Organizing your writing life

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND REPORT: A very quiet weekend around the apartment. I managed to watch the entire first series of the UK drama Skins that I bought while in London. It was raunchy, funny, dramatic and all emotional stops in between. The young ensemble cast really got that ya-yas out -- literally -- for the show. While it was raunchy and often drug-fuelled, they did cover topics such as anorexia and parental disconnection in a compelling way. There was an interesting story line about the Muslim character, Anwar, and his friendship with Maxxie, a gay classmate. Anwar's decision to shun Maxxie was played out over the last three episodes of the season. I'm not sure if this will ever get an airing in the US. It's more hardcore than anything on Showtime and HBO, which have prided themselves on pushing the envelope. The fact that Skins was shown on Britain's Channel 4 is proof of how far the country is along culturally. A second season begins soon in the UK.

My friend Kathy and her stand-up comic sister Marge came up for dinner on Saturday night and we went to Manuel's Tavern. Marge is a scream and always has great stories to tell about being on the road doing gigs and the cable access show she co-hosts in Chicago, Psychobabble. During dinner, my glass of soda slipped out of my hand and all over Marge's lap. Ooops. She laughed it off. We came back to my place and watched a couple of episodes of Psychobabble that Marge had recorded. Hilarious. Check the link to see more about the show and watch episodes on YouTube.

On Sunday, it finally started raining. We have been a serious drought, but we need about a month of continuous rain to bring the lake levels back up. I stayed in and got submissions ready for a couple of journals that have solicited work and went down my list of potential contests/open periods for sending out Wake. I actually ventured out to Java Monkey Speaks, but when I got to Decatur, it was raining, cold and I couldn't find a parking space, so I came home. I really just wanted to curl up and read anyway.

Dustin Brookshire is still seeking quality submissions for the inaugural issue of Limpwrist, a new online lit mag with a queer sensibility, but not just for the 'mos. He's already scored an interview with Laure-Anne Bosselaar and new poems from Dara Wier. Good company to be in, so get those submissions in ASAP. You can check out the under construction website for submission guidelines at this link.

The Poetry at Tech reading is just around the corner! Check the link here and mark your calendar for Dec. 6. It's 4:30 p.m. in the Clary Theatre, so get off work and get over there. You don't want to miss the poetry stylings of yours truly and the fabulous Katie Chaple and Jon Goode.