Poetry Midwest

An October Update: Links Will Be Broken

2011-10-25T06:00:00.020-05:00

The journal is still on permanent hiatus. However, I do have a small update to the site to announce.

In the coming weeks, links to many of the issues, chapbooks, and other materials I've linked to on Poetry Midwest will be broken. I am migrating all the files to a different server, and I will eventually update the links to point to the new locations. Most of the PDF files will be affected and will be offline until this is completed.

I have been using my faculty web space to host these files, and the campus server is being retired in favor of a different web hosting platform. I've decided to move all material associated with this blog to Dropbox or Box.net for easier management.

Notice

2010-10-27T09:42:00.000-05:00

Poetry Midwest is closed to submissions until further notice. I am suspending publication of the journal until I figure out what the heck I want to do with it.

After reading Merlin Mann's post back in 2008, I have had the nagging feeling that I could be doing better with Poetry Midwest. And now I realize that I should do better, and that I must do better. So, I need to take an extended break to rethink, renew, and re-tool. In the meantime, I'll be posting random things over at Poetry Midwest+.

This space will be quiet for a while. And I am okay with that. I hope you are, too.

Why I Love Cookie Monster

2009-11-11T10:13:00.000-06:00

An Explanation, Part 2

2009-10-12T15:18:00.002-05:00

I have a myriad number of excuses on hand for why I've let Poetry Midwest linger unattended. A lightning strike near my house caused a power surge, killing my computer's logic board and frying the circuit boards on both my primary hard drive and my back up drive. I overextended myself at work by taking on an extra class and other committee responsibilities, so that little of my spare time is left for the journal. I have four kids, a wife, a mortgage, a life. You know the drill. But, in the end, these are still excuses.

I think my neglect of Poetry Midwest indicates a shift in my interests in poetry. After over twenty years of reading and writing and following the poetry world, I find myself drifting away. I follow fewer poetry blogs now than I did a few years ago, I'm involving myself in fewer poetry debates and discussions, I'm reading less contemporary poetry, even though I was coordinating reviews for The Great American Pinup before Google deleted it from the ether. I haven't written a poetry review in awhile because I find myself not liking what I've been reading, and rather than write a scathing review, I find it better to hold my tongue--not for fear of backlash (I've dealt with those before) but because words fail me as I'm reading.

More often than not, I cannot finish a book of contemporary verse because the poems aren't connecting with me on a physical level. I want a poem to take my breath away, to give me pause, to provoke a physical reaction akin to goosebumps, a panic attack, or a reeling sense of awareness of the sublime. A few do this--Annie Finch's re-issued Calendars, which I was sent for review before TGAP went belly-up, stunned me into silence, which is a lot better than choosing to be silent. But for the most part, what I have been reading recently seems less like finished poems than rough drafts. Yes, I am speaking in rough generalities, and yes, this is a slipshod way of discussing my malaise, but so be it.

Most of what I'm reading nowadays is egocentric navel gazing built on the "cult of me," pure confession without the tone of the confessional. (And yes, before my critics turn to Google to pillory me I will admit that I am guilty of writing stuff like this, too, and perhaps that is part of my problem). I'm reading more work that is "shock and awe" or "aw shucks" than it is a careful consideration of what language, rightly applied, can do. And by rightly applied, I mean language applied as an artistic endeavor attempting to achieve a communicative end. It's Coleridge's idea of poetry being "the best words in the best order" that I'm attached to, and I wish more writers were, too.

I am, for all intents and purposes, becoming disaffected with the poetry scene in its current state. Maybe I am reading the wrong things. Maybe I am too caught up with and emotionally attached to the poets who emerged from the 1950s to the 1980s; poets whose politics are embedded in their work but are not the focus of their work. In this age of distraction, I find myself turning to those poets whose intensity of focus propelled their words beyond the self. And while I revel in their words, I envy their hard-won talents, too.

And still I write, despite my disaffection. But I haven't submitted a poem for publication in over two years--a lifetime in the poetry world--because nothing I've written feels ready. I decided to withdraw two completed manuscripts from circulation, as what is fashionable in poetry now is not what was fashionable when the poems that comprise the books were written. Essentially, I grew tired of rejection and seeing my bank account drain $20 at a time. After slogging away for so long without a book to show, I begin to wonder if what I am doing is worth doing anymore. The reward of poetry is internal, emotional. Perhaps I've grown cold, and need a trial separation to see if the flame can be rekindled.

Am I suffering from ennui? Perhaps. Suffice to say that I'm evaluating my commitment to poetry, and thus, in turn, to Poetry Midwest. I've been reading a lot of short stories and science fiction and fabulist works, gorging myself on brief creative non-fiction, reading a lot of RPG blogs and chasing after memories of chasing make-believe dragons in the dungeons of my youth. Is this my mid-life crisis? Or am I just finding it time to move on to other forms? I had a colleague at another college where I taught tell me that it took him about ten years to shake off his MFA. Is this what's happening—am I finally embracing those resentments and that aesthetic that has long simmered beneath the surface?

An Explanation, Part 1

2009-10-12T09:18:00.010-05:00

Yes, I've been ignoring Poetry Midwest for the past couple of weeks. My household was with a round of colds (not the flu, thank goodness) and one of my kids developed a fairly nasty case of pneumonia that she is still recovering from. I'm behind in teaching my classes (I'm about a week behind my syllabi in all but my Creative Writing course) and I only barely crawled out from beneath the piles of essays needing grading before I picked up another round of essays this week. Poetry Midwest has suffered in the meantime.

As you might have noticed, the End of Summer issue was never released. In fact, I never got around to finishing the second round of acceptances, and some submissions have lingered in my inbox for several months. To those who are still waiting to hear from me, I'm sorry for the delay and the silence. I'll be sending out the remainder of the acceptances and rejections this week, in an effort to clear out the inbox by this Wednesday.

I'm going to combine the End of Summer and the Fall 2009 issues, just like last year. I hate doing this, but there is no way around it at this point. I'm aiming for a November release of this combined issue.

I realize that, as an editor, I have taken a large credibility hit over this last year, as I have been unable to meet self-imposed deadlines, respond to submissions, get acceptances out, etc. The journal's reputation has suffered as a result, and for this I am truly regretful.

Files temporarily offline

2009-09-22T15:53:00.003-05:00

Most of the links to issues of the magazine and to my personal/professional web pages are currently offline due to a server failure at my campus. Hopefully things will be repaired later this evening.

Waffles Waffles Waffles

2009-08-25T12:25:00.005-05:00

--via Coudal Partners

Updated Template

2009-08-24T16:13:00.003-05:00

I think the post title speaks for itself. What do you think of the new look and feel? Please let me know by posting a comment (comment moderation is enabled). I'll take no comments as a good sign, just to make me feel better.

Why the silence?

2009-08-21T14:47:00.003-05:00

I've been a bit crazy putting things together for my classes this past month. I'm teaching an overload and learning how to use ANGEL, a learning management suite, to host online content for those classes. It's been keeping me fairly busy and confused, but I finally got the hang of things. Since classes started this past Monday, life has quieted down a bit and I am turning my attention again to finishing up the next issue.

I'm sending out the last round of acceptances for the End of Summer 2009 issue next week, and trying to work on cleaning up the blog here in anticipation of finally updating to the new Blogger templates.

The Great American Pinup - RIP?

2009-08-17T16:04:00.008-05:00

Google deleted The Great American Pinup today, the poetry book review blog that I helped run, with no notice to me or the other bloggers who review books on the site. Apparently, the blog was flagged by Google and Blogger as containing malware, and the Google help resources are of little help in resolving the issue. After four years, it looks like literally hundreds of posts and dozens of thoughtful reviews and discussions about contemporary poetry have disappeared into the ether.

I apologize to both poets with reviews pending and to our readers. We're trying to get the blog back online, but I don't know if it will happen. I'll try to keep everyone posted.

Needless to say, the first thing I did after realizing this had happened was back up this blog and turned on comment moderation. Still, it is a bit disheartening that Google, whose motto is "Do No Evil," has done some big time evil here.

update: link to TGAP removed, as it now points to a spam site in Russia (2011-02-21)

W.S.Merwin on Bill Moyer's Journal

2009-06-29T12:36:00.003-05:00

W.S. Merwin appeared on Bill Moyer's Journal on June 26th. Go watch this.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/06262009/watch.html

Merwin is perhaps our greatest American living poet, having devoted his life to writing and translating.

