Jeannine Blogs
Montaigne Medal Finalist!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Just had a little good news this morning, after a week of on-and-off flu and accompanying blues...that my second book, She Returns to the Floating World, is an Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal finalist! If it wins, this means the book will get coverage in the US Review of Books, which would be pretty great for a little poetry book like mine, so cross your fingers for me!I'm not even sure who nominated me, but whomever it was, thanks a big bunch!
In other news, I wrote a new poem yesterday. I've been feeling a bit blue with the illness stuff and maybe a bit of burnout and missing AWP and doing all those grant applications where you feel your chances are one in a billion...sometimes the poetry world can get us a little down. So every piece of good news should be celebrated! A new poem! A little award finalist news!
Going to see a house this afternoon that might be the one, though it's a little pricey. In lovely Kirkland, a community I like a lot, woods in the backyard...but it's a re-done 1950's house so we have to see the inspection before we decide anything...Cross your fingers for me house-wise too!
Thanks again, blog readers, for your encouragement and support. It means a lot. I think this little community of folks is like my almost-family.
Labels: house-hunting, Montaigne Medal finalist, poetry blues versus good news, She Returns to the Floating World finalist
Teaching persona poetry, and a Face to Meet the Faces
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Happy Mardi Gras! Appropriate for a day of masks, today I had the lovely opportunity to teach the persona poem to a great group of students at Cascadia Community College. It was a lovely and enthusiastic group of people and I always enjoy talking about persona poetry, which I happen to still feel passionate about. We talked about zombies, the Hunger Games, Buffy versus The Vampire Diaries, anime and haibun, as well. Good times.Arriving about two hours too late for the class, my contributor copy of the persona poetry anthology A Face to Meet the Faces: An Anthology of Contemporary Persona Poetry came in the mail today. I was happy to be keeping company with wonderful poets like Collin Kelly, Jericho Brown, Ivy Alvarez...an interesting aspect is that the editors had the writers write a short note about their use of persona at the end of the book, so if you're using this as a teaching tool, that would be great for students! It is true there is not a lot of material available for those teaching persona poetry, so this anthology is a welcome addition. I'm looking forward to using it next time I teach persona poetry!
Happy Fat Tuesday! AWP is almost upon us. I'm sad to be missing it but hope you will all have a great time and bring home to your blogs lots of gossip. I am so ready for February to be over already - this is Seattle's meanest month, for sure. I saw a branch of cherry (or plum?) blossoms outside of a decaying barn on the way to see a house a few days ago, I think that was the first sign that indeed there may be life in this earth after the long winter...
Labels: A Face to Meet the Faces, Cascadia Community College students, persona poetry
Interview at Collin Kelley's blog, last night's reading video, and The Pinch
Friday, February 17, 2012
Collin Kelley graciously asks me five questions at his blog today. Thanks, Collin!http://collinkelley.blogspot.com/2012/02/five-questions-for-jeannine-hall-gailey.html
If you are interested, you can see video of last night's Redmond reading with Martha Silano at SoulFood Books:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20496574
There's some odd guitar music over part of the reading, I think I start reading at about minute five. There's also an odd extreme closeup around minute 6.
Got my contributor's copy of the Spring 2012 The Pinch in the mail, which contains two of my poems, "Lessons in Poison" and "She Ought to Be In Politics." It's a lovely well-produced magazine, with color art, as well as poems from Marge Piercy and Alison Pelegrin.
I also got a real-live medal from the FPA President's award for my book, and a $10 check from Indiana Review. All in all, a good mail day for a poet.
Labels: Collin Kelley, FPA, medals for poetry, Redmond Reading Series at SoulFood Books
Happy Valentine's Day and an upcoming reading with Martha Silano in Redmond
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day out there! Today is a day for exuberance. For chocolates and flowers and celebration! I used to love getting Valentines in that little cardboard box in grade school...and later in junior high and high school, at my school you could buy pink and red carnations and have them sent to someone's locker and someone always left me one anonymously each year, and I never found out who, but the mystery of it cheered me up! So today, give someone something unexpected. Leave a bigger tip, give them a kiss on the cheek, stay on the phone a little longer than usual. Show yourself more love too.Glenn made me pink marshmallow hearts dipped in dark chocolate for Valentine's Day. Gluten-free and delicious! He gets an "A." And, after getting stuck with needles at the allergist's all day yesterday, I think I deserve a day of fun, so we are going to see that new meaningless-yet-fun looking movie with Reese Witherspoon and spies.
To honor the day, here's one of my favorite love poems, by Robert Graves, short but perfect:
She tells her love while half asleep,
In the dark hours,
With half-words whispered low:
As Earth stirs in her winter sleep
And puts out grass and flowers
Despite the snow,
Despite the falling snow.
