For the Writing Workshop: John Oliver Simon and Nicanor Parra; Margaret Dulaney's "The Child Door"; Latest Stance on Twitter; Ten Hands

This year I continue to post on Mondays, the second Monday of the month being dedicated to a post for my writing workshop students and anyone else interested in creative writing. 

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REMEMBERING TWO POETS

John Oliver Simon has passed away, a great loss to the translation and poetry community in California and abroad, especially Mexico. Read his obituary here.

Back in 2008, for Tameme, I published John Oliver Simon's translation of a chapbook by Mexican poet Jorge Fernández Granados, Los fantasmas del Palacio de los Azulejos / Ghosts of the Palace of the Blue Tiles. Read an interview with him about that here.

And over at her blog, Holding the Light, poet and translator Patricia Dubrava remembers Chilean poet Nicanor Parra.

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Some questions for you, dear creative writer:

How would you want your obituary to read?
What creative works would you be most proud of, and why?
Which ones would you not want to leave unfinished, no matter what?

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MARGARET DULANEY'S PODCAST, BOOK, AND LATEST OFFERING, "THE CHILD DOOR"

Playwright, essayist and mystic Margaret Dulaney's monthly podcast, Listen Well, offers her beautifully written and beautifully read personal essays. (Check out her book, To Hear the Forest Sing: Musings on the Divine.) Dulaney's latest offering, "The Child Door," should be of special interest for anyone who might need a nudge for their creative process.

> Click here to listen to Margaret Dulaney's essay, "The Child Door."

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JANE FRIEDMAN KNOWS ALL, TELLS ALL

For those looking to publish, I warmly recommend signing up for Jane Friedman's free and choc-packed-with-valuable information newsletter, Electric Speed.

You can follow her blog, too.

Her new book, The Business of Being a Writer, will be published this month by University of Chicago Press.




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MY CURRENT, CRINGING-IN-THE-FAR-CORNER STANCE ON TWITTER

See "Twitter Is" by C.M. Mayo

As I slog through the backlog of email and, concurrently, contemplate the transcendent role of technology in Far West Texas and American and Mexican culture and my life (e.g., last week's post, Notes on Stephen Talbott's The Future Does Not Compute), I've been noodling about social media, Twitter in particular.

Back in 2009 when it was sparkly new, I wrote a celebratory essay about Twitter for Literal. I stand by what I said; Twitter has its creative possibilities. But then as now, to quote myself:

Fster than a wlnut cn roll dwn t roof of a hen house, were gng 2 see t nd of cvlizatn

It has become increasingly clear to me that, considering Twitter's attention-fracturing, addictive qualities, and general yuckiness (hashtag mobs, trolls, etc), on balance, it's not for me.

In fact, I sincerely wish that I had never bothered setting up an account with Twitter in the first place.

But I have not deleted my account, cmmayo1, because, after all, I have a goodly number of followers and therefore, when I run a guest blog, book review, or Q & A, I will tweet the URL to that post as a courtesy to the author. And I know that there are still a few thoughtful, readerly and writerly souls out there, checking in on their Twitter feed, now and then, who may see such tweets and find them of interest and value. You know who you are.

[UPDATE JANUARY 2018: I dislike Twitter's attention-fracking mobdom intensely, however I have decided to keep the account @cmmayo1 to tweet as a courtesy to those writers who have given me a Q & A; as a courtesy to their publishers; and, when the occasion calls for it, which is very rare indeed, I'll tweet as a courtesy to my publishers. That's it. I prefer to invest what I think of as my "communication writing energy" in this blog, email and, yeah verily, snail mail.]

P.S. Everything I have to say about Facebook I said here.

P.P. S. Nicholas Carr has two extra-extra-crunchily crunchy pieces on Twitter in Politico, this one in 2015 and this one in January 2018.

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TEN HANDS

Today's 5 minute writing exercise is "Ten Hands":

Describe five different pairs of hands. (Some things to consider might be color; texture; shape; symmetry; condition; scars; tattoos; jewelry; etc.) For each pair of hands assign a name and a profession.

> Help yourself to 364 more free five minute writing exercises on my workshop page here.

P.S. As ever, you can find many more resources for writers here, and recommended reading on the creative process here.


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> Your comments are always welcome. Write to me here.

