Monthly Archives: March 2008

Song Writers on Songs

Posted by Jackie in media mentions, writing

The New York Times has a new blog featured online now called Measure for Measure, featuring an eclectic group of songwriters who will be blogging about their own songwriting processes and what they’re working on.

So far, the list of bloggers is very interesting, including Roseanne Cash and Suzanne Vega and I’m really looking forward to reading more as the blog progresses. I recently reconnected with an old boyfriend-turned-good-friend who is a songwriter, and it has reignited my interest in songwriting. Someday, I’d love to set a poem of mine to music, or better yet, write an entirely new song.

Crunching Poetic Numbers

Posted by Jackie in media mentions, writing

The Virginia Quarterly Review is a well-respected literary quarterly, but it seems they also have quite the literary funny bone.

Ever wonder what titles are most common in poetry these days? How about the most cliched topics that are actually still accepted? I don’t know about you, but I was very happy to see that none of my titles are on the first list, and I’m going to walk a very fine line when it comes to the second list. The blogger says he guesses it proves that “talent transcends topic,” which I would agree with, but this is certainly a funny example!

The VQR blog also links to an article from the Willesden Herald providing 27 reasons why they believe short stories are rejected. This list is written in classic British dry-witty style, and it makes me glad I’ve not tried short fiction in awhile, for it would surely hit too close to home.

Last but not least, a very funny article on the challenges of writing the short author bio. I’ve written these before for different publications, and admit freely to having fretted just as much as Giles Turnbull does here.

Pseudo-Holiday

Posted by Jackie in all about me, teaching

This week is my spring break from both my jobs, and while my students take fabulous trips, I will be working! I have three books on my to-read list: refresh myself on the next book in my Facebook class, a book I’m reviewing for Bitch magazine, and a possible summer reading candidate for my day job next year. I also have piles of grading to take care of and have set myself a deadline of sending out the next two poems I’ve been working on, both of which need a final polish and then should be ready to go out.

I’m not complaining though– I don’t mind the grading so much, and I’m actually very interested in all the books on my list. I also have some house projects planned, but I think what I’m looking forward to the most is at least a few stretches of uninterrupted time, just curled up on my couch or in my bed, reading, writing and listening to music. That’s my favorite kind of time to spend alone, and it’s enough vacation for me.

Libraries and Histories

Posted by Jackie in all about me, poetry

This weekend I achieved a lifelong goal– we have a library in our house!  When you walk into our house, the first room you see is now our library, wall-to-wall books.  It was such a great experience to unpack all my old friends, many of which I hadn’t seen since we moved in almost a year ago.  For writers and all of us who think of ourselves as bibliophiles or literary folks, our books are such a major part of who we are.  My home feels more complete now that they are on display.

Another bonus was that I found six or seven of my writing notebooks that I had accidentally packed away with the regular books, some of which dated back for years.  In one, a book I hadn’t looked at in five years or so, I found a batch of eight or nine poems.  I remember writing those poems, in the aftermath of a terrible breakup, and I think about half of them still bear further revision and attention.  I’m hoping to get a start on those tonight– perhaps in my new library!