Please help save Salt Publishing

2009-06-23T14:00:00.003-05:00

I'm not one to jump on bandwagons, as I usually arrive long after the wagons have moved on and there's nothing but piles of horseshit that need cleaning up. But in this case, I'm making an exception. The call went out in late May to help save Salt Publishing, an independent UK-based press that produces some of the best literary writing on both sides of the pond, by buying just one book. One book. I just heard about this, so, feeling guilty, I bought two.

I think we all can pass up a week worth of Double Shot Low Fat Soy Mocha Lattes to help save a publishing house, don't you? After all, we Americans are now the proud majority owners of a car company, and banks and insurance companies owe us tons of cash; let's throw some future profits at an other industry in trouble--except this time, we get something in return: the pleasure of reading damn fine literature.

Salt Publishing's Just One Book Campaign

Yikes! Almost a month with no posts!

2009-06-04T08:39:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the silence here, folks. After the end of the current semester, I took a few weeks off from the Internet because of an ill-timed death of a computer at home due to an electrical surge caused by a near-by lightning strike. Then the following week my DSL modem died (yes, I'm still on DSL at home), just one month out of warranty. Also, sometimes it's just good to unplug, so I spent the last two weeks of May getting stuff done around the house and planning my summer courses.

And now that June is officially underway, I am in submission reading mode again for Poetry Midwest. I'll be sending out the first round of acceptances for the Spring/Summer 2009 issue later this week, and will continue to read until the end of June. Please note, though, that to be considered for this issue, work has to be submitted by June 15 or so; after that, it gets considered for the Fall 2009 issue.

Well, there's the update. I hope all is well with you.

Go Read This

2009-05-08T10:58:00.002-05:00

Now. Go. Read it. Yes, yes, yes, amen, yes.

Issue 23 Released!

2009-05-01T13:02:00.006-05:00

After a considerable delay (see previous post) I've released Issue 23 into the wild this afternoon.

This issue includes work by:

Rusty Barnes
J. Bradley
Louis Daniel Brodsky
Tyler Cobb
Jennifer Columbus
Mike Dockins
Philip Estes
Louis Gallo
Nicole Caruso Garcia
Carol Lynn Grellas
Jessica Harman
Adam Houle
Brad Johnson
David Lawrence
Ken Meisel
Joseph Radke
A.K. Scipioni
Eric Steineger
Anne Timberlake

Although there are only nineteen contributors, this issue weighs in at 67 pages, and every page is worth its weight. There's good stuff here, a lot of work with heat, including a run of epistolary poetry and multi-sectioned long poems.

Even though this issue is two weeks overdue (I was hoping to have it out before April 15, but, alas) I'm sure a typo or two slipped by me (they always do). But then, if perfection was achieved in print, we'd know paradise was upon us. So let's just say I'm doing my part to delay the Rapture.

Enjoy!

poetic advice

2009-05-01T10:02:00.001-05:00

24. No one says 'ere anymore. Neither should you.

poetic advice

2009-05-01T10:01:00.002-05:00

68. Stop formatting your poems using Microsoft Comic Sans. Seriously. Stop.

poetic advice

2009-05-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

12. Nothing says overwrought poetry like a one word title based on mental/emotional states, the weather, or nature.

Reason for the Delay

2009-04-09T13:09:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the delay in getting the End of Winter 2009 issue out the door and posted online. At the last minute, I discovered that two of the poems I had accepted had been previously published online elsewhere. This is a violation of the permissions release that I have all contributors agree to before publishing an issue.

Needless to say, out of respect to the writers and other journals, I'm not going to name names. However, this discovery necessitated a flurry of polite emails between me and the two poets involved, and resulted in the removal of the poems in question from the issue under production. Thus, I had to rethink the ebb and flow of the order of works, and ended up rearranging a significant portion of the journal.

I'll be doing a last proofreading of the issue over the weekend, and hope to have it online before the end of next week.

That said, I want to explain why I took this course of action, rather than just go ahead with posting the issue.

The only way to establish the rights of both the author and publisher is to state what the publisher gets and what the author gets out of the publishing relationship. The permissions release I use specifically grants Poetry Midwest first North American Serial Rights and First Electronic Rights, along with Archival Rights to keep the issues online in perpetuity. This essentially means I ask that the work appear in a finalized published format for the first time in print or online within the pages of the journal. The other rights I request are the right to keep the journal archived online for future access, and the right to reprint the work in a future print version of the original issue or in an anthology of work from the journal. Asking for these reprint rights at the outset saves me the headache of trying to track down someone who has moved or switched email addresses, and also makes it easier for me to reproduce issues of the journal in a new format--for example, one day turning the PDF issue into a Flash formatted presentation on issuu.com.

Asking for these rights in exchange for publication is common practice for online journals, and yes, it is asking a lot for no financial remuneration. So, what does the author gain from relinquishing these rights? A publisher who gives a damn about protecting the integrity of the journal and wants to protect the author's trust in the journal as a reputable publication that takes its mission seriously. Thus my vigilance regarding what appears in the journal, how the journal is internally organized, and the entire "literary experience" of reading the journal. Yes, that is not much. But all I can offer is a symbiotic relationship wherein the author enhances Poetry Midwest's reputation, and Poetry Midwest enhance the author's reputation. It's a relationship that thus far has worked, as various poems which originally appeared in the journal have later appeared in books and have been selected to teach in university and college courses.

Given all this, I feel that I have to maintain a high level of professional standards to protect the reputation of the journal. The reason I prefer to publish new work is because it is highly difficult to arrange for and clear republishing rights unless I can be certain that the author has control of these rights--and all I can do in most of those cases is trust writers who say they own those rights. So, to skirt this issue in its entirety, I only look for exciting and engaging new work.

I have been burnt twice before--in the first year of the journal I published two poems by an author that I later found out had been published elsewhere online months before. After that discovery, I made an internal decision to never accept work from that writer again, as he presented himself as untrustworthy by agreeing to publication when the rights I was asking for were not his to grant, seeing as how the work was being republished in Poetry Midwest without my knowledge of previous publication.

Since that early editorial misstep, I attempt to thoroughly vet material before acceptance. In the early days of the journal, I mailed out permission letters via snail mail, and required a signature on a permissions agreement before publishing, which meant I had to plan out issues far in advance and account for the turnaround time for permissions to be returned. In the years since the DMCA, and owing to increased mailing costs, I've moved to using emailed permissions to serve as digital signatures, which has significantly sped up my production process, as I can accept a poem at the last minute and get permissions taken care of in less than two or three hours. Of course, this instantaneous decision making can lead to me getting a bet lazy in getting issues completed on schedule (ahem).

And so now thanks to these two writers, I am wondering if I need to revert to the slower and pricey snail mail process so that shit like this latest delay no longer occurs. And that pisses me off, because it makes the entire publisher/author relationship a bit more dysfunctional than it already is.

Minor Update

2009-03-19T14:55:00.004-05:00

The End of Winter 2009 issue will be posted by ~~April 1~~ April 15. That is all.

To This I Say

2009-03-04T13:15:00.001-06:00

Amen. Amen, Amen, Amen.

More Blog Maintenance

2009-02-24T13:50:00.003-06:00

The merging of 7evens and Dead Verses into Poetry Midwest is complete. Thank you, Blogger, for allowing the export and import of blog archives.

Now that the merger is complete, I will finally investigate migrating to the new Blogger. I've held out as long as I could, but some of the features that I want to enable are only available on the new Blogger. Things might look weird for a bit, and you might not be able to quickly find what you are looking for, but rest assured that I am working on it.

Additionally, I have finally given up my old LiveJournal account. I am trying to consolidate all my blogging activities here. I used my LiveJournal for drafting poems in progress, but as it turns out, I'm doing most of that with a pen and paper again, so I decided to just delete my account and move on. I've been making clean breaks all over the place recently, deleting newsletter and listserv subscriptions, consolidating various email accounts into Gmail, folding blogs into one another, streamlining RSS feeds to which I subscribe, etc. After being online since 1994, it's time I start trying to clean up all the detrius I've scattered over the web.

Friggin' Blogger

2009-02-23T16:30:00.000-06:00

Can anyone tell me how to get the "newer posts" and "older posts" links at the bottom of pages in the classic Blogger templates?

kthanxbye

Handouts from AWP 2009 Session on Multi-Genre Creative Writing Pedagogy

2009-02-20T12:00:00.000-06:00

If you attended the session on Multi-Genre Creative Writing Pedagogy, please read this and tell me if you got the same impression of the session and my performance therein.

Here are the handouts:

Get the paper that served as the basis of my blatherings here (RTF format).

Get my exercise handout from the session here (RTF format).

Blog Maintenance

2009-02-19T09:00:00.006-06:00

In an effort to streamline my blogging activities, I'll be merging one of my other blogs, 7evens, into this one in the coming days. I'll be cross-posting some older items, and then stop posting over at 7evens ~~and letting the blog linger as an archive~~.

