Flyover Country

Do you know about this?

2012-01-27T23:10:00.001-05:00

The Anniversary

2012-01-05T15:45:00.004-05:00

This November, Spooky Girlfriend Press will be four years old. I just wanted to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped support the press by buying one title, two, or more. I also want to thank other small presses, who helped inspire the creation of Spooky Girlfriend. And especially, I want to thank all of the authors for sharing their work and allowing the press to publish them.

Anne Boyer's My Common Heart, has sold more copies than any of our previous titles and even made a "Best of..." list for 2011. The press has sold 25 copies and Anne sold many on her tour in the fall. Good things are happening!

So, again, thank each one of you who has supported the press in one way or another. And look for new SGP titles as 2012 continues.

Best Poetry Books of 2011

2011-12-20T13:18:00.002-05:00

My vote for best poetry titles of the year is over at the No Tell blog.

Best Albums of 2011

2011-12-15T12:53:00.004-05:00

tUnE-yArDs -- w h o k i l l (my vote for album of the year)

Jens Lekman -- An Argument with Myself (my vote for ep of the year)

Tom Waits -- Bad As Me

Thao and Mirah -- Thao and Mirah

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks -- Mirror Traffic

***

Islands -- Return to the Sea (best older album that I heard for the first time this year / c. 2006)

Corgis Like Poems

2011-11-15T12:42:00.003-05:00

I've got four poems in the anniversary issue of The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. Check it out!

Tomorrow in Denton, Texas.

2011-09-23T13:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday!

2011-08-04T13:41:00.000-04:00

I Believed in Literature and Love: Sandra Simonds's I've Lived In So Many Apartments

2011-06-21T14:47:00.002-04:00

Responding to a Facebook status update, Sandra Simonds was nice enough to send me a copy of her latest chapbook, I've Lived In So Many Apartments. My copy doesn't quite look like the one she posted on her website--mine has two squares of fabric stitched on the cover with blue thread. And, to be honest, I think I prefer it this way.

On her blog, Simonds says that she wrote these poems, "for fun and to free myself from the burden of writing real poetry." This statement opens a whole barrel of monkeys for me because, the way I see it, these poems are real. And not only are they real, they are real funny.

Humor is perhaps the hardest thing to pull off in poetry, but Simonds makes it look easy here. In "Nova," the speaker tells us:

When I get sad and lonely and depressed
I tend to smoke pot, zone out, and watch
"The L Word" with my 9 month old baby
Or walk down Market Street with
My 9 month baby
And everyone on the street is reciting
Their lines to "The L Word" and hoping
That they won't get hit by a moon
Today.

In "Yoga," there is a page and change of "Ahhaha" and this little nugget:

I resent other things too.
I resent it when people tell me to
"be like the Buddha."
Hey, fuck you.
I'll be like the Buddha if I want to.

These are just a few examples--and I think I'd spoil it if I quoted anymore poems here. Of course, some people will be opposed to these poems on principle, maybe saying that they aren't poems, so why bother? These poems are anything BUT a bother. If you like it funky and funny, you need to pick up this little chapbook, now.

Poem Addressing People Who Like Narrative Poems Involving Epiphanies and Cute Stuff Presented in a Mildly Surrealistic Way

2011-06-08T16:47:00.003-04:00

[published on tweak job!]

mail

2011-05-04T23:37:00.000-04:00

NaPoWriMo #30: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-30T22:01:00.003-04:00

[bootied!]

NaPoWriMo #29: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-30T16:58:00.003-04:00

[i hate booty]

NaPoWriMo #28: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-30T16:52:00.003-04:00

[boot-y]

NaPoWriMo #27: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-27T22:03:00.003-04:00

[b-b-b booty and the jets]

NaPoWriMo #26: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-26T23:14:00.003-04:00

[your booty]

NaPoWriMo #25: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-25T19:04:00.003-04:00

[i *squee* booty]

Trusting Poems

2011-04-25T12:32:00.001-04:00

"I think depending on your own style, you get defensive hearing the common complaints about it. I feel more of a rise gotten out of me when I'm accused of dismissing a poem just because it's "too hard" to understand- so I guess I'm in that "camp," though I'd never put myself in a camp. I am very dismissive, that's true-- but my dismissiveness has less to do with how "hard" a poem is than how well I can read the intentions of the poet who wrote it. Otherwise, I wouldn't enjoy reading any prose poetry. Otherwise, I wouldn't enjoy reading any "language" poetry. Etc. If I can read the precision and care and maturity of a poet, and they're charismatic/engaging, even if I can't immediately understand their work, I will re-read their work before deciding whether I like it. I like smart people. I like smart artists. I can disagree with them on almost everything, but I have to be able to trust them in order to think they're worth disagreeing with. Because, on the other hand, there are many, many poems that I "get" right away that I dismiss as searching, robotic, immature shit."

--Brooklyn Copeland

NaPoWriMo #24: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-24T20:47:00.003-04:00

[24 booties]

NaPoWriMo #23: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-23T17:40:00.003-04:00

[no one likes sir mix-a-lot]

NaPoWriMo #22: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-22T19:34:00.003-04:00

[booty in the daytime]

NaPoWriMo #21: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-21T19:27:00.003-04:00

[bootytown]

NaPoWriMo #20: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-20T19:50:00.003-04:00

[booty in the air]

NaPoWriMo #19: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-19T14:09:00.003-04:00

[no longer mourn for booty]

NaPoWriMo #18: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-18T12:09:00.003-04:00

[i hate booty]

NaPoWriMo #17: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-17T22:28:00.004-04:00

[booty as a verb]

NaPoWriMo #16: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-16T22:32:00.002-04:00

The booty call has lost flavor.
Now you can know more than a/s/l.
Like, I am a Buddhist, but
only somewhat serious about it.
The difference between "a little extra"
and "overweight" is a yoga membership.
To all the ladies: here is the way
to Nate Logan's heart. 1.) Yoga
membership. 2.) Birthday cake
in the shape of a dachshund.
3.) I Hate Nate Logan t-shirt
store. Pretty simple, right?
There is nothing great about love.
But everything is great about pumpkin.

NaPoWriMo #15: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-16T00:42:00.003-04:00

[booty instructions]

NaPoWriMo #14: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-15T14:40:00.003-04:00

[booty as math equation]

NaPoWriMo #13: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-13T16:07:00.003-04:00

[booty film school]

NaPoWriMo #12: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-12T22:54:00.003-04:00

[booty in shakespeare's sonnets]

NaPoWriMo #11: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-11T14:51:00.003-04:00

Farewell, long distance calling card,
I have free minutes on weekends.
Sometimes I wish your booty, hard
to capture in sonnets, lended
itself to a documentary film.
Film is something I know about.
I made that one about kilns
in Pennsylvania. And the one about shouting
disease. For your booty, I'd start with a widescreen
of your bedroom. Then, a slow zoom
of your booty as you sleep. No sheen
would be necessary--your booty is a boom.
Behind the camera I'll be mouthing words--
an idea for the last shot: your booty on the shore.

NaPoWriMo #10: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-10T15:50:00.003-04:00

[oh, booty]

NaPoWriMo #9: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-10T00:07:00.003-04:00

[don't you mean, "booty?"]

NaPoWriMo #8: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-08T15:42:00.003-04:00

[booty summer job]

NaPoWriMo #7: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-07T18:37:00.003-04:00

[a pair of booties]

NaPoWriMo #6: In the Morning

2011-04-06T23:25:00.004-04:00

Back to pancakes. I'm thinking about ordering this bacon and chocolate chip pancake mix. If it's good I might try my hand at making some. Pancake Sundays might start happening at the Kirkpatrick house. C'est magnifique.

NaPoWriMo #5: Booty Call Prose Poem

2011-04-05T23:29:00.005-04:00

Sarah recently bemoaned the ease of the text message booty call, writing "Maybe it shouldn't be so easy to get into someone's bedroom at 2 a.m." She compares herself to Andy Rooney, a complete Luddite. Hepola has a unique understanding of the SMS come-on.
How do the "u still up?" and "wanna come over" texts compare to venerated love poems? One can only imagine how the Bard would have fared if he had written sonnets in today's world.

(Not shown: the Bard's Blackberry.)

NaPoWriMo #4: Booty Call Sonnet

2011-04-04T22:44:00.003-04:00

[underwater booty creature]

NaPoWriMo #3: Pocket

2011-04-03T22:34:00.002-04:00

When I say I'll let you go,
I'm really saying don't leave.

Old news is me standing on your apartment steps
with the supermoon and my pockets.

And then the door closes.
And then.

NaPoWriMo #2: Temperament

2011-04-03T02:27:00.003-04:00

Playful, but can be stubborn, known for chasing small animals, birds, and tennis balls with great determination and ferocity.

Several quotes have been recorded regarding training; one is from E. B. White: "I would rather train a striped zebra to balance an Indian club."

They have a loud bark.

They rank 49th in Stanley Coren's Intelligence.

NaPoWriMo #1: I Love Wood Floors

2011-04-01T13:28:00.002-04:00

Finally, we get to the good part:
floor shopping. A house is a home
only when it has good floors.

This is a form of regime change
that I can get behind. Or walk all over.
We enter the store with bells ringing

and that makes total sense. Truly,
I've never been in a more awe-inspiring place.
The walls are stacked with floor samples,

every kind of wood and fake wood
I can imagine. The smell of lemons
shoots up my nose. There are no trees

here, but nature's earthen fingers
have a tangle on everything. I
never knew. I had no idea.

