Writing the Life Poetic

Sweats are the new cape

Phone booth, take me away to those single-bounding leaps over the impossible! Oh, wait -- there are no more phone booths.

What's a contemporary writer -- with too many different identities to manage all of the costume changes -- to do?

With no place to do my superhero switcharoo lately, I've had to retire my cape for my street clothes: sweats. Poetic aside: this is both a literal and figurative image. Literally: getting things done is a sloppy job. Around me is a collection of stained mugs with used tea bags slumped around or stuck brittle to the sides. And under those are rumpled, paw-printed paper piles and files swarming with sticky notes. Figuratively: the humility of being imperfect, incomplete, incapable sometimes of living up to my own expectations.

All of this to say, I have I have been straining every seam of my life to accommodate book writing in the margins of full-time work, full-time motherhood and all the other stuff that needs to happen in life. As a result, I have had to cancel my trip to AWP next week to meet said book deadline. And I think it is also unlikely that I will get to do my part in the global momentum of poem-a-day writing throughout National Poetry Month (April.) Though I'm thinking I'll take a rain check for May.

Gone are the days of the phone booth and the idea that we must become someone else to do what has value. In these days of cell phones and sweat pants, we do the humble work of getting things done --  laying down words like bricks, one after the other, until we finish. There is nothing fancy or costumed about it.

And the writing exists in the weave of a whole, integrated life -- our writing life -- where we tend to our sick children and aging parents, we take the time to feed ourselves well, we sleep, we connect with friends and beloveds, we walk the dogs. And we write -- holding the paradox of aiming high while accepting what is. And we do what we can do, with that north star of platform and that energy source of desire keeping us moving forward. 

If writing a book is a marathon, then I think I'm wearing the right outfit; a cape would likely get tangled up in the wheels of the rolling desk chair anyway...

I invite you to do what you can do to enjoy this National Poetry Month and let it nourish your writing craft and practice. But don't worry that you can't do it all. Who you are is enough, and the outfit you're wearing is just perfect.

Poetry for the People Scholarship applications now open for May classes!

VALUE: $250.00!!!

Would you love to take the Poetry for the People Level 1 or Level 2 class starting in early May but can’t afford it? Then you qualify for The Poetry for the People Scholarship. And the time to apply is now! (You can click the "reblog" button at the bottom of this post to easily spread the word to your readers.)

I’ll be accepting applications for the Poetry for the People Scholarship from Thursday, April 1 through Thursday, April 15. The scholarship recipient for each class will be chosen based on the following criteria: demonstrated past effort, need, and enthusiasm as determined by Sage Cohen.

Please see the detailed guidelines below for application requirements. I’ll be announcing the scholarship recipient by midnight, Saturday, April 24 here in this blog. I invite you to spread the word about the scholarship, even if you do not intend to apply!

How to Apply for the Poetry for the People Scholarship
Please copy and paste the application questions below into a Word document. Answer each question fully, do not exceed one page, then copy and paste your final application into an email. To submit it, send the email to: “sage (at) sagesaidso (dot) com”. Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. (If you've applied before, you're welcome to resubmit the same application information.) Only U.S. residents may apply at this time. Thanks for understanding.

Have questions? Post ‘em in the comments section and I’ll be happy to answer them.

[Start application here]

Name:

Address:

Email:

Phone:

What version of Microsoft Word software are you currently using?

Are you applying for the Level 1 or Level 2 class?

Write a short paragraph in response to each of the following questions:
 
1. Why do you want to take the class Poetry for the People?
 
2. Please describe your poetry and writing experience, publication history, literary community service endeavors, related education and any other information about your writing life that you think is relevant.
 
3. Please briefly state why you are unable to afford the tuition for the class at this time (see note below).

[End application form]

The Fine Print:

The Poetry for the People Scholarship is only for poets who legitimately cannot afford class tuition. My classes are kept affordable so that more people can take them! You can register for the Level 1 or Level 2 class as a non-scholarship candidate here. Both start in early May. Don’t wait to register, this class fills early.

Please note that this is a full scholarship, not a giveaway. The scholarship is offered by Sage Cohen. Only one scholarship is available per P4P class. The recipient commits to participating fully in the class and delivering all six assignments on time. Please do not apply if you cannot make the commitment to participate in the class.

The scholarship is not transferable if you fail to complete the class. The scholarship is also not transferable in the case of illness, family emergencies, a move, etc.

