This is a busy, busy time! There is so much going on that I thought I'd add a few links here to keep folks abreast of some of the excitement:- I just love the book t-shirts (Harper Lee might wear the one above) that fierce poet Nicole Sealey hipped me to. Check out the other styles here.
- All the writers are gearing up for the annual AWP Conference this week and the line up is bananas! Hopefully I will be able to contain one of my Road Dawgs (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) when this featured Pulitzer Prize winner steps up to the mike in Chocolate City.
- I'm especially fond of AWP these days because they took such care with the interview I conducted with the incomparable Lucille Clifton. It is the cover story of the current issue of the Writer's Chronicle (pictured below) and the article contains a wonderful selection of Ms. Lucille's poems as well.
- Two of my favorite writers have books that hit the shelves recently. One is a posthumous collection from Ai entitled No Surrender and the other is from Afffrilachian poet Nikky Finney entitled Head Off & Split. To make matters better, Finney is promoting her new work the 21st Century way.
- To kick off Black History Month (and send up more 'celebration' for Ms. Lucille), another poet is putting Youtube to use as well. Don't miss a day of Ayodele Heath's performance project 28 Days of Poetry: Poets Make Black History.
- I taught one of Doug Kearney's books in my Craft of Poetry class last year because he is innovative, brilliant and insane...but mostly brilliant. Check out his commentary here at the Poetry Foundation Blog.
- A few years ago, when I had a poem published in Essence, a poet and friend Jarvis Deberry wrote me a note that said, "The only thing better would be the JET!" Now, I don't have a poem in the most recent issue of JET magazine (pictured below), but Nikki Giovanni did mention me by name in her article about the importance of black poetry! My Nana is going to be so proud...especially after I send her 10 copies of the issue :-) Make sure you pick it up too!
