tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53488202024-03-14T02:19:30.401-04:00Collin Kelley: Modern ConfessionalCollin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.comBlogger2176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-38550154700623294302024-03-04T22:50:00.006-05:002024-03-04T22:50:37.213-05:00"Wonder & Wreckage" book launch <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvk2TFuI45-VKc15-gZ8W_OxmTgW1uVocoJLc2bGti0VcZQIs1yio7I48DgeCMfLkqcgq0MzJy1MlOZT_6PHGiM4MFYgTVLJSSrHPGwbmuzLrXSZAWon2dgxQlq38XcNZsw7uMwWKWMA4I05akQ6EzhislsABtjxcaesTbskGO2gpr0_cFfAY5LA/s1080/9181DB04-D993-4394-8E9D-719206847617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvk2TFuI45-VKc15-gZ8W_OxmTgW1uVocoJLc2bGti0VcZQIs1yio7I48DgeCMfLkqcgq0MzJy1MlOZT_6PHGiM4MFYgTVLJSSrHPGwbmuzLrXSZAWon2dgxQlq38XcNZsw7uMwWKWMA4I05akQ6EzhislsABtjxcaesTbskGO2gpr0_cFfAY5LA/w483-h483/9181DB04-D993-4394-8E9D-719206847617.JPG" width="483" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">On Tuesday, April 30, at 7 p.m., Poetry Atlanta and Georgia Center for the Book at DCPL are hosting the launch of my new “Wonder & Wreckage” collection at the Decatur Library. This will be my first live/in-person solo reading in more than four years. I hope you’ll join me! More details coming soon. </span></p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-13481532594533952952024-02-03T13:38:00.004-05:002024-02-03T13:38:27.806-05:00Cover reveal for 'Wonder & Wreckage' <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g-JV9gqx1RuUkSNmDUsQnnXomMO4xbpgnonoQsMFrxIBdIrb2cGTRNbuQx0dJ54vPH3B6Dctx8pEq9T9d0BPaIDmqQClPZyO91n7wMb9GVD-hk0_YDl_4uXr8gp1iJoEzzyPfzfpUvZCa-9ZZGn1Z0u4iyoMiYkOzd3lfUWg8liB8LiewvnLeg/s1320/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%2010.11.19%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1320" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g-JV9gqx1RuUkSNmDUsQnnXomMO4xbpgnonoQsMFrxIBdIrb2cGTRNbuQx0dJ54vPH3B6Dctx8pEq9T9d0BPaIDmqQClPZyO91n7wMb9GVD-hk0_YDl_4uXr8gp1iJoEzzyPfzfpUvZCa-9ZZGn1Z0u4iyoMiYkOzd3lfUWg8liB8LiewvnLeg/w640-h486/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%2010.11.19%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I’m excited to reveal the cover for my forthcoming collection “Wonder & Wreckage: New & Selected Poems” coming soon from </span><span style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span class="xt0psk2" style="animation-name: none !important; display: inline; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Poetry Atlanta</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Press. The cover, brilliantly designed by </span><span style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span class="xt0psk2" style="animation-name: none !important; display: inline; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Elizabeth Price Holmes</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, features vintage photographs of my late uncle, Terry Graves, and his partner in San Francisco in the 70s and 80s. I can’t wait for you to read it this spring! </span><p></p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-38973673609233676342023-12-25T16:08:00.008-05:002023-12-25T16:08:47.532-05:00Happy Christmas <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j9jbdgZidu8?si=2bs4s8LkpC7AnX3-" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>It wouldn't be Christmas without the annual posting of the greatest Christmas song EVER. RIP Shane and Kirsty. </div>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-50788562819857073842023-12-24T12:45:00.004-05:002023-12-24T12:48:46.366-05:00Looking for holiday cheer in dark times<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LTkZ1ZUeE2z5dKXmUhyphenhyphenrx_rzymyw06021PQB5oUGSGyT91KS9L5BosFmH17q1U52llEy4zxYie99YGtzvNMcTHZbCxTb7M30_ub422eNL592NRZH_jxzDEOxSqIzLKAXMaKbPm8ploVZKy2-PGneh4IOl8fqNO4pHJLToAt-1c9Vw-MIUjBLDg/s933/Seasons%20Greetings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="933" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LTkZ1ZUeE2z5dKXmUhyphenhyphenrx_rzymyw06021PQB5oUGSGyT91KS9L5BosFmH17q1U52llEy4zxYie99YGtzvNMcTHZbCxTb7M30_ub422eNL592NRZH_jxzDEOxSqIzLKAXMaKbPm8ploVZKy2-PGneh4IOl8fqNO4pHJLToAt-1c9Vw-MIUjBLDg/w400-h301/Seasons%20Greetings.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Hello to all those who still check in here from time to time. My last report from Google said I'm averaging between 6,000 and 7,000 visits per month, so I know some of you are out there. </p><p>I've made it a habit for the last 20 years to leave a year-end wrap-up here and send holiday greetings. My holiday/Christmas cheer is in very short supply with the dark state of the world right now. Once again, it feels like we're standing on the edge of a precipice. I fear 2024 will be more of the same with the future of the United States teetering toward a promised dictatorship should an old face reappear in the White House. </p><p>I stopped watching broadcast news completely in 2023, especially after the Hamas invasion of Israel and the horrific images from Gaza as the Israelis conducted an expected, but disproportionate response. The images of children twisted and screaming in the rubble finally forced me to turn away. I get my news now from global newspapers that offer a varied perspective not only on the Israeli-Hamas War, but also on Ukraine and the battered United States. </p><p>I spent three months – from mid-May to mid-August – in Ann Arbor, Michigan with quite a few side trips to Detroit, Toronto, Chicago, and Toldeo. While I was still working my day job, it was nice to have a change of scenery, a cooler summer, new surroundings to explore, and a chance to work on the new & selected collection, <i>Wonder & Wreckage</i>.