I Want to Go to There

This is a library?? of some sort? Does anyone know WHAT/WHERE it is? I found it on someone's tumblr and they didn't have a photo credit. This is like library from Star Wars or something. Swoon!

Villanelle!

Speaking of...Miss Villanelle just turned....15? 16? Hard to say for sure. But she is old, blind, and still loves her chicken and rice homecooked meals. And what a distinguished grey beard she has now. She was able to visit for 3 whole weeks and i miss her cuddle little brown belly so much. Happy belated, sweet old girl!! Thanks for braving Jetblue and flying out to see me with mi madre--I know that always stresses you out and you'd rather be napping in a Florida sunbeam outside until your fur smells like oranges from the back yard.

Oh how I miss you. So much.

more from the Dodge

with my brothers, Joseph Legaspi and Oliver at the book tent


Ms. Shaaaaron!


shoes I wore during the festival. Missing: black patent leather maryjane flats.


with Ms. Rita after her craft talk


Rigo Gonzalez!!

Missed the livestream at the Dodge Poetry Festival?

Watch the day 1 Poetry Sampler HERE

I will never get over reading right before la SHARON OLDS. Whaaaaat?

What an incredible and incredibly inspiring experience. I wore heels for the first time since the baby was born this past summer. So good to be out of my daily uniform of some random OSU shirt, yoga pants, pony tail, and now--floofy slipper socks bc it is so darn cold now! Sexy, I know, right?? ;) My rational is I won't have another semester off until my second sabbatical, when I become...drumroll pls....FULL professor, but that is YEARS from now. and when I go back to work in Jan, I will be having to be dressed up 5-6 days a week, depending if I go to church or not, so I am cutting myself some fashion-y slack. ;)

At any rate, at Dodge, there were too many poetic treats to mention but was especially great to hear Dorianne Laux and Joe Millar read in person for the first time. Dorianne read this killer poem "Facts About the Moon" that had me all weepy-eyed at the sampler night. Thank goodness there was an intermission before I had to read! I can't remember the last time I was moved to tears at a poetry reading--maybe Yusef K at AWP Palm Springs?? And new faces too, to put with great poems I had encountered before: Santee Frazier and Michael Cirelli. And so good to see January, Tara Betts, Oliver, Tyehimba, and Joseph Legaspi too.Wood-fired pizzas, whaaaat??

Hanging out with the criminally inspiring Rigo Gonzalez and Jericho Brown--man, those 2 had me giggling all weekend with their commentary on...everything! fave quote from Jericho: "Damn, girrrl. You so cute! No wonder you always pregnant!" Always??!! Just *twice!* And then he proceeded to flirt incessantly that night with Dustin. Not that I blame him. Hee. Dustin was able to come with me for the 1st day and be with me for the sampler night (our first day/night away from the baby omg!!!) before flying back home to help mi madre with taking care of an infant, toddler, and blind and confused dachshund. Best find? A black and white onesie that I brought home for the baby that said "Got Rilke?" (get it?? like Got Milk?")
ahahahaha. nerdy poet humor.

ahem.


with the wily Jericho!


Tara, January, and Joseph!


Bob Hicok (swooon!)


The Dickman Brothers (I read with them Saturday afternoon)


King o' Comedy: Billy Collins, who hugged me at the bar--unbidden--and suddenly remembered I was a student of his long ago. This, after totally not recognizing me about 4 yrs ago and not knowing my name in front of a former student. Redemption!


with the lovely Marie-Elizabeth and Oliver on opening night, during intermission


pizza on the last day: lovely Jennifer, January, Tyehimba and Oliver!


I've lived here and never flew over Niagara Falls before: simply breath-taking!

bits o' sparkle: post-election edition

Feelin' kinda mopey and draggy this morning?
Here's some sequins for you:

new poems HERE

new essay HERE

more POEMS

Kelli's great interview HERE

DODGE!

Tonight--livestream LIVE from the Dodge Poetry Festival HERE

Hey all! a LIVE webcast of my reading at the country's largest poetry festival will be available for free at the above website at 730pm-1030pm EST. not sure when i go on, i think it is alphabetical?? but i will be reading at the poetry sampler with Billy Collins, Rita Dove, Rigo Gonzalez, Sharon Olds, and many more "stars" i studied in undergrad!

Wish me luck, it'll be the biggest reading I've ever done...xoxox

Dodge!

okay, The Dodge Poetry Festival is this week and I am super psyched. I mean, did you SEE who will be reading at this event??

So many of my poetry heroes/heroines will be there and this will be my first poetry reading in over a year. I was going to take even longer of a break b/c of my little boys, but could not pass up this chance. Hopefully my cold will be vamoosed by then. Seriously, reading at this venue is a dream come true. This yr the festival is not in tents where people can breeze in and out of readings, but at a convention center and other buildings throughout Newark, so I hope I don't get lost. You know, being a country mouse and all. Except this country mouse will be wearing red patent leather heels. :)

NY/NJ peeps-hope to see you there!

knock-knock

October already and I am in love with carrot ginger soup.

I hardly ever ever get sick and this past wknd I caught some sot of head cold. Probably from the fricking Galleria Mall, which I haven't been to in about half a yr. Figures. And I broke down and turned on the heater for the season. i tried to hold out for so long (it will prob be on until early may, as per usual here in Free-zonia), but the baby's finger's were so cold so I caved.

I am the mother of two sons! How did this happen?? I mean, I *know* how it happened, duh, but somedays it feels so surreal. I have never been one of those "awww.. .kids love YOU!" kind of gals, but I swear hearing my eldest call me "Mommy" is one of the sweetest sounds in the universe. The eldest has discovered the hilarity of the knock knock joke and my favorite--the one that slays me into laughing every. single. time, no matter how sleepy, how cranky, how much in a hurry I am goes like this:

3 yr old: Mommy! Knock-knock
me: Who's there?
3yo: A little boy!
me: A little boy who?
3yo: A little boy who can't reach the doorbell!

and it's true, my son can't yet reach the doorbell and I know one day he will reach the doorbell grow way past the doorbell and then some and I will be willing to do just about anything if he would only pause from his busy life and tell me a knock knock joke one more time. So for now, I make it a point to stop whatever it is I am doing, bend down and listen. Even if it is the #495th time I have heard it (he only knows 3 diff ones so far), I make sure I give him a big laugh, just like it's the first time anyone has ever conjured up that joke.

Glass pens and grape gum

whew!! busy busy summer, but just a quickstop in to say hello and that my last guest-post on the Ploughshares blog went up HERE.
.....

93 degrees, Western NY?? Really?!

blueberries

congrats to Martha Silano for winning the Saturnalia Prize!! I loooved her BLUE POSITIVE (it was one of the only books I brought with me to my first macdowell residency, actually) and can't wait to read more.

a funny take on author bios HERE

Jasper is a month old today! I am part zombie-part Grimace-part lobelia.


(this is Grimace, in case you were wondering.)

want to see the shoes I am coveting? even though I NEVER spend anything CLOSE to this amount on shoes, like, EVER. And even though I won't be going anywhere fancy (or even back to work) till January at the earliest. But I still check on them, every other day, just to make sure they EXIST.

POETS ON TEACHING: A SOURCEBOOK (more info here). Thanks to the editor for including me in this anthology. I included one of my fave writing exercises from the Kundiman retreat: poetry and supposition.

I bought a bottle of WHITE INDIA INK for my calligraphy needs. So so pretty on dark paper.

Blueberry season is winding down, folks. Sad sad times here in Western NY.

And they called him Jasper.

posting will be sporadic, Loyal and Lovely readers--

one week ago, I had a baby boy:
Jasper is his name-o.
6 pounds of pure delight
(Okay, maybe one pound
of the six is screaminess
when he is hongry).
He has long flamingo legs.
So interesting to see
what was kicking inside me
all this time.

