Summer in the City

Natalie Holland -- Poetry Music and Art

Much to my father's chagrin, I've been away too long. So I figured a few short tidbits about what I'm working on and thinking about this summer should appease him (and anyone else who might check in). But the real work (poems!) and the real love (music!) are still in full effect in all this July heat. Here are just a few things I've been doing/seeing/feeling for the past few months:

• I fell in love with some albums and I've been thinking very seriously about writing a post entitled "Why Pharrell's album GIRL is more Feminist than BEYONCE and Just as Good." But I didn't want to start any more unnecessary beef because I love them both--space, rockets, flaws and all. I will say that I might decide to revisit this in the future because so much more needs to be said.

• Like everyone else (Beyonce included, I hope), I was glad to fall madly in love with Adichie and her Americanah (what a brilliant way to get lost) this winter. Since then I've been stalking her craft interviews and especially love  her outfit, hair (and if you've read the novel you know it's okay to be obsessed with these things as well) and commentary in this one. 

• Also, there is nothing better than knowing our fabulous Lupita Nyong'o will produce and star in the film adaptation of Americanah. I'd just like to go on record as saying, throughout the whole novel, I kept picturing David Oyelowo as Obinze, if anyone needs any advice on casting.

• On my own artistic front, I've been writing and published new poems. Not surprisingly, music and love take the lead in those too...

• I'm gearing up for the Hobart Festival of Women Writers that I'll be a part of in September. Not to mention the once-per-decade Furious Flower Poetry Conference happening the same  month where I'll be fortunate enough to read as well. Trust me, you  don't want to play around and miss either one.

• In the meanwhile, I'm looking for other great books and albums to get lost in this summer. Right now, Sam Smith (fyi: if you haven't heard his haunting arrangement of Whitney's "How Will I Know?" yet, please do yourself a favor and check it out here) and Big Brotha' Doug Kearney  have my attention for the next few weeks, but we'll see what other good things the summer brings. Hope yours is fruitful and bright!

Until soon (relatively speaking, of course...)

New Class at The Muse -- Writing Across the Lines: Poetry Exploring Race, Culture and Ethnicity

 

 

Well, the new semester has begun and I am rolling for fall. The good people at The Muse Writing Center in Norfolk have invited me back to teach another original course, this time on race, culture and ethnicity. There will be all kinds of open discussion, fabulous work to explore and new bridges to build when we embark. And shouldn't we be building these bridges already??? Just the last few months (not to mention the last few hundred years!) in this country (not to mention the world!) tell us this is so. It's only four weeks and everyone is invited (Come one, what have you got to lose?) Please sign up for the class and join the conversation if you can. Here are the details:

 

Writing Across the Lines: Poetry Exploring Race, Culture and Ethnicity

We’ve all heard that we are meant to be moving toward a "post-racial" America and society at large, but where do we find ourselves right now? In the age of Obama, Trayvon Martin, the Arab Spring, codeswtiching, revolution and appropriation, race still informs much of what we find in the news as well as how we think about ourselves and each other. How have writers in the past examined race, culture and the tensions that exist between the ever-ready factions? What type of new questioning is being undertaken by contemporary writers and what is still being left unsaid? In this workshop for advanced poetry students, we will explore the works of various poets and writers (James Baldwin, Nawal El Saadawi, Sharon Olds, Tony Hoagland, Major Jackson, Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, Jehanne Dubrow, Amy Chua and many, many others) who dare to wrestle with the tension and historicity of race as well as write and discuss our own poems that help define who we are, how we came to be formed and what continues to shape us across the color lines.

Sundays, 4-6:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 4 week session beginning October 20

Instructor: Remica Bingham
Open to: poets with some workshop experience
Meets: October 20, November 3, 17, December 1
Session cost: $155 ($145 returning students)

Muisc Lovers Get This Book...