And now, make sure you mark on your calendars - I'm reading with Martha Silano in two days at Soul Food Books in Redmond! 7 PM February 16th, Soul Food Books. Be there!
Labels: east side poetry readings, Martha Silano, She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep, Valentine's Day
Cosmic Fire, Lost Icons, and New Laureates
Sunday, February 12, 2012
I was fascinated by the news story about a heart-shaped coronal mass coming from a solar storm that will hit earth around Valentine's Day. The headline Cosmic Log went with was somewhat less romantic than I would have chosen...Sorry to lose Whitney Houston, if not surprised. In the eighties I thought she was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen, and what a gorgeous voice. Losing a lot of my teen icons, these days...
A new Poet Laureate of Washington State was announced, and it was Seattle's Kathleen Flenniken. Her second book, Plume, I'm reviewing soon deals with subject matter close to my heart - the complicated environmental, personal and political history of Hanford, Washington state's nuclear plant. Congrats to Kathleen!
(Kathleen is the tall brunette in the middle of this lovely group of poets at Open Books last year:)
Labels: Cosmic Storms on Valentine's Day, Kathleen Flenniken, Plume, Washington State Poet Laureate, Whitney Houston
Bringing Me Back Down to Earth...
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Yes, inevitably, after good news, something happens that brings you back to earth. In my case, every day stresses - Glenn working long hours, must-do-costs like dental work, my folks having some health issues (my dad) and pet health issues (my mom's little papillon dog), trying to find a place to live permanently here in the NW - have been filling my head.The house hunt has brought up some internal conflict as well. I'm forced into admitting this autoimmune arthritis means some adjustments. I can't just run out and buy a cute townhouse with two sets of stairs because of my wonky ankles, which sort of sucks, you know? It's not the fact that I can't buy the townhouse - which of course is only sad in the short-term and on a surface level - it's facing up to my own real limitations these days. My brothers wanted me to fly home to see my nephew who was returning from five years in the Navy, and I had to tell them I couldn't - right now. Ditto AWP.
So, you take the good news (Dorothy Prize!) with the bad (family stress, health stuff) and try to be gracious and open and keep up your life up as best you can. Life is never all sugar and sunshine - and if it was, we would probably be out enjoying all the good stuff instead of trying to create art, right? Speaking of creating art...I need to get writing AND submitting! I need to make up for a very laggy (is that a word?) January. I've got two book reviews - both of books I'm really looking forward to - on my "to do" list as well.
On the up side, Valentine's Day is on its way - check out Kelli's offer of cute poet valentines - and make sure you order a copy of Karen Weyant's new chapbook, Wearing Heels in the Rust Belt. I love Kelli's devotion to snail mail and Karen's combo of grit-and-glamour depictions of women.
And, in case you are feeling a wee bit stressed, here is my personal stress attacker: wee polar bears!
Labels: baby polar bears, house hunting again, Karen Weyant, Kelli's valentines, taking the good news with the bad
Dorothy Prizes and other blessings
Sunday, February 05, 2012
No one gets into poetry for the money. But sometimes, the money from poetry can really help.The last time I got a notice about the Dorothy Prize (and I didn't know this yet, but good friend Kelli Agodon was a co-winner with me, back in 2007) I had just gotten back from an overnight hospital stay for a terrible asthma attack, our landlord hadn't paid the propane bill (apparently) so our rental home's propane tank was repossessed, and my mother was coming to stay in a house with no heat or hot water. To say the least, I was a little stressed. I walked back into the house from the car, felt so defeated about being sick and having no hot water or heat...and clicked on my e-mail account to read the good news. It could not have come at a better time to cheer me up.
This week was a little better than that - although I did have a very pricey surprise car repair this week, which I was stressing out about, and last night I was worried about the $30-odd dollar ferry tickets it took to get over to my reading in Poulsbo - having sold only one book. (It was a fun reading besides the lack of book-selling, with lots of friends, and a beautiful sunset on the way over.)
But it was a lovely and welcome surprise this morning to hear I had won a Dorothy Prize for my poem, "A Morning of Sunflowers (for Fukushima.)" Other winners include fellow blogger Matthew Thorburn. I am so grateful for any financial support from groups like the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg fund that are set up to help poets. There are so many stamps, and entry fees, and money spent on classes and books along the path to being a poet, that add up - this kind of gift can go a long way in helping a poet afford to keep writing.
The combination of unexpected February sunshine and this good news makes this an extra-nice Sunday! (and Happy Super Bowl, to those who observe it!)
Labels: Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Prize, no money in poetry, poetry blessings
Reading at Poulsbohemian Saturday
Friday, February 03, 2012
Looking for something to do this weekend? I mean, besides the Superbowl? Something a little more literary?I'm reading on Saturday at the Poulsbohemian at 7 PM with fellow poets Ronda Broatch and Connie Mears. Here's the info:
Poulsbohemian Poetry Reading
When: Saturday, February 4, 7 p.m.