Q & A with Leslie Pietrzyk 

On the Siren Song of the Online World and on Writing Silver Girl

On Seeing as an Artist

Tulpa Max, or Notes on the Afterlife of a Resurrection

Blogs Noted: Blue Dog Rose, RAVE, John Oliver Simon, Mexico City

Blue Dog Rose
By artist and dog mom Nakisha Vanderhoesen

RAVE: Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition
By Miguel Angel de la Cueva, conservation photographer

John Oliver Simon
This is new blog turning out to be one of the best po-blogs on the web. Check out his series on forgotten poets, including Cleveland's d.a. levy.

Mexico City: An Opintionated Guide
By writer, artist and Mexico City resident Jim Johnston

Note: This "blogs noted" post is moving to every other Thursday. Check back again September 2nd. Regular posting again next Monday, August 23rd.

So, more anon.

Blogs Noted: Nola, Maximilian -Carlota, First Person Plural, Own the Dollar, Charles T. Tart, and more

Nola.com Gulf Oil Spill News Page
Includes links to public blog.

Maximilian - Carlota
I decided to rename my new blog. It was "Second Empire," but that seemed a little Star War-y. It's a blog for researchers (both serious and armchair) of the tumultuous period of Mexican history known as the Second Empire or "French Intervention." I'd love to use a more poetic title taken from a saying of the period (say, "Bed of Roses in a Goldmine"?) but I do have the search engines in mind.

First Person Plural
The Writer's Center's blog now has a new URL.

John Oliver Simon
Poet and translator-- recently blogging about some interesting Costa Rican poets.

Casa del Poeta Ramón López Velarde
In Mexico City. New blog, excellent long-time reading series.

Periódico de Poesía
Editor Pedro Serrano's Defensa de poesía.

Real Delia
On clearing out the inbox. (Holy Smokes, is this really possible?)

Own the Dollar
Includes this fun interview with organizing expert Regina Leeds.(See Regina's guest-blog post for Madam Mayo here.)

Charles T. Tart
Consciousness evolving.

Professional Writing Coach
Excellent new writing blog by Eva Hunter. (See her guest-blog post for Madam Mayo here.)

P.S. World Cup youtuberie with a surprise.

Blogs Noted: Oil Drum, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, John Oliver Simon, Anne Sinclair, Shiva Nata

Alexandra van de Kamp
Read her guest-blog post for Madam Mayo.

The Oil Drum
(And along these lines, not related to Oil Drum, but about the spill, a video about booming. Stay with it for 2 minutes; that's when it suddenly turns wacky. Not for the church ladies and laddies.)

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

John Oliver Simon
An outstanding poet and translator, sharing some new work and reflections.

Shiva Nata Blog
(Dig the duck)

Le Blog d'Anne Sinclair: Deux ou trois choses vues d'Amerique

Poetry From the Inside Out: A Pocketful of Voices / Un Bolsillo de Voces

A delightful new book is almost out-- publication date May 2009-- from the Center for the Art of Translation: A Pocketful of Voices / Un Bolsillo de Voces, a bilingual collection of poetry and translation edited by Maria Gould, Anita Sagastegui, and John Oliver Simon. It defies easy description; it's a charming collection of childrens poetry and translation, but much more than this. It includes side-by-side poems and translations by children as well as works by major poets, among them, Alberto Blanco, Pablo Neruda, Gioconda Belli, Octavio Paz and Rainer Maria Rilke. Read more about this book, its use in the classroom, and the Center for the Art of Translation at http://www.catranslation.org/education.html Order the book here. Teachers take note: If you want to receive information about how to bring PIO to your school or classroom, or how you can support PIO programs in your local schools, please contact Sarah Valor at svalor@catranslation.org.

The press release says,

A Pocketful of Voices is an ideal volume for introducing world poetry to children eight and up and is an indispensable resource for educators and students of all ages in literature, creative writing, Spanish, and multilingual classrooms.

I quite agree, and highly recommend it.

P.S. John Oliver Simon is the translator of Tameme's latest chapbook, Jorge Fernandez Granados' Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles. Read an interview with John Oliver Simon here.

More anon.

