Dragon's Meow: Reflections on Poetry & Creativity

I look out my window, or out of any of my windows,...

2011-03-03T23:22:20.866-05:00

I look out my window, or out of any of my windows, but most usually out my writing window, and I see trees: oak, cedar, hickory, spice bush, sassafras, and vines: wild grape, greenbriar, bittersweet. But mostly it's trees, moving in the wind, or still and silent; budding or dropping leaves; sunlit, moonlit, or barely lit at all, and I am soothed and grateful and taught by that presence.

2010-11-07T11:35:19.033-05:00

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Wow, what a great story of the attic! I can never ...

2010-11-07T11:35:17.671-05:00

Wow, what a great story of the attic! I can never see myself that small either, thanks for sharing!
XO-Jen

Hi Marie, Cherry Picked Books is in Easthampton on...

2010-09-28T08:56:48.777-05:00

Hi Marie,
Cherry Picked Books is in Easthampton on Main Street. They have a great fiction selection. I haven't been to Grey Matter but always loved the name - now I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the tip!

I'll be in Providence all day -- hope it's...

2010-09-28T08:24:07.877-05:00

I'll be in Providence all day -- hope it's a beautiful day with a great turnout -- break a leg, Kat!

Good post! Where's Cherry Picked Books?! And h...

2010-09-28T08:21:42.883-05:00

Good post! Where's Cherry Picked Books?! And have you been to Grey Matter Books in Hadley? -- excellent used poetry section!

I always read your stuff, get to this comment part...

2010-09-27T07:10:04.080-05:00

I always read your stuff, get to this comment part and then draw a blank about the specifics of your topic! Darn-it! :0 I liked it though!

What drives me to actually buy a book is my gut. It either crushes me when I get the hand, or not. It makes me feel a little sad for the used books I sometimes buy..because if I don't like them, or they didn't offer me some insight, I sell them back. I wonder, if I wrote something would it end up there?

Yes, aren't they fun? Thanks for reading!

2010-08-27T07:34:26.724-05:00

Yes, aren't they fun? Thanks for reading!

lol...love these. Thanks for turning me on to a f...

2010-08-26T18:22:27.238-05:00

lol...love these. Thanks for turning me on to a fun new blog obsession. :)

My top three are: Art and Lies by Jeanette Winter...

2010-07-24T15:08:39.277-05:00

My top three are:

Art and Lies by Jeanette Winterson
The Gold Cell by Sharon Olds
Open Secret, Rumi poems translated by Coleman Barks

Capital of Pain, by Paul Eluard The Stranger, by A...

2010-07-23T18:31:52.580-05:00

Capital of Pain, by Paul Eluard
The Stranger, by Albert Camus
The Magus, by John Fowles

Poetry books are the only thing I LIKE spending mo...

2010-07-19T08:23:26.538-05:00

Poetry books are the only thing I LIKE spending money on!

Good idea, Kat! I fully support this movement (and...

2010-07-17T10:18:45.464-05:00

Good idea, Kat! I fully support this movement (and of course, will always let you borrow my books).

Jealous. Totally. Jealous.

2010-07-15T22:21:04.784-05:00

Jealous. Totally. Jealous.

What a great photo essay! I really enjoyed this.

2010-06-17T20:03:33.385-05:00

What a great photo essay! I really enjoyed this.

"the inertia and unruliness of my own mind&qu...

2010-04-08T21:32:58.370-05:00

"the inertia and unruliness of my own mind" Kat, this is soo true and interesting and gets me thinking. I too often have the issues where I feel that I have not written enough. One day it's a comma, another it might be a paragraph break. So you are not alone in the inertia and unruliness of your mind--every writer is there with you! I had a friend in undergrad say to me once that when you are an artist you expect nothing but perfection in what you do, but in that same breath you are missing out on the perfection by worrying about how to make it perfect! Also, I have a great therapist who, if she had a sledge hammer, wishes she could pound it into my head that any time spend doing what one loves (writing)is time well spent--even if it is dreaming, thinking, contemplating about the writing!
I love reading your blogs...you are like Sherman Alexie: talking about important life issues with humor!

Definitely! The closest dead poet to me that I kno...

2010-03-27T08:23:01.529-05:00

Definitely! The closest dead poet to me that I know of is Emily Dickinson. We should find out if there are others.

Hey Kat, I love the idea of the authors talking to...

2010-03-26T17:00:03.533-05:00

Hey Kat, I love the idea of the authors talking to one another on your shelf...you've made me look up to my lonesome books and wonder what the authors would be saying to one another!

Also, can I come along to your next grave/reading venture? As long as you tell me in advance I will be able to do it. Are there any here in Vermont or over by you?

Yes it would.

2010-02-03T08:51:20.145-05:00

Yes it would.

Wouldn't it be great if our Army could spend m...

2010-02-02T21:35:16.704-05:00

Wouldn't it be great if our Army could spend more time helping more people?

Some people are complaining our Army is in Haiti w...

2010-02-02T13:25:40.213-05:00

Some people are complaining our Army is in Haiti while snowbound Navajos are freezing to death. I'm just sayin'...

Thanks for the comments! Barbara, I think an esca...

2010-01-19T09:50:58.630-05:00

Thanks for the comments!

Barbara, I think an escape into the imagination can serve us well at times like those ;)

And now that I'm working full time as a freaki...

2010-01-19T09:43:15.498-05:00

And now that I'm working full time as a freakin' legal secretary, that "blend into the walls" line is so true. Yesterday, it was pouring rain outside the window of my office and people were walking sideways in the windy gusts, and I thought, "What if I just get up and walk out the door, outside in the rain? And just keep walking?" No, seriously. I was not kidding. It seemed wise at the moment. Nice poem, Kat.
{{{hugs}}} B

"Her job is to blend with the walls" -- ...

2010-01-19T08:20:55.645-05:00

"Her job is to blend with the walls" -- excellent!

For poetry about working in business, check out James Autry, especially his "On Firing a Salesman."

I agree. I write all the time and I know that I m...

2009-12-31T00:44:29.913-05:00

I agree. I write all the time and I know that I must.