So, I sometimes wish there were endless hours to read (kind of like that scary Twilight Zone episode right before the poor man's glasses break) but, as a late, I rarely have time to read a book in a few sittings. This week, though, I read ?uestlove's new memoir, Mo' Meta Blues, in 24 hours. I could not put it down. The layout is strange, the way I described it to one of my students is it's kind of like Nelson George meets Junot Diaz. Part-narrative, part-email  correspondence, part-footnote interjection, the book is as much about improvisation as the best music is. I also have an affinity for passion that spills over into nerdiness and complete devotion to craft, which pretty much sums up who ?uestlove has turned out to be. He's a musical mastermind, of course, but just a fierce, intimate lover of music as well. He's like a quasi-R&B/Hip-hop/Neo soul encyclopedia and he's made me return to my own stacks in search of some of the nuances I loved and have missed (Prince's Housequake and D'Angelo's The Root are in heavy rotation this morning).

I'm working on revision today. Still hammering out pieces for a newish manuscript called Starlight and Error (I read a few of the new poems from the new manuscript at the Library of Congress a few weeks back, listen to the podcast here). Much of the work takes its cue from the music of my life, so ?uestlove delving into the crates of memory and melody was right on time. If you're a music lover or just like to hear an obsessive mind recount the multi-layered brilliances of his obsessions, get your hands on the book ASAP.

The Next Big Thing

Thanks so much to Kiala Givehand for tagging me in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop! Here are my responses:

What is the working title of your book (or story)? Starlight and Error

What genre does your book fall under? Poetry

What songs would be in the soundtrack for your book? The book really takes all of its cues from musics, so this is just a partial list:

East River Drive -- Grover Washington, Jr.
If It's Magic -- Stevie Wonder
Fast Car -- Tracy Chapman
All At Once -- Whitney Houston
Lonely Teardrops -- Jackie Wilson
Missing You -- Diana Ross
Adore -- Prince
I Want to Spend the Night -- Bill Withers
Some Nights -- Fun.
That's Why They're Beautiful -- Beyonce
You Bring Me Joy -- Anita Baker
Round Midnight -- Chaka Khan
Music and Me -- Michael Jackson
Baby Be Mine -- Michael Jackson
Love Is Stronger Than Pride -- Sade
Be Good -- Gregory Porter

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Starlight and Error is a book of love poems that spans my life, my parents' lives and the lives of other lovers who've taught me.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I'm looking to find it a press/home.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Four years and counting

Who or what inspired you to write this book? My husband and my children

What else about your book might pique a reader’s interest? It's the most autobiographical book I've ever written and it's not nearly as melancholy as my other work. It's part homage and part mirror.

My tagged writers are:

Nicole Hardy
Patricia Smith
Joel Dias-Porter

Click the links to find out about their Next Big Things!

Spring Readings!

Well, the What We Ask of Flesh Book Release Party was a hit (despite the rain and snow) and now we're off to the races. If you couldn't make it to Norfolk for the first event, I hope you'll be able to make it to one of the readings I have set  up for the spring. Here are the details:

FEBRUARY

2/19 -- YOUNGSTOWN, OH

What: YSU Poetry Center What We Ask of Flesh Reading

When: 7:00 PM

Where: McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown State University (YSU)

Cost: Free and open to the public

More Info.: YSU Website


MARCH

3/7 -- BOSTON, MA

What: Carolina Wren Press and Etruscan Press AWP Off-site Reading with L. Lamar Wilson, Tim Seibles and Lee Ann Brown

When: 6:00 PM

Where: Church Restaurant, 69 Kilmarnock Street, Boston, MA 02215

Cost: Free and open to the public


3/17 -- WASHINGTON, D.C.

What: Sunday Kind of Love Reading with Jericho Brown

When: 7:00 PM

Where: Busboys and Poets, 14th and V streets

Cost: $5


3/28 -- NORFOLK, VA

What: Spring Writing Conference, Alumni Reception Reading

When: TBA

Where: Old Dominion University Main Campus

Cost: $20 conference registration fee

More Info.: Conference website


APRIL

4/2 -- PORTSMOUTH, VA

What: Tidewater Community College (TCC) Literary Festival

When: 7:00 PM

Where: TCC Portsmouth Campus

Cost: Free and open to the public


4/18 -- NEW YORK, NY

What: Cave Canem/NYU New Works Reading with Roxane Beth Johnson and Colleen McElroy

When: 7:00 PM

Where: Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 West 10th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues

Cost: Free and open to the public

More Info.: NYU Reading Series


I'm looking forward to seeing folks on the road!