</p><p>Speaking of the new & selected, it's nearing the finish line and the April 2024 release timeframe is still happening. I've already started booking some readings, both online and in person, so that has lit a fire under me. That said, I cannot wait to get this project off my plate so I can move on to the next one. I started planning this new & selected just after <i>Midnight in a Perfect World</i> came out five (?!) years ago, so it's been a long process. </p><p>As I write this on Christmas Eve, the manuscript is complete, including an introduction and acknowledgments, and the final cover is being tweaked. Stay tuned for a cover reveal in January. </p><p>After <i>Wonder & Wreckage</i>, I'll take the briefest of breaks before I dive into co-editing an anthology I've been wanting to do for years. I can't release any details yet, but watch for a call for poems in Autumn 2024. Anthologies are a shitload of work, but the subject of this anthology (a poet in my heart since the 70s – hint, hint) is near and dear to me, so well worth the effort. And after that - fiction again, at last! </p><p>As for my health, I had another tiny cancer scare at the end of November when a routine colonoscopy discovered a large polyp. Luckily, it was nothing, but it does mean another anal probe in three years. Sigh. In January, I'm having a little cosmetic surgery to fix my saggy mouth following the other cancer. I'm hopeful my countenance might return to something approaching normal. We shall see. </p><p>I truly hope you are all keeping well and I appreciate your continued support. Much love and light in this darkness. </p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-26421509981320687352023-12-11T13:15:00.008-05:002023-12-11T13:15:52.782-05:00New Poem: My mother returns after 268 days in the bardo<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl714ef13kOqIKuR9k_w3c3UVnb_F8Zm96O3FhpT_M9RxzCZmc0AxO39Hs7al-q7iH4AKb69gMjMX9NGkg5YCUsszB6ZxG6Sm4CJ-XZ_j7kJTV1faiUR7N4yb-as0WSPz3kyBhGDOdy8oR9-ir9K2PPPUcEJztuuZOZ_MQlJF-7ss6BUJ1AxhrQ/s1125/IMG_6229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="1125" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl714ef13kOqIKuR9k_w3c3UVnb_F8Zm96O3FhpT_M9RxzCZmc0AxO39Hs7al-q7iH4AKb69gMjMX9NGkg5YCUsszB6ZxG6Sm4CJ-XZ_j7kJTV1faiUR7N4yb-as0WSPz3kyBhGDOdy8oR9-ir9K2PPPUcEJztuuZOZ_MQlJF-7ss6BUJ1AxhrQ/w640-h618/IMG_6229.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A new poem forthcoming in the “Wonder & Wreckage” collection next year. This one is for my mother, who transitioned five years ago today.</span><p></p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-88914864735009671832023-09-17T16:39:00.003-04:002023-09-17T16:39:23.418-04:00Self-portrait at 54<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkp4GvSAWMubWhAWznoR9Z6Z65cbJbOzkT8sL7wflRs3kUcfSAcBI305gFI27aDNqc32S8wZijkqlr5pzQ0RM_XrjHvc8SFFa-DolSGwgoU4KjCK5gaKQR0fPbdiRaQb85i-xdKquzfZ4fP4QDdTHHthbM0xjpEPYXyzpJ_4WV0-1EKqGLBGfrA/s2895/07EF842E-8CA6-4BA5-9E68-143A90E1BAD7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2895" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkp4GvSAWMubWhAWznoR9Z6Z65cbJbOzkT8sL7wflRs3kUcfSAcBI305gFI27aDNqc32S8wZijkqlr5pzQ0RM_XrjHvc8SFFa-DolSGwgoU4KjCK5gaKQR0fPbdiRaQb85i-xdKquzfZ4fP4QDdTHHthbM0xjpEPYXyzpJ_4WV0-1EKqGLBGfrA/w512-h640/07EF842E-8CA6-4BA5-9E68-143A90E1BAD7.JPG" width="512" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-66672457078986915802023-08-06T17:54:00.001-04:002023-08-06T20:19:07.927-04:00Modern Confessional blog turns 20<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOmK7SqEi-u34VMxkUUHHK8VGzoz3uIDMm5mabmfGv0kg9kJXBthSFejNwVp3fKAIyCIQzW7rS-ISyP0jrrJEsYxY2gLZhVJhgytS6t7IQyg7NzgbV2-uKIm9Z_CI0HjAWgf5g6hgzd0Pz9VAR1bQ0QyVoqovXxxXN_yAZoZnBwO9SpxN0FXaIw/s1600/cmk%20blog%20header%20TEST.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="1600" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOmK7SqEi-u34VMxkUUHHK8VGzoz3uIDMm5mabmfGv0kg9kJXBthSFejNwVp3fKAIyCIQzW7rS-ISyP0jrrJEsYxY2gLZhVJhgytS6t7IQyg7NzgbV2-uKIm9Z_CI0HjAWgf5g6hgzd0Pz9VAR1bQ0QyVoqovXxxXN_yAZoZnBwO9SpxN0FXaIw/w640-h118/cmk%20blog%20header%20TEST.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The original site header for my blog. Maybe I should bring that back?!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I cannot believe this blog is 20 years old. I started it in 2003 in a fit of pique when my website kept going down or having glitches while I was trying to promote my debut poetry collection, <i>Better To Travel</i>.</p><p>Blogs were still fairly nascent back then (Google had just acquired Blogger in 2003!) and I thought this site would be a temporary thing until I got my real website sorted out. It didn't take long to realize that blogging was becoming "a thing." I was getting views, so I thought why not make Blogger my "home" on the web? Two decades later, it still is. </p><p>The name "modern confessional" came from a question posed in an interview when the reporter asked what kind of poetry I wrote. Off the top of my head – and in a nod to Sexton, Plath, and Olds – I spouted out modern confessional. What is modern confessional poetry? Your guess is as good as anyone else's. But the name stuck and I still identify with being an unabashed confessional poet. </p><p>A few weeks ago, I got a monthly report on how many people had visited the blog in June. The number was nearly 7,000. Not a lot, but not a little. I guess some folks are still interested enough in me as a writer or something I've had to share about poetry and fiction to drop in from time to time and read. </p><p>I'm not nearly as prolific, political, or confrontational as I used to be. If you look at the archive in the left sidebar, you can see every post since 2003. I really did go too far sometimes and was unafraid to call out "famous" writers for their shenanigans. I also had plenty to say about George W. Bush, Obama, Hurricane Katrina, "American Idol' recaps, book reviews, author interviews, music I was listening to, and travel diaries about my time abroad. </p><p>As I get ready to publish the new & selected collection, which will put a cap on my last 30 years as a poet, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all those still diligently blogging and reading – all those wonderful people out there in the dark – who continue to check in here from time to time and see what's going on in my world. </p><p>What a strange, fantastic trip it's been. </p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-12494885754265011152023-06-21T10:41:00.004-04:002023-06-21T10:41:35.597-04:00'Wonder & Wreckage' delay<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvMVGJDEZme3k2DMX3Iinvhg6sTAbw3s6Lmp6vvacSF47fZxcljrnyq7xTSYCHbCHl7AkSsSUAq_-PXLPOQNSHDTHVXeCEtG7U6AOgPk1NxmAUYbTP0asoRkm5p3d2sTI225gMJGSKHyYqgYG9PvMJ0jYUw-v7vmSo15t4Vamq708qHOqZeoH2w/s400/f9cc9e7b-5662-419e-b769-5a373965e338_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="400" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvMVGJDEZme3k2DMX3Iinvhg6sTAbw3s6Lmp6vvacSF47fZxcljrnyq7xTSYCHbCHl7AkSsSUAq_-PXLPOQNSHDTHVXeCEtG7U6AOgPk1NxmAUYbTP0asoRkm5p3d2sTI225gMJGSKHyYqgYG9PvMJ0jYUw-v7vmSo15t4Vamq708qHOqZeoH2w/w640-h484/f9cc9e7b-5662-419e-b769-5a373965e338_text.gif" width="640" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
After weeks of deliberation and debate, we've pushed the publication date of my new & selected poetry collection, "Wonder & Wreckage," back to Spring 2024. </span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After a change in cover concept, some additional tinkering with sequencing, and trying to write a suitable introduction that encapsulates 30 years of poetry, it's been more daunting than I expected. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">More news soon, plus a report on my summer away in Michigan and Canada.</span></p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-22865831002139653272023-04-07T14:30:00.005-04:002023-04-07T14:37:21.103-04:00A Spring Update<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NwC_p7x3OREmrA2fZXwfyVWeAKSctDtZJMX1kFTU-kEvvlb1pd58E-xPxWk2u-lgpEJublpnsDU-sFI2Gj30kSmA9XbL_kM-346kdBH90EolCaYpyUoyRrKplZVB3pyI3Rl90yEaDtJ0_AMiENQ8OEcuRvyliiWoFNrUmvNU5Y8OlkZarzA/s1052/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-07%20at%202.35.17%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="1052" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NwC_p7x3OREmrA2fZXwfyVWeAKSctDtZJMX1kFTU-kEvvlb1pd58E-xPxWk2u-lgpEJublpnsDU-sFI2Gj30kSmA9XbL_kM-346kdBH90EolCaYpyUoyRrKplZVB3pyI3Rl90yEaDtJ0_AMiENQ8OEcuRvyliiWoFNrUmvNU5Y8OlkZarzA/w400-h250/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-07%20at%202.35.17%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Yes, it's been ages since I last posted, but the day job and working on the new & selected has kept me busy.</p><p>The release date of <i>Wonder & Wreckage </i>is probably going to be closer to Christmas rather than September. My goal is still to have it in your hands before the end of the year. The sequence is settled and acknowledgement pages complete. I'm working on a preface for the collection and there's still the cover artwork to figure out.</p><p>I've gone back and forth for weeks and it looks like the cover might go in a different direction than what has been teased here on the blog. Since the collection has a cinematic vibe, my vision for the cover has changed to reflect that. Stay tuned. </p><p>In the meantime, I've had the pleasure of participating in three readings from <i><a href="https://madvillepublishing.com/product/dolly-parton-poetry/">Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology</a></i>, including one just the other day at University of Wolverhampton in the UK. There's another virtual reading coming up with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/532694415735441/?ref=newsfeed" target="_blank">Wild & Precious Life Series</a> on Wednesday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m. </p><p>On Feb. 2, I read in-person at the <i>Let Me Say This Anthology</i> launch hosted by Georgia Center for the Book. This was my first reading in front of an audience in three years and since my cancer surgery. I was incredibly self-conscious about my droopy face, but I made it through (thanks to Karen Head for the photo above). We had an incredible turnout, so hats off to editors Julie Bloemeke and Dustin Brookshire for making it happen. </p><p>In May, I'll be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Modern Confessional blog with a special post. Twenty years?!?</p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-495762024037082092023-01-22T14:53:00.005-05:002023-01-26T13:50:46.505-05:00Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology out now! <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2LW4mnmcJ4M7uqPhVOHIaOclxKXtTNtp0TnLNtBtJA_StLJbueaZ6q-7waslldBo3FqSvAp-FkMn8uq5FQTEwzFdcnHuAVkOhHYv49xfIdnuYvV6bDcgauy7xCIxpS4Jgaf4HyRPfMg1K7eSYSEcxIj6Lr1Y2nE6RowqKcpVSwKoHJhmOdc/s1558/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%202.45.23%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1558" data-original-width="1114" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2LW4mnmcJ4M7uqPhVOHIaOclxKXtTNtp0TnLNtBtJA_StLJbueaZ6q-7waslldBo3FqSvAp-FkMn8uq5FQTEwzFdcnHuAVkOhHYv49xfIdnuYvV6bDcgauy7xCIxpS4Jgaf4HyRPfMg1K7eSYSEcxIj6Lr1Y2nE6RowqKcpVSwKoHJhmOdc/w458-h640/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%202.45.23%20PM.png" width="458" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology</i> is out now from Madville Publishing! Edited by Julie E. Blomeke and Dustin Brookshire, the volume contains 54 poets (including yours truly) rhapsodizing over the cultural icon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be giving my first in-person reading in nearly two years at the <a href="https://georgiacenterforthebook.org/events/488082296287" target="_blank">Atlanta launch</a> of the anthology on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. hosted by Georgia Center for the Book at the Decatur Library. Please join us! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bHZ5T_rjaU-sDF3wqkX-M1erbo2x9P5wfJgMgVDU5XTdiVEaS_9qWXvLkQY6MYirzZRVZaqYyjsXbPftd4mlsnTn5BSYWTShM6o9ro-vfy-csjzypNId3cJ9t0DCUaU15q-chh-URgtRELH4gkIwo3ESwlehuB-A1Pmwe_u1E3DZfhBXAFM/s1472/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%202.51.31%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1472" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bHZ5T_rjaU-sDF3wqkX-M1erbo2x9P5wfJgMgVDU5XTdiVEaS_9qWXvLkQY6MYirzZRVZaqYyjsXbPftd4mlsnTn5BSYWTShM6o9ro-vfy-csjzypNId3cJ9t0DCUaU15q-chh-URgtRELH4gkIwo3ESwlehuB-A1Pmwe_u1E3DZfhBXAFM/w640-h318/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%202.51.31%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-70022416429011448452022-12-25T10:20:00.001-05:002022-12-25T10:20:03.602-05:00Happy Christmas <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j9jbdgZidu8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The annual posting of the greatest Christmas tune of all time! Happy holidays. </div>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-72235819092696862702022-12-24T15:43:00.001-05:002022-12-24T15:43:06.163-05:00Wrapping up 2022<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y0B3q6iWpBo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the holidays, I’m sharing the November recording of my reading with the fabulous Carine Topal and Cecilia Woloch. This was my first reading in nearly two years and features work from the forthcoming <i>Wonder & Wreckage</i>. Thank you again to <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/vcpsocal?__cft__[0]=AZV_loZ9Ywl-chUO5NGS2sAPZJjFbPtLZnQOyd2cXf5XhpeGO6b8gNdlPoRdzpBlZLZTDAKm3mizoJx25KlnEZ29vIpALUtV6PM0vmDdDP5-PnrtpoOJXUryJtMb9lE4iI-WXoewwYe10dqW5Aiy2PfPezgn2NDpTQnew09Gy0GdWFM22VSJbnjaXto2Wr1q9Qc&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline;">VCP SoCal Poets</span></a> for hosting us!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of W & W, the manuscript sequencing is complete and I'm just tinkering with a few of the '"new" poems for this new & selected collection. Early in the new year, I'll be sitting down with my friend and go-to book designer to work out the final cover. I'm pleased with the selection of work I've chosen for this book, although quite a few favorites had to come out to keep the flow. Still killing darlings after all these years. However, I do have a plan in mind to compile the "discards" into a special, very limited chapbook. More details as I hatch this plan.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On Feb. 2, I plan to put in my first live appearance in over two years at the launch of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LetMeSayThisAnthology" target="_blank">Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology</a> at the Decatur Library. My poem "Roosters & Hens" is in there. Co-editors Dustin Brookshire and Julie Bloemeke along with Madvillle Publishing have done a tremendous job and I'm in fabulous company. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is my usual Christmas Eve blog post where I recount the year and look ahead. I'm not going to lie and say I've had a pleasant 2022. The after-effects of cancer linger and I'm having another small cosmetic surgery procedure in the spring to hopefully fix my sagging face. The nerve graft was a failure, but my doctor has a new procedure that should help restore a little symmetry. It's an outpatient job, so hopefully, I'll be fully recovered and not so saggy in time to see Joni Mitchell.
Yes, thanks to the generosity of our friend Kevin, BFF Donna and I are winging our way to Washington state for Joni's concert next June. I still can't believe we've got tickets and that I'm going to see Joni live. She had moved to the top of my bucket list and I thought the chances of ever seeing her were long gone, but after her brilliant appearance with Brandi Carlisle at the Newport Folk Festival it's suddenly real. The only artist left to see on my list is Sade. Rumors are swirling that a new album is imminent, so fingers crossed. I also managed to bag some nose-bleed seats for Taylor Swift after the Ticketmaster debacle. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was named "executive editor" of all the Springs Publishing titles – <i>Atlanta Intown, Reporter Newspapers</i>, and <i>Atlanta Senior Life</i> – and it's been a lot of hard work, but I'm still doing what I love to do. I can hardly believe that I've been a print journalist for 36 years. It's mind-boggling, actually. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've had a long holiday tradition of cleaning up this blog (which is turning 20 next year?!?!?!) and various links. I hid that page earlier this year because most of the links were dead as more and more writers have given up their blogs. I also left Twitter in the fall. The site was already toxic but is now just off the scales. For my own mental health, I had to get off that crazy train. So, I'm still here at Modern Confessional, Instagram, and Facebook (all linked in the sidebar) if you want to find me there. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once again, for those still reading along here, I appreciate your interest and support. Happy Holidays and may we have a better 2023.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-14359889054642286652022-10-23T20:51:00.002-04:002022-10-23T20:51:19.421-04:00Voices Carry reading on Oct. 24<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh18ZyYGAOutWdb38E2l_ZsdzIp-7D98KcTqhCSqb9rS3GL1L6Rn2rECelL0DlC8ctGC7TCAkPV3wgCUSjF_HBkcvp3EpSqgUWYZ0VforpooEhdqePTTBYSUBxIUiVrIMXiLV0cEzZhxGjFV7-K7CA5vquMeSA0GlKJZHBIqioFJntUSPIckoo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1476" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh18ZyYGAOutWdb38E2l_ZsdzIp-7D98KcTqhCSqb9rS3GL1L6Rn2rECelL0DlC8ctGC7TCAkPV3wgCUSjF_HBkcvp3EpSqgUWYZ0VforpooEhdqePTTBYSUBxIUiVrIMXiLV0cEzZhxGjFV7-K7CA5vquMeSA0GlKJZHBIqioFJntUSPIckoo=w640-h320" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I'll be hosting the annual Voices Carry reading on Monday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. The virtual event is hosted by Poetry Atlanta and Georgia Center for the Book. Featured poets are Mark Ward, Teri Elam, Michael Walls & Cecilia Woloch. I'll be introducing the readers and reading a couple of new poems, too. This will be my first reading in more than a year. </p><p>This is a free event via Zoom, but you must <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-atlanta-presentsvoices-carry-poetry-reading-2022-tickets-432726094397" target="_blank">register here</a>. </p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-6807767600916700152022-09-17T23:41:00.003-04:002022-09-17T23:42:55.486-04:00Self-portrait at 53<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Z0m6BKT4B3I2BozBmqhV6_G4SnUKDg4p13WY0m_qi__YrPtKgAshIzIDK4aUtN44zTQqyZy4OhIFseWX92qpXOWX0Mcj8Z-zoiWO8yYoTLyAPLcPE3QdBChhEnrj9tiJEiWyJJl8RIvRwl7JuxdXcIvtlmrooEtZQXA0PQuXLH_-sQVzyQw/s3088/IMG_1463.