This and That From Around the Web

Lots of good news for poet and writer friends --- most importantly, the news comes with information you can also make use of such as this amazing interview with poet, playwright, and young adult author, Ann Teplick. Here is an interview with Ann with Seattle Arts and Lectures Poet in the Schools Program. Ann teaches at Children's Hospital in Seattle as well as other venues.

Favorite Interview with Amazing Poet: Ann Teplick

Here's a clip from Ann's interview and a link so you can read it. I think it's the most amazing interview I've read this year.

What is a favorite WITS moment from your three years here?

Hmmm. There are many. One, when a third grader at Sanislo elementary tackled me in the hall to read a silly poem she had written, and then spilled onto the floor in hysterics. Another, at Children’s hospital, with a teen who had just had a heart transplant. While he wrote a poem chronicling his 15 years of illness, his father joined us at the bedside with his laptop to share a post-surgical photo of this teen holding (while gloved up) his old heart in his hand—and wearing a smile to cartwheel for.

SAL: Anything else you would like to share about your work as a poet that is important to you and would be good to include?

I am working on a collection of poetry entitled just about to lose my mind, about growing up in Philadelphia in the thick of Motown music, and how it saved me. Artists like Smoky Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and Martha Reeves. And yes, we did dance in the street. That was our signature.

Favorite Good News for a Fiction Writer and Poet, Too): Shann Ray

Shann Ray is a recipient of the NEA 2012 Award in Literature. I met Shann at GetLit, a writers conference in Spokane, WA two years ago. Since that time Shann has published, American Masculine,  a collection of short stories, had poems accepted in Poetry, and now garnered an NEA. It's a pleasure to see him succeed - 

Favorite Blog Post of the Week -- This One's On Revision

Sandy Longhorn was one of the first people to welcome me into the world of blogging two and a half years ago when I began this endeavor.  Sandy's the author of  Blood Almanac and has a really lovely blog called Myself the Only Kangaroo Among the Beauty features Longhorn's musings on revision this week. Here's a taste of her writing which is always generous, honest, and inspiring. 

From Sandy Longhorn's blog:

I often bemoan the amount of time it takes to submit poems and keep up with responses from editors; however, today, I'm reminded that, for me, the process is crucial to my revision process. It's a time when I am even more able to look at the poems with the healthy skepticism of a good editor.

One slight difference today is that I'm sending out a good number of sickly speaker poems that have never made the rounds before. Later, as the responses come in, there may be more revision. An acceptance is no guarantee that the editors might not make a wise suggestion for a cut or a tweak. I've also learned that an acceptance is no guarantee that, when the time comes for the poem to work in the book as a whole, it won't need another tweak here and there. The accumulation of a number of rejections usually means another combing through to find any snarls.

So, it seems I've learned to love the wheel inside the wheel inside the wheel of revise, submit, response, revise, submit, response, &etc.

Congratulations to all these amazing writers!