"Won't You Celebrate With Me" -- What We Ask of Flesh Book Release Party, Sat. 2/16

The time has finally arrived for the debut of my second book, What We Ask of Flesh, and I'm having a little book release bash on my campus to celebrate. I'd love to see all of my friends and family there, so please drop in if you can. Here are the details:

WHAT: Book Release Party

WHEN: Saturday, February, 16, 2013 from 3:00 - 5:00 PM

WHERE: Old Dominion Univeristy Village Bookstore, 4417 Monarch Way, Norfolk, VA 23508

INFO.: Please come and bring as many guests as you'd like (yes -- friends, children and significant others are invited too!) to share music, laughter and words with us in celebration of the release of my second book, What We Ask of Flesh, forthcoming from Etruscan Press. If you can't attend the party but would still like an autographed book, simply order from my website and I will mail your copy to you ASAP.

To promote the book's release, Etruscan has posted my author Q and A on their website and an excerpt from What We Ask of Flesh including Patricia' Smith's bang-up introduction, so please visit Etruscan Press to take a look. Feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think!

Fast Animal Nominated for a National Book Award!

                 
                When I was 16, I moved clear across the country to help mend my grandmother and find a new way a being. I loved books more than boys and bought dozens of old paperbacks at thrift stores near my grandmother's house. I spent hours in her back room or in my Aunt Carolyn's bay window  discovering princes and poets, humanity's horror and happenstance. This is the way I found Tim Seibles. His book, Hurdy-Gurdy, fell into my heart and hands and I was hammered by its deft music. I remember, so clearly, reading the poem "Trying for Fire" sitting up in my bed and feeling a little faint, a little dizzy. My head was blaring, heart banging, I couldn't breathe. I'd never had that kind of reaction to anything (the closest visceral, gut reaction before then had come from music), certainly no book, and I'd read plenty by then--many that I loved beyond telling--but none moved me like the work of Tim Seibles in that moment.
                Years later, after I sought him out and followed him (and a boy) to ODU then weaseled my way onto his advisees list so I could sit in his office and marvel once each term, he told me I was a poet, and that this poet's life was possible, even in a stark and dire world. He sent me to Cave Canem (praise be), then to Bennington, then eventually back to Etruscan Press. He has colored so much of the timeline in my life and I am so grateful to know him this morning and know that now (finally) a great many others will love his fire, too. He is, indeed, a Fast Animal, a brilliant mind, an open eye and heart.
                

Teaching at The Muse Writers Center!

Well, I am jumping in head first this fall; I've started my new gig as the Director of Writing and Faculty Development at my alma mater and have finally linked up with the good folks at The Muse to teach a poetry workshop on formal verse. I'm psyched about all this good work going on in the world and about what we'll be creating soon! Please come join the party if you can. Here are the details:

Inventive Forms: Exploring Formal Poetry

This course is designed for beginning or experienced poets who are interested in learning more about formal verse and various poetic forms. We will study works by various formalists including: Basho, Sonia Sanchez, Shakespeare, Wanda Coleman, Robert Frost, Sterling Brown, A. Van Jordan, Martin Espada and others. We will learn about several forms during each class and these will include: the haiku, sonnet, villanelle, sestina, ghazal, blues form, bop, abecedarian, hybrids and many more. Poets will write original poems in form to be discussed in our workshop. Work will be submitted prior to each class and will be discussed by the group on each meeting date.
Sundays, 4-6:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 4 week session beginning October 28
Instructor: Remica Bingham
Open to: poets with some workshop experience
Meets: October 28, November 11, 25, December 9
Session cost: $155 ($145 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 8

Good Things on the Horizon...

