Week One #readNDN #2sDayPoems

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#readNDN, #readwomen, Compass, DiveDapper, Graywolf Press, Inupiaq, Joan Naviyuk Kane, Lakota, Layli Long Soldier, Milk Black Carbon, Native American Heritage Month, native american poetry, Native American Women's Poetry, Northshore Press, Pitt Poetry, The Cormorant Hunter's Wife, West Texas Talk, Whereas, women poets

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the next four #2sDayPoems posts will highlight work by my favorite native writers.

I’ve been a fan of  Joan Naviyuk Kane (Inupiaq) since 2009 when her first collection The Cormorant Hunter’s Wife was released by Northshore Press. As you’ll see from the link, it’s now available in a second edition as part of the Alaska Literary Series. Anyhow, I was delighted to find (and share with you) her poem “Compass,” which is read to you by the author in both English and Inupiaq.

You can hear a few more of her poems scattered throughout this interview with West Texas Talk. Her latest book Milk Black Carbon, released early this year, should be at the top of your wishlist.

 

Layli Long Soldier (Oglala Lakota) definitely blew me away with her debut collection Whereas (Graywolf Press).  It is currently a finalist for the National Book Award and has been reviewed and recommended by The New York Times, the LA Times and several other national publications.  And though, you may have heard her name connected to the pipeline issue at Standing Rock, she insists that she never set out to be a political poet.

That statement is in spite of the fact that the book grew out of news of the buried apology to Native Americans in the Defense Appropriations Act of 2009. Boy was that thing buried! Read this excerpt from the collection for yourself, and you’ll see that she is an extraordinary talent, who arrived on the scene just in time.

Also, be sure to check out  this interesting interview on poetry as prayer, or this one at DiveDapper for more of her encouraging words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Seshadri &Dawes #2sDayPoems

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3 Sections, Graywolf Press, Kwame Dawes, Memoir, poetry readings, poets of color, Red Hen Press, Tornado Child, Vijay Seshardi, Wisteria: Poems from the Swamp Country

Full text of poem here

from 3 Sections (Graywolf Press)

Full text of poem here

from Wisteria:Poems from the Swamp Country (Red Hen Press)

Favorite Poetry Covers of 2016

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Aja Couchois Duncan, Allan Peterson, Ashland Poetry Press, Bear Star Press, Burt Kimmelman, CavanKerry Press, Dana Green, Dancing Girl Press, Daneen Wardrop, David Rivard, David Weville, Donika Kelly, Dos Madres Press, Ehtlel Rackin, Eileen Tabios, Floating Bridge Press, Glenis Redmond, Graywolf Press, Greg Alan Brownderville, Kevin Carey, Knives Forks Spoons Press, Lee Sharkey, Litmus Press, LSU Press, Lydia Popovich, Lydia Swartz, Lyn Hejinian, Marsh Hawk Press, Max Ritvo, Megan Snyder-Camp, Michael Rothenberg, Milkweed Editions, Mouthfeel Press, Natalie Safir, Noah Warren, Omnidawn Press, Paper Swans Press, Parlor Press, poetry covers, Press53, Shinjini Bhattacharjee, small press poetry, Tarpaulin Sky, Tavern Books, Tupelo Press, Yale Press

Dos Madres Press

Dos Madres Press

Litmus Press

Floating Bridge Press

Graywolf Press

Graywolf Press

Tarpaulin Sky

Paper Swans Press

Ashland Poetry Press

Milkweed Editions

Parlor Press

LSU Press

Press 53

Yale Press

Tavern Books

Dancing Girl Press

Knives Forks Spoons Press

CavanKerry Press

Omnidawn

Tupelo Press

Tupelo Press

Mouthfeel Press

Bear Star Press

Marsh Hawk Press

Buying Links:

Dos Madres Press
Litmus Press
Floating Bridge Press
Graywolf Press
Tarpaulin Sky
Paper Swans
Ashland Poetry Press
Milkweed Editions
Parlor Press
LSU Press
Press53
Yale Press
Tavern Books
Dancing Girl Press
Knives Forks Spoons Press
CavanKerry Press
Omnidawn Press
Tupelo Press
Mouthfeel Press
Bear Star Press
Marsh Hawk Press

Symbols of Life, Rebirth & Renewal (#2sdayPoems)

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#2sDayPoems, Alice Walker, Andrea Cohen, blue bowls, Cherries, Daily Painter, flash fiction, Fourway Books, Furst Not Mine, Graywolf Press, Jane Kenyon, Kathy Wochele, New England, Orion, Poetry Foundation, Southern, women painters, Women writers

Kathy Wochele–“Cherries ” 8×10

Today’s picks are from New England masters, and are poems short in length but long on symbolism–life (blue bowls), rebirth (cherries) and renewal (robin), to name a few.  I also wanted to gift you with a beautiful bit of flash fiction centered around the same symbolism.