Mexico Connect's James Tipton Reviews Chapbook of Poems by Jorge Fernandez Granados, translated by John Oliver Simon (Tameme, 2008)

James Tipton writes,

Many readers of Mexico Connect have discovered these illuminating words by Octavio Paz: "In the United States the word death burns the lips, but the Mexican lives close to it, jokes about it, caresses it, celebrates it, sleeps with it, it is his favorite toy." Those words are echoed in the translator's (John Oliver Simon's) introduction to Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles, by Jorge Fernández Granados ... READ MORE.

Jorge Fernandez Granados y John Oliver Simon

Una nota acerca de su cuaderno en el blog de Malva Fores, Casa nomada.

Jorge Fernandez Granados & John Oliver Simon

News from Tameme Chapbooks ~ Cuadernos --- all over the Mexico City press!

Milenio
...Autor de poemarios como Resurrección o El cristal, así como del volumen de cuentos El cartógrafo, Jorge Fernández Granados por vez primera es traducido al inglés bajo el título Ghosts of de Palace of Blue Tiles –Los fantasmas del Palacio de los Azulejos- (Tameme Chapbooks, 2008). “Tengo la convicción de que en un mundo globalizado, donde las fronteras políticas pierden importancia frente a la tecnología y a la comunicación, un texto que pueda ser leído por otros lectores, en otra lengua, permite ingresar a otra dimensión. Y la traducción es un trabajo de coinvención o de segunda creación, que de ninguna manera hay un autor y sus traductores, sino son varios autores que crean el texto en otro código: un buen traductor puede hacer que un texto viva y uno malo lo puede matar para siempre.”
...READ MORE


El Universal El poeta y traductor estadounidense John Oliver Simon estará de visita en México para ofrecer un par de lecturas poéticas, el próximo miércoles en la Casa del Poeta, de esta ciudad, y el viernes en la Casa del Escritor, en Puebla. Oliver Simon también aprovechará su visita para presentar Ghosts of the palace of blue tiles (Los fantasmas del palacio de los azulejos, Tameme Chapbooks, 2008), traducciones suyas del poeta mexicano Jorge Fernández Granados. El libro fue publicado en el prestigiado sello californiano Tameme, dirigido por C. M. Mayo, tras haber sido seleccionado como el mejor manuscrito y traducción de una obra literaria mexicana contemporánea a partir de una convocatoria lanzada por la editorial.... READ MORE


El Universal (another article) A la par de la creación poética, John Oliver Simon es el traductor por excelencia de los poetas latinoamericanos. Lo mismo ha traducido al inglés la obra de Gonzalo Rojas, que la de José Emilio Pacheco, Rodolfo Hinistroza, David Huerta, Elsa Cross y Jorge Fernández Granados. Su aprecio por la poesía lo llevó a fundar en San Francisco el Poetry Inside Out, un programa de traducción literaria entre niños de escuelas primarias, con el que busca valorar el papel de la poesía en la educación... READ MORE


El Porvenir
La antología "Los fantasmas del palacio de los azulejos", de Jorge Fernández, la cual conforma una visión unitaria de la poética de su autor, y el libro "Principio de incertidumbre" serán presentados el 12 de agosto, en la Casa Refugio Citlaltépetl. En la presentación de "Ghosts of the Palace of blue tiles", (Los fantasmas del palacio de los azulejos), primer cuaderno antológico en inglés del poeta Jorge Fernández Granados, participarán María Baranda, Josu Landa, John Oliver Simon, Jorge volpi y el autor. El cuaderno editado por Tameme, es el resultado de una amplia convocatoria lanzada por el sello en Estados Unidos para publicar el mejor manuscrito y traducción de una obra mexicana... READ MORE

Jorge Fernandez Granados and John Oliver Simon in Mexico

Book presentations and readings--- read all about it here. More anon.

Tameme on National Book Critics Circle Blog, "Critical Mass"

Rigoberto Gonzalez's interview with Yours Truly, about Tameme chapbooks, Agustin Cadena, and Jorge Fernandez Granados, is here. More anon.