I'll also be removing the link to 7evens at the header of this page, and doing some other fiddling.

As I never really gave 7evens the attention it deserved, I'm just going to feature my lists of seven here, folding it in as an occasional feature, much like Words About and Poetic Advice.

NOTE TO ABOVE STRIKETHRU: It appears Blogger now lets you export and import the blog data. As such, I have added all the posts from 7evens here, which you can access by clicking on the tag list over on the sidebar. Thus, I have deleted the original 7evens blog account.

All of the merged entries have been tagged with "7evens". Enjoy.

Also, I've merged the Dead Verses blog into this one. Again, choose the "deadverses" tag to read those older posts.

Seven Poems I'd Pay to Hear William Shatner Read at AWP

2009-02-15T02:19:00.003-06:00

Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha"

Drew Gardner's "Chicks Dig War"

Stanley Kunitz's "My Mother's Pears"

Sylvia Plath's "Daddy"

Bernie Taupin's "Rocket Man". Oh . . . wait . . .

John Ashbery's "Daffy Duck in Hollywood"

Elizabeth Alexander's "Praise Song for the Day"

AWP Update: Personal Setback

2009-02-14T20:41:00.017-06:00

Today was the day my schmoozing died.

I had my panel this morning at 10:30, "New Pedagogy in the Multi Genre Creative Writing Course." On the panel were Judith Ortiz Cofer, Lorraine Lopez, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Kelly McQuain, and me, and the panel was moderated by Heather Sellers. Everybody did a great job. Except me.

I will say it now for the sake of those in attendance: I fucked up my presentation.

Lorraine went first, and she handed out an exercise she uses in her class, and talked about how she uses the exercise. She was short, succinct, and to the point. Her exercise talk discussed how she gets fiction writers thinking about poetry and vice versa through the use of dramatic persona and dialogic exercises, rewriting eavesdropped conversations into a cohesive whole.

It suddenly occurred to me that this is what I should be doing in my paper. And it wasn't what I had done in my paper, at least, not directly and specifically. Suddenly, I had a sinking feeling in my gut. So, when it was my turn to speak, I should have stuck to the plan and read my paper. But no. I didn't. I improvised, pulling out sections of my paper and riffing on the exercises I had buried in the essay. As I was talking, it seemed to be working. But in hindsight, it was all out of context and now seems like goo. Oh wait, it gets better. Wait until I tell you about the Q & A section and how I inserted my foot in my mouth. But first, a short recap of the other panelists.

Poor Aimee had to bat cleanup after me, and totally won my undying admiration by reading a WONDERFUL essay about the use of image in her work and how she attempts to teach image to students. It was a great essay that connected with the audience and made several of us gasp with her own use of images in the essay. She briefly discussed one exercise that she uses, but the focus of her paper was about why she does it more than what she does in particular.

Then Judith read, and man, is she good. I was sitting right next to the podium, and I could see her notes, and she was actually reading from at least three (3) different essays that she had heavily edited together into a cohesive whole, including sticky notes of insertions and transitions, that flowed out seamlessly. It was amazing, a true writer at work delivering a craft talk about her beliefs about how poetry and fiction are different genres that allow the writer to "write off the subject" in specific and distinct ways. However, again, it was more theoretical in nature, and was not directly about what she was doing in class--no discussion of pedagogy.

Then Kelly read his paper about how the Community College of Philadelphia created multi-genre courses as bookends to their Certificate in Writing classes. It was a good discussion, but it focused on administrative decisions and elements of course design and sequencing. Again, nothing in terms of pedagogy. However, I did ask Kelly for a copy of his paper, because what he outlined is an excellent model for a certificate program for community colleges, which is something my institution is sorely lacking.

And then came the Q&A. Oh boy. The first question was thrown right at me. See, in my presentation, I discussed a workshop exercise in which students write a poem and then someone else deliberately shreds the poem and calls it shit. The point of the exercise is to steel students to harsh criticism and overcoming their fear of having their work rejected by having their work rejected to their face. You have to deal with criticism as a writer, and it's better to deal with that criticism in the safe space of the classroom. But of course, I entirely glossed over this context in my haphazard spewing forth of words. So, the question was asked about what I do to give students support and feelings of success. And I said that I don't do that because the writing class is not the place for pats on the back and "atta girls" and "atta boys"; it is a place to be challenged to write to a high standard, one that should be impossibly high, but always within sight.

Of course, I said it in a much cruder manner. Because that's who I am.

There were, of course, other questions for all of the panelists. I'm just remembering the choice ones. Someone who was there, please write about your recollections in the comments to this post and tell me just how off I am here in my memory.

The second question that was pitched to me was about how I attempt to create a sense of community among my students, and I said that quite frankly, I want my students to rally as a group without me. My goal is not to get my students to like me, but to focus on their work, and that in order to do that, they have to NOT like me. I have to be the guy they want to prove wrong, and then I let them prove me wrong. I try to create an "us against him" mentality, because then they start talking to one another. Boy, that did NOT go over well.

In other words, I came off like a total asshole. Which, quite frankly, is pretty close to the truth.

Anyway, after the panel was over, I went back to my room and immediately broke down with the shakes. I mean, I could not control my body. My gut started heaving, I was sweating profusely, I was nauseous, I think the room started spinning. It was not good. I tried to lay down but my heart was racing. It was, in hindsight, my first full-blown panic attack. It felt like I was going through withdrawal or something. Finally, I threw up, had a bad diarrhea attack, took a shower, and collapsed in bed. Yeah, like you really wanted to know this, right? Anyway, I slept until around 3:30.

When I woke up, I decided I needed to get the hell out of the hotel. I decided I'd go back down to that American Girl store and buy the overpriced doll clothes for my daughters because I had failed them enough already and I was tired of feeling like a failure today.

But then I got on the wrong elevated train. Oh boy. I saw parts of Chicago I don't want to see again.

Eventually I found my way back and got to the store and that is that. I'm tired, disappointed, and feeling miserable right now. This was my first time presenting at a national conference and I totally screwed it up. The only way it could have been worse was if I had ripped a fart while one of the other panelists was speaking.

Damn.

I am only realizing all this after talking on the phone with my wife. In fact, I was perplexed about why I had the shakes, etc. I thought it was just nerves, just the down of an adrenaline rush. But in talking to her, I realized what I had done. Why do I continue to sabotage myself? And why is my wife always right about shit like this? I miss her. It sucks to be away from her on Valentine's Day.

For what it's worth, you can read the paper I should have read here. It's in RTF format.

AWP 2009: Day 3

2009-02-14T12:00:00.013-06:00

Friday was a productive day for me here at AWP.

1. I attended a panel titled “The Night Shift: University Continuing Education Programs as Centers of Creative Writing Instruction” which, from the program description, seemed to be a panel that might have lent something to me in terms of pedagogy that I could take back to my classroom at JCCC, as I usually teach an evening Intro to Creative Writing course each spring.

The panel, featuring Angela Pneuman, Greg Harris, Patricia Bellanca, and David Gessner (who was filling in for a panelist who couldn’t make it), lead a lively conversation (lots of talk about the “ficitonal habit”, like it’s an addiction or something) about teaching writing to students whose primary goal is not becoming professional writers. The demographic they see in their classes are degreed professionals from the upper echelon of the economic classes, people who are already successful in their chosen career paths and are seeking enrichment opportunities.

However, a more proper title for this panel should have been “Harvard and Stanford Discover How to Make More Money from Wealthy People Who Want to Write.” Why the fuck are Stanford and Harvard just now realizing that the ~~undergraduate~~ student population is shifting away from recent high school graduates to older adult learners? Aren’t they supposed to be major research institutions? Seriously--providing enrichment opportunities is what community colleges have been doing for ages. STOP STEALING MY LIVELIHOOD, HARVARD!

ADDITION AS OF 2/16/2009:
In reality, I really do like the work of Gessner and Pneuman. Top notch. Never heard of Harris or Bellanca. I assume they have never heard of me, either.

2. Hit the Two Year College Caucus meeting. Met up with Jim Sullivan of Illinois Central College in Peoria, who I’ve met before at a few TYCA-Midwest conferences. Also ran into Ryan Stone, another UM-St. Louis MFA grad, who had the distinction of being the second managing editor for Natural Bridge. I was the first. But Ryan made the magazine better. Ryan’s now at Danville Area Community College. Introduced Jim to Ryan. Left the room. Remember, that's what I do.