Reading Report: Abe Louise Young and Anne Boyer

2011-03-14T13:08:00.004-04:00

Last Thursday, I had the great fortune to see Abe Louise Young and Anne Boyer read in the fanciest house ever in Dallas. It was only earlier that week, through Anne's twitter account, that I learned she'd be reading in Dallas. This was super exciting, as I've always wanted to hear Anne read, but never had the opportunity. Upon further investigation, I learned that WordSpace, the group hosting the reading, didn't have one reading space--but several. Also, that this particular series was supposed to be for members only. After expressing my concerns to Anne, she shared the address of the house where the reading would be and assured me that it would be ok if I came. I was all set!

So, Thursday comes around like usual. I wake up early and go to Shakespeare class, come home and try to do a little work. Well, this day, I ended up taking a nap (on accident). I woke up at 6pm and said "shit" when I woke up. According to my directions, it would take an hour to an hour and a half to get to the reading, depending on traffic. So I rushed to get dressed then went out the door. I had never actually driven into Dallas before, but my directions seemed relatively easy to follow, so I wasn't as stressed as I normally would be.

I ran into traffic here in Denton and then when I got to Dallas, there was a major slow down on 635. I kept checking my phone because I would've been very sad if I missed the reading, which was supposed to start at 7pm. While stuck in the slow traffic on 635, 7pm came and went.

After almost 30 more minutes of driving, I arrived at the house. Anne texted me as I turned into the neighborhood that the reading hadn't even started yet, which was lucky for me. I parked at the far end of a hilly street and easily found the house in the dark. This house was, as Anne described to me, very fantastic. It was huge and very modernist inside. The walls were all white with scatterings of decoration--photos, rows of hats, and behind where Abe and Anne read, what looked like crumpled up paper built into the wall. There was already a good-sized crowd inside, and I was very happy not to be late (the entrance to the house was a set of double doors made of glass--everyone would've turned around and seen me).

Abe was the first to read. She read from her chapbook Ammonite. Her poems seemed to come from a very personal place--she mentioned New Orleans (her hometown) more than once, and shared information between poems that informed them. Abe's poetry wouldn't be the kind that I would normally pick up and read, but her reading was really great and has made me want to check out more of her work.

Anne read next. She started by saying that she had almost given up on poetry and that broke my heart more than a little, because Anne's poems were amazing. She read all new material from sheets of yellow and blue paper. Her poems were very political, which I wasn't sure how that would go over in Dallas, but the crowd really liked them. There were some really funny lines dispersed throughout most of the poems. I was particularly struck by a poem Anne read called, "The Poet With the Best Body." Anne said (and if I'm misquoting you here, please let me know!) that poetry was one of the last places where women could be ugly. As a frumpy guy, I could relate to this comment, and also need to write this poem (for the record, Anne was beautiful).

Afterward, I got to talk to Anne a little bit which was great. I always feel nervous when talking to people whose work I really admire. The hosts mentioned something about getting takeout for dinner, but I had to drive back to Denton and get some sleep--I had to teach the next day.

The reading was great--I would drive another hour, hour and a half, two hours, to see Abe and Anne read again. If either are coming anywhere near your town, go see them!

For My Valentines

2011-02-14T16:15:00.001-05:00

Love Poem: One Ton of Dirt

in sixty black garbage bags lined up on the walk
like dead seals. For seven hours, we shoveled bad
Brooklyn ground from the back bed where my flowers
wouldn't grow onto a tarp, turned, fertilized and re-
turned it all but one ton, which 311 says is Bulk
and must be disposed of one garbage bag at a time,
three times a week for twenty weeks. Eesh. Instead
we put an ad on Craigslist. There's nothing someone
isn't seeking. If a chump bites, this'll be the Mother
of all happy endings. Oh, hun, how we swung
wide from Let's do it! (me) à la Belushi, to This sucks,
to This is where I get off, to We're gonna live because
we are badass with shoulders sore, lower backs no
doubt rainbows of pain on the morrow. Careless heaves
with knees unbent and propensities to power through
don't bode well for our fifties. In the twilight your sweat-
soaked hair looks grayer than rain. I'm already up for
a tumble on Tuesday. Up on your toes for a goodbye kiss—
Freckles, AKA Blisters, you've never looked so tall
to me, sweat-brined, balk and all.

--Jennifer L. Knox, from The Mystery of the Hidden Driveway

Am I Invoking Catastrophe?: Jennifer L. Knox's The Mystery of the Hidden Driveway

2011-02-11T15:43:00.005-05:00

[now elsewhere!]

Texas; AWP; A New Chapbook

2011-02-02T14:02:00.007-05:00

So the above is most of the reason why I'm not going to AWP this year. This happened the day before I came back from break. And then, after I got this fixed, I learned I needed a new tire. And then, the week that people leave for AWP, I got sick (I am still a little sick). Then, it SNOWED in north Texas. There's ice everywhere and it's not getting warm enough to melt for a couple of days. So...for all those reasons, no fun literature convention for me this year.

