Award Finalist. He received the 1995 O.B. Hardison Jr. Poetry Prize. In 2003 his memoir Fathering Words: The Making of An African American Writer (St. Martin’s Press, 2000) was selected by DC WE READ for its one book, one city program sponsored by the D.C. Public Libraries. Poets & Writers presented him with the 2007 Barnes & Noble/Writers for Writers Award. Two books will be released in 2009: On Saturdays I Santana with You (Curbstone Press) and The 5th Inning (Busboys and Poets/PM Press), a second memoir.
Miles David Moore is a member of the board of directors of The Word Works. He is founder and host of the Iota poetry reading series in Arlington, Virginia. His books are The Bears of Paris (Word Works, 1995); Buddha Isn’t Laughing (Argonne House Press, 1999); and Rollercoaster (Word Works, 2004).
Richard Peabody is the founding editor of Gargoyle Magazine, and co-editor of the Mondo series (Mondo Barbie, Mondo Elvis, et al.). Between juggling kids, teaching, trying to write, and worrying about the state of the world, he has edited twenty-two anthologies and has five books of poetry and three books of fiction of his own. In addition, he runs Paycock Press in Arlington, Virginia. Visit: www.gargoylemagazine.com.
Kim Roberts is the author of two books of poems, The Kimnama (Vrzhu Press, 2007), and The Wishbone Galaxy (WWPH, 1994). She edits Beltway Poetry Quarterly, an on-line journal of authors from the greater Washington, DC area.
Blake Robinson’s poetry has appeared in Pairs and the one-volume Effing the Ineff and Distich Farm. He has translated works by Sandro Penna (Remember Me, God of Love), Eugène Fromentin (Between Sea and Sahara), Alberto Savinio (Paris Then) and, most recently, C. H. Ramuz (The Young Man from Savoy).
M. A. Schaffner has had poetry published in Stand (UK), the Beloit Poetry Journal, ARC (Canada), Poet Lore, the Mississippi Review, and many other journals in the USA and abroad. He is also the author of the collection, The Good Opinion of Squirrels (Word Works, 1997) and the novel, War Boys (Welcome Rain, 2002). When not writing, Schaffner works as a civil servant in Washington, DC.
Gregg Shapiro, pop-culture journalist, has had interviews and reviews appear in a variety of regional LGBT publications and websites. His poetry and fiction have appeared in numerous outlets including literary journals such as Beltway, modern words, Bloom, White Crane Journal, Blithe House Quarterly, Mipoesias, and the anthologies Sex & Chocolate: Tasty Morsels for Mind and Body (Paycock Press) and Blood to Remember. His collection of poems, Protection, was published in 2008 (Gival Press).
J. D. Smith, who was awarded a 2007 Fellowship in Poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts, is working on his third collection of poems. Visit: www.jdsmithwriter.com.
Robert L. Giron, founder of Gival Press, has written five collections of poetry and is the editor of the Poetic Voices Without Borders series and the online journal ArLiJo.com. He teaches English and creative writing at Montgomery College-Takoma Park/Silver Spring, Maryland, where he also serves as a poetry editor for Potomac Review.
More anon.

Follow Madam Mayo on Twitter

Why do so many people seem to, in the words of writer Gina Hyams, "totally heart Twitter"? (And why, pray tell, do so many use it to describe their lunch?) I am still pondering these and so many other questions.

Who's on twitter? Obama, the BBC, Los Angeles Times, La Jornada, xensen (that's Right-reading blogger Tom Christensen), poet E. Ethelbert Miller, 32 Poems (journal), and, well, Madam Mayo, among about a ba-gillion others.

So far my "tweets" are almost all links to:
---> new Madam Mayo blog posts
---> old Madam Mayo blog posts (e.g., a year ago today)
---> the daily 5 minute writing exercise
---> C.M. Mayo news (publications, readings, workshops)
---> whatever else strikes me as interesting enough to share.
More anon.

Why Blog? Writers's Blogs I've Been Reading this Month

One of my favorite bloggers, poet and visual artist Christine Boyka Kluge, has a fascinating post about blogging. I too have often questioned, why am I doing this? It's such a new form that there are few examples (though more each day) of truly outstanding blogs. Whom to emulate? There are a million different ways to go about this and there are plenty of bad blogs, certainly. For a recent writers conference, I managed to cobble together a list of some best (& worst) practices for writers's blogs. Here are some of the several writers blogs I've been reading of late:
--->Christine Boyka Kluge
Unexpected beauty.
--->E. Ethelbert Miller's E-Notes
A poet's take. Casual. Eclectic.
--->Leslie Pietrzyk's Work in Progress
Newsy, friendly, thoughtful blog by an accomplished and hard-working literary novelist.
--->David Lida's Mostly Mexico City
Nobody covers the world's wackiest megalopolis as originally as David Lida.
--->James Howard Kunstler's Clusterfuck Nation
The weekly dose of doom and gloom but oftentimes funny, in an evil sort of way. (Maybe I just have a peculiar sense of humor.)
--->Tom Christensen's Right-Reading
The uber-cool renaissance font guy.

And here's a writer I wish would blog: Hattie Ellis.