It has been more than a year and a great many things have happened in my life. Much to my father's chagrin, I put down the blog and Facebook (gasp!) to focus on living and writing for a while. Fortunately, I was able to get some real work done and fruitage of all that labor will be making its way into the world soon:

What's the word???

From remicalbingham.blogspot.com

Thanks to lover of poetry and poet Rafael Alvarado, I did a blog talk radio interview yesterday about Conversion and my writing process. Billy Burgos was a great host and I answered a few questions I've never been asked before. Click here to listen to the full interview and let me know what you think!

All Kinds of Good...

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!

Pre-Order this Book! Demetrice Worley's "Tongues in My Mouth"

I was working on another post when I got the news that a fierce poet and good friend, Demetrice Worley, may have a delay in the release of her debut book, Tongues in My Mouth. Do yourself a favor in the New Year and pre-order a copy today! Check out the details from the poetess herself:

My book publisher has informed me that because of slow advance orders for my poetry book, he will be forced to move back the publication date for my book by several months UNLESS advance orders are received within the first two weeks of January 2011.
Advance copies of Tongues in My Mouth are only $9 (+2.50 for shipping and handling), and you can order them on-line at the Main Street Rag Bookstore's Coming Soon page.
According to Nikki Giovanni, national and international poet, “What an opus Demetrice Anntía Worley has created with Tongues in My Mouth. The stark and beautiful truths she explores are ones we ought to know and begin to view. This book needs to be on every desk. Thank you Demetrice Anntía Worley, for your insight. For your bravery. For your soul stirring. Tongues in My Mouth is an important book.”

More detailed information about my book is available on my Tongues in My Mouth blog and ont my Main Street Rag Author's Page.
Without your support, I will not be able to do three book readings in March and April 2011 and the wonderful book launch party I am planning will not occur.

Please order your advance copy today and send me a message letting me know you placed your order. When I receive your message I will send you a Tongues in My Mouth 2011 Calendar. In addition, I will have solid advance book order numbers to show my publisher the interest in my poetry.
If you have already ordered a copy, please send me a message and I will send you the Tongues in My Mouth 2011 Calendar, and I will add your order to the number of advance orders placed.

Please share this information with any of your friends that you think might be interested in buying my book.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Yours in Poetry and Peace,
Demetrice Anntia Worley

Art After 5 at Peninsula Fine Arts Center on Thursday, 11/18 @ 5:30 PM

From www.remicalbingham.blogspot.com

Hey Hampton Roads, we're bringing the poetry across the water! The PFAC in Newport News is hosting a wonderful art after hours series this season and is featuring the words of four area poets: Shonda Buchanan, Luisa Igloria, Toni Wynn and me. We'd love to see you there! Details are below:


WHAT: PFAC has a special Poetry Night component of Peninsula Fine Arts Center’s Art After 5 this week. Noted poet and author Toni Wynn has organized some tremendous talent to read for us: Shonda Buchanan, Remica L. Bingham, and Luisa Igloria. Come out for some fine poetry, hear great music by Gina Dalmas and the Cow Tippin’ Playboys, enjoy wonderful food by Blackdog Catering, witness artist Brian Murphy at work, see lots of great art, meet new friends, and be part of the Peninsula’s most happening scene!Third Thursdays are free for Art After 5--a live music, poetry, and art happening with refreshments.

WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 18 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM

WHERE: Peninsula Fine Arts Center 101 Museum Drive Newport News, Virginia, 23606 757-596-8175

Novel Nights Program at Chesapeake Public Library on Friday, 11/12 @ 6:00 PM

From www.remicalbingham.blogspot.com

WHAT: In the tradition of the great intellectual salon experiences, wander the library sampling gourmet delights from Chef Donnie Franklin, talk literature with a variety of writers and poets, and listen to the sounds of Virginia with musician Bill Gurley.