I know being sick and snow haven't just stopped me though. For those of you not going to AWP (and those who still are), I'm happy to announce that A. Minetta Gould's chapbook Dutch Baby Combo and The Boys are Talking about Restlessness at Five-Points is now available from Spooky Girlfriend Press. If you'd like a copy, just PayPal $5 to spookyboyfriend (at) gmail (dot) com.

And if that's not enough Gould for you, she also has a split chap with Amber Nelson just released from Publishing Genius.

Again, to anyone expecting to see me or get in a fistfight at the bookfair with me, I'm sorry. I was looking forward to it, too.

Rad Music of 2010

2010-12-28T15:21:00.006-05:00

Much like what has been said about literature and the printed book (it's dead), music's fate has also been written (it's dead). Downloading will surpass going to the local record store and buying new music. No good music has been made since 19__. For some people, especially those younger than me, downloading might be/turn into the modus operandi. But I wholeheartedly believe, and I think other twentysomethings and older believe, that the record store, like the bookstore, will not die.

There is something wonderful about going to a record store, and browsing the shelves. While the touch of a record or CD might not be as pleasing as a book, there's the cover art. There are the lyrics (sometimes) or who-knows-what inside the album/CD booklet. There's the imported live recording of a concert not available at Best Buy. There's the local bands section.

There's probably some large overarching theoretical point here about reality and the difference of holding something in your hand, rather than waiting for a green bar to fill up and the words "download complete" to show up. I like the "real" of the record store, the browsing, unwrapping the CD. Music is not dead. Below are some albums I enjoyed this year.

Help Dean Young

2010-12-09T13:17:00.003-05:00

Please consider donating some money so that the poet Dean Young can receive a heart transplant.

Coming Soon

2010-11-23T00:24:00.005-05:00

I've also got a new poem in Mike Young's bumpin' journal. Check it out along with great work by many others.

Apocalypse Your Halloween

2010-10-30T13:48:00.003-04:00

56 Terrible Scenarios!

A Surprise Milkshake

2010-10-25T11:05:00.001-04:00

Spooky Boyfriend #6!

The Mason-Dixon Line

2010-10-01T16:13:00.006-04:00

It's finally October, which is pretty cool. I live in Texas now, which is warm.

The new issue of Spooky Boyfriend will be coming out around mid October. Also, a new chapbook is in the works for Spooky Girlfriend Press, which I'm really excited about. More info to come.

I want to continue the Wood Chipper Reading Series here, too. Denton is forty miles away from Dallas, so maybe that's doable for some poets who are going/are on tour? There's a vibrant literary community in north Texas, you should come by. Also, I will treat you to a Texas meal if you come out this way. Just think about it, and get back to me.

Arby's Combo Roundup

2010-06-19T14:34:00.007-04:00

The lovely Amy Berkowitz has just published my latest chapbook through her disappointing press, MONDO BUMMER. The single poem chapbook is only $2, way cheaper than anything you'll find on the Arby's menu. Why go there, when you can relive the glory of one of the most expensive fast food chains over and over again for cheap?

Poets for Living Waters

2010-05-24T12:29:00.000-04:00

Poets for Living Waters is a poetry action in response to the Gulf Oil Disaster of April 20, 2010, one of the most profound man-made ecological catastrophes in history. Former US poet laureate Robert Pinsky describes the popularity of poetry after 9/11 as a turn away from the disaster’s overwhelming enormity to a more manageable individual scale. As we confront the magnitude of this recent tragedy, such a return may well aid us.

The first law of ecology states that everything is connected to everything else. An appreciation of this systemic connectivity suggests a wide range of poetry will offer a meaningful response to the current crisis, including work that harkens back to Hurricane Katrina and the ongoing regional effects.

This online periodical is the first in a planned series of actions. Further actions will include a print anthology and a public reading in Washington DC.

If you would like to submit work for consideration, please send 1-3 poems, a short bio, and credits for any previously published submissions to:

poetsforlivingwaters@yahoo.com

Editors: Amy King & Heidi Lynn Staples
http://poetsforlivingwaters.com

New Poetry Yum-Yums from Spooky Girlfriend!

2010-05-05T15:31:00.001-04:00

The lastest SGP chap is here! It's available for a mere $3! What a deal! This chap will sellout fast, so get your copy today!

NaPoWriMo #30: You Had Me At "Seahorse"

2010-05-01T17:05:00.003-04:00

You had me in a velvet kangaroo pouch.
You had me on the tightropes.
You had me had me.
You had me by the throat
on the bridge John Berryman made gangsta,
but thinking of your pet ferret Cicero,
you let me go.
You had me in your shoes.
You had me explain.
You had me in the conjugal visit trailer.
You had me ah-ha laugh.
You had me ha-ha laugh.
You had me duckpin bowling.
You had me circle "yes," "no,"
'maybe," or "need more info."
You had me Skip-It.
You had me add an ampersand.
You had me knee deep in coffee beans.
You had me change to MST.
You had me articulate my feelings
on the evolution of American furniture
i.e. why do we not like to get up.
You had me killed.
You had me come back.
You had me utter my least favorite curse.
You had me doing it for the birds.
You had me forage for blackberries.
You had me rethink my philosophy on life.
You had me put it in parentheses.
You had me in a peacoat.
You had me worshiping the dishwasher.
You had me staring into the skeeball.
You had me give you the signal.
You had me figure out what to do with my hands.
You had me thinking "Yes."