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Z0m6BKT4B3I2BozBmqhV6_G4SnUKDg4p13WY0m_qi__YrPtKgAshIzIDK4aUtN44zTQqyZy4OhIFseWX92qpXOWX0Mcj8Z-zoiWO8yYoTLyAPLcPE3QdBChhEnrj9tiJEiWyJJl8RIvRwl7JuxdXcIvtlmrooEtZQXA0PQuXLH_-sQVzyQw/w480-h640/IMG_1463.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />After lunch and cake with friends, I spent several hours of my 53rd birthday sequencing <i>Wonder & Wreckage</i>. My goal is to have the manuscript complete by Christmas. <p>Stay tuned for an announcement about my first reading in more than a year. </p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-38624348021967646682022-07-10T21:25:00.002-04:002022-07-10T21:26:59.259-04:00New essay on Kate Bush, plus a podcast appearance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryz1wDZe9OEunBT9CMkJVtl-ddK2DC2FqPSELg24s856DvtPpXY4tbLS-jxCkodFC3A8238j7tU4KeFLhus7HIxvdR74PYB2uXZVA7rwgziBzGvFMKZ99ymZeIp_JbWKsA2K8jtrC-LxpV2fD5BxHN3K4P5o_8OHBo-EpEyb27LWwfWfMTLI/s1527/IMG_0496.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1527" data-original-width="1124" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryz1wDZe9OEunBT9CMkJVtl-ddK2DC2FqPSELg24s856DvtPpXY4tbLS-jxCkodFC3A8238j7tU4KeFLhus7HIxvdR74PYB2uXZVA7rwgziBzGvFMKZ99ymZeIp_JbWKsA2K8jtrC-LxpV2fD5BxHN3K4P5o_8OHBo-EpEyb27LWwfWfMTLI/w472-h640/IMG_0496.jpg" width="472" /></a></div><br /><p>As longtime readers and friends know, I've been a Kate Bush fan since 1981 when I happened to catch two of her videos – "Wuthering Heights" and "The Man With the Child In His Eyes" – on the old <i>Night Flight</i> program. </p><p>With "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" still riding high in the global music charts after its use in <i>Stranger Things</i>, I was asked by friend and <a href="https://www.katebushnews.com/" target="_blank">Kate Bush News</a> curator Sean Twomey to appear on his podcast to discuss the meteoric rise of "RUTH" 37 years after its release and finally making Kate a household name. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/katebushnews/kate-bush-fan-podcast-episode-50-global-fan-celebration-special" target="_blank">Listen here</a>.</p><p>I was also thrilled to contribute a new essay for the 40th-anniversary issue of <i>HomeGround: The Kate Bush Magazine</i>. The essay, "A Little Night Music: Kate Bush as Constant Companion," chronicles my early encounter with Kate, traveling to see her in concert two nights in a row back in 2014 (a 35-year dream realized), and how her music was a balm during my cancer treatment. </p><p><a href="https://www.katebushnews.com/2022/07/05/special-homeground-40th-anniversay-issue-now-available-for-free/" target="_blank">You can download a free copy of HomeGround at this link</a>. </p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-25924439360193687732022-06-06T21:05:00.004-04:002022-06-06T21:08:30.160-04:00A small update on my work, health, and Kate Bush<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wp43OdtAAkM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>It's been several months since my last update here, so I thought I'd elucidate on what's happening with my health, the new & selected collection, etc. </p><p>First the book. The collection is broken into seven sections and currently has 100 poems. It may have a few more or a few less as I continue to play with the sequence and figure out what can stay or go. I was fretting over the length of the book, but since this is likely my last full-length collection, I decided what the hell. </p><p>There are selections from all of my previously published collections and chapbooks, but it leans more heavily on published-but-uncollected poems and never-before-published ones. It feels right, but there is still quite a bit of tinkering to do. We're still on track for an Autumn 2023 publication date. Stay tuned. </p><p>Oh, and the new header of this site and that I've used on my social media is <i>not</i> the cover of the collection. That's simply a fun little placeholder while the final artwork is completed. </p><p>Back in the early part of the spring, I had a massive infection in the scar tissue around the incision area for my cancer. Apparently, something bit me right behind my ear (where I still have no feeling) and it set up cellulitis. A trip to urgent care, an injection, and a round of antibiotics eventually cleared it.</p><p>I just passed the one-year anniversary of both my surgery and moving into the new condo (which I think I'm finally getting used to) and I've got another MRI and CT scan coming up in a couple of weeks to see if the cancer has metastasized to other parts of my body. Fingers crossed. </p><p>I'm absolutely thrilled that Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" – my favorite song – has topped the charts around the world 37-years after its first release thanks to its use in crucial scenes from <i>Stranger Things 4</i>. A whole new generation is discovering Kate's music and it has been absolutely wild to see so much news and hear the song everywhere. I've contributed a brand new essay about Kate for the 40th anniversary issue of her fanzine "HomeGround," which will be out any day now.</p><p>That's all for now. I'll post another update after the scans. </p><p><br /></p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-76046485703194605582022-03-31T23:37:00.002-04:002022-10-23T20:55:49.748-04:00A new poem and a health update<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimQlyymlJNf83Tc5xIgaP2ROo-uC7qWipQW3r6_YY6KLyx0O6ok9vK2WxAE8-7dLlmIADzKcs9nTLHo2303X7_IhJd6SLdT7OWdg_cpdZEKAtt7kxnVs7kQwQNGpJaPo59rSaW0p9poW3cdPuzdH37c7Bf9nwA15sBf-xonxU5ncKn2J1_eMU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimQlyymlJNf83Tc5xIgaP2ROo-uC7qWipQW3r6_YY6KLyx0O6ok9vK2WxAE8-7dLlmIADzKcs9nTLHo2303X7_IhJd6SLdT7OWdg_cpdZEKAtt7kxnVs7kQwQNGpJaPo59rSaW0p9poW3cdPuzdH37c7Bf9nwA15sBf-xonxU5ncKn2J1_eMU=w443-h640" width="443" /></a></div><br />I have a new poem, "Five Days in LA," in the latest edition of Impossible Archetype. Many thanks to Mark Ward for taking this one. You can read the entire issue at this <a href="https://impossiblearchetype.wordpress.com/11-2/" target="_blank">link</a>. <p>It's been one year since my cancer diagnosis and I had a checkup with my surgeon this week. He said everything is looking good but it might be another nine months to year before I see any results from the nerve graft in my face. There's another procedure that could be done, which requires taking a length of muscle from my thigh and threading it through my face to help restore symmetry, but that sounds horrific. I might explore botox. The droop face really is depressing. </p><p>My six month cancer scans in December were clear, but I'll be having more in June. Fingers crossed for the continued "all clear." I think I'll feel and even bigger weight of my shoulders when those results come back.</p><p>I'm slowly but surely getting the new & selected together collection. Publication is planned for September 2023. </p><p>On a final note, I sold my car. Since moving to the condo in Midtown, I can walk to the supermarket, pharamacy, restaurants, etc. I'm catching Lyft or MARTA when I need to go further afield. I was paying $435 a month for my car note, insurance, gas and maintenance. I spent a total of $64 in transportation costs during March. So definitely a big savings and I haven't missed the car at all. </p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-55284486867895545772022-01-31T08:57:00.002-05:002022-01-31T08:58:46.275-05:00Anthology named 2022 Book All Georgians Should Read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDd_-oc8SsAI57zcGKb_bGZyhpN67-l1FWWFkHFazOPDtp8Brqql6LJ8TOzlacD87ZAD-BeK3Om17rzm3tDYtZMgM034bnPGfLlGLyXbUIRGTDNMMRn6KCR2JiGY-GsDCd9XHUPPQtZ0Vqg-wxwpxeBhNgyeEbMkLGH23rcEDiNa0us-94FqM=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDd_-oc8SsAI57zcGKb_bGZyhpN67-l1FWWFkHFazOPDtp8Brqql6LJ8TOzlacD87ZAD-BeK3Om17rzm3tDYtZMgM034bnPGfLlGLyXbUIRGTDNMMRn6KCR2JiGY-GsDCd9XHUPPQtZ0Vqg-wxwpxeBhNgyeEbMkLGH23rcEDiNa0us-94FqM=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I am elated to announce that <i><a href="https://madvillepublishing.com/product/mother-mary-comes-to-me/?fbclid=IwAR3w1W-lLrnwLZfN7nPwOeiuwNl2_4nsoH0VwCYgqSf0-zz7YRJGdjT-IxM" target="_blank">Mother Mary Comes To Me: A Pop Culture Poetry Anthology</a></i> has been selected as a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH0Z1u5zNqw" target="_blank">2022 Book All Georgians Should Read </a>by Georgia Center for the Book. Karen Head and I worked for seven years to find a home for this project, so this honor is a testimony to perseverance and to the brilliant poets who contributed their work. And, of course, to Madville Publishing who loved the anthology and has made the whole publication process a pleasure. <div><br /></div><div>Happy New Year! </div>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-2486721750057913012021-12-25T02:09:00.001-05:002021-12-26T02:14:17.054-05:00Happy Christmas<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j9jbdgZidu8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>The annual posting of the greatest Christmas song ever! EVER! </div>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-4825149733217941072021-12-24T17:53:00.001-05:002021-12-24T17:53:14.784-05:00New Poetry Project: Poem 3 - "What Mary Bailey Saw"<div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkzOp8CapmBCDWT7LGUvcOlmDAd0iz-evNWLPHADE0Crcgz2WFtcdhNt9NeF9cExipoTH9Rix_FWkOgz-EaIxmGq5993MK1ISJoHJSUGzrznyuUrgKfy9iDZznIZDZNgvcMtJWBRYqmFOzKWb0oTfqCy32J04Kd5S4RCG75L2ZKrsDDs3MAio=s1354" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1354" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkzOp8CapmBCDWT7LGUvcOlmDAd0iz-evNWLPHADE0Crcgz2WFtcdhNt9NeF9cExipoTH9Rix_FWkOgz-EaIxmGq5993MK1ISJoHJSUGzrznyuUrgKfy9iDZznIZDZNgvcMtJWBRYqmFOzKWb0oTfqCy32J04Kd5S4RCG75L2ZKrsDDs3MAio=w400-h275" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>What Mary Bailey Saw </span></b><div><br /></div><div><i> – It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) </i></div><div><br /></div><div>A deep, old fear usually hidden behind a benevolent face now out in the open and running wild. Eyes darting, panicked mouth, last rope clutching at the children then scaring them with upended dreams and tables. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here’s the rage that’s been building inside old mossback George since he went in the water to save his brother and got a trick ear reward. Enough resentment to fill a thousand and one steamer trunks that never left the station. Italy, Baghdad, Samarkand, and Bermuda became mirages in the face of marriage and bank runs. He said he never wanted to get married — ever! — or have all those kids, get tied down in a crummy town he’d never spent a night away from. </div><div><br /></div><div>But this Buffalo Gal wasn’t taking no for an answer. She made up her mind young, could see the world would swallow George up and spit him out, that he’d never find his way home. Let him think he lassoed the moon, paint it cute and hang it on the wall of the crumbling dream house, and behind it hide the loadstone the angels hung around his neck at birth. </div><div><br /></div><div>The stars line up to talk about him, send some odd body looking for a break to pull him back from the edge. But George is Yankee stubborn, so the only way to make him understand his place is to erase him from it. Watch the town fall under the sway of an inherited mortal enemy, his father’s worst nightmare come to pass, as the once bucolic streets run with all-night liquor, Girls, Girls, Girls! who’ll jitterbug for a dime. And Mary becomes a nervous spinster, shrieking at the touch of a strange man who wears the face of her dream husband. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mary knows George would never understand they live in a snow globe that gets taken out and shaken once a year. That the life he’s been longing to escape has a finite border, and for a moment, as he clutches Tommy to his chest and Janie plonks away at the piano, he knows it too. This place where it’s always Christmas Eve, where the difference between life and death is $8,000 dollars that always goes missing and returns tenfold, and Zuzu’s sinister flowers bloom in the wintertime. Quick! Ring a bell.</div>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-73347134250651263742021-12-23T19:28:00.002-05:002021-12-23T19:28:07.666-05:00New Poetry Project 2021: Poem 2 - "Pilot of the Airwaves" <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SGKrgJZhpzk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">