And do i mean KICKING.
We are on that perfect cusp
of cherry and blueberry season
and a whole lot of naps.
Nap. Nap. Nap.
Delicious!

summer time scribblings:

HERE

The Streamer Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

The Streamer Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

LOVE this dress!

little dolphins

Reader, it is popsicle season.
Or maybe: it is waiting for the baby, so I might as well indulge in popsicles all day long if i feel like it-season.

I have been writing fairly regularly and oh, it feels so good. But I am ready to go dark for a bit --not truly dark-- last time, i always kept a notebook nearby when I was up at all hours of the night--but to not really have writing be the focus of my life for a bit...well, it will be a nice break so to speak.

My 3rd book, THE SECRET OF SOIL, will be out in January 2011, so I will have 2 births in one year, so to speak.
Today I washed leeeetle tiny baby clothes. My heart swelled at the thought of a little body fitting inside them. My toddler's 2T/3T clothes seem positively giant in comparison.

My mother just made a fresh batch of lumpia for me. Bee balm is out of control in the garden.
Reader, I love summertime.

yum yum: PAPER!

sorry, loves, the time is nigh for baby #2. that's what's what. keeping the garden in check. awaiting the arrival of mi madre and la Villanelle! postings will either be super light or super heavy this summer. I can't decide. I prefer to waste what limited time I have on FB, but if I were to stop blogging, I know I would miss it too. Sighs.

I will be blogging for Ploughshares this summer. Look for me!

And wouldja check out this insanely genius coffee table. i could use this to deal with all the clutter. genius, i tell you, genius:

The Papervore from Pigeontail Design on Vimeo.

in other news, we fired our Lawn Boy. That was an uncomfortable conversation. We only hired him (against D's claims that I should have followed in the first place that D could keep up with the lawn himself--I just wanted to treat him this summer with the impending baby & have a small indulgence and keep him from such busywork). But Lawnboy suddenly could not be counted on to show up when he said he would. Lawnboy's girlfriend kept showing up and making out with him. On. our lawn.
Lawnboy let our lawn get too dang long. So, after 3 strikes, Lawnboy was out. Sorry, Lawnboy. I like to think I am a pretty reasonable and nice employer, but you'll need to find a new place to make out with your girlfriend.

wknd wrap-up

chilly wknd here at la ranchera--mid-60s and rain and wind.

my son has learned to wink at me. with one eye. this is going to be a problem b/c i melt and give in. As in, "Mommy! Can I have another piece of boo (blue)-berry bread?" *WINK* *WINK*

Come on, I dare you to say no to that!

we were going to go-wait for it-freezer shopping (oh can you stand the excitement??) but decided to stay in and family nap and cook on a rainy windy sunday. we need to do this more often--where we don't actually WORK on a Sunday, esp during the school year, if that is possible. oh what a blessed blessed day that was!

did you hear about the tornados in northern Ohio this wknd? one that ripped to shreds the Valedictorian's house and killed his father who ran upstairs to grab a flashlight and didn't make it to the basement. his family didn't make it to the basement either. they were trapped in the stairwell on their way down. that was Saturday night. and the Valedictorian was going to be giving his speech that next morning. how is that fair. at all? please oh please, whatever college that Valedictorian is going to, I hope you give him a free ride if he doesn't have one already. what a memory to have lodged in your head at such a tender age.

blue by the beach

Yes, please. I'll take this house for the summer.

How did you know /‘cause I never told/ But you found out/ I’ve got a crush on you/ The words you read/ my heart’s been displayed

Kelli had a great poetry crush post the other day. i remember way back when I was vying for the top (or top 5) spot on one Poetry Crush List in particular.
Very amusing, i have to admit, despite reservations that it was objectifying me. I knew and trusted the originator of the List and he would be the first person to rush to my defense on anything, so it was more fun than fear.