NaPoWriMo #29: 100% Good

2010-04-29T23:08:00.002-04:00

POOF

NaPoWriMo #28: The Ides of July

2010-04-28T21:18:00.002-04:00

POOF

NaPoWriMo #27: N.A. Kicker

2010-04-28T21:16:00.002-04:00

POOF

NaPoWriMo #26: Well, Canadians Are Emo

2010-04-26T22:06:00.000-04:00

If we understood fluent Meow,
our cats would tell us to turn
Gordon Lightfoot off, that folky
emo. Our cats would rather
talk gambling and explain what
“happy ending” means in the
context of cat massage. And if
they did, if somehow us humans
could pull together and put
learning Meow on the top of the
to-do list, we'd all say, “Oh, I
see. Happy endings sound cool.”

NaPoWriMo #25: How do you spell shot? Is it shot, like a gun, or shot, like a camera?

2010-04-25T18:09:00.000-04:00

There's a patch of tulips that
your two lips love to mouth
off about. Oh, Naptown. Oh,
concentration of interstates.
This spreadsheet keeps track
of your findings and we will
take it to the university. Actually,
I kinda hoped us maneaters
could stick together. Our breed
is a dying one and we refuse
to become Chiweenies. Lucy,
our tortiseshell, would run a
taxidermy business if she had
thumbs––it's definitely either love
or Fancy Feast. Get the gang
together, we're going to Arkansas
to take black & white pictures
of llamas. If you see majestic
cattle, strewn with cowbells,
gleaming as Christmas lights,
you will let me know, won't you?

NaPoWriMo #24: I Thought of You As I Stuffed Cupcakes in My Face

2010-04-24T17:49:00.002-04:00

for Molly

And my mind went immediately
to thoughts of your uterus.

If beard baby is to exist,
a peace treaty will have to

be signed. I will be cordial
to your ambassador: Feet.

Your fallopian torpedo tubes
and ovary grenades would surely

kill me otherwise. Our progress
will be measured by how many

hours I can watch RuPaul's
Drag Race without making a face.

It would just be better if I
didn't join a band, though you

say you'd support a barbershop
quartet. Do I look good in a bowtie?

NaPoWriMo #23: He Didn't Become A Terrible Person

2010-04-23T22:22:00.004-04:00

The credits stop rolling,
but the orchestra plays on--
movie theater dark does not
stop them, or the low pressure
invading from North Dakota.
There are no trees. Everyone
knows there are no trees.
Egg timers, staring out
windows in the suburbs, sing
their own songs of single notes
and people pay attention.

NaPoWriMo #22: You've Been Losered, Bitch

2010-04-23T22:17:00.000-04:00

The Losers is a good movie, made by morons, for morons. Stuff happens, things explode, special effects linger for you to notice how bad they are. One of the good guys (the one you expect from the very beginning) betrays everyone else, accidentally slipping into a coma on-screen.

Warren Beatty shoots his minions at the slightest provocation (inspiring the question of melodramatic fiction: Why would anyone work, awesome dental plan or no). He violates several laws of physics, has vague desires to save America, and likes drugs. The first time we meet him, he is ordering the murder of 25 Bolivian children for no reason at all. He does go “Mu-hu-hu-ha-ha-ha,” but we have to save something for the sequel, don’t we?

The Losers is based on a remake of a bunch of military badasses who fake their own deaths after they get framed. It’s basically the A-Team: You’ve got the grizzled Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the boy, and Zoe Saldana. There’s also the self-described “black MacGyver” pilot guy.

Let’s talk about the acting. Besides the sheer idiocy of Chris Evans, we also have the ludicrousness of Chris Evans. Evans smirks and says something about “the angle of the dangle”. At times, he reminds me of a more apelike George Clooney.

At the screening of The Losers, I sat next to an idiot. When shit exploded, he went, “WHOA!” When “Don’t Stop Believin’” played on the soundtrack for the nine hundredth time, he pumped his head and said, “All RIGHT!” Of course, he did; he was an idiot.

NaPoWriMo #21: What's in filtered drinking water? You might be surprised!

2010-04-21T11:17:00.002-04:00

What is a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System?

What About the Water You Are Inhaling?

If you are new here,
you might want to subscribe
to the RSS feed
for where I can filter my water
when I'm out

The poly filter is good until it visually turns color.

Speaking of bottled water,
even Fox News found itself
totally surprised

What's lurking inside your body?
In the example on the right,
a clean, white patch can become soggy

It is with the greatest urgency and concern
that I ask you to take the time to research
water filters and figure out which options
are best for your family. I hope the next time
you walk by the water filter section you can smile
knowing that you have done your part in protecting
yourself and, perhaps more importantly, your family.

