Mid-Week Bits

The galley of After the Poison arrived today from Finishing Line Press along with some cardstock samples for the cover, which I thought was a nice touch. The layout is simple and with no flourishes, which is just how I wanted it. Editor Leah Maines has done a nice job of keeping the longer poems on facing pages, which I really appreciate. I'll be giving it a close read this weekend have it back in the mail by Monday. Although the original release date was July 5, we're definitely looking at early August at this point. Still, good timing for all the gigs I have lined up for late summer and early fall.

Friend and fellow poet Karen Head is teaching at Oxford in the UK for six weeks this summer and is chronicling her time there -- with photos -- at her blog. Check it out and leave some comments.

I'm performing at the Pride reading at Wordsmiths Books (which is becoming my home away from home these days) in Decatur on the Fourth of July. The day kicks off at 1 p.m. and I go on about 7 p.m. Check the postcard above for details and the line-up. 

I've had several back channel emails from people who think I've either been too mean (or not mean enough) to Lucia Perillo over at the Poetry Foundation's Harriet blog. In a nutshell, her poor research, lack of literacy on modern poetry and sweeping generalizations make the post worthless, which is exactly what I called it. She asks why poets are "aligned with the left" politically and then claims there is "not much good poetry written about war." Really? In her response to criticism, she makes another inane comment about blogs being the "province of men" and Hariett blogger Travis Nichols tries to twist my comment into misogyny. I'm sure all the great blogging ladies in my blogroll would take umbrage with that notion, since they are some of best bloggers on the Internet, in my opinion. Funny that Harriet did not post my retort back to Travis calling him on his utter bullshit. So, allow me to say it here...Travis, that's a load of bullshit and you know it. There's so much wrong with Lucia's post beyond the obvious, which other commenters have noted, that trying to defend it is also, sorry to say, worthless.