No special additional professional time or coaching is offered with the scholarship. It’s up to the scholarship recipient to make the most of the class, like everyone else in the group.

What is written in your application is private, and your personal information will never be shared or sold. No one but Sage Cohen will view your application.

Previous applicants (who were not awarded a scholarship) are welcome to apply again -- and may submit the same application.

To learn about future scholarship opportunities, please subscribe to this blog.

I’m pleased to be able to offer one free class per class to one deserving poet. Good luck!

Join me at the Manzanita Writers' Series on April 17 for a reading and workshop

SATURDAY, APRIL 17
A two-part workshop and a reading -- all in one, poetry-packed day

Manzanita Writers' Series
Hoffman Center
594 Laneda Avenue
Manzanita, Oregon

Poetry: From Pen to Page to Published
1:00 pm to 3:30 pm, (all ages)  // cost:  $25; $15 for students
In this two-part workshop, poets of any level will get inspired -- and get writing -- through a variety of prompts and exercises. Following a break, we'll discuss the art of successful submission for publication. Click here to register.

Sage Cohen poetry reading, followed by open mic
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm // cost: $5

"shifting our lens from poverty to prosperity" -- new article on Read Write Poem

The idea that talent and suffering go hand in hand in the life of poetry has become legendary; and the “starving poet” is now an all-too-familiar archetype. I think it’s time to blow some kisses to this archetype and bid it adieu. Why? Because it keeps us small, scared and struggling. And it keeps our poetry starved for something bigger in us.

Read the rest of this article on Read Write Poem!

Join me on The Inkwell radio show this Tuesday, 3 p.m. PST

Tune in to The Inkwell radio show at 3:00 this Tuesday, March 30! Join host Nyla Alisia and me as we talk about the life of poetry -- writing, submitting, editing, publishing, productivity and more -- and answer your questions on the air!

Call in at 347.850.8817.

I'll also be sharing some of my poems and inviting you to share the poems you wrote with us during my free, two-hour workshop on The Inkwell on March 2. 

Looking forward to another afternoon of poetry adventure in the best possible company -- yours!

Poetry for the People Student Poem: NANCY PAUL

PETAL PAINT
By Nancy Paul

 

 

My own children have sent me here to die

Though they are too polite to say

So

I sit

In my bed by the window

Like a moth in a little glass jar

But
I can see

The faithful apple tree
Frail and bent

She is as old as me

And yet

Each spring from the grave
she arises

resplendent renewed

reborn

*
*
*

Bursting forth
In a bouquet of blushing school girl beauty
Showing off her petaled petticoats to all the passersby
(she is not shy)
Baring her blossomed bosom to the nectar loving Bees and to
the courtly Chickadees
who tip their black caps
in swoony admiration of 'Our Fair Lady'

She is the biggest flirt in the garden!

But spring will pass (it always does)
Flowers will fall like confetti
Before long, she'll be back on duty
She'll don that ancient apron of matronly green, and faithfully bear fruit in season

But oh! to be young again

*
*
*

“Fetch my pink nail polish!” I did say

“Mother? You're not well,” they tried to sway

But I insisted that they listen
As they used to do

And today

Ten painted toes

Like ten pink petals

Peek out from the bottom of my blanket

Waving at me—like a Banner—saying,

“Live! Live!”

Join me this Wednesday, 7 p.m. at the Milwaukie Poetry Series

I'm thrilled and honored to invite you to join me for a very special evening of poetry this Wednesday.

As the featured reader for the Milwaukie Poetry Series, I'll be reading poetry for an hour, then answering questions for a half hour!

All attendees will receive a broadside of one of my favorite poems. It would be wonderful to see you there!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Milwaukie Poetry Series
Ledding Library Pond House
2215 SE Harrison –– across the pond from the library
Milwaukie, Oregon

March 17: Figures of Speech Reading Series (come one, come all!)

Once upon a time, I ran a monthly reading series at Barnes & Noble. Then my book and baby were born -- and leaving the house in the evening became a blurry, yester-year fantasy. Starting in 2010, the fabulous Steve Williams and M generously agreed to adopt the reading series. I suppose that makes me the birth mother with visiting privileges. Lucky me!

With new hosts, a new home and a new open mic woven in, the series still offers the same friendly, inspiring spirit of community and features poets you won't ever want to miss.

Join us on St. Patrick's Day at 7:00 for an evening of poetic paradise with John Morrison and Scot Siegel -- and a green surprise or two.