* Some information in this paragraph is taken from Water Filter Comparisons .comFeature Articles, section Do I Need a Water Filter?

Me Reading to Me A Poem Not by Me

2010-04-20T23:36:00.001-04:00

Changing Genres / Dean Young from Leigh Stein on Vimeo.

NaPoWriMo #20: Poor Aim

2010-04-20T15:55:00.002-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
from the safety of the fire
tower. Here is a vegan in
furs and his ethics won't
save him tomorrow. There
was a marathon, sans music
videos, which made kids of
the 90s cry. If there was
one vacuum I could love,
it would be...Shame on those
who shit on the coolness
of dog tattoos. I went all
the way to the Pacific, and
a mercenary gave me a mindfuck.

NaPoWriMo #19: Study Says Singles With Options Go For Hotties

2010-04-19T11:04:00.002-04:00

---NPR, April 19, 2010

Scientists already know people's brains
when shopping for chocolate. Too many options
can lead to indecision or snap judgments.

Psychologist Alison Lenton wanted someone to date.
Lenton studies experimental social psychology at
the University of speed dating.

Lenton analyzed records from 84 speed dating events
held in bars across the United Kingdom. In all,
the events included 1,868 women and 1,879 men.

Typically, participants meet anywhere. At bigger
speed dating events, with 24 or more matches, both
choosers were likely to decide based on "attributes"

New York psychiatrist Philip Muskin says there can be
meaning in just three minutes. He points out that everyone has
been at a party or on a subway platform.

And typically, that's due to unconscious reasons. Perhaps
the person is reminiscent of of a parent. According to Muskin,
a moment of meeting may be so profound that it transforms into the beginning.

NaPoWriMo #18: Golly, Thanks For the Great Tip On My Paper Route this Christmas

2010-04-18T23:03:00.002-04:00

Here is a crisis and here is the ratchet.

NaPoWriMo #17: Quintuple Your Money

2010-04-18T22:52:00.002-04:00

For your money love,
I would do it--publish
in a psychology journal
and always remember to
pick up Kibble. That
kid with the camping tent
in the skin care isle
is lol-hilarious. He
has that stupid hat.

NaPoWriMo #16: Poor Aim

2010-04-16T11:48:00.002-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
"Congrats! My Heart Is Like
a Savage, My Heart Would Like
a Sausage." I'll be taking
pictures of babies because
Children of Men scared the
shitbats out of me. The next
leisurely stroll could be
the last, so fret. Fret!
In other news, in other words,
me being nakie is something
I can not support 100%. Margot
is always naked, but then again,
Margot is always a cute dachshund.

NaPoWriMo #15: Poor Aim

2010-04-15T23:45:00.000-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
enough. 37. If I trust others
I will lose myself. 38. If I
give in to others, I will lose
my point of view. I don't know
what's wrong. And reformatting
my computer sounds like doesn't
worth it. My vision is to create
an exit strategy. I will wait
another 24 then take another go
at collecting something. There
will be no third matching couch blanket.
HOW CAN I BREAK THROUGH MY BLOCK AND
FIND THE COURAGE TO FOLLOW MY DREAM?

NaPoWriMo #14: John Tesh: Fashionista

2010-04-14T16:41:00.003-04:00

"Today we're seeing candidates come in wearing sweatpants. I'm all for self expression."

1. Camisoles or visible bra straps and lingerie scream "chic!"

2. Save your muscle shirts and spandex.

3. Soiled, stained or rumpled clothing. Better to wear less than to sport designer grunge.

4. Shorts. Whether of the Bermuda or Daisy Duke variety, wearing shorts to work is just plain.

5. Celebrities like Angelina Jolie have made tattoos mainstream, many people sport body ink.

6. Natural looking highlights are fine, but dye your hair blue, magenta or other colors not found in nature.

7. In the interview, and on the job, it's best to forgo the clean smell of soap.

8. Long, fake or "Elvira" length nails.

9. In general, most companies prefer ZZ Top. If you can't part with your facial hair, forget to check in the mirror after eating that powder-sugared doughnut!

10. Make sure there is more than three or four inches between knee and hem. You want to be able to sit professionally.

11. Cleavage and overly snug fits.

12. Men, the devil's in the dress socks.

13. Studies show that most people view people with multiple piercings likely to be hired or promoted.

14. Let your clothes show off your six-pack abs that you're understandably proud of!

15. Low-rise pants. This is acceptable anywhere. Period.

John

NaPoWriMo #13: Poor Aim

2010-04-13T18:45:00.002-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
bicep-centric, i.e. tickets
to the gun show. I can juggle
using only my muscles, but
what I really want to do is
play upright bass on A Prairie
Home Companion. Also, I want
Garrison to cough his way
though my poem about the one time
I saw Frankenstein do the Cha-Cha.
You have the wrong idea about me,
I'm not like how the catalogs
photograph me. I'm a sensitive man,
one who can fit many birds in his hands.

NaPoWriMo #12: How It Should Have Ended

2010-04-12T22:10:00.002-04:00

The goose confused me for a fox
and bit at me like a French fry.
Yes, I decided to dust off my Wookie
costume and jumped in a paddle boat
because it had been awhile. But
that doesn't give any goose the right.
I was reliving the jazz festival
of 1998, the one where we saw all
those people from high school we
still hated or the one who got married
on my birthday (jinx!). After that
thought, my inner Wookie wanted out
of the $350.14 costume. I needed
to get completely naked and vow to
never step foot in a hair salon again,
and to get a cool leather belt that
could hold many packs of cigarettes
or ammunition for my bowcaster, which
as any noobie knows, is the Wookie
weapon of choice. It's obvious now.
I should've roared at the tornado,
even if it did politely knock on the door.

NaPoWriMo #11: Vial of Vitamin Water

2010-04-12T16:56:00.004-04:00

I sleep in jeans in the comfortable position. Sometimes with a blanket, but most often with a sheet. Ghosts have nothing to hide behind in my bedroom. The alarm is set for country music--the most alarming thing I can think of. Ms. Pickles claws at the door, but she cannot be let in. If she lies at my feet, then I will surely die, like all those old people in the nursing home did. Ms. Pickles is good at that. I keep a vial of vitamin water against my skin at all times to ward off bad karma. I'm mean to everyone I know, so I need all the help I can get.

NaPoWriMo #10: The Altitude

2010-04-12T16:51:00.002-04:00

The altitude caused some people's
heads to explode, which was totally
gross. Brain all over my glasses
and stuff. From across the bar,
Shanna shot me with her finger gun.
She put an imaginary bullet right
through my heart. I don't blame her
though. I blame the altitude. And
the free tamales. Jen gave me a beer,
but that's not the altitude's fault.
Poets love beer. That's common knowledge.

NaPoWriMo #9: Poem Addressing Peter Davis's Readings at Green Spaces Colorado and the Meadowlark

2010-04-12T16:50:00.000-04:00

Those poems were fucking awesome.

NaPoWriMo #8: Everyone on the Colorado Rockies Has a Goatee

2010-04-12T16:47:00.001-04:00

and no one on the San Diego Padres does. Thin air might have something to do with it. Air turns sideways and it's like, where did it go? The Rockies are going to the playoffs. This is all we really care to know.

NaPoWriMo #7: Poor Aim

2010-04-07T15:48:00.003-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
once more, with feeling.
Look at these two left feet.
Make me a list of awesome
dance moves I could make.
Really. I need some help here.
If it doesn't work out, I'll
be the twelfth member of some band
that only needs like, three people.
Plains hipsters, GO! High school
kids will love us unlike their
homework. In the drummer's basement,
we'll sing about Henry VIII, the
untimely demise of all his loves.

***Programming Note***
NaPoWriMo will resume Sunday, with poems for all the days at AWP. Hope to see some of you internet friends there!

NaPoWriMo #6: Poor Aim

2010-04-06T19:11:00.002-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
at 60mph. We're talking about
cosmos here. A license plate
only goes so far when, speeding
through Indiana to get to the
other side, you wish rockets
were hidden behind the headlights.
A dead deer that would make a
good vacation photo. The sun
hits the grove just right when
staring from the breakdown lane.
We like out heads out windows,
though we sweat perfectly well.
Like minivans, we learn to go vroom.

NaPoWriMo #5: Poor Aim

2010-04-05T18:41:00.002-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
dubbed "epitome of irresistible
goodness." Whatever I do will
have wayyyy too many calories
for that. In my spare time,
I will unveil the secret of
Yellow-5. How low can my sperm
count go. What about prize money
or second place. I admit, a
documentary came to mind, then
disappeared with the snap of
a ghost's fingers. If moose
had opposable thumbs, they'd
totally input cheat codes.

AWP/NaPoWriMo PSA

2010-04-05T12:06:00.004-04:00

This year I'm going to pop my AWP cherry. Like Reb though, Spooky Girlfriend won't have a table at the bookfair. BUT, I will bring along some copies of the latest release, TACKLEBOX, with me. If you see me, please come up and say hello.

**I do not have a laptop, so there will be a brief pause in NaPoWriMo poems on the blog. But I will write each day I'm in Denver and will upload when I return.

NaPoWriMo #4: Poor Aim

2010-04-04T17:16:00.002-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
onomatopoetic. For example,
eating cactus fruit ice cream
with my dog Margot. For example,
try writing your autobiography
in a sonnet when a sestina makes
more sense. Here is the sound
of a graduate school application.
Hidden in the darkest corner
of my closet? A wave of sniffles
because I traded pet caterpillars
for plastic cars. The steel guitar
keeps playing our ugly duckling
song--little feet, where did you go?