Poetry in Translation

Announcement from my fellow translator, Yvette Neisser Moreno---this Thursday, April 24th at 7 pm at the Kensington Row Bookshop:

In honor of National Poetry Month, join poet and translator Yvette Neisser Moreno for her 2nd annual open discussion of the April issue of Poetry magazine, which is devoted to poetry in translation. This is a fantastic and fascinating issue featuring some of the most prominent poets from all over the world, from ancient times to the present, as well as some of the most preeminent translators. Each poem is accompanied by a commentary by the translator, providing a window into the translator's approach and process. Featured poets include Anna Akhmatova, Ovid, and Rilke; translators include Eavan Boland, Robert Bly, Peter Cole, Jonathan Galassi, and Mary Kinzie. If you’re interested in participating, please sign up at Kensington Row Bookshop or contact Yvette at yvettenm@verizon.net. Free copies of the magazine are available for the first 10 people who sign up. (You can also pick it up for $3.75 at most major bookstores in April.) For a sneak peak at the magazine, check out www.poetrymagazine.org Anyone who loves to read and talk about literature and language is encouraged to come, regardless of whether you have any background in the topic! For address and directions, call the bookshop at (301) 949-9416 or go to www.kensingtonrowbookshop.com.

And speaking of poetry in translation, be sure to have a look at Tameme's new chapbook, "Los fantasmas del Palacio de los Azulejos / Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles" --- poems by Jorge Fernandez Granados translated by John Oliver Simon.

New from Tameme Chapbooks ~ Cuadernos: "Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles" by Jorge Fernández Granados

Here's the letter that went out today:

Dear friends and amigos of Tameme:

As many of you know, Tameme recently ceased publication of the Tameme literary journal in order to focus on publishing chapbooks. Our mission is to promote English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English literary translation by publishing new writing from North America— Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. With the chapbooks, we celebrate and disseminate this new writing and translation in an attractive and more affordable format.

We are delighted to announce the publication of Tameme's second bilingual chapbook, "Los fantasmas del Palacio de los Azulejos" / "Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles," a beautiful collection poems by one of the most outstanding Mexican poets of his generation, Jorge Fernández Granados, splendidly translated by John Oliver Simon.

Click here to read the title poem, "Los fantasmas del Palacio de los Azulejos" / "Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles". The chapbook's cover painting, "Tiled Window, Seashell and View of Mexico City," is by acclaimed Mexican artist Elena Climent. Please consider purchasing a copy for yourself, for friends (it makes a great gift!), and if you teach, please also consider adopting a Tameme chapbook as a textbook. Read about our other titles, including last year's chapbook, "Carne verde, piel negra / An Avocado from Michoacan," a short story by Agustin Cadena, translated by C.M. Mayo, in the Tameme catalog.

Tameme, Inc. is a nonprofit foundation based in the state of California. Your purchase and / or donation help support quality literary translation and intercultural understanding.

Sincerely,
C.M. Mayo
Editor, Tameme www.tameme.org

P.S. More related links:
-->Jorge Fernández Granados's webpage.
-->Interview with Jorge Fernández Granados in La Jornada.
-->John Oliver Simon's webpage.
-->Recent interview on MiPOesias with editor C.M. Mayo.

At Tameme's Table in the AWP Bookfair NYC

C'est moi with visiting photographer Miriam Berkley---photo by my sister, Alice. I'm about to send out the announcements about Tameme's beautiful new chapbook of poetry by Jorge Fernandez Granados, translated by John Oliver Simon.... More anon.

Tameme: Kudos & Off to AWP

Pictured right: The new Tameme chapbook, of poems by Mexican Jorge Fernandez Granados, translated by John Oliver Simon, has been shipped from the printers in San Francisco... I have yet to see it myself... I hear it looks good... It should be on the Tameme table at the AWP bookfair in New York City's Hilton this Thursday-Saturday. Here are some kudos for both Tameme's catalog and the first chapbook, published last January 07, (pictured left), "An Avocado from Michoacan", by Mexico's master of the short story, Agustin Cadena:

“The appearance of Tameme Chapbooks / Cuadernos #1 is an overwhelming success. Its vibrant four-color cover and expert design beautifully and subtly underlies Tameme’s important mission to promote artistic collaborations between English and Spanish translators and writers from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico... a resounding celebration of a new beginning for this necessary venture in publishing.”
—Harry Morales, literary translator

"This is a beautiful, evocative short story that's also handsomely produced."
—Daniel Olivas, author of Devil Talk: Stories (Bilingual Press), La Bloga

"A poetically spare story of love and loss... Reading this beautiful chapbook gave me insight into the writing and translation process... a delicious glimpse behind the scenes."
—Leslie Pietrzyk, author of A Year and a Day and Pears on a Willow Tree