Where: Poulsbohemian Coffee House
Why: Ronda Broatch, Jeannine Hall Gailey, and Constance Mears share their work. Plus, there’s an open mic.
I'd love to see you there!
Labels: Connie Mears, east side poetry readings, poetry readings on Superbowl weekend, Poulsbohemian, Ronda Broatch
A new review of She Returns to the Floating World in the New Madrid Journal
Thursday, February 02, 2012
I was pleasantly surprised to wake up today to a new review of She Returns to the Floating World in the New Madrid Journal by Christine Cutler. (Click here for a link to the review; it's a PDF file, but it's easy to read.) Thanks so much to Christine and those at New Madrid Journal!Here's the final sentence, which I think would make a nice blurb, too!
"She Returns to the Floating World is a well-crafted and delightful collection of poems that will take readers on a journey with Gailey beyond the chaos of the modern world into the potential of the future."
Labels: New Madrid Journal, reviews of She Returns to the Floating World
Why I Write About Superheroines, or How I Became A Poet - Today on SheWrites
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
This post appears today on the web site SheWrites.com so click here to check it out. (Many thanks to Sandra Beasley for featuring the blog post today and giving me the opportunity to write about these subjects!)When I was ten years old, if you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said “I want to be a poet.” I memorized John Berryman (“Life, friends, is boring,”) T.S. Eliot, and E.E. Cummings.
But, growing up, my path was guarded by practical desires – I needed to be able to support myself, I needed to make money, etc. I ended up with my BS in Biology and then an MA in English, working as a tech writer. I got married, I grew up, I put my dreams of poetry aside. The usual. I think, like most people impacted by physical problems, that I want to believe that they do not impact my inner self; that I can go and do and be anything I want. But the truth is, my health has impacted not only my decisions about my life, my work, but has even carved out space inside my subconscious, causing me to fight to find new subjects. Like superwomen.
I spent my mid-twenties climbing a typical techie corporate ladder; I led a team of techies at a big software company and had a glowing future. I was still a writer underneath everything, but my writing energy was directed in memos, proposals, technical papers. Then I started to get sick. Really sick. Sick enough that I had to quit working. I took a temporary disability leave. And I didn’t end up returning.
This could have been a tragic, sad turn in my life. And I’m not going to lie – the physical part of this time in my life was no picnic. Surgeries, endless hours in waiting rooms, tests. But it also gave me freedom, for the first time in my life, to decide what I would do with my time if money had nothing to do with it. And you know what I wanted to do? The same thing I wanted to do when I was ten years old: write poetry. My husband encouraged me to go back for an MFA in poetry, to try to send out a book of poetry. Why not give it a try? What did I have, at that point, to lose? The answer was: nothing.
When I started to write poetry, I noticed that the poems developed their own voices – women from mythology, women from comic books, women who had transformative powers. I think these superwomen (and supervillains) interested me because I was trying to write my way out of my inner crisis. If I wasn’t going to be “normal” – i.e., work a nine-to-five job, have kids, which I was being informed was not going to happen – then what was my storyline?
In comic books, kids who were hyperintelligent but physically fragile tended to supervillain storylines. In comic books, women who were super-powerful often had no choice but to move to the dark side eventually (Dark Phoenix comes to mind as the prototype for this) although it certainly beat being de-powered as female comic book superheroes tended to be (see Gail Simone’s web site, Women in Refrigerators, for a prep on how women superheroes have fared in comics.) How could I harness my inner powers without going dark? How can frailty become a strength? The poems that I wrote – which eventually turned into my first book, Becoming the Villainess – explored these issues internally, even while I refused to acknowledge the issues consciously.
It’s been a decade since I quit my techie job and turned to poetry. I did get an MFA, I’ve published two books of poetry now, and even teach part-time and online classes. I’ve created a life that has space for my physical issues but doesn’t let them take over my entire narrative. I’m managing. After all, a lot of my writer heroes had serious physical illnesses yet still managed to write every day, to publish and teach and travel. They overcame with superheroic strength. I realize now my need to reach out in poetry to the heroic narratives of my childhood – the X-Men, Wonder Woman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - was my own effort to fight the demons I had chosen to fight – and still fight - to overcome. My more recent subject matter- women who turn into foxes and cranes in Japanese mythology, fairy tale heroines trapped in towers and glass coffins, even the stories of my childhood in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where the beautiful surroundings of woods and farms hid nuclear contamination that ended up in our food and drink - still tells a story of a women trying to build an inner life that takes into account her limitations, but also her strengths.
Labels: how I became a poet, life decisions, Poetry, poetry and illness, writing about superheroes
Special thanks to Yumiko Kayukawa
for the use of Zen Cracker.