**Share the passion of celebrated New York Times Bestselling Author Mary Alice Monroe as she tells about writing Southern novels highlighting coastal living, fly fishing, love, and family.

**Thrill to USA Best Selling Author David Poyer, as he vividly captures the excitement and drama of the Civil War, military history, and espionage.

**Engage with local authors and poets Kwame Alexander, Christy Barritt, Remica Bingham, Tinesha Davis, Booker T. Mattison, Raymond Harper, Judi McCoy and Jon Pineda as they exchange their thoughts on the joys and challenges of the writing life.

The gala evening event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Chesapeake Public Library and the Chesapeake Public Library Foundation to benefit the Library and celebrate the power of the pen and the creative imagination. Tickets can be purchased in advance at any Chesapeake Library branch for $20.00, which includes the buffet and refreshments, or $25.00 at the door. Block tickets for groups of six or more are available for $15.00 each. For more information and a complete list of the authors visit the library webpage at http://www.infopeake.org/ or call the Library at 757.410.7105.

WHEN: Friday, 11/2, starting at 6:00 PM

WHERE: 298 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, VA

I finally have another reading in Hampton Roads (thanks to Kwame Alexander, writer and organizer extraordinaire) and this time I get to talk about love and loss with fabulous Tidewater poet, Jon Pineda. You get lots of bang for your buck at this one and it will benefit our local libraries. Fun, food, words galore, what more could you ask for! There will be a reception where authors and readers can mingle before the program begins and here's the schedule for the night:

7:30 – 8:15: The Drama Unfolds: Local Novelists Talk about their Writing Lives

Booker T. Mattison
Debbiann Holmes
Tinesha Davis

7:30 – 8:15: Who Did It? Reading by Local Mystery Novelists

Christy Barritt

Judi McCoy

800 – 8:30: Storytime: ReadingKwame Alexander, author of Indigo Blume and The Garden City, And Then You Know: New & Selected Poems

8:30 – 9:15: Poets and Writers on Love, Loss, and Literature

Jon Pineda
Remica Bingham

8:30 – 9:15: The Rest is History: A Talk with Writers

David Poyer
Raymond Harper


It should be a wonderful night. I hope to see all the local word-lovers there!

Reading in NY on Thursday, 10/21 @ 7:00 PM

WHO: Indigo Moor, Joanne McFarland and Remica Bingham

WHAT: Cave Canem Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize Reading

WHEN: Thursday, October 21 · 7:00pm - 8:30pm

WHERE: New York University Lillian Vernon House, 58 West 10th Street
New York, NY

WHY: Because Cave Canem and Northwestern University Press joined forces to create a much needed second book prize for African American authors. In 2009, my second book, What We Ask of Flesh, was a finalist for the prize.

So come one, come all! I hope to see the NY folks for the reading and the after gathering, too :-)

Oh! and I've been told I better not hit NYC without taking in a performance of Fela! (guest staring THE Patti LaBelle), so if you can't make the reading but still want to hang out, you can catch me dancing in the aisles to this:

What we should be teaching our children...

From www.remicalbingham.blogspot.com

Now, to be fair, I must admit that I am not the biggest fan of Billy Collins' work, but I am a fan of teaching our children the wonder of words right from their start. Obviously, this three-year-old boy's parents feel the same way:



And here is the poem as you'd encounter it on the page:

Litany

You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine...
-Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

--Billy Collins

Honoree Jeffers mentioned this video to me yesterday and, when it appeared in my inbox this morning, I watched it and marveled at how precise and filled with emotion this child's recitation was/is. How many of us--even those of us who call ourselves poets--can recite poems we love this way? I'd like to imagine I can embody poems by several of my beloveds--Lucille Clifton, Sharon Olds, Derek Walcott, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes--at the drop of a hat, but have I taught any of the children in my life to embrace words this way? I doubt that I have. Of all the workshops and reading classes I've taught that have included poetry, I haven't once used memorization as anything more than an extra credit exercise, and I don't believe in all my years of schooling that recitation was taught to me either. But this has not always been the case.