From Kelli's post:
"I think I've determined that there are a several kinds of poet crushes you can have--

1) You read a poem or two, and fall in like with the poet.
2) You read a few poems, fall in like, then see a photo of the poet.
3) You meet the poet and crush begins.
4) You take a workshop or class with the poet and crush begins.
5) You hear the poet read and crush begins.
6) You are the groupie crusher- which means you have to go to any place said poet is.
7) Physical crush only
8) Physical & intellectual crush
9) Intellectual crush only
10) All of the above crush

Now before I go any further, I should say that these are the innocent crushes, not the crushes that break up marriages, crushes like that should be crushed. "

Okay, so my poetry crushes, following #9: (omitting poets from blogland)

1. Bob Hicok (duh)
3. keetje kuipers
2. Ross Gay
4. Kim Addonizio
5. Denise Duhamel
6. Zach Schoemberg

seed bombs!

from the Dodge Festival blog:

Wouldn't it be great to have seed bombs around your town instead of (or in addition to) gumball machines? I want to make them now (for wildflowers) and toss them around town. Or you can buy your own HERE!

Juney-Juniper Junebug

oh my! a full month without blogging. so sorry so sorry so sorry sosorry.

summer fruits mean making jams and jellies! look at these adorable LABELS

what have i been doing? putting the finishing touches on my 3rd manuscript, hanging out in the backyard, tending my morning glories and poppies and peonies and hydrangeas galore. oh, and indulging in a weekly banana milkshake and these frozen GOODIES ( i like the milk chocolate babies!)

oh, and my little guy turned THREE over Memorial Day wknd (sharing a birthday with Anne!) Since he is too young to know what kind of "theme" he wants, and all he asked for was blue and red cupcakes and blue balloons, we decided to roll with the whole red, white, and blue thing. We had a giant bbq in the backyard for 20 some adults and 10+ kids under 5. We broke out the water table, the kiddie pool, the bean bag toss, the tee ball set, and our gardening wagon that comfortably holds 3 toddlers! D set up the backyard with all these little "stations"--who needs a Bounce House when you have a daddy like D around? ;)

I found cute little beach buckets with little shovels for a buck a piece(!) at AC Moore, then filled them with crayon stars, choco-star lollies, chocolate covered pretzel rods with red white and blue sprinkles on them that i made, and a sheet of star stickers. then i tied a red or blue balloon to each. The kiddoes were super psyched to get THEIR! VERY! OWN! BUCKET! and everyone, inc. parents were sent home with blue creamcheese frosted cupcakes (from scratch!) to boot. I made cupcake stands out of old boxes laying around and finished off with ribbon.













Oh and LOST and Castle and 24 are done--for good (except for Castle, which had a horrible finale, if you could call it that) and thus, no more tv for me until Mad Men time again in July(?). Right now I am all about the fruit and reading and fruit and writing a line or three when I can. And the fruit.

short short short

New mini-essay on the various state soils from states where I lived:

HERE

paper person

one last gaping breath of NATIONAL POETRY MONTH:

thanks so much to The Rumpus!!

a blooming

So national poetry month is almost over. I gave the "sermon" (quotes definitely in place here!) for a Unitarian church last sunday and it was a real treat. no pomp, no circumstance, just lighting sweet scented candles and sharing of good will and tidings to all. I was especially pleased to see a rainbow flag in the window ( a rarity these days) and everyone I met was just super sweet and welcoming. They even gave my son a little "busy box" full of stickers and crayons and paper to keep occupied, though I have to admit it was super sweet to hear his distinctive laugh ring out loud and high above the congregation when I told a joke, even though him and D were sitting in the waaaaaaay back row.

Speaking of rainbows, how cute is this pic? Am thinking of doing something like this for my son's birthday party, as he loves rainbows inexplicably. But he also loves trucks and trains. Perhaps guests can come dressed in their fave color?

My pink-purple tulips have finally bloomed along our front walk. So lovely to come home to this shade of color after the longest winter of GRAY and WHITE.

Am working, plugging away as I know my time is limited. Poems, interviews, essays. But there are miles and miles of grading to do before I sleep.