Pilot of the Airwaves </span></b><div><br /></div><div>Hidden in the back of the vanity, a letter never sent, or maybe returned, tucked inside the paper sleeve of a 45rpm from 40 years ago. A song I hadn’t heard or thought about since 1979 when I mistook Charlie Dore for Juice Newton or – sacrilege – Joni Mitchell. </div><div><br /></div><div>It’s the farewell soundtrack to a lover given up the year before in the heat of reconciliation. Blue ink in my mother’s delicate cursive: “Remember how much we loved this song? I miss listening to it with you.” I imagine my mother and her lover tuned in to AM gold, diddling in the Food Giant parking lot or necking behind Majik Market where they thought no one would see them. Everyone saw. There were anonymous phone calls, warnings in the mailbox, sidelong glances in the hardware store. My father remained stone-faced and stoic for reasons I couldn’t fathom. </div><div><br /></div><div>Until one morning, driving me to school, the CB radio in his Plymouth crackled to life with a honeyed voice. “Plumber Man, you got your ears on? This is Ruby Blue, come back.” She was in need of his services, something about a leak he’d fixed before, and the grin that spread across my dad’s face was a revelation. They talked in lingo and numbers – 10s, 20s and 88s – I didn’t understand, but it sounded flirty and familiar. Before I got out of the car she said, “Hey, this just came on the radio” and a tune punctuated by pops and static filled the car. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Ooooh, you make the nighttime race </i></div><div><i>Ooooh, I don't need to see your face </i></div><div><i>You're sounding good... </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Sitting on the floor in my dead parents’ house this memory is suddenly 5 by 5 – loud and clear – as I use my phone to look up lyrics and trucker slang. On closer inspection, the handwriting isn’t my mother’s at all. Well, well, Daddy-O… This was a letter received and worthy of secreting away, perhaps the song played when no one was home. This poem is for the girl who didn’t sign her name. Whoever, wherever you are, Ruby Blue, thank you for making my dad smile and all those 88s – love and kisses.
</div>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-23358949725627841262021-12-22T17:47:00.006-05:002021-12-24T17:53:35.462-05:00New Poetry Project Returns: Poem 1 – "Ain't Nobody"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoLjtEM7-h6PiH1o8THT3o9NATzNSX1vtYgPy2lEoTMFlCPM8nPMQyyyKGNMhqZ2NAkXI7Y4dhHz5TA_HJjBnqwOyyp4SmEHPolw2_3DXzV29UzCSG0hWOgrBHo66tJQXgd9at-3ExNWlAcwWiSX8z5M-bbVJrHUEmfuLhpJfPqFPWpfNNnGY=s463" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="409" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoLjtEM7-h6PiH1o8THT3o9NATzNSX1vtYgPy2lEoTMFlCPM8nPMQyyyKGNMhqZ2NAkXI7Y4dhHz5TA_HJjBnqwOyyp4SmEHPolw2_3DXzV29UzCSG0hWOgrBHo66tJQXgd9at-3ExNWlAcwWiSX8z5M-bbVJrHUEmfuLhpJfPqFPWpfNNnGY=w318-h359" width="318" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Since I'm in the process of editing and sequencing the new & selected collection, I had a spur of the moment idea this week to resurrect the New Poetry Project. I looked back to see when I last did this and it was four years ago! </div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">For those who don't remember or are new to the blog, I basically post a selection of poems over a few days. The poems are generally still in draft form, meaning they aren't quite fully baked, but close enough that I'm okay to show them. Comments welcome. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">For New Poetry Project 2021, I've chosen three poems, which will appear here and on my social media starting today, Dec. 22, with "Ain't Nobody." Tomorrow, Dec. 23, I'll post "Pilot of the Airwaves," and for Christmas Eve, "What Mary Bailey Saw."</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Ain't Nobody</span></b></p><p>That week after Denver undid me, <br />after you arrived in the famous red jacket, <br />exorcised past & future lovers out of me <br />with your holy mouth & temple body,<br />I came home desperate to find your equal. </p><p>I took a lover for every inch of you I was missing. <br />Maybe it was eight or nine — you'd say 10 — <br />but I won't quibble over skin & blood & bone. <br /><br />We won’t survive this distance.
<br />For years to come you’ll still message, <br />send photos, keep me on the hook. <br />Little reminders that the pale imitations <br />that have come since will never measure up.</p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-3297334050936225472021-11-17T22:18:00.005-05:002021-11-18T08:17:56.142-05:00New collection, Pushcart nomination & health update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMK6Ghv7NaQ/YZXFtr8Xe1I/AAAAAAAAIa4/hwfq_Mtg_4wt095immjlFTDzt-tdcidbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/65552418438__9D16E063-5876-4017-990A-03FC2C127E95.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMK6Ghv7NaQ/YZXFtr8Xe1I/AAAAAAAAIa4/hwfq_Mtg_4wt095immjlFTDzt-tdcidbQCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/65552418438__9D16E063-5876-4017-990A-03FC2C127E95.