I routinely hear folks who have come one or two generations before me talk about how they were made to memorize poems and speeches during their formative years. At one time, this was a routine part of the educational system. What happened to this tool? Surely, we can make the argument that memorization and repetition help bolster critical thinking skills, so how and why has 'progressive education' all but abandoned this technique? Being an educator, I have a strange suspicion that, because there is no room for oral presentations when administering standardized exams, this learning tool has been deemed unnecessary and a waste of properly used classroom time. But what a shame that is. Imagine what children might learn, retain and grown to love (or at least remember fondly...) if we taught them to pour over words until they stuck. The toddler in the video above gives us a small glimpse of the opportunities we're missing.

You have to read this poem...

From remicalbingham.blogspot.com







This is the best poem I've read in weeks, and it is truly terrible in its beauty (as the formatting is flushed left below, please click the poem's title to see it formatted correctly):




Prayer for the Man Who Mugged My Father, 72



May there be an afterlife.

May you meet him there, the same age as you.
May the meeting take place in a small, locked room.

May the bushes where you hid be there again, leaves tipped with razor-
blades and acid.
May the rifle butt you bashed him with be in his hands.
May the glass in his car window, which you smashed as he sat stopped
at a red light, spike the rifle butt, and the concrete on which you'll
fall.

May the needles the doctors used to close his eye, stab your pupils
every time you hit the wall and then the floor, which will be often.
May my father let you cower for a while, whimpering, "Please don't
shoot me. Please."
May he laugh, unload your gun, toss it away;
Then may he take you with bare hands.

May those hands, which taught his son to throw a curve and drive a nail
and hold a frog, feel like cannonballs against your jaw.
May his arms, which powered handstands and made their muscles jump
to please me, wrap your head and grind your face like stone.
May his chest, thick and hairy as a bear's, feel like a bear's snapping
your bones.
May his feet, which showed me the flutter kick and carried me miles
through the woods, feel like axes crushing your one claim to man-
hood as he chops you down.

And when you are down, and he's done with you, which will be soon,
since, even one-eyed, with brain damage, he's a merciful man,
May the door to the room open and let him stride away to the Valhalla
he deserves.

May you—bleeding, broken—drag yourself upright.

May you think the worst is over;
You've survived, and may still win.

Then may the door open once more, and let me in.



--Charles Harper Webb

This poem is from the book Shadow Ball: New and Selected Poems published by one of my favorites, University of Pittsburgh Press. (Ed Ochester--head honcho at Pittsburgh and one of my fabulous teachers--never ceases to amaze me with his selections.) The poem above is just one small glimpse into the kind of work they are looking for in the Pitt Poetry Series. The poem is vindictive, bleak, vengeful, nostalgic and mournful all at the same time. In short: it's complex. Just like our lives and all the horrible, beautiful, frightening, enlightening moments that help craft who we are and how we maneuver in the world.

This poem landed in my inbox this morning and hit me in the gut. It made me cringe and tear up, then shake my head and marvel all in the span of a minute or two. This is what good poems can do. I just thought I'd share that power with you...

I love when it gets good like this...

From remicalbingham.blogspot.com

The summer is well underway and so is all the writing angst/excitement/frustration/pleasure that comes with it. I've begun reading some fantastic books and 'filling the well' always feeds my own work.

Writing is often the most difficult task, actually getting to the page and staying there until some spark pushes you to fill the waiting space. With new family obligations and more demands on my time, I've been finding it especially tough to find that quiet resonance I need to make sense of things I don't understand. I've been flirting with so many themes ideas, some of which have been:

• Myth and myth-making
• Oddities
• Regions/places
• The southern milieu
• Ancestry
• WPA projects
• Michael Jackson
• Prodigal sons
• Mental institutions
• Jonestown

The list goes on and on. The problem is finding a way to settle on one or two (or, really, three) and writing my way into them. I usually start with one poem and that poem grows into sections or a sequence, then that sequence grows into a group of poems connected by theme, then that group flourishes to become part of a larger body of work (Chapbook? Manuscript? Does it matter as long as the work is coming???)

