Ringing in the New Year

So much good poetry news for the New Year.

My poem that I only just found out two days ago was on Verse Daily in November, "On Hearing of Your Hearing Loss," is on that website again--as a favorite of the year 2015.  Thanks to Verse Daily, and to Ninth Letter for being the original publisher (and here's the permalink).

And, I'm so pleased that the Motionpoem based on my poem "Crows, Reckoning" and made by Alex Hanson and Edward Chase Masterson, has been released by Motionpoems. Thanks to Todd Boss and to the filmmakers at Commandr, and to everyone. It's a serious dream-come-true to see this happen. And there's an interview done by poet Avra Wing to celebrate the release. Yay!

What a great way to ring in 2016.

IM on IMDb

This is kind of trippy--I just realized I'm on IMDb. For "Crows, Reckoning" a Motionpoem directed by Alex Hanson and Edward Chase Masterson (and thanks to Todd Boss). Check it out!

The Motionpoem is Online!

Thanks so much to Todd Boss of Motionpoems for pairing my poem "Crows, Reckoning" with the artistry of COMMANDR filmmakers Edward Chase Masterson and Alex Hanson. You can watch the film here. I'm also thinking of ways to spread the word, so if you have any good ideas, please let me know. Thanks! And enjoy.

Tweetspeak Micro

New microreview at Tweetspeak, but it's a throwback to The Insomniac's Weather Report. So glad that book hasn't been forgotten!

And I share the space with poet Michalle Gould, who also has a poem coming out from Motionpoems Season 6 this year.

AWP 2015

I won't be at AWP 2015 but some of my work will.

1) Find my book at the Mayapple Press table in the Exhibition Hall at Booth 1237 (right in front of the AWP Stage). Also, consider attending the Mayapple Press & One Wet Shoe Reading as follows (I won't be there):

What: Mayapple Press and One Wet Shoe Reading
Where: 609 S 10th Street Minneapolis, MN 55404 (Map)
When: Saturday April 11, 2015
Time: 7pm to 9pm
Participating Mayapple Press authors:
Betsy Johnson-Miller, author of Fierce This Falling
Devon Moore, author of Apology of a Girl Who Is Told She Is Going to Hell
Helen Ruggieri, co-editor of Written On Water: Writings About the Allegheny River and author of Glimmer Girls

2) "Crows, Reckoning," a poem from my new Mayapple Press book Mendeleev's Mandala, was subsequently made into a Motionpoem. There'll be a sneak preview at the VIDA Awards (and I won't be there either!).

Awards presented include:
• Cheryl Strayed WINNER of the 2015 VIDA Vanguard Award!
• VIDA's Kickass Press Award
• The VIDO Award
• Fiction Awards
• Poetry Awards
• Non-fiction Awards

BONUS:
The Exclusive Film Premiere of the
2015 MOTIONPOEMS SEASON

Thursday, April 9th
AWP Minneapolis
Doors @ 7:30
Awards Program @ 9:00
Dance Party @ 11:00

Skyway Theater | Minneapolis, MN
711 Hennepin Avenue

Please note: Advance tickets sold do not guarantee admission. Admission is granted on a first come, first served basis, determined by the event venue's maximum capacity. Don't be discouraged! Attendees will come and go -- if you can't get in early, come back later for the dance party! If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation to VIDA to help advance our mission of gender parity in contemporary literature.

I wish I could be at these places, but I can't. If you go, enjoy, and let me know!

Finnish Comedy & Me

You want to see a Finnish comedy about a grumpy old man, don't you? Sure you do! Especially because showing with that offering in the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) is the Motionpoem featuring my poem (from my new book Mendeleev's Mandala) called "Crows Reckoning", which has been made into a film by Edward Chase Masterson and Alex Hanson (of Commandr).

That's right, you can see The Grump (click on the link to see a trailer) by director Dome Karukoski, and Crows Reckoning together on April 16th and April 19th in Minneapolis. I really hope someone can go and report back to me! Tickets available here.

VIVA VIDA!

If you are going to AWP this year, please check out the VIDA Awards,  9 April at 19:30 in EDT Skyway Theater, 711 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN.

Awards presented include:
• Cheryl Strayed WINNER of the 2015 VIDA Vanguard Award!
• VIDA's Kickass Press Award
• The VIDO Award
• Fiction Awards
• Poetry Awards
• Non-fiction Awards

And there will be dancing!

But also, there will be a sneak preview of the 2015 Motionpoems Season, including movies featuring poems by Stacy Lynn Browne, Jehanne Dubrow, Rebecca Morgan Frank, Catherine Pierce, Megan O'Rourke, Kim Addonizio, and me, among others.

I can't go to AWP or to the Motionpoems Premiere in May, so I'm hoping some of you will go see my poem in film on the big screen and let me know how it went! 

Poems in Film!

Exciting news: Motionpoems has announced their 6th season of poets, all female, inspired by VIDA: Women in Literary Arts. Thanks to Todd Boss and his staff for including one of my poems, along with the work of these great women: Sarah Blake, Paula Bohince, Rebecca Morgan Frank, Kim Addonizio, Michelle Gould, Melissa Studdard, Brenda Shaughnessy, Meghan O'Rourke, Patricia Smith, Jehanne Dubrow, Catherine Pierce, Ann Eichler Kolakowski, and Stacey Lynn Brown.

If you're in Minneapolis on May 21st, try to go to one of the two public screenings.

Yay!