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><p>The new and selected collection coming in 2023 officially has a title: <i>Wonder & Wreckage</i>. I think I mentioned this in another post, but I'm too lazy to go back and look, so I'll just tell you again. This isn't going to be your usual new and selected collection. I've selected poems from all of my previously published collections and chapbooks along with work that has appeared in journals and mixed it all up with work no one has ever read to create a story arc that stretches from Atlanta to LA. It's unapologetically dark and expands and reframes narrative arcs previously hinted at in my other collections. Consider it a director's cut or perhaps -- with a nod to Taylor Swift -- Collin's Version. </p><p>There will be an initial print run of 300 signed and numbered copies from Poetry Atlanta Press, which will be available exclusively from me. There will be an online store for ordering. If you don't want it signed, you'll be able to order it from Amazon or, preferably, your local indie bookstore. </p><p>This is likely my last collection of poetry, or at least the kind of poetry I've been writing for the last 30 years. This collection puts a period – a full stop – to a very long journey that is now coming to a close. I'll still be writing poetry, but it will come to you in various forms and mediums. I feel further and further removed from the poetry industrial complex, so leaving the traditional/expected behind is a direction I've been headed for a couple of years now.</p><p>I'm definitely taking a poetry hiatus once the book is out to turn back to finishing the long-simmering book of short stories and a fourth novel that puts "poetry assassin" Juliette Lacombe from <i>Leaving Paris</i> front and center. </p><p>And while I'm starting to pack up my poetry bag, I get wonderful news from Limp Wrist editor Dustin Brookshire that he's nominated <a href="https://www.limpwristmagazine.com/lw2collinkelley" target="_blank">"Roosters and Hens" </a>for both a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. Thank you, thank you, thank you! </p><p><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, .SFNSText-Regular, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I must also send thanks to poet/curator Maureen Doallas for not only including my poem "The Virgin Mary Appears in a Highway Underpass," but work from contributors to the <i><a href="https://madvillepublishing.com/product/mother-mary-comes-to-me/" target="_blank">Mother Mary Comes To Me </a></i>anthology in her "MARY, MARY: Contemporary Artists and Poets Consider Mary" on exhibition at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA. You can view the art and poems virtually at this <a href="https://www.stmichaelsarlington.org/mary-mary-contemporary-artists-and-poets-consider-mary/" target="_blank">link</a>. </span></span></p><p>And my health: the recovery is taking awhile, but I'm feeling stronger and more focused lately. I'll be going for my six-month cancer scans in December. I'll either get an "all clear" or "oops, we missed a spot." Fingers, toes, and legs crossed for the former. </p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-5220649699862207032021-09-17T21:00:00.056-04:002021-09-20T21:17:16.928-04:00Self-portrait at 52<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7rG-WDiFmgA/YUkuwIcCa0I/AAAAAAAAIaE/DVsf9Z3lA5I-XMM8x8LKOgQeTcU4GEjKQCLcBGAsYHQ/A9269A9F-E0C7-44AE-8ABB-261768B962A0.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7rG-WDiFmgA/YUkuwIcCa0I/AAAAAAAAIaE/DVsf9Z3lA5I-XMM8x8LKOgQeTcU4GEjKQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/A9269A9F-E0C7-44AE-8ABB-261768B962A0.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Another birthday. This is my first photo post surgery. Good lighting and a strategically placed hand do wonders to hide the scar and effects the cancer surgery has had on my face. I'm feeling stronger, but some days I still feel like absolute hell. <p>Over on social media, my dear friends and fellow poets Julie E. Bloemeke and Steven Reigns started a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/collin-kelley-cancer-funds" target="_blank">Go Fund Me account </a>to help pay off my astronomical medical bills. While I have good insurance, it never pays everything. Between the fundraiser and private donations, the $15,000 goal has almost been met. I am - as the Brits say - gobsmacked by the generosity of friends and even folks I don't even know. Thank you, thank you, thank you! </p><p>I've started writing again. Five new poems in various stages. After more than six months, I finally cracked open the file on the new & selected collection. Slowly but surely. </p><p><br />More soon. </p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348820.post-49621073783038151042021-07-28T18:03:00.001-04:002021-07-28T18:03:25.694-04:00New poem "Union Square" in Hoxie Gorge Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2f_q2a303Rg/YQHT8zHYZGI/AAAAAAAAIY0/BBD6HJCYs9kbF94o0rssKgQPkY2qPmp0QCLcBGAsYHQ/3282908_wabc-shutterstock-union-square-subway-img.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2f_q2a303Rg/YQHT8zHYZGI/AAAAAAAAIY0/BBD6HJCYs9kbF94o0rssKgQPkY2qPmp0QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/3282908_wabc-shutterstock-union-square-subway-img.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Many thanks to the editors at <a href="https://hoxiegorgereview.com/" target="_blank">Hoxie Gorge Review</a> for publishing my new poem "Union Square" in the latest issue. You can read it at this <a href="https://hoxiegorgereview.com/collin-kelley/" target="_blank">link</a>, plus be sure to check out all the lovely poetic company I'm in. <p></p><p>Honestly, I haven't written anything since January and after the cancer diagnosis and treatment, I'd totally forgotten I had submitted work to a few journals. The acceptance by Hoxie Gorge was a nice boost. I've got a bunch of lines in search of poems on the Notes app of my phone, so "Union Square" (which I wrote five years ago!) finally finding a home is good motivation. </p><p>I'm in the middle of the third week of radiation treatment and, so far, the only side-effects have been a little dry mouth and some soreness in my jaw. I'd be thrilled if that was the extent of it. <br /><br />More soon.</p>Collin Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.com0