3. Went to a fantastic session called “Textbooks: How to Propose, Write, and Edit a College Textbook” featuring Todd James Pierce, Kevin Clark, Jeff Knorr, and Vivian Garcia, an editor at Pearson. This was a good hands-on session with good advice about things to consider about writing a textbook. I was interested in this not because I want to write a textbook myself, but because when I look at textbooks to adopt for a course, I’m always a bit underwhelmed or a bit overwhelmed about the book, and looking at it from the writers and editor's perspective gave me new insight about how these books are put together and the various student populations they serve. I took twelve pages of notes during this session. Seriously. I had a hand cramp.

4. Finally hit the book fair floor for real. Ran into Alison Joseph of Crab Orchard Review and thanked her for running the CRWOPPS listserv, as roughly a fourth of Poetry Midwest’s traffic data suggests vistitors come from posting to that list.

5. Had a lovely conversation with the people at the table for Kore Press about their new Powder: Writing by Women in the Ranks, from Vietnam to Iraq, which looks like a book many of students could get in to. JCCC pulls lots of students from Ft. Leavenworth, and I frequently have both active and inactive duty Iraq and Afghanistan War vets in my classes. I’m itching to tackle this in my Honors English class. Maybe I will next year.

6. Ran into Ryan G. Van Cleave of C&R Press again. They just published Stacey Lynn Brown’s Cradle Song, a lovely and gorgeously produced book (see below for why I say this). If you’ve been following the poetry world for the past year, then you know the whole saga about this book (start at the bottom post and read up).

Ryan G. Van Cleave is my nemesis, but in a good way. When I first started publishing work in journals, wherever I had a poem accepted, Ryan G. Van Cleave had a poem in the same damn issue of the same damn journal. I have an entire shelf of journals in which the list of contributors includes us both.

Additionally, who else should be sitting at the table but Todd James Pierce. Yeah, it’s a small world (wait, it gets better: see below).

7. Ran into Jay Rubin of Alehouse Press. I owe him a beer for the nice time we had at AWP Atlanta in 2007, but he had to run off to attend a session, and I never reconnected with him.

8. Finally went back to the room, took a break for a few hours. Went for a walk, hit Subway again for an early dinner, and then took a nap. Around 8, I called Mike Dockins and went up to his buddy’s room on the 25th floor. Met Chris Gordon and Manual (Man) Martin, the founding editors of New South, two friends of theirs, Michelle and Amy, some other dude named Todd who kept talking about Breadloaf and how he broke Robert Frost's bed, and Jamie Iredell (who I met at AWP ATL 2007), a book designer who’s done work for Terminus and Redactions and, wait for it . . . C & R Press. Yeah, he did Stacey’s book. Oh, just wait, it gets even better.

After a late dinner at Bar Louie, we go back to the room for a few drinks, and who should show up? Chad Prevost, the other other editor of C & R Press . . . and RYAN G. VAN CLEAVE AND TODD JAMES PIERCE. I tell you, they are stalking me. Or perhaps I am unconsciously stalking them. We had a nice little get together, lots of chat and talk, etc.

9. Around 1:00 am, Man and Chris convinced Dockins and me to walk to Lake Michigan. In the snow. It was gorgeous. We pissed in the lake. We had a snowball fight. I will write a poem about this some day.

10. Hit the bed around 2:30 am. Fell asleep around 4. Woke up at 9. Further updates later.

AWP Update: Continuation of the Schmooze

2009-02-13T00:30:00.017-06:00

1. Slept in a bit this morning, then went down to serve my time at the Two Year Caucus table; they didn’t need me right away, as they had the shift covered, so I spent time wandering the book fair. Met Barbara of Marsh Hawk Press again, and ended up chatting a bit with some other folks I know but for some reason totally forget their names. This is what happens when I don’t write shit down.

2. Ran into Mike Dockins of Terminus and Redactions and his lovely associate Allison (who is both an MFA and an MLS, and so is assured of a secure job unless books start dying. Oh. Wait . . .). Made plans to meet up again Friday evening to attempt to repeat the hijinx of 2007.

3. When I made it back to the Two Year Caucus table, I spent some time chatting with Thomas Montegomery-Fate of College of DuPage; he’s a great writer with stuff for NPR, Chicago Public Radio, essays in the Boston Globe, etc. Also met Margaret Rozga, a contributor to the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of PM, and the publisher of her new book from Benu Press, whose name I am completely blanking on, but who is a really cool guy. Also met Lois Roma-Deely of Paradise Valley Community College. As it turns out, Lois lives in Scotsdale, which is where my father-in-law is a Deacon at a Catholic Church, so we were able to gossip about the goings on in the Phoenix Diocese to kill the time.

4. Also met in person Richard Jeffrey Newman, a fellow conspirator at TGAP (although both he and I have been AWOL over on that particular blog--we’re coming back Victor, I swear!).

5. After my turn in the booth was up, I hit the floor again, and ran into Bruce Covey of Coconut, who I immediately flagged down to inquire about the location for a reading he is sponsoring on Saturday night. As we were standing there chatting, Lee Ann Roripaugh of University of South Dakota and Carly Sachs of George Washington University joined us. Lee Ann and I met in Albuquerque at another conference, and Carly and I met back in the ATL as well. Carly invited us up to her hotel room later this evening for a get together (yeah, I went, details below).

This is one conference where I am constantly introducing people to other people. I am the schmoozer. I work the room, baby! Bruce even suggested I propose a panel for AWP next year on working the room and making the most of the conference. I think it was in jest, but it actually seems like a good idea. Okay people, don’t steal this one.

6. After our chat, I wandered around for a bit and then hit Bruce’s panel on poetry’s electronic communities. It was a bit of a bust, as Robin Beth Shear of the Academy of American Poets talked about how they track visitors to their web site and what their weblog stats revealed about what the general populace search for (three guesses: love poetry). And Stephanie Strickland from Electronic Literature Organization merely pushed her agenda about what is and isn't e-literature (point number 1: if it can be printed, it is not e-literature. Guess how that went over).

Finally things fell in line with some guy who was a substitute on the panel who talked about running poetry listservs and rammed home the point that electronic communities need a "meatspace" counterpart to be productive. Danielle Pafunda of La Petite Zine discussed the role of blogs, and Charles Jensen from LocusPointe discussed how he is attempting to create communities by creating issues of his online journal on a per-city basis.

Then Bruce hit the home run by discussing HOW online communities are created, and then how this leads into the creation of aesthetic movements and debates among “schools”. Fairly good stuff, which essentially boils down to links create associations which create friendships which create communities which creates online social movements that jump offline to create aesthetic schools. Of course, anyone who's read danah boyd's dissertation (PDF) could have told you that. Just kidding, Bruce.

7. On my way out to dinner I ran into Eamon Wall and his wife Drucilla, who both teach at my alma matter, the University of Missouri at St. Louis. I never had classes with Eamon, but he’s a nice guy; I took one of his poems last year for Poetry Midwest. They were waiting to meet another party for dinner, so we had just a quick chat before parting ways.

8. I ended up going to Subway for dinner--I AM NOT eating in the hotel, as the prices are simply highway robbery--and talking a long walk down Michigan avenue. I went from the 700 block of South Michigan to the 800 block of North Michigan. I was on a mission: my daughters insisted that I visit the American Girl Store here in Chicago. So I did my due diligence like any good dad would. But I didn’t buy anything. Nothing was on sale, and they didn’t have a clearance section. I might be a good dad, but I’m not paying more for doll clothes than I do to dress my kids themselves.

9. As I was walking back in to the hotel, I spotted Joshua Kryah of UNLV and Kent Shaw of University of Houston (he’s still plugging away on his PhD) sitting in the hotel wine bar. Josh and Kent and I did our BAs at the University of Missouri at St. Louis before we went our separate ways to grad school (Josh to Iowa and UNLV, Kent to Washington University and then Houston, me right there at UMSL). We chatted and caught up and traded gossip about our mentors, and chided Kent on his state of singlehood. Seriously, Kent--start dating some of those undergrads!

10. Went back to the room for a bit, then went down to Carly Sach’s room. It turned out to be party central; met several people whose names I can't remember, except for Dave, the painter and poet, with whom I had an in-depth discussion about hair bands of the 80s and why painters need studios and assistants (not the same conversation--2 of them). Reb Livingston showed up and then the party got loud and noisy (not because of Reb, just more bodies in the room) and all sorts of people I didn’t have a chance to meet walked in, like Deborah Ager of 32 Poems, and then Kim Addonizio walked into the room. I was floored. I couldn’t even get up the nerve to walk over and talk to her. I mean, Kim is a major celebrity in the poetry world and I am currently reviewing her new poetry writing book for use in my classes, and there I was glued to my chair, nodding as Dave was going on about Michelangelo and his assistants and I was trying to make eye contact with Kim and failing miserably. I am such a coward. I actually had to leave, though, as it was 11:30 and I couldn’t stop myself from yawning because the day had been so long and tiring.

