Tag Archives: Community of Writers at Squaw Valley

No to the New Normal

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I am about to return to California, to be part of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley’s Poetry Staff.  I am honored to work along side Robert Hass, Brenda Hillman, Cathy Park Hong Sharon Olds Kazim Ali and Juan Felipe Herrera.  There will be a benefit for the Community in Berkeley, CA on Friday, Jun 17. info@communityofwriters.org for ticket prices, details.  The event will honor the late C.D. Wright, a great poet and a fellow Arkansan.  She’d be pleased I think.

The past few days have been deeply challenging to anyone of any sensitivity or charity.  Almost every day where are mass shootings when 4 or more people are harmed or killed-the shooting at Pulse was an extreme of this new normality.  I grew up in the South where there were plenty of guns, but even back in the day this kind of daily murder was simply not even known, not exceptable.  Clearly it must be since a majority of Americans claim they must have guns to kill other Americans?  Toddlers, mothers, baby brothers, hair salon owners, war veterans, grandmothers, Congressional Representatives, high school football players,  first graders, drag queens, policemen, police women, clowns, and cabinetmakers are shot each and every day. This is the new normal.  I DO NOT LIKE THE NEW NORMAL.

Right now the Congressional Democrats are throwing the political equivalent of a hissy fit because time and time again, they have tried to get a bill banning assault rifles to be discussed and time and time again Paul Ryan and the GOP mouth platitudes and DO NOTHING.  So have that tantrum.  We need those kinds of tantrums for the American people instead of the other kind where all of America’s problems are laid at the hands of an ethnic group and religion–sounds like Anti semitism to me, but it is now Islamophobia.  Either way, it is awful.  We need less racism, not more.

I hope that by November, Americans will think and vote their thoughtfulness and not their awfulness–this anger fear and name calling only makes us weaker and less honored.  Why are we not aiming for our best?  America is great.  It is strong.  I have two nephews–one works many jobs in Texas to take care of his family (wife, son, step sons, daughters) and one has finished college and has started training to be a full-time cop.  They are part of why America is great.  Not again, but now.  That truly is one way to demand a better Normal.  In November count your blessings, not your problems.  Problems will always show up.  Blessings are the grace from living.

This is the year I go to California (a lot!)

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photo by Rachel Eliza Griffths

photo by Rachel Eliza Griffths

This past week has been all about Resurrection, Renewal and Blessings.  A Lucent Fire: New & Selected Poem is a finalist for the Poetry Society of America’s William Carlos Williams Award.  The winner is Brian Shimoda.

And this past Thursday I was asked to join the faculty for the Summer Workshop at The Community of Writers at Squaw Valley. https://communityofwriters.org/workshops/poetry-workshop/ I attended two conferences and created some wonderful work.  I so hope I will help other poets do when I am there.

So now I gear up for a day of teaching and then off again to California.

On Wednesday, I will join literally thousands of poets, writers, teachers, arts administrators, journalists (an occasional musician) and go Los Angeles for the 2016 AWP Conference.  It will be enthralling, overwhelming, occasionally delightful and full of stress.  All conventions are part professional networking, part party, part boredom–like why isn’t there downtown and where is the free coffee?  L.A. is always an odd place to be.  It is incredibly dense, but no one talks about that.  The traffic is non stop–people do talk about that.  It has wonderful bookstores, but you really have to search them out and places of powerful beauty and utterly awfulness.  And sometimes it is very warm, but every once in a while it is as chilly as the Bay Area far far to its North.

I have the great pleasure of reading with Fellows from the Black Earth Institute on March 31; I will be doing a book signing for A Lucent Fire on Friday April 1 between 2-3 at the White Pine Press table; signing The Best of Cutthroat on the same day at 1.  And on Saturday, Laura Hinton asked me to moderate the panel Out of L.A.: A Tribute to Jayne Cortez that will take place on Saturday, 3:15-4:30 with Aldon Nielsen, Jennifer Ryan, Pam Ward and of course Laura Hinton.  There are reunions for the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley; VCCA: and Vermont College.  And many readings that I may or may not make it too. These events are listed on my web sites: Readings & Events Page.

It will be slightly insane, useful, terrible, beautiful, slighty giddy and wearisome.  Oh writers, oh conferences, Oh California!