And a kid's 3rd birthday to plan.

the babies!

I can't wait until this docu-movie that opens on --of course-- Mother's Day wknd. Of course I will probably have to wait oodles of months for it to open anywhere near me, but I love the trailer. Stick around for the goat at the end!
Eeeeeee!

stamping

I give books as presents all the time! Why have i never thought of this? Stamping the edges of a book. By la Martha Stewart, of course.

Oh, Scott Baio

Dear Scott Baio,

What's Up? Your behavior is exceedingly bizarre as of late. Just thought you should know. From a long-ago "Joanie Loves Chachi" fan.

Sincerely,
Corn Shake



ps. My hollyhock plants were full of weevils. I blame you.
#scottbaioruinseverything

Feelin' a Little Dodge-y

This yr's Dodge lineup has just been announced. I'm so grateful and honored to be among this yr's poets I get to see pals Oliver, Rigo, Tyehimba and Tara. Full list HERE. That wknd will be my return to the poetry world (outside of my sleepy little town anyway) after Baby #2 so it promises to be a big wknd for me in more ways than one.

Actually, I am so grateful to the organizers who said that they will provide my whole family with accommodations and that the kiddoes and D are more than welcome to be with me, and that means more than anything. I'm so glad that the Little One-to-Be's first poetry reading will be this one. It's nice to see the festival recognize poets as people. But this is DODGE we are talking about, so I am not surprised. :)

Deb and Ali visit Fredonia!

Deb dazzles at her craft talk

I love Ali's boots!

introductions to the big big crowd on a lovely spring evening

post-breakfast --how i wish they could have stayed longer!
(Thanks Karen for also making the trip up to Freezonia--so good to see you again)

The State Fair Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

The State Fair Frock Grosgrain Giveaway: "84 {COMMENTS}"

Won't be able to wear this till NEXT summer, but omg, how cute is this dress??

national poetry month, freezonia style

Tomorrow I'm hosting none other than Alison and Deb on campus for a double-header April extravaganZA poetry reading on campus! The students are super psyched and I'm looking forward to all of us hanging out too. Can't wait! Travel safe, girls!!

Hatch Alert!

WATCH LIVE HERE

Have you guys been watching the Owl Box?? it's a livestream inside an owl nest and TODAY is the expected big day! An owlet is supposed to hatch today. I've been on campus all day for advising week, but I have this window open so I can check on the progress. Every once in while I will hear an EEP! EEP! and the students wonder what is going on and are amazed (but not surprised) that I have an Owl Cam in my office.


Stop by and take a look--it's open 24/7 and the owl is do darn cuuuuute!
(except when it is tearing apart a mouse LIVE and feeding it to her chicks, of course. Just thought I'd give you a warning...)

Yun Ka!

You want to know how I make my mother laugh to no end? I just try to sing her this song. Willie Revillame is one of the biggest stars in the Philippines, a karaoke staple and a host of a big big big game show called Wow Wow Wee.

No I am not kidding. At any rate, sometimes, what a gal needs is a dose of cheesy Filipino pop music. Cheesy game show host included.

din-din

SWOON!

Office Space, Birdee Edition, aka Where the Magic Happens (poetry-wise)

I am a sucker for seeing people's writing spaces or even just their desks. As loyal readers know, my husband and I are both writers and English professors and we BOTH needed our own space to write. We end up goofing around and talking too much and laughing if we try to work in the same room--we just enjoy each other too much (gag me, I know) and can never settle down to actually, you know, write. I end up doing, say, my impersonation of the guy who helped me at the DMV after he meticulously took SEVEN FRIGGING MINUTES I KNOW B/C I TIMED IT to open a stick of gum before he called my number. And then, well, we are laughing too hard to think about writing.