"[A] really well put together chapbook. Tameme has been consistent in regards to one specific thing, everything they print is bilingual— the material is translated and as you turn the pages, the left side of the book is in the original Spanish, and the right side is the translated English. With the chapbook series, Mayo, who is also the publisher at Tameme, has also included her translator's notes, which are fascinating in their own right, and an interview, which is also bilingual in print. All combined, the chapbook is a very visually stunning book of 24 pages. The story itself is full of imagery...a great pace to it, and the images that the old woman and the narrator both bring out in their conversations are beautiful."
—Dan Wickett, Emerging Writers Network

"An evocative story... I enjoyed reading it enormously."
—Marco Portales, Professor of English, Texas A & M University, author of Latino Sun Rising

"Truly Tameme and C.M. Mayo are doing fine work and I hope others will visit the website and support the press: http://www.tameme.org/
—Robert Giron, in Chez Robert Giron

Kudos also from Amanada Powell, Rigoberto Gonzalez in the El Paso Times, Jeff Biggers in Bloomsbury Review, and more... Gracias to all!!

About the cover paintings:
--->On Cadena's "An Avocado from Michoacan": "Avocados" by Edgardo Soberon.
--->On Fernandez Granados's "Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles" "Tiled Window, Seashell and View of Mexico City" by Elena Climent.

If You're Bilingual, You Count Twice

The Tameme T-shirt says so! Bilingually, por supuesto. Get yours, size XL, colors of the rainbow, supplies while they last--- along with the beautiful new chapbook ~ cuaderno by Jorge Fernandez Granados (translated by John Oliver Simon)--- at the Tameme table, which is #85, in the AWP bookfair in New York City's Hilton. Though the AWP conference is sold out, the bookfair will be open to the public on Saturday February 2nd, starting at 8:30 a.m.

P.S. Elena Climent is the cover artist--- view her painting, "Tiled Window and Seashell with View to Mexico City."

P.S.S. My own books, Sky Over El Nido, Miraculous Air, and Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion, will also be available at the Tameme table. Sky Over El Nido will also be available over at the University of Georgia Press table, and Miraculous Air also at the Milkweed Editions table. And check La Bloga for updates on the many Con Tinta events.

The New Tameme Chapbook is at the Printer

Not this printer---> but watch their video, it's a quadruple thumper. Tameme's new chapbook, Jorge Fernandez Granados' "Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles," (beautifully translated by John Oliver Simon), will be available at the AWP bookfair in New York City at the end of this month. Stay tuned.

Tameme @ AWP Bookfair in New York City

If you're coming to the Associated Writing Programs conference in New York City this January 30- February 2--- which, yowza, is SOLD OUT--- come on by the Tameme table in the bookfair. We'll have the new chapbook, a collection by award-winning Mexican poet Jorge Fernandez Granados, beautifully translated by John Oliver Simon--- as well as our first chapbook, the superb short story by Agustin Cadena, with a translation by Yours Truly. We'll also have the back issues of the Tameme literary journal, as well as some of my own books, notably, Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion.
P.S. Read an interview with John Oliver Simon--- and very shortly, we'll have the interview with Jorge Fernandez Granados up on the tameme.org website as well. More anon.

Los fantasmas del Palacio de los Azulejos ~ Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles

Spent this afternoon working on Tameme's second chapbook, the magical poems of Jorge Fernandez Granados, splendidly translated by John Oliver Simon. The title is Los fantasmas del Palacio de los Azulejos ~ Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles. The cover is being designed by Ines Hilde, and features this painting by Mexican artist Elena Climent (another of whose paintings adorns the cover of Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion). The annual American Literary Translators Conference is this weekend in Dallas, so I'll have a flyer, and of course, Tameme's other publications. The pub date for the Jorge Fernandez Granados / John Oliver Simon chapbook is January 2008--- just in time for AWP. If you'd like to be notified when it's published, please click here to join Tameme's mailing list. More anon.

Tameme's Second Chapbook: "Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles" Poems by Jorge Fernandez Granados, Translated by John Oliver Simon

The new Tameme chapbook will be a collection by Mexican poet Jorge Fernandez Granados, exquisitely translated by John Oliver Simon. More anon.