Poetry Is…

“Do you know what a poem is?” “No, what?” I would say. “A piece of dust.”

Well that’s what one of the characters in The Bell Jar thinks about poetry. I thought it was perfect timing and wanted to participate in Cam’s poetry meme that’s been making the rounds.

The first poem I remember reading/hearing/reacting to was… The poems that first caught my attention were those of Shel Silverstein. I thought they were funny and a bit insane.

I was forced to memorize (name of poem) in school and… I don’t remember having to memorize any poems for school. We barely read any either in Junior High or High School.

I read/don’t read poetry because… I read poetry but feel like I have to be in the mood. Like, when I’m looking for answers to life’s greatest questions sort of mood.

A poem or poet I’m likely to think about when asked about a favorite is… Some of my favorite poets are Billy Collins, Sandra Cisneros, Pablo Neruda, and Mary Oliver.

I write/don’t write poetry, but… I started writing poetry a few years ago and even had several poems published in some small journals but I haven’t felt the longing to write it in a while.

My experience with reading poetry differs from my experience with reading other types of literature… I tend to zip through books but when it comes to poetry I slow down, meditate on the poem and come back to it again and again.

I find poetry… Beautiful. I love the idea of a few words or lines encompassing so much emotion and so many thoughts.

The last time I heard poetry…Too long ago. I used to go to monthly poetry readings and slams but haven’t gone in ages. I really need to remedy that soon.

I think poetry is like… A discovery. Sometimes there are hidden messages, and poems often have different meanings for different readers. That’s what’s great about poetry, each one of us discovers something new in a poem.

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Dream Office

You know where I’d like to work? At the Utne Reader. I was catching up with the latest issue and even though I think I read a wide variety of magazines, I’m always amazed by the new journals I discover within the Utne pages.

This issue in particular is a good one if you are looking for some indie magazines as they have their 18th Annual Utne Independent Press Award nominees. You’ll find nominees in the categories of best new publication, political coverage, best writing, etc.

I went to their web site to look for more information on one of the magazines and I find that they have a regular column, “From the Stacks,” every Friday which features the highlights of what’s arriving in their office.

The Utne Reader’s Library gets 1,500 magazines, newsletters, journals, weeklies and zines! OMG. See why I want to work there. Of course in my little dream world I’d be reading stuff and probably not doing much else.

Anyway, have you discovered a great magazine or zine through Utne? If so please share.

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New Addiction

If you celebrate Thanksgiving I hope you had a good one. I didn’t mean to be away from the blog for so long as I wasn’t doing anything special for the holiday but I managed to stay busy reading, visiting friends and going to the movies.

I’ve finished a couple of books (I’ll tell you about those tomorrow) but for now I’m thoroughly drawn in the adventures of Maisie Dobbs. I’m half way through Pardonable Lies, the third in the series. Seriously, even if you aren’t a mystery lover this is a good one.

But what is my latest addiction? Bookmooch! I am ready to give new life to old books. I originally heard of this from Danielle and thought it was fantastic but finally have gotten around to signing up. I’ve only added a few so far but it’s a start. If you are on Bookmooch let me know and maybe we can trade some books.

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