An Overdue Update

I have been slacking off with my blog lately. Sigh! I've been busy with work, trying to keep up with my running (and mostly succeeding), working on grad school stuff and revisions of old poems.

I went to Stacey's reading on Sunday night. I've mentioned before that we read at Larry's. Well, there's also a monthly reading series in town called Peripatetic Poets, which attracts a slightly overlapping group of people; last year, right after I'd started going to Larry's with her, one of the organizers of Peripatetic Poets asked Stacey if she'd want to be a featured reader this year. She read with Liz James who's got a great poem in Cap City Poets. Stacey read first, and even though she seemed nervous the whole time, she did well, and people seemed to respond favorably. Then there was a break, in which most of Stacey's friends left, which I thought was rude. I mean, I know poetry reading are not everyone's cup of tea, but it just seemed rude to leave after your friend reads rather than stay for the rest of the evening, but hey, it's up to them, and I'm glad so many people came out to support her. Then Liz read. I've never heard her before, and even though I really enjoyed a couple of the poems, in general, she left me a bit cold. Maybe it's an age gap, or just a matter of preference, because she seems to have a following. Another break, then a very good open mic, at which I read for the first time since the last spring reading at Larry's. I was nervous! Strangely nervous. I read Sleeping Beauty in Love and it seemed to go over pretty well. It's weird because I really like that poem, but I feel that it doesn't quite fit with everything else I write. The interesting upshot of the whole evening though is that I was asked to be a featured reader, co-reading with Stacey, next year. I think that would be fantastic! I agreed to do it before realizing I may be clear across the country in a year, but the date we are scheduled is the weekend before Thanksgiving, so there's a good chance I'd be here anyway, and it's easy enough to make sure I am, so yeah, I'll be a featured reader November 22, 2009. Be there! Don't worry, I'll remind you closer to that date ;)

And the other exciting news is that I finally lined up my third recommendation for grad school! So I have two former college professors - one I took two creative writing classes with and considered a friend as well as a teacher, and one I took a freshman comp class and a senior year lit class with. Both MFA holders who are currently teaching at the university level, one still at BG, one elsewhere. And a current client, who is an English professor at Otterbein, but who knows me in a different context. I'll let her read my statement and my writing sample, but we've talked about the fact that it's more important to just get a current perspective on my work ethic, personality, maturity, etc. So I feel pretty good about my recommendations now.

I also wrote a lot of personal statement last weekend, but I think it's way too much of a narrative, story of my life sort of thing. I need to go back and read what exactly the schools are looking in a statement (I've saved this info already) and then revise it down to answer those questions. But at least I got something started. And I need to revise and organize my writing sample.

Okay, I'm done babbling about grad school now.

I wrote a poem Sunday after the reading, and typed it out last night, and I kinda like it, but it's not here to post at the moment. Sorry :(