11. One final note: Sandra Beasely is super nice. She's got a hilarious story about Billy Collins and shower stalls. It turns out Billy is a dirty old man.

More updates tomorrow evening!

AWP Update: The Schmoozing Thus Far

2009-02-12T12:00:00.003-06:00

1. Wednesday night, met up with Anne Haines, blogging buddy who was, up until this weekend, an AWP virgin.

2. Met up with Kelly McQuain of Community College of Philadelphia, who introduced me to some lovely folks from the Low Residency MFA Program at the University of New Orleans.

3. Ran into John Gallaher. Again. Remember our first encounter?

4.Wednesday evening in the hotel bar I met up with Dan, Mike, Jacob and Aaron of Barrelhouse. I first met these guys at AWP in Atlanta, and was happy to see them again. A good time was had by all at a small bar around the corner from the hotel.

5. Ended up getting in to a debate about poetic aesthetics with a group of grad students from Rutgers--a little shout out to Owen, Mike, and Jaime.

6. Met Jeff Grieneisen and Courtney Ruffner of Manatee Community College in Brandenton, FL. Nice couple who run Florida English.

Around 10:30-11:00-ish, I went back to the hotel room and crashed

Chicago Arrival

2009-02-11T16:17:00.003-06:00

After the most turbulent plane ride of my life, I am in Chicago. Caught the CTA Red Line to Roosevelt, then schlepped up to Michigan and down to the hotel. Yep, I'm at the Hilton. Met a nice guy from Richmond, VA on the train--I forgot his name, but he runs an independent journal and is an adjunct at VCU. I'll see him tomorrow and get the props straightened out. If it weren't for his iPhone and Google maps, we would have walked the wrong way. The poor guy was huffing along with a huge suitcase full of books--says it cost him $175 in baggage fees. Ouch. He shoulda gone FedEx.

The weather here in Chicago is rainy and windy. I stood around in the lobby for a bit to see if I saw anybody I knew, but as it is the first night and I got here super early (around 2 pm), not a lot of folks were trickling in.

The hotel is charging an arm and leg for internet access, so my posts will not be as frequent as I hope. I'm using a college laptop, and if I can find a Starbucks with free wireless nearby, then I''ll be golden.

Further updates as events warrant. If you are at AWP, send me an email and I'll zip you back my cell or room number so we can meet up and grab a beer or something.

Feed problems?

2009-02-11T11:35:00.001-06:00

I just noticed a problem with the site feed when using Bloglines; new posts are not appearing for me. Can anyone else verify this for me? Things seem okay in Google Reader.

Priceless

2009-02-11T10:42:00.001-06:00

Eduardo over at Lorcalorca on what he will miss about AWP this year. Funny because it's true.

Some Quick Notes Before Heading Off to AWP

2009-02-10T17:07:00.005-06:00

1) After posting excessive comments on the blog, I've been invited to join The Plumbline School by Henry Gould. I'll be crafting my first post on the plane to Chicago. Of course, I still have finish my first book review in over a year for The Great American Pinup as well. I've finally returned to being a productive member of the poetry community. Boo-yah for me.

2) If you are at AWP, stop by the table for the AWP Two-Year Caucus on Friday, February 13, between 10:00 and 11:00 in the morning. I'll be working the table that hour; we can talk shop for free, but if you wanna harass and cajole me, it'll cost you a beer at the hotel bar.

3) I have no clue what I'll be doing in the evening while I'm at AWP. I'm bringing a stack of essays from my Honors Composition course to read and comment upon. If you are up for it, try to convince me to leave my hotel room and go to a reading, etc. Or invite me to read at your event as a last minute addition. Or volunteer to help me read and comment on those essays. Seriously. It's a huge friggin' stack.

4) I'll attempt to post daily evening updates while at AWP, but that's dependent on whether I can cop some free wireless.

Another Copper Canyon Broadside

2009-02-10T08:43:00.003-06:00

Copper Canyon Press is one of my favorite small presses. Not only do they produce gorgeous books by talented writers, but their website is full of little goodies if you spend some time poking around.

This week, in honor of Valentine's Day, CCP is offering another free broadside wallpaper, a lovely poem by Gregory Orr. You can find it here.

And speaking of Orr, he was featured on NPR's "This I Believe" program back in 2006. His essay is heart-wrenching and thought-provoking.

AWP 2009 - Chicago

2009-02-06T13:43:00.004-06:00

Your cranky editor will be at AWP in Chicago next week. He presents as part of a panel on Saturday, February 14, at 10:30 a.m.:

S127. New Pedagogy in the Multi Genre Creative Writing Course. (Heather Sellers, Kelly McQuain, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Matthew Schmeer, Lorraine Lopez, Aimee Nezhukmatathil) This panel presents practical strategies for teachers seeking fresh approaches in the multi-genre classroom. How can the course be designed to prevent the effect of a "grand tour," a hurried sampling of genres? What genres should be included? Is the purpose of the course changing? Attendees will leave the session with strategies for designing courses, creating assignments, and evaluating student work.

Of course, your editor also looks forward to meeting contributors, friends, and followers in person.

During the conference, your editor will be posting evening updates and name-dropping, per usual.

Your editor promises not to use third person in reference to himself if you meet him in person. Unless he has a drink in his hand, in which case, all bets are off.

poetic advice

2009-02-03T18:50:00.002-06:00

100. Using poetry to funnel your emotions is like using a monkey to plunge your toilet. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

poetic advice

2009-02-02T16:10:00.000-06:00

76. Nobody cares about the state of your heart. Unless it's being eaten by a zombie.

poetic advice

2009-02-02T15:44:00.003-06:00

43. Only Mattie Stepanek could get away with gushy sentimentality and have people praise it for its insight. We were being NICE to a sick kid, okay?

poetic advice

2009-02-02T15:39:00.000-06:00

44. Ellipses do not make your poetry deep . . . man.

A Word About the Inaugural Poem

2009-01-22T17:14:00.000-06:00

poetic advice

2009-01-20T10:13:00.003-06:00

97. Make sure your occasional poem has an expiration date.

Seven Bastardized or Fake First Lines from Billy Collins's Poetry

2009-01-15T15:14:00.002-06:00

While crossing the street I pause to consider the pattern of raindrops

Once in Chicago I saw the Sears Tower sway in a winter gust

I imagined the chair would be comfortable

I ask them to please shut up

The name of the author was Frank

I might as well begin by saying I like your purse

I dreamed of crowns of laurels and pages of books unbound

poetic advice

2009-01-15T13:56:00.003-06:00

81. I before E except after C unless you write flarf, in which case, knock yourself out.

poetic advice

2009-01-15T13:53:00.002-06:00

37. Never edit a literary journal if you expect to find time to write.

poetic advice

2009-01-15T13:50:00.001-06:00

11. Ignore anything an editor says that doesn't directly improve the work itself. See #5.

Warning: Cranky Editor Dwells Here

2009-01-15T13:44:00.001-06:00

Yeah. I'm cranky. But there is a lot to be thankful for in submissions, too. Folks are sending in some good stuff, and I've already sent out a round of 20 acceptances for the Winter 2009 issue. More goodness to come in the days ahead, I hope.

Cover Letters

2009-01-15T08:59:00.007-06:00

I’ve had it up to here with dickwads who insult my editorial choices and/or the journal in a cover letter. Calling the magazine “cliché bullshit” is not the way to get me to read any further. I’ll fire back a “fuck you,” delete your submission, and blacklist your name from further submissions. I don’t get paid to put up with your abuse. Hell, I don’t get paid to do this at all.

Also, any writer who thinks they can ingratiate themselves to my editorial sensibilities by talking about how amazing they are—and I mean those who literally say “my writing is amazing” or “my heart-felt writing aims to touch the spirit”—automatically flags their work as complete shit. Let the work speak for itself.

And seriously . . . do you really think I’m going to publish works that are poor imitations of Jack Prelutsky? (Mr. Prelutsky, please feel free to submit.)

