Dear friends,
It’s a short Substack this week from me.
Firstly, many thanks for the replies last Sunday. I loved reading how it is you bring yourself to reading a book of poetry — from examining the outside of it carefully; to reading one from the back, middle, front; to opening at random; to reading till you find something you want to think about; to reading a few at a time. Magnificent. What honour to show to these small things we have in our hands: a collection of poems.
I visited Ireland last weekend. My eight-year-old niece decided she wants to be a writer. So she set herself up at a table with paper, coloured pencils, a lamp (unlit), and some other writerly accoutrements. My sister (her mother) asked her what kind of books she’d produce: novels, or poetry like her uncle. “Poetry?” my niece said, “No. I want to write proper books.”
Oh the shade from eight year olds.
I’m submitting a book of poetry myself this week, to be published later in the year. I’ve worked on it for five years. It’s a little over 9,000 words in total. I keep looking at the word count on the document thinking about how small a total this is, and how long these shapes take to find their form on a page.
Maybe my niece is right.
So, this has me thinking about brevity (on a week when the newsletter is brief too). And I find myself wondering about times when you’ve written something very short that’s held a lot of import. A short letter? A text? I’d be curious to hear about these brief forms.
Brevity can be difficult. Of course, you may know the famous “For sale: baby shoes, never worn” attributed to Ernest Hemingway. Lines like this — whether in text messages or literature or spoken aloud — are so powerful because usually they’re instantly memorisable. As I think of my own response to the prompt above, I can think of two examples: “No longer at this address” and one I got the other day, “Baby. Exhausted. Lovely. Loud. Let’s chat in ten years. x.”
I’ll be on the road a little over the next while; see you there if you can make it! Regardless, I’ll look forward to your replies,
PS. You’ll notice I’m trying to keep the amount of info about the events brief so you can scan it. Hopefully that makes it easier!
The Latest from Poetry Unbound
Episodes 9 & 10
You can also listen on Spotify, poetryunbound.org, or wherever podcasts are found.
Poetry in the World
Feb 6 at 6pm, New York City, US (in person and online)
I’ll be reading at the book launch for Being Here. No charge. Registration here.
Feb 9 at 9pm, New York City, US
I’m reading poems from the forthcoming Kitchen Hymns at Maryhouse, 55 East 3rd St. No need to register; just turn up.
Feb. 14 at 3pm, New York City, US
I will be recording the Person Place Thing podcast with Randy Cohen at Columbia University. Free but registration is required. Register here.
Feb. 15 at 6pm, New York City, US
I’m leading an in-person seminar called “Time in Conflict; Time in Poetry” about conflict in time and poetry. Register here.
Feb. 23 at 7pm, Chestertown, Maryland, US
I’m doing a reading from the forthcoming Kitchen Hymns; unfortunately, it is sold out.
Feb. 24 at 10am, Chestertown, Maryland, US
I’m holding a half-day workshop, and limited tickets are still available.
March 5, 7, 14 at 7pm Eastern Australia time, online
I’m giving three talks about poetry and spirituality, as part of the Australian Joint Spirituality Development series. Learn more and register here.
March 7 at 6pm ET, online
I’m leading a Zoom seminar called “Time in Conflict; Time in Poetry” about conflict in time and poetry. Register for it here.
March 15 at 7pm, London, England
I’m giving a talk for the paperback release of Poetry Unbound; 50 Poems to Open Your World. Registration here.
May 17 at 2pm, Camden, Maine, US
I’ll be talking about the word “you” in poetry at the Camden Public Library. Registration here.
May 24-26, Boone, North Carolina, US
I’m leading a a 48-hour Poetry Unbound retreat, where there will be poetry readings, responding to prompts, and sharing. Information and registration here.
June 27-July 7, Patmos, Greece
I’m one of the speakers at the 10-night “Journeying into Common Good” salon, together with Krista Tippett, Allison Russell, JT Nero, and Joe Henry. More details here.
Here's a seven-word poem by Andrea Cohen called "Refusal to Mourn:"
"In lieu of / flowers, send / him back."
https://jewishcurrents.org/refusal-to-mourn
In 1998 I met Monica. She knocked my socks off. We became life partners. Early in our meetings I began to create these 3”x3” watercolors, eventually put them together into a small book, titled a “Book of Darlings”.
In 2013 Monica died, after dealing with cancer for six years. A week after her death, a mutual friend invited me to a small, 3 person, yoga class. Driving home afterwards, this poem arrived through me(from Monica?):
I can never see enough Beauty,
For if I saw it All,
I would be seeing You, again.
Off to my left, a rainbow appeared in the sky, I wept as I drove. Monica’s gift.