BONUS ALERT===> Click Alice Walker’s “My Mother’s Blue Bowl” to read the piece in its entirety.  And be sure to check out more work from Daily Painter Kathy Wochele, whose painting “Cherries” is featured above.

 

THE BLUE BOWL

by Jane Kenyon

Like primitives we buried the cat

with his bowl. Bare-handed

we scraped sand and gravel

back into the hole. It fell with a hiss

and thud on his side,

on his long red fur, the white feathers

that grew between his toes, and his

long, not to say aquiline, nose.

We stood and brushed each other off.

There are sorrows much keener than these.

Silent the rest of the day, we worked,

ate, stared, and slept. It stormed

all night; now it clears, and a robin…

 

FULL TEXT HERE (w/ audio)

from Collected Poems (Graywolf, 2005)

 

CHERRIES

by Andrea Cohen

 

In the minute it took
to fetch the blue bowl

from the kitchen
to pick the just-ripe

cherries, the blackbirds
had come. They picked

the branches clean, ascending
into their own blue bowl.

Lacking wings, I…

 

FULL TEXT HERE
latest collection: Furs Not Mine (Fourway, 2015)

#NationalPoetryMonth’16 Round-up (Day 13)

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#NaPoWriMo, #NationalPoetryMonth, Apparatus Magazine, Carole Stone, Elizabeth Acevedo, Elizabeth Koch, Found Poetry Review, Graywolf Press, Gretchen Marquette, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Indiana Humanities, Irish women poets, Kate Foley, Lagan Press, Leah Umansky, Lorna Shaugnessy, Mariah Wilson, Mark Strand, Mary Carroll Hackett, N. Scott Momaday, NotaLiteraryJournal, NPM16, Poem a Day, Poethead, Poetic Asides, poetry prompts, Poetry School, QuillsEdge Press, Tess Taylor, The City Quill, Winter Tangerine, women poets

DAY THIRTEEN of the best prompts, poems and news from your  #NaPoWriMo/#NPM16/#NaPoMo /#NationalPoetryMonth/#poemaday hashtags.

Best of the Prompts

NaPoWriMo’s “Fortune Cookie prompt”
NotaLiteraryJournal’s “List Poem in the Style of Camile Guthrie prompt”
Indiana Humanities’ “Family Holiday prompt”
Poetic Asides P-A-D “Last ___ prompt”
Poetry School’s “Animal Habitats prompt”
Mariah Wilson’s “Lament prompt”
QuillsEdge Press’ “Aubade to Yourself prompt”
Found Poetry’s “Phrases from Travel Websites prompt”
Mary Carroll-Hacket’s “Miracle of Birth prompt”
Lagan Press’ “Confronting Fears prompt”
Apparatus Mag’s “Reconciliation prompt”
Imaginary Garden’s “If These Walls Could Talk prompt”
The City Quill’s “What Makes You Anxious prompt”
Kate Foley’s “Going Back in Time prompt”
Elizabeth Koch’s “Instincts prompt”
Winter Tangerine’s “Bad Birthdays prompt”

Poems I Have Loved (Tweeters’ Shares)

Mark Strand “Eating Poetry”
Gretchen Marquette “Doe”
Carole Stone “A Woman’s Face”
Leah Umansky “This is a Real Elegy”
Lorna Shaugnessy “Moving Like Anemones”
N. Scott Momaday “The Delight Song of Tsoai-talee”

Miscellaneous

Art Talk with Poet and 2016 Poetry Out Loud Host Elizabeth Acevedo (NEA)
Poems that Celebrate Life on the Farm: Tess Taylor’s Work&Days (NPR)
7 Playful Tactics to Get Kids Writing Poetry (Edutopia)
Four Voices Confront the Absence of Women in Irish Poetry

**Poets, if you would like to be featured in 2sDay Poems, have your collection reviewed, guest post in the Poetry Lab or blog on any of the Thoughts on Poetry topics, including Foremother Friday or Small Press Interviews, drop me a line at  bonesparkblog@yahoo.com.

Baby Writes Poems: “Chick-links” #1

Tags

Black Lawrence Press, Bright Stranger, chicklinks, Dos Madres Press, Graywolf Press, Jennifer Grotz, Katherine Soniat, Kristy Bowen, Latest Volcano, LSU Press, Marsh Hawk Press, new poetry, Old Ballerina Club, poetry picks, Salvage, Sharon Olinka, small press poetry, Tana Jean Welch, Window Left Open, women poets

Monday through Friday, this week only, BoneSpark is bringing you a special “chick-links” collection of contemporary women poets with new or newish releases from small or university presses. 5 chicas X 5 days! Why that’s 25 books worthy of sacrificing your lunch money to hold.

And without further ado, today’s five picks are:

SALVAGE by Kristy Bowen (Black Lawrence Press, May 2016)

OLD BALLERINA CLUB by Sharon Olinka (Dos Madres Press, Jan 2016)

LATEST VOLCANO by Tana Jean Welch (Marsh Hawk Press, Feb 2016)

BRIGHT STRANGER by Katherine Soniat (LSU Press, March 2016)

WINDOW LEFT OPEN
by Jennifer Grotz (Graywolf Press, Feb 2016)

[Click titles for (direct) purchase links and author names for bios.]

Look Like You Know Your $hit 2014 Poetry as Gifts Guide

Tags

2014 Poetry Collections, a note passed to superman, A Whole New World, Ahsahta Press, Aladdin, Alaska, Alice James Books, Anne Ferry, Apiology with Stigma, Bad NDN, Black Ocean, Carrie Olivia Adams, Claudia Emerson, Clay Matthews, Commonplace Invasions, contraband of hoopoe, Copper Canyon, Dan Vera, Dancing Girl Press, Debt to the Bone-Eating Snotflower, Ewa Chrusciel, Figure Studies, Forty One Jane Doe's, Graywolf Press, Hanging Loose Press, Happenstance, Helena Nelson, holiday gift giving guide, HOT TOPIC, How a Poem Happens, Jo Pitkin, Julie Funderburk, Kelly Andrews, Lavender Ink/Dialogos, Letras Latinas, Look Like You know Your Shit, Louisiana small press, LSU Press, Mad Honey Symposium, Marguerite Guzman Bouvard, Mule-Skinner, NOLA poetry, Omnidawn, Plot and CounterPlot, Poem for Plutocrats, poetheads, Rachel Piercey, Red Hen, Rivers Wanted, Sabotage Reviews, Sally Wen Mao, Salmon Poetry, Sarah Lindsay, Scandlous, sexy christmas elf, Sherman Alexie, southern lit, Southern Messenger Poets, Speaking Wiri Wiri, Split This Rock, Starlight on Water, Steven Scafidi, supernatural, The Cabinetmaker's Window, The Emma Press, The Leviathan of Parsonstown, The Light That Shines Inside Us, The Overhaul, The Title of the Poem, Thoughts to Fold Into Birds, To Whoever Set My Truck on Fire, Unicorn Press, What I've Stolen What I've Earned, women poets

Yes, it is that time of year again, friends….the time of ‘best of’ lists and holiday buying hives. Ok, maybe that’s not you, but you really, really want to impress that super hot poet that lives down the hall or maybe deigns to talk to you in the Starbucks line you happen to keep timing just right so as to consistently run into him/her.

Or maybe, you are married to one of these poethead monsters.  Or gasp! You are one of those word-flingers.

 

Sexy-Christmas-Elf-me can practically guarantee to get you a good snog under the mistletoe, if you will wrap up  a few of these (mostly) 2014 collections.

From AHSAHTA PRESS

Forty-One Jane Doe’s

This is actually a Spring 2013 release that made it into my basket early this year, but boy am I glad that it did.  Combining a print book with a DVD of short films, this combo from  Carrie Olivia Adams (better known as poetry editor for Black Ocean) is definitely a keeper.

Love this tagline:  “A woman knows her body . . . until it is exploded into a multitude of Janes.”

 

from ALICE JAMES

Mad Honey Symposium

Sally Wen Mao‘s May-released debut stunner. Feast your eyes on lines from “Apiology, with Stigma” HERE

I Know! Your eyes are totally blown out of your head.

 

Moving on to 2 Titles from COPPER CANYON  

Debt to the Bone-Eating Snotflower

Sarah Lindsay delves into skeleton-eating worms, sweet potato and squid with brief jaunts to Iraq

Read “The Leviathan of Parsonstown” here

 

 

Sun-Bear  also from Copper Canyon

Matthew Zapruder‘s 4th collection, another zinger from one of Cali’s hottest poets

Check out “Poem for Plutocrats”

 

 

and don’t forget my go-to press DANCING GIRL bringing us…

 

Mule-Skinner by

Kelly Andrews, coeditor of Pretty Owl Poetry/economic journalist, delivering a kick-ass first chapbook plus she loves cats. What’s not to like?

Read a sample poem at the purchase link above.

 

And from (The) EMMA PRESS, one of the cooolest small presses in the UK…

Rivers Wanted

Rachel Piercey’s 2nd pub with EP, but her first full-length pamphlet, bringing every bit of her gobsmacking wit and charm to a head.

Check out the great write-up from Sabotage Reviews here.

from GRAYWOLF PRESS

The Overhaul

Ok, a bit of a cheat.  This is forthcoming Feb. 2015, but I just love the Scottish hell out of Kathleen Jamie and couldn’t help but put this up even without a pre-order button. Why is there no pre-order button?

Oh well, buy this as soon as it’s out.

 

then there is this ball-buster from HANGING LOOSE PRESS

What I’ve Stolen, What I’ve Earned

Sherman Alexie is hands-down the baddest NDN around with multi-genre superpowers, and I basically want to be him when I grow up, only better-looking in a dress, which should be red with imitation feathers.

 

from HAPPENSTANCE  (another small press from across the pond)

Starlight on Water and Plot and Counter-Plot

These pamphlets are actually from 2003 and 2010, but I’ve only just discovered Helena Nelson through performance circles, so bear with me.

Both of these babies rock the cover art and feature marvellous poems.

from LAVENDER INK/DIALOGOS 

The Light That Shines Inside Us

Marguerite Guzman Bouvard‘s poems so good they should have their own shrine. And I am I totally not just saying that because this is like my favorite NOLA based press. Who Dat, Y’all!!

 

from LSU PRESS  (Purple and Gold, Baby)

The Cabinetmaker’s Window from the sexy poet-carpenter who is all over the Southern lit magazines. Love me some Steven Scafidi.

Read “To Whoever Set My Truck on Fire” at How a Poem Happens and see.  See!

Now buy the book and

also snap up

Figure Studies by

Claudia Emerson

which pairs really well with Forty-One Jane Doe’s  from above [top of the list]

 

then again, you can’t really go wrong with most of the Southern Messenger Poets series 

 

 same goes for Ewa Chrusciel, whose latest from OMNIDAWN 

 

contraband of hoopoe has just the right mix of art and ritual to make you want to do research and never stop traveling even if it’s all just in your mind

 

well, that doesn’t really do her justice.  just pick up the book and work your way into her genius.

 

RED HEN also has a stunner with its 2013 Winner of the inaugural Letras Latinas/Red Hen Poetry Prize

Speaking Wiri Wiri by Dan Vera

is good, good, good stuff

Hear him read here. Funny, charming. Brave experimenter with language.

[Dude, I know it was on Split This Rock’s recommended list from last year, but I just got it…so now I’m telling you it’s good. LOL]

 

from SALMON POETRY

Commonplace Invasions by

Jo Pitkin, is a must-have.  She has been accused of “bewitching” her readers, but in the best possible way. 🙂

Everything out of Salmon Poetry is top-notch.

 

and from UNICORN PRESS

Thoughts to Fold Into Birds by

Julie Funderburk

“grounded in the coastal carolina’s wind, sun, and sea”

ahhhhhhhhhhhh. small press goodness from NC.

 

Also, you’ll look really, really smart if you buy and then read….

 

The Title of the Poem by

Anne Ferry

Seriously, though, this will open up a whole new world. Trust me!!!!