A List of Poems I Will Automagically Reject

2009-01-14T15:00:00.004-06:00

Anything about the state of your or someone else's soul, spirit, etc.
Sex poems that are only about sex or the lack thereof.
Poems about sex with your or someone else's soul, spirit, etc.
Homages to a girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other.
Homages to a dead rock star.
Poems about having sex with a dead rock star.
Poems that are merely prose with line breaks.
Poems about how living with your mother drives you crazy.
Poems about having sex with Satan.
Poems about your mother having sex with Satan.
Anything reliant on adjectives.
Anything centered.
Lists of clichéd rhetorical questions about love.
Poems not written/translated in English (sorry, that's my native tongue).
Poems which peak way too soon.
Poems which are too obvious.
Poems which are only about the act of writing (way too meta)
Poems about shampoo. Not that I have anything against shampoo, but all that rising and repeating . . .
Anything marked "©" or "Copyright 200x". Like our culture truly values poetry.
Anything attempting to be "cute" in a Hello Kitty way.
Hentai poetry. No foolin'.

Seven Things to Be Thankful for in the New Year

2009-01-12T10:10:00.002-06:00

Moleskines

Fountain Pens

Sharpie Pens

Hair Metal

Tax Refunds

Blackberry Spice Tea

President Obama

It's Here! Poetry Midwest 22 is FINALLY Posted.

2009-01-12T09:51:00.004-06:00

After a long series of FALSE STARTS and EDITORIAL INEPTITUDE and a SELF-DIAGNOSED depression, I am happy to announce the relase of Poetry Midwest 22, HEREWITH ordained the End of 2008 issue.

Now that I have the journal back on track, it is full steam ahead to the Winter 2009 issue, a chapbook project that has been on indefinite hold, and a new broadside to be released in the coming weeks.

Speaking of broadsides, let me direct your attention to the Copper Canyon Press website, where the editors are offering a free broadside by W.S. Merwin suitable for use as a desktop background.

Thank you for your continued reading.

FTP Problems

2008-12-26T09:47:00.003-06:00

The combined End of Summer/Fall 2008 issue (#22) is done, but I am having issues logging into my FTP server. For some odd reason, I can't login to my campus account from off-campus (and I can't login to my campus voicemail either, which is a weird turn of events in itself). The campus is closed during winter break, so I can't get to my office to login and post it. I keep trying every few hours, though, hoping that it's just a glitch or the IT department updating things while faculty and administration are away.

I'm looking at creating a MediaFire or ADrive account to serve the issue in the meantime. Meanwhile, I'm stealing time at the computer while I should be playing with kids or cleaning the house to prepare for my parents' post-Christmas arrival or having another of our frequent cabin-feverish spat with my wife. The joy of lower-middle-class domestic suburban life continues.

On the unexpected hiatus . . .

2008-12-15T11:41:00.003-06:00

I've been on a bender.

A combined End of Summer/Fall 2008 issue will be posted before Christmas.

I apologize to all, especially those contributers who were left in limbo while I worked things out.

All work that has been lingering in my email inbox will be considered for the Winter 2009 issue.

That is all I have to say about that.

Where did the summer go?

2008-09-22T09:08:00.002-05:00

Well, I had all good intentions to release the End of Summer issue about three weeks ago, but then things at work snowballed, and I am still behind. Between teaching, grading, committee work, writing assignments, and keeping up with my four kids, I am barely eeking out enough time to work on the journal. This week will be especially hectic, so it looks like the journal will slide another week until I officially declare it finished and post it. I'm looking at releasing it by next Friday, which would be the first time an End of Summer issue was actually released in October. Not a good milestone.

Still, I'm keeping at it. I apologize to all contributors for the delay of this issue.

Seven Things to Be Happy About Today

2008-08-29T15:06:00.005-05:00

This post was edited on 2011-03-23 to remove links to two image files.

Still working!

2008-08-29T13:17:00.011-05:00

I'm still working on the End of Summer issue. It will be posted next week, after the Labor Day weekend. It's taken a while to get this one out the door, but it's almost ready and I'm doing the final proofing now.

I'm also working on a few new chapbook projects, both of which I am woefully behind on, so I hope to make some announcements soon.

Finally, I'm experimenting with Google AdSense on the site. While I am loathe to charge for access to PM, the exchange of a few text ads inserted into the sidebar seems like a small price to pay for access to the journal and all the goodness created therein. If any money is made from this venture, I intend to begin paying contributors. Of course, that depends on if it makes any money. I've had AdSense enabled over on 7evens for about a year and I've made a grand total of fifty-two cents.

So, I'm not entirely sure I even want to do this for PM, but I thought I'd try it out. The irony, of course, is that there are a whole slew of ads for self-publishing rip-offs like AuthorHouse and Poetry.com cycling through AdSense. I've tried to filter those out, but I'm sure some will slip through. It's not that I have anything against self-publishing (far from it!) but companies that blatantly rip-off the novice piss me off. Same goes for the whole contest-mentality in the po-biz world (started by this post, here).

The poetry web is abuzz at the moment with Stacey Lynn Brown's troubles with Cider Press Review. Just let me say that I am aghast at the publisher's behavior here. I'm not damning the editors of CPR, (heck, I published a poem by Robert Wynne in Issue 14, and it was one of my favorites in that issue), but if Brown's posting on the debacle is even half-way accurate, CPR's behavior is less than professional. Although this seems to have devolved into a she-said/he-said argument where the two parties agree to disagree, ultimately what this dispute does is make all editors look like power-hungry bastards. And we're not. I swear.

I'm not perfect; I go weeks without checking my email or responding or reading submissions, as I teach and write and have a family life. As an editor, I try to be as cordial and profesisonal as possible. I want the writer to be satisfied with my treatment of his or her submission. Now that I'm branching out into online chapbooks, I want the writer's approval in almost every step of the process. There are bound to be disagreements, but at the end of the day, my job as an editor and publisher is to get the work out there as the writer envisioned it. CPR seems to have lost sight of that last part. Yes, they are running a business--and the contest model is a poor way to run a business. As Reb Livingston points out, it takes money to publish books in a physical form (and Reb produces gorgeous books on a limited budget). But, and this is a big but, it is not about the money.

Let's face some facts here. Poetry is the most maligned and misunderstood genre. Yes, people love their Dickinson and Whitman and even their Plath, but for the most part contemporary poetry is a dead-end street. Unless you are a dead musician.

Look at the Poetry Foundation's list of Best Selling Poetry. It hasn't been updated in over a year (which just goes to show how fucking irrelevant the Poetry Foundation truly is to the poetry world). But let's just do a quick check on the book listed number one last year, After , by Jane Hirshfield. It's Amazon.com sales rank right now, as I write this at 2:00 pm CST on August 29, 2008?

325,411.

That's right. 325,411. In paperback. In hardcover? 385,418. Hardcover bargin price? 1,180,737.

Yep.

For a book that has been out since 2006, and was supposedly a best seller.

Here's the bestselling poetry books on Amazon.com. What do you notice? Most of them are by long-dead Latin and Greek guys, with "inspirational as ever" Maya Angelou thrown in at #15 [sorry, no link, as I dispise Angelou's "poetry"] and Gloria Anzalda's excellent book of essays and poetry, which seems to be required reading for some Latino/Latina Literature courses (because it's eligible for the Amazon Fall Textbook promotion). And no, I'm not discounting Angelou and Anzalda because they're minority women. I'm discounting them because Angelou is a poetry hack (good writer, bad poet, kinda like Neil Gaiman), and Anzalda's book is more an exploratory essay.

But leaving out the anthologies and the obvious syllabi fillers, what is the first book besides' Oprah's adopted godmother that pops out as being something that the average reader might pick up? This one. #5,416 in Books at Amazon.com.

God, I love America.

My point? Good poets, worthy poets, poets worth reading not because their mothers are milking their journals for every last dime they can wring from their dead son's popularity, need thoughtful publishing partners to get their work to a wider audience.

It's not about money. It's not about sales ranks. It's not about becoming a poetry superstar.

It's about the words.

It's tough being a poet. It's even worse when publishers act like jerks. Even if they aren't jerks.

Submissions Back Open

2008-08-04T14:39:00.001-05:00

FYI: I'm reading submissions again.

Back to Normal

2008-08-04T14:24:00.004-05:00

After a frustrating week of URL forwarding foul-ups, bounced emails, and general internet confusion and wackiness with the poetrymidwest.org domain name, things are finally back to normal.

In short, Yahoo! discontinued their Personal Address service, which I had been using since 2002 to manage the poetrymidwest.org domain name and associated email accounts. Yahoo! switched me to a Yahoo! Small Business account without notice (well, they finally sent me a notice after I lodged a tech complaint about the failure of the URL forwarding service), but I could never get it to work. After spending countless hours on hold and a general lackluster customer service response via email, I cancelled my paid Yahoo! services and jumped ship.

Now, I'm using Namecheap.com to manage the domain, URL forwarding, and email forwarding. I highly recommend the service--the cost of three years of renewing the poetrymidwest.org domain name was less than 1 year of service with Yahoo!. At $9.95 a year, I was a sucker to stick with Yahoo! for so long. I've been worried about Microsoft's attempts to take over Yahoo! since the rumors started swirling late last year, and I guess it was just the right time for me to jump ship. I've never been a Yahoo! loyalist, and while I'm not an ardant Microsogt hater (although I am a life-long Mac user), Microsoft's market power just gives me the willies. Microsoft fouled up Hotmail back in the mid-1990s, and any takeover of Yahoo! will probably result in foul-ups to Yahoo! Mail and other web services, too. I'm just sorry to see Yahoo! start that slide prematurely.

All Poetry Midwest email is now being forwarded to a Gmail account (which are free), and Gmail offers POP access (meaning you can download your email to an email client like Entourage, Apple Mail, etc.) for free--something that Yahoo! charges $19.99 a year to do. While I'll be keeping my Yahoo! Mail Plus account for the short-term future because that's the account I use for all my family & non-Poetry Midwest stuff, I am seriously examining switching over to Gmail on a permanent basis.

At any rate, everything is functioning normally now, and I'm opening submissions up again.

Not accepting submissions until further notice

2008-07-29T10:38:00.004-05:00

Well, I was hoping that Yahoo! would iron out the domain name problems, but since they have gone on for over a week, I had no choice but to cut my losses and jump to a different Domain Name Registrar service.

There will be a few hiccups in the days to come as I get all the email address forwarding worked out, so I am going to put a temporary stop on submissions for a week or so. Hopefully everything will iron out soon.

DNS problems

2008-07-23T09:02:00.004-05:00

There seems to be an error with the DNS servers this morning. Trying to get to http://www.poetrymidwest.org leads to Yahoo! Small Business services, which is the service I use to manage the web address and email for Poetry Midwest. But typing http://poetrymidwest.org gets you to this site with no problems.

Supposedly there is a major push going on right now to patch DNS systems across the Internet. See this article at Wired.com for more nerdy, geeky details.

Hopefully, all this will be sorted out soon. Otherwise. . . I don't know if there is an otherwise.

Summer is when you take your time

2008-07-07T18:35:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm officially a week behind schedule for the Spring/Summer 2008 issue. I've still got a batch of acceptances to send out, so folks who submitted prior to the S/S 2008 cutoff should hear some news soon.

Also, I've lined up two more chapbooks that will be coming out in the next few months. More details once contracts are accepted and details worked out.

On that note, at this stage I am not looking at unsolicited chapbook manuscripts, so please hold off on querying or sending me your manuscripts until such time as I decide to open the floodgates. On the other hand, I am constantly seeking new work for the journal, and for the broadside series, which has gone on a bit without a new installment. So keep submitting your poems, micro-fiction, and creative briefs!

Closing Spring/Summer 2008 Submissions

2008-06-23T13:39:00.002-05:00

I'm going to close the gate on submissions for the Spring/Summer 2008 issue. As of today, anything streaming in to my submission inbox will be considered for the Fall 2008 issue.

I'll be sending out acceptance letters for the Spring/Summer 2008 issue in the next few days. Rejections are going out today and tomorrow.

Announcement: New Chapbook Available

2008-06-03T11:48:00.010-05:00

I am very pleased to announce the release of Peter Joseph Gloviczki's Drinking River Water, the first chapbook from Poetry Midwest.

I've uploaded the file in three flavors:

Downloadable PDF

Imposed PDF for duplex printing (make your own book!)

Viewable at Issuu.com, which, quite frankly, is the coolest option.

Congratulations!

2008-04-03T10:23:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to The Great American Pinup team member Forrest Gander, who was recently named 2008 Guggenheim Fellow in Poetry.

The entire list of Guggenheim Fellows can be found here.

Other winners in the Poetry field are:

Meena Alexander
Rae Armantrout
Tim Bowling
Michael Paul Burkard
Dan Chiasson
Bob Hicok
Jack Marshall
Reginald Shepherd
Bill Zavatsky

End of Winter 2008 Issue Released

2008-03-26T14:23:00.004-05:00

I am happy to announce the release of the End of Winter 2008 edition (Issue 21) of Poetry Midwest.

This issue features new work by:

poetic advice

2008-03-10T14:50:00.001-05:00

52. Whatever you do, don't imitate Longfellow. Not even on purpose.

poetic advice

2008-03-10T14:49:00.001-05:00

117. No one wants to read your poem about "darkness." Turn on a fucking light already.

poetic advice

2008-03-10T14:48:00.001-05:00

8. Just because it rhymes does not mean it is poetry.

poetic advice

2008-03-10T14:45:00.001-05:00

7. Poems do not always rhyme.

Winter 2008 Acceptances & Hints At New Developments

2008-03-07T14:40:00.006-06:00

I just sent the last round of acceptance emails for the Winter 2008 issue.

With any luck, this issue will be out within the next two weeks. Right now, I'm looking at a March 17th release date, but it could get pushed back a few days. Otherwise, this seems right on schedule for release during the third week of March.

I've started reading for the Spring/Summer 2008 issue, and I'm still searching for a poems for the Poetry Midwest Broadside Series.

And, once the Winter 2008 issue is out the door, I'll be officially announcing a new sideline for Poetry Midwest: electronic chapbooks.

Seven Possible Band Names Based on Recalled Children's Toys

2008-02-18T16:31:00.002-06:00

Leadladen Diego

Fire Hazard Helicopter

Lacerating Skippy

The Ride-On Toys

The Aquadot Knockouts

Cadoo Die

The Tip-over Stoves

Closing Winter 2008 Reading Period

2008-02-18T15:43:00.004-06:00

I'm closing the reading period for the Winter 2008 issue. Anything submitted from here on out will be considered for the Spring/Summer 2008 issue, which will be posted sometime in mid-June or early July.

I'm still making selections for the Winter 2008 issue based on the submissions received. I've sent a lot of rejection letters already--be sure to check your inbox and your spam/junk mail folders, especially if you use Gmail or Hotmail; Hotmail seems to hate the poetrymidwest.org domain.

That said, if you haven't gotten a rejection or acceptance email yet, that just means I haven't made a final decision on your submission.

Speaking of submissions:

I'm really good about getting back to people. When a submission is received, my email program automatically spits out a confirmation message letting you know that I received your submission. I read and respond with a rejection or acceptance for each and every submission. I do this by hitting the "reply" button in my email client, so you are getting the response sent to the email address you sent the submission from. If it's been over six months since you've gotten a decision on your submission, assume that I responded and that one of the following happened:

Sorry if I sound like a grump. Wait . . . no, I'm not. In the meantime, I'm moving on.

AWP

2008-02-04T10:50:00.000-06:00

Okay, the headline is cheap. I just put that there to draw extra traffic when people are doing the Google.

Back

2008-01-16T11:09:00.000-06:00

I'm back in the office after an extended break from teaching and editing. It was nice to get away from teh internetz for a while and deal with some real face-to-face communication. But now that a new semester is underway at the college, I'm back to reading submissions and selecting works for the Winter 2008 issue.

I'll be sending out the first round of acceptances later this week, with another round by the end of January, and a final round after the close of submissions for the issue--after February 16th.

Seven Things That Sorta Sound Like "Chalupa"

2008-01-16T10:50:00.002-06:00

Goombah

Chaco

Palooka

Bazooka

Burqa

Ménage à trois

Chaquita

A Slight Pause

2007-12-20T15:10:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a break from reading submissions until January 10th. You can still submit between now and then, but I'm going to let things sit in my inbox. I won't be checking the submissions email account, so don't expect an acknowledgment of your submission until after I return online.

Facebook Group Created

2007-12-13T11:16:00.000-06:00

If you have a Facebook account, you can now join our Facebook group here.

Fall 2007 Issue Released

2007-12-13T10:46:00.000-06:00

I'm happy to announce the release of the Fall 2007 Issue (#20) of Poetry Midwest. This issue features work by:

*Pushcart Prize nominee for this issue.

In addition to the fine poems and prose, this issue also sports a new design and layout, with a spiffy new template featuring easer-to-read-onscreen fonts. I'm excited to bring this new issue forward, and look forward to your response.