Over the last few days, though, (after a bit of a self-pitying slump about inspiration/ambition and everything else writers find to complain about) I've hit a nice groove. I decided to stop agonizing over a manuscript I've been working to death and seeking publication for and start looking at the work I've completed outside of the manuscript over the past few years. Just as an exercise and as a way of reminding myself that the work is coming and will (try as I might to stifle it) continue to come, I went to the computer and printed out every new usable poem I'd written and hadn't included in any larger body of work. To my surprise, by the end of the day, I'd "discovered" at least one hundred poems and even started piecing together another manuscript (or two). All this tangible work sitting in my hands gave me some hope. This morning, I woke up exciting about researching, discovering, putting together pieces of new puzzles and heading back to the page, which is all I could ever really ask for.

I'm sure most writers would attest to that fact that living this writing life is mostly about resolve. The rejections arrive but as long as the writing continues, there's a reason to keep going. This--this questioning, this need to make sense of the havoc around us each day--is what you do; it's how you live.

From remicalbingham.blogspot.com

Back on the Block: Summer Reading List

from remicalbingham.blogspot.com

So, I took a few months off to teach some grad workshops and get married (see the hubby and I trying to dash away in the photo by Rachel Eliza Griffiths above...) but now the summer's looming and I'm ready to dive headfirst back into all things literary. Here are the books I'll be exploring in the months to come:

All Aunt Hagar's Children by Edward P. Jones

Dear Future by Fred D'Aguiar

Orange Laughter by Leone Ross

The Shadow of Sirius by W.S. Merwin (Click the link to hear a great NPR broadcast with Merwin.)

Sinners Welcome by Mary Karr

The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation by John F. Baker Jr. (Recommended by a student! -- I'm just excited to know they're still reading after the semester has ended!)

Amorous Shepherd by Dante Micheaux (As an added bonus: Here's the link to Dante's fabulous poem and photo at the Poetry Society of America --not to mention the others featured in the Cave Canem/Ars Poetica project.)

So, what's on your summer reading list??? Any good suggestions?

Work in the World...

Lots of good things happening in my writing life and I figure it's time for me to do some self-promotion, mostly because I'm so grateful for all the interest in poetry that keeps returning...


Podcast on Phillis Remastered:




The ever-sassy Honoree Fanonne Jeffers has a series called "You Gotta Read This" on her blog and she invited me to take part in the program. She also convinced the wonderful Rachel Eliza Griffiths to slip her the photo up above. We talked about Conversion, spirituality as well as my journey as a writer and generally just had a good 'ole time :-) Feel free to listen here or you can subscribe to the Phillis Remastered podcasts on Itunes!


Scholarship Speech at Old Dominion University:

I began teaching a poetry workshop at my alma mater, ODU, this term and was asked to also venture back to speak at their annual scholarship luncheon. The speech is about the fact that all good things find their way back to us in time. You can watch it below:






Black Nature Anthology:

Hard-working poet and editor, Camille Dungy, has helped birth another beautiful anthology that was released in December. Black Nature spans four centuries of writing and includes work from heavyweights and newcomers alike. In celebration of the anthology, I'll be on a panel with Camille Dungy and contributors E. Ethelbert Miller, Greg Pardlo, Thomas Sayers Ellis and Mark McMorris at the Split This Rock Poetry Festival in Washington, DC next month. Click here to get more details on the anthology and don't miss Split This Rock!

100 Best African-American Poems Anthology:

I am honored to have been selected to have work in Nikki Giovanni's newest editing endeavor. The anthology is being published this spring by Source Books. I'm especially proud to have had my poem "Mercy Killing" chosen by actress Novella Nelson to be read as a part of the CD that will accompany the anthology. Pre-order your copy here!

All this seems proof positive that hard work does eventually make its way into the world and good people make their way into your life with each turn. Now, I'm looking forward to all that's coming...

Full post can be found at: http://www.remicalbingham.blogspot.com/