Adieu, 2010

The year 2010 is winding down and I'm already looking ahead to 2011. My calender of readings and events is starting to fill up and I have projects galore to finish or begin. My goal of having a complete draft of Remain in Light completed by tomorrow has fallen by the wayside. Since a good portion of the last part of the book takes place in 1968, I've found myself being more particular about making sure my "historical fiction" has basis in fact. That means more research and reading to steep myself in the time period. It's critical for the second novel, so I'm not going to rush through it for the sake of a deadline I imposed on myself.

The year is ending on an up note with the acceptance of two poems – "Victoria Gate" and "Saint Death" – for the next edition of the fab online journal Press 1. I'll have a portfolio of 10 poems in the second issue of Assaracus coming out in the spring. The poems are a mix of new and old work, including prose poems and my flarf experiment of crafting a poem out of x-rated junk e-mail. I've also got a new poem called "Mr. Rogers Made Me Fat" forthcoming in The Chattahoochee Review, so 2011 is already shaping up to be a good year for my poetry. Oh, and I'm co-editing the fourth Java Monkey Speaks Anthology with Kodac Harrison for Poetry Atlanta Press. 

On Jan. 1, I will post my first video blog (or vlog, as they're called) here and on YouTube. I've found myself watching more content on YouTube than on my actual television, and while I've used YouTube for promotion and occasional posting of readings, I want to explore further. I'm not setting any kind of schedule for the vlogs, but will post one as the spirit moves me. It will also give me a chance to hone my editing skills. I'm using the camera and mic on my MacBook, so it won't be HD quality, but if Apple and Verizon get off the pot in the first quarter of the year, I'll be using the camera on my shiny new iPhone to make videos. Have you seen some of the videos made with the iPhone? They're gorgeous. We've come along way, babies.

The highlight of 2010 was my adventures in the UK and France over the summer. From guest lecturing at Worcester College at Oxford University and reading with my BFF Karen Head and Ivy Alvarez in Cardiff to spending time with great friends in London and working on the novel in Paris, it really was one of the most amazing trips of my life. Those weeks gave me ideas for poems, fiction and fodder for the memoir.

Tomorrow I'm going to post my Top 10 book, music, tv and movie list for 2010.