Bethesda Literary Festival

The Writers Center in Bethesda MD (just a hop over the border from DC) sends me this announcement:

We're very pleased to host two readings this Friday, April 18 as part of the Bethesda Literary Festival: Novelist Thomas Mallon will read from Fellow Travelers at 7:00 p.m. Mallon is the author of seven novels, among them Bandbox, Henry and Clara, and Dewey Defeats Truman. His nonfiction books include A Book of One's Own and Stolen Words. He is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and other publications. Thomas Mallon's 7 p.m. reading will be followed by a reading at 8:30 p.m. featuring poets who have been major contributors to the literary community: E. Ethelbert Miller;Stanley Plumly; Myra Sklarew. Both Friday evening readings will be followed by receptions and book signings. Free admission.

Then join us on Saturday, April, 19 for the Small Press Fair. Meet editors and publishers from regional literary journals and small presses. The Fair runs from 1 to 5 p.m. We'll have our annual $1 a pound used book sale all afternoon. From 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sally Canzoneri will lead a writing and book-making program for children. From 3 to 4:30 p.m. Andy Moursund of the Georgetown Book Shop will give used book appraisals. Bring your treasures for a lively appraisal session, and be sure to visit his new website, www.historicfootballposters.com. Free admission.

Madam Mayo says: alas! I wish I could be at the Small Press Festival with Tameme Chapbooks, but I'm out of town. More anon.

Ethelbert Says North Dakota Rocks

Indeed.

What is a Lit-Blog? Further Notes Towards a Taxonomy or, Herewith a Whole Bunch of Fuzzily Overlapping Categories

Re: blogs as a new literary genre: I'm going to be chairing a panel at the Washington Independent Writers conference (held at American University), Washington DC, this February 9th. So, what is a "litblog"? According to Madam Mayo, who is still, after nearly two years of blogging, trying to get her mind around the concept, literary blogs, or "lit-blogs" include:

#1. Writers's & poets's blogs
These focus on the writer or poet's own work, and whatever happens to interest them. Some focus tightly on their own work (ego city); others are more expansive (others do exist...). In my view, the best are not only well written but rich with information and links. Some examples of writer's and poet's blogs:
Madam Mayo (Yours Truly)
E-Notes (E. Ethelbert Miller)
Tod Goldberg
Chicks Dig Poetry (Sandra Beasley)
Moorish Girl (Laila Lailami)
Quid Plura? (Jeff Sypeck)
Composite (Liz Henry)

Already it begins to get fuzzy because we might ask, well, what's "literary"? Does that include just strictly literary writers or all kinds of writers? Nina Planck, for example, is a food writer, with a (very good, I might add) book about "real food." So is hers a "lit-blog" sub-category "writer's blog"? You decide.

#2. Blogs that are more generally about literature and the literary community / literary book business (note, many of these can also be considered "writers's and poets's blogs")

(a) Writing workshops / creativity
Examples:
Work in Progress (Leslie Pietrzyk)
The Daily 5 Minute Writing Exercise (by Yours Truly--- no longer updated, but archives available on-line)

(b) book news, reviews, and literary community blogs
Examples:
Arts & Letters Daily
La Bloga
The Happy Booker (Wendi Kaufman)
Maud Newton
Conversational Reading (Scott Esposito)
Critical Mass (National Book Critics Circle blog)
The Millions
The Old Hag
Pajamazon
Paper Cuts (New York Times book blog)

(Herein are an infinity of possible subcategories--- Chicano, Latino, African-American, childrens, sci- fi, historical novel, magical realism, etc.)

(c) by literary agents
Example:
Miss Snark (Discontinued--- alas! Oh, it was snarky...)

(d) by literary translators
ALTALK (American Literary Translation Association blog)
Poet in New York (Mark Statman)

(e) by librarians
Tiny Little Librarian
Hebdomeros
Judge a Book by Its Cover
Library Bitch
Naked in the Public Library

(f) by book PR / marketing specialists
Buzz, Balls & Hype (M.J. Rose)
Rejection is My Middle Name (Peter Handel)

(g) by publishers
Examples:
Right Reading (Thomas Christensen)
Unbridled Books News Blog (Fred Ramey)
Bullets of Love (Vrzhu)
Home Schooled by a Cackling Jackal (Reb Livington)
32 Poems (Deborah Ager)

More anon...

--->For an archive of my previous posts on litblogs, click here.

Gone to the Litblogs: E. Ethelbert Miller

So, having been blogging since March of 2006, and reading blogs for only a little longer than that--- some conclusions? I'm a fan of poet E. Ethelbert Miller's blog E-Notes. He's consistent, he's wry, he's watching what's going on in this world (and DC and the poetry scene) with a hawk eye--- and a big heart. He notices, for example, how lawyers in Pakistan dress; he wonders, "Are You a Green Zone Poet?"; he proposes an underground writers conference--- really underground, in the DC Metro. Yeah! He recently posted his 5,000th entry. More anon.

Monica F. Jacobe on "A Space Inside"

Over at E. Ethelbert Miller's blog, DC writer Monica F. Jacobe talks about her Capitol Hill reading series "A Space Inside". I really admire her for her vision and hard work to make this happen. (The story I read for the inaugural reading was "A Building of Quality" which has a climatic scene at the Vietnam Memorial, wierdly enough.) More anon.