Since moving to our beloved 2800 sq ft abode (la ranchera! as it is affectionately called, exclamation included), I have been addicted to YOUNG HOUSE LOVE. In fact, I am hesitant to even tell you about this blog, I want all their tips just for me. Hee hee, just kidding. Mostly. This young couple knows how to decorate a room on a budget AND they make it look so easy. Of course, they are utterly adorable, but that is beside the point. One of the tips that they hammer home time and time again is the magic of paint to cheer up a room and give it that extra punch and pizazz. I wanted a color combo that was calming but still injected LIFE AND ENERGY into it. As we are also parents to a 2 1/2 yr old (and another one on the way!), we need all the energy we can gather when we sit down to write and/or grade papers. So I chose a calm and refreshing robin eggshell blue for the base, and cherry red and black and white accent colors. I thought I was so 'over' the wall decal trend, but I couldn't resist the birdee on a tree branch I found on Etsy, and how it filled an entire wall. Basically, I love that I am never in a tired or cranky mood when I enter this room, now, as opposed to the dull and dreary woodland-theme the previous owners had left us with.

So here then, is a behind-the-scenes look at where I write:
BEFORE: a bizzaro woodland-themed room from the previous owners



BEFORE 2: standing inside the room, looking towards the door (pls excuse my then 1 1/2 yr old son during the walk-through!)


AFTER: a writing/craft workspace, same view as pic#1, looking into the room



workstation--for all you IKEA haters, the EXPEDIT is super sturdy and functional--highly recommend!



my beloved wall of poetry and creative non-fiction books in a BILLY bookcase (again, IKEA, but they are the strongest WHITE bookcases I have ever seen, and I have been researching and searching for 2 yrs). Dustin installed cute frosted glass doors in the center for all the journals and anthologies I have ever appeared in. To you know, avoid the dusties. Actually, now that I look at it, the bottom shelf are all art books and oversized magazines, so strike that.. I most certainly did not appear, for example, in Roget's Thesarus or Husband Coached Childbirth. Just FYI. ;)



another view of the BILLY bookcases


my drafting table and my closet o' shame: stuff that needs to still be filed and sorted hidden behind the sexy cerise-colored curtain--it does wonders for hiding extra files and clutter. and, if I am being completely honest, a bad stationery habit that went awry but is now (mostly) under control. A writer ends up with so much paper (work) that I just cannot get rid of (but I'm working on it!)



close up of my drafting/writing ACTUAL LETTERS TO PEOPLE table:



How I get organized for tax-season: one white box is for receipts, one is simply for bills. Totally simple but without it, I am a hot mess of crumpled receipts all over the house:



light switch decal:


The peacock-guardian of my writing. what you see when you first open the door to my office (found on ebay for $2--it was a horrid faux-brass, so I spray painted it black):



Giant matchbox from none other than Rebecca L (who sends the coolest care packages in the universe), which now houses tiny paperclips on my workstation desk:













WALL PAINT: Behr's "Fresh Water" (sorry the blue looks so different in some pics--proof of paint color changes just even during different times of the day, so when I decided on colors, I hung up swatches on the wall and made sure to note what they looked like at diff. points of the day)
LIGHT SWITCH DECAL: "deep red" by byrdiekids.etsy.com
GIANT BIRD BRANCH DECAL: ShaNickers
FRENCH FRY BIRD PRINT: dazeychic.etsy.com (and they are having a delish sale buy 1 get one free!!)

(the following are from IKEA, collected up over the yrs, not bought all at once! ;))--
BOOKCASES: Billy
LIGHTING: Kristavler (with blue thrift store gems attached), Grono desk lamp
COMPUTER WORKSTATION: Expedit with Kassett boxes
DRAFTING TABLE: Vika glasholm table top and legs

......
and I had to include this little gem, probably the most favorite thing in the room, and I have many, but I would run back into a burning house to get this pic that I have clipped in a photo holder from crate and barrel--this little polaroid of my future husband (then 5 yrs-old) on his first day of kindergarten:



I mean, come ON! I die of the cuteness, every single time I sit down at my computer to write:


Also? I would SO still carry that bag to school today.