NaPoWriMo #3: Poor Aim

2010-04-03T11:25:00.003-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
what passes for bliss. Shania
Twain--Whatever You Do! Don't!
And one day I will live on my own
(although I do have the power now
to never paint my room blue again,
which I won't). Whatever, I just
wanted to quote that. Please, PLEASE
don't search for Jessica Biel, just
play the 7th Heaven drinking game.
The green bar start up appeared
and it won't go any further. A super
penis will mean nothing to me, as
I won't be able to use it.

NaPoWriMo #2: Poor Aim

2010-04-02T13:09:00.002-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
kid tested, mother approved.
I photoshop myself into a scene
from Joe Versus the Volcano
and want to take a nap. I am
two beer cans away from completing
the Aztec temple I'm building
on the back porch. The popcorn
remains uneaten because I'm
never in the mood. I scratch
Margot behind the ears, but
even she won't eat it. The breeze
styles my hair w/out remorse. Something
in Indiana has died by my hand.

NaPoWriMo #1: Poor Aim

2010-04-01T17:18:00.002-04:00

Whatever I do, it won't be
for the holla back girls.
I've made a resolution: no
more glitter in the morning
or on my pencils. That shit
gets everywhere. I might
stare at my toes and become
self-conscious, unlike the
holla back girls. This is
one reason why we don't get
along. Also, pigtails. I
would've been such an ugly
little girl. Yellow is the
only color I look good in.

TONIGHT!

2010-03-31T11:33:00.001-04:00

Upcoming Readings

2010-02-26T00:09:00.000-05:00

MFA Reading Series
Thursday, March 04, 8:00PM
The Spirit Room, 111 Broadway, Fargo, ND
with Joey Amdahl and Becca Owen

Poetry Reading
Thursday, March 11, 8:00PM
Teaberry, 119 Broadway, Fargo, ND
with Ken Bennett

Spooky Boyfriend #5!

2010-02-25T11:27:00.001-05:00

is now ONLINE.

Featuring work by: Scott Abels, Nina Buck, Teresa Petro-Micchelli, Changming Yuan, Kristen Orser, Elisa McCool, Jessica Young, Maurice Burford, Amy Berkowitz, Daniela Olszewska, and Mike Young.

Loneliness

2010-02-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

Let's kidnap each other

2010-01-04T14:38:00.001-05:00

Starting The New Year in Style

2009-12-23T00:09:00.001-05:00

The Best/Most Important Poetry This Decade (?)

2009-12-16T16:25:00.006-05:00

A lot of people are posting their "best/important of the decade" lists. I think it's interesting to read all of these lists; it has increased the number of books I'm going to have to read. I don't feel though that I'm really qualified to take such a stance--not just on books, but really any subject. What constitutes "important" or "the best?" What about books I wasn't able to read? What am I missing?

I think a large part of the discussion that always gets left out, both on these lists and in academic settings (I'm finishing up my MFA), is taste. Taste is as varied as anything across different writers. No doubt, some books are acknowledged as being great by wide audiences, but those instances seem rare, especially these days.

At the beginning of this decade, I was sixteen years old. I didn't really know anything about poetry or literature then, besides what I was taught in the suburbs of Indianapolis. Everything I've learned has really come to me in this decade.

That being said, my "list" is really just books that have shaped me into the poet I am today. I would argue that they are good of course, and would recommend them to any poetry lover. These are my "best" poetry books.

***

Memoir of the Hawk -- James Tate
Indeed I Was Pleased With the World -- Mary Ruefle
Can You Relax in My House -- Michael Earl Craig
A Gringo Like Me -- Jennifer L. Knox
Down Spooky -- Shanna Compton
Great American Prose Poems: From Poe to the Present -- David Lehman, ed.

Gettin' Hot in Fargo

2009-12-03T12:53:00.001-05:00

The Inaugural Reading for The Wood Chipper Reading Series!

Mary Huyck Mulka + Julie Walnum
7:30pm at The Spirit Room (111 Broadway in downtown Fargo)
Free!

Copies of Mary and Julie's chapbook, TACKLEBOX, will be available for $3!

This Thursday

2009-11-30T12:17:00.000-05:00

Web Hype

2009-11-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

One of Nicole Steinberg's "Lucky" poems is given props over at HTML GIANT. Thanks Justin!

Arty

2009-11-14T16:38:00.004-05:00

Two more!

Now Available from Spooky Girlfriend Press: Don't ever stay the same; keep changing

2009-10-17T14:35:00.000-04:00

Purchase Here!

The First Trailer Park on the Moon

2009-10-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

is something I, Nate,
made up. I'm chasing
my tail even mentioning
this. No one in Indiana
will move to the moon
in the future, or in the stable
of my brain called Nate's
Imagination. I, Nate, will
move to the moon though.

Look at me.

Some gravities can make
you light. Can make you
jump across entire canyons.

2009-10-02T17:33:00.000-04:00

Mirah at The Aquarium, Fargo, ND. Sept. 30