Figures of Speech Reading Series (Previously Poetry for the People Reading Series)
Wednesday, March 17
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
100th Monkey Studio
110 SE 16th Avenue
Portland, OR

Hosted by Steve Williams and M

JOHN MORRISON

John Morrison earned his MFA from the University of Alabama and received the 2003 C. Hamilton Bailey Poetry Fellowship from Literary Arts. His book, Heaven of the Moment, won the 2006 Rhea & Seymour Gorsline Poetry Competition and was a finalist for the 2008 Oregon Book Award in poetry. His poems have appeared in numerous national literary journals, including the Cimarron Review, Poetry East, Southern Poetry Review, and Poet Lore. He has taught poetry at the University of Alabama and Washington State University, Vancouver, and is a Writer-in-Residence for Literary Arts' Writers in the Schools program in Portland, Oregon.

SCOT SIEGEL

Scot Siegel, a native of Northern California, lives in Lake Oswego with his wife and two daughters. He works as an urban planning consultant and serves on the board of the Friends of William Stafford. Siegel is the author of three volumes of poetry, Some Weather (Plain View Press 2008), the chapbook Untitled Country (Pudding House Publications 2009), and a second chapbook, Skeleton Says, forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. He has received awards and commendations from Aesthetica Magazine (UK), Nimrod International (Pablo Neruda Poetry Prize, semi-finalist) and the Oregon State Poetry Association (OSPA). In celebration of Oregon's Sesquicentennial, Poetry Northwest and the Oregon State Library selected Some Weather as one of 150 Outstanding Oregon Poetry Books, one for each year of statehood. Siegel was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2009.

Get your free, two-hour poetry workshop here!

"I am truly grateful for your giving spirit and all you do for the craft and to encourage us to grow not only in our art but towards our potential." -- JV

This afternoon, I joined the fabulous Nyla Alisia on her show, The Inkwell at blogtalkradio.

The Inkwell offers writers help and advice in taking their work from page to publication. In this two-hour poetry workshop-meets-contemplation of the life poetic-meets interview, I covered so much poetic ground that my voice nearly gave out.

And now, you can listen any time you want -- for free. Get comfortable at your computer with a pen and paper, and join me in my longest monologue yet about how to tune into the poetry of your life (and get it down on the page). Be prepared for five sets of poem-triggering prompts throughout the conversation to ignite your poetry pilot light -- or keep it burning bright.

The poetry of meetings

Shanna
Your name was the bridge that brought me to you, cast by the woman asking if I was you. Illuminated by her staggered quest, through the swarm of lightly grazing and cocktailing authors, she and not-you (I) landed at your high-heeled, heart-stomping, pretty little feet.

Claire
Earphoned together in a circuit of conversation, we each spoke into our respective mics, straining under the weight of authority, you for the magazine you would soon be leaving, I misunderstood to be writing about miscarriage, and for the letter I would write the next day, assigned already to the future that had called us from nothing into this evening.

Jon
Words fluttered to our feet like petals drifting us into the breath the sky takes when the flower has gone and the leaf has yet to take its place.

Nicole
My band was opening for the band you had come to see. You were glittered and splintering light. We were in love with the wrong men, but neither of us knew it. Or we knew it, but neither was ready to admit it. We threw those pie-tins of desire with their empty cache of whipped cream, struck only bones and drove our songs north where, suddenly, the sky is blooming.

Melea
We sat next to each other that first day. Anchors. Prehistoric and ripe, in the way that all hope is obvious on the other side when the protagonist arrives. You were my midwife and I was yours. We cursed our way through those Alaskan rocks, down those Midwestern rapids, and gave ourselves to the stars that gave themselves back unstinting.

Chloe
My dog tackled your dog with the Hebrew name. Twice. We emailed about what the trainer said -- my pregnancy hormones + girl dog. Jews don't do that to Jews, I explained to the dog; but she, in her olfactory way of knowing, snorted a Madoff rebuttal and kicked up some grass. I saw you at your register at Powell's. Our parallel lives crossed; twin birthdays surfaced like leaves on water.

Christyne
What was it about you? Everything. Your shock of hair, the weight of it, the color of alarm. Every grand gesture faded to the tea cup's stain long after the thirst. The NO unspoken, honed to explosive.

Jeff
Because you could, you did. And you forgave yourself, but I couldn't. The broken promise limps along hinged, perhaps, but never healed.