Seven Spork Alternatives

2007-12-12T16:00:00.002-06:00

Foon

Knork

Spife

Knoon

Snork

Fpion

Scion

2007 Pushcart Nominees

2007-11-23T15:15:00.000-06:00

Herewith are the list of writers and their works which Poetry Midwest is nominating for this year's Pushcart Prize:

Winter 2007 (Winter's End 2007)
Jack Conway, "The Wound of Being Never Heals"
Kathryn Jacobs, "Laying Up"

Spring/Summer 2007 (Summer's End 2007)
Jen Karetnick, "Milagros"
Elizabeth Langemak, "To Sentimentality"

Fall 2007 (forthcoming)
Matthew Guenette, "Silver Spoons: The Lost Episodes"
Colin McDonald, "what's left of the flooding"

The Seven Stages of Poetry

2007-11-19T11:10:00.002-06:00

Discovery

Zeal

Introspection (also known as Emo)

Reflection

Apathy

Atrophy

Readership

Fall 2007 Submissions Closed

2007-11-12T10:17:00.000-06:00

As the title to this post indicates, anything received from here on out will be considered for the Winter 2008 issue.

I'll be making final selections for the Fall 2007 issue this week.

Away for a few days - deadline for Fall issue extended

2007-11-08T19:20:00.000-06:00

I'm out of town on a textbook junket until Monday, November 12, so I am extending the Fall 2007 deadline until I return. Anything that comes in after that date will be considered for the Winter 2008 issue instead.

I've selected and accepted a fair number of pieces so far, and have begin layout on those pieces. I'm still considering submissions, sifting my inbox for work that compliments what I already have. I also have lined up a few pieces for the Winter 2008 issue, so rest assured that I am NOT going to fall as far behind as I did with the previous two issues.

I will also be announcing Poetry Midwest's Pushcart Prize nominees next week, after I have made final selections for the Fall 2007 issue. The Pushcart nominations are due by December 1, and I nominate two (2) pieces from each issue published during the year. Check back for that update next Friday.

Seven Things I Noticed About San Francisco on My Ride from SFO to My Hotel

2007-11-08T19:06:00.002-06:00

Ocean air doesn't do shit to help the industrial side of town look pretty for the tourists.

Much better graffiti artistry than in KC.

White people over here, everyone else over there (hey, not that different from KC afterall!).

Hey, isn't that the same crazy Rastifarian who used to sleep in Forest Park in St. Louis?

Golden Gate not so Golden, more like Dirty Industrial Orange.

Transamerica Pyramid = Architectural Penile Envy.

Google indexing in progress.

Poetry Midwest Broadside Series #3

2007-10-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

I'm pleased as punch to announce the third installment in the Poetry Midwest Broadside Series, Lisa Bellamy's "Whiskey Psalm".

Lisa will also have a poem appearing in the Fall 2007 installment (Issue 20) of Poetry Midwest.

Seven Scary Halloween Costumes

2007-10-26T10:51:00.002-05:00

Bulimic Vampire

Poet

Werewolf of London with a Chinese menu in his hand

This one . . .

And this one . . .

Slime mold

Barack Osama

NOT "Midwest Poetry Review"

2007-10-23T14:47:00.000-05:00

Evidently, there is some confusion over the name of this journal. You'd think that folks would check out the website and double check the name of the magazine they are submitting to when they submit their work for consideration, but I guess I put too much faith in people's intelligence. But after reading the sixth submission this morning that screwed up the name of this journal, I think a little correction is due.

This is Poetry Midwest. It's published by me, Matthew W. Schmeer. It's published in the Midwest (far eastern Kansas). It's an online-only magazine--no dead tree issue.

Midwest Poetry Review, however, is published out of Florida and is edited by Pariksith Singh. That journal does not have a web presence. Here is that journal's address:

Midwest Poetry Review
7443 Oak Tree Lane
Spring Hill, FL 34607-2324

According to this website and this website, MPR hasn't responded to queries since 2004.

Meanwhile, I responded to stuff right before posting this.

OK. To recap: Poetry Midwest is NOT the same as Midwest Poetry Review. Oh, sure, MPR is probably more prestigious because it's indexed in a few academic databases, but Poetry Midwest is easier to find using The Google.

Issue 19: End of Summer 2007

2007-10-12T13:16:00.000-05:00

The End of Summer 2007 issue is finally here! It's the biggest issue of the journal yet (100+ pages).

This issue features two long poems which explore history and memory, News, by Nancy A. Henry, and Buying the Franklin, by Robert Lietz.

Of course, there is other fantastic writing as well, by writers almost too numerous to list (but of course, I'm going to list them anyway). Folks with work in this issue include:

A typo or two might have snuck through, but I'm releasing it into the wild, as I can't hold it back any more.

Grab the new issue here.

Poetry Midwest Broadside Series #2

2007-10-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to announce the release of the second installment of the Poetry Midwest Broadside Series, "Day Spree" by Tom Deiker.

Check it out here.

What is the Broadside Series? Simply a way to showcase individual works which catch my fancy. I'll put them online on an irregular basis (well, more irregular than the journal has been!). Whenever I find work that strikes me, but doesn't fit into an issue of the journal currently under production, I'll query the writer about publishing it as a broadside. All work submitted to Poetry Midwest will be considered for both the journal and the broadside series.

Thanks for grazing. . .

Look, an interview!

2007-10-03T13:24:00.000-05:00

I was recently interviewed via email by Didi Menendez for one of her multiple online poetry projects. You can check out my self-deprecating humor and killer recipe for Ultimate Chocolate Irish Cream Cake here.

Also, I'll be posting the newest entry in the Poetry Midwest Broadside Series tomorrow, a lovely piece by Tom Deiker entitled "Day Spree."

Issue 19 of the magazine is in final proofing stages, and should be posted either this weekend, or late Monday afternoon.

Seven Signs Your Significant Other is Having a Midlife Crisis But Isn't Really Serious About It

2007-10-01T16:00:00.002-05:00

Jokes about trading you in for two twenty-year-old single malt scotches

Turns much-beloved 1988 Iron Maiden World Tour t-shirt into lovely throwpillow cover

Begins hanging out with guys and buying cigars, but only the pink bubblegum kind

Decides to bring back the mullet, despite the comb-over

Buys a convertible hatchback

Cancels subscription to the Times, starts subscription to Stone Soup

Rides a Big Wheel to work

Seven Grounds for Divorce

2007-10-01T15:54:00.002-05:00

He's Folger's Decaf, she's micro-ground full-bodied Colombian Supreme

Morning breath

Secret family living in Delaware not really a secret, or in Delaware

Irreconcilable checkbooks

Covert CIA infiltration

She says po-tay-to, he says po-ta-to

Celebritius Stupiditia

Seven Expired Coupons On My Corkboard At Home

2007-09-19T11:23:00.002-05:00

$1.00 off Vaseline

$1.00 off Rayovac AA batteries

10% off next purchase at Hy-Vee

75¢ off Pampers purchase

Free laundry bag with first dry cleaning order at Imperial Cleaners

15% off full case wine purchase at Knocky's Liquor

Free consultation with Mavis Gambini, attorney-at-law

Sooooo Overdue . . . (in which the editor engages in a litany of tired excuses)

2007-09-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

Man, I'm a schmuck.

The latest installment of Poetry Midwest, which was supposed to be a Spring/Summer issue, is now officially an End of Summer issue.

I don't know what happened. Chalk it up to a matter of priorities. I've been focusing on teaching this semester, and also working on several service-to-the-institution endeavors, taking over as editor of an in-house newsletter and serving on an academic committee that revels in the detailed minutea of course proposals (and no, "detailed minutea" is not redundant). And, of course, I have a personal life and all. So, I let the magazine slide. My fault, my apologies.

I'll have the new issue online within the next two weeks. In the meantime, peruse the back issues. Them's good readin'.

Seven Animal-based Food Products That Should Be Renamed For Accuracy

2007-09-06T13:39:00.002-05:00

Beef

Venison

Chop suey

Paté

Mutton

Crisco®

New Issue Coming Together

2007-08-17T15:14:00.001-05:00

The new issue is almost complete. I'm awaiting permission releases for a few acceptances that are substitutions for work which authors pulled at the last minute. I hope (hope) to have the new issue out before the end of August.

Seven Random Objects

2007-08-17T11:49:00.002-05:00

Speedometer

Flypaper

Neptune

Spatula

Keyboard

Mortar

Bears

Seven Sounds That Mean "Um"

2007-08-17T11:46:00.002-05:00

Nnhh

Seven Untested Ice Cream Flavors

2007-08-17T11:40:00.002-05:00

Broccoli Road

Chocolate Chipotle Surprise

Brussels Sprouts & Mallow

Kidney Pie Delite

Butterscotchtape

Llamaliscious Caramel

Chunky Habanero French Vanilla Swirl

Late, late, late, late, late

2007-08-13T15:27:00.000-05:00

This has been the year of being (a) behind.

The Spring/Summer 2007 issue has turned into an End of Summer issue. I'm in the process of layout now, waiting for the last of the permission releases to trickle in.

More news soon. I promise. In the meantime, amuse yourself here.