The wonderful author Tayari Jones has started a fun new feature on her blog called Cocktails with Writers. I contributed a Self Storage-related, Afghan-inspired drink, Rose Petal Iced Tea. Come have a glass with me!

Marshal Zeringue asked me to cast Self Storage for his blog My Book, The Movie. Here is what I came up with.

If you're interested in using your writing to make a difference, I've created a new online course for the UCLA Writers' Program this Spring (April 16-June 18): Writing for Social Change. Here's the description...

Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and we also can write the change we wish to see in the world. Every voice has the power to inspire change. In this course, weekly reading assignments allow you to explore how different writers have used their work as a tool for social justice. Weekly writing assignments help you explore how your own work--be it poetry, fiction, or nonfiction--can bear witness to injustice and create a more peaceful future. By the end of the course, you produce at least one polished piece of writing in the genre of your choice. You also gain greater understanding of the power of your own voice and discover venues where you can send your work into the world (and change the world in the process!)

For more info, click here or send your questions my way. It would be great to see you in class!

Kelly Spitzer is profiling me over at her blog. Kelly asked great questions--I shared things with her that I haven't shared in other interviews. Check it out--you can even win a signed copy of Self Storage if you share your own self storage story!

I think I may need to take a trip to Houston to visit the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. I loved loved loved the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore (thanks again for the tip, Romalyn!), plus the Orange Show is an homage to fruit--the orange, to be exact. Here's the info:

The Orange Show is a folk-art environment - a monumental work of handmade architecture - in Houston's east end. It was built single handedly from 1956 until its completion in 1979, by the late Jefferson Davis McKissack, Houston postal worker. The outdoor 3,000 square foot monument is maze like in design and includes an oasis, a wishing well, a pond, a stage, a museum, a gift shop, and several upper decks. It is constructed of concrete, brick, steel and found objects including gears, tiles, wagon wheels, mannequins, tractor seats and statuettes.

Jeff McKissack's creation extols the virtues of his favorite fruit and encourages visitors of all ages to follow his theories relating health and longevity to good nutrition, hard work and eating oranges. The Orange Show is one of the most important folk art environments in the United States.

Very cool, yes?

This morning, I went to the farmers market in the Sears parking lot and an older Italian gentleman at one of the stands waved me over. "Would you like a sample?" he whispered conspiratorially, then handed me a juicy wedge of orange. "You like?" he asked and I nodded, even though I had just brushed my teeth and it made the orange taste bitter. He held out a whole orange and looked around surreptitiously. "Take this," he said. "Take it before anyone sees me give you one for free." I slipped it into my bag next to the beautiful green lettuce and felt I had been given a real treasure. I didn't buy any oranges from him, but I did buy half a pound of my benefactor's dried jujubes (the fruit, not the candy. They're supposedly good for the stomach and can be boiled for tea. I like their strange, spongy, dusty texture.)

I find myself hungry for oranges now; I'm glad I still have that sweetly gifted one (and didn't just brush my teeth)!

Just a reminder: this Saturday, I'll be teaching a free class on Marketing for Writers at the Riverside Public Library from 2-4. We'll talk about fun things like submitting to agents and publishers (and even making cool little YouTube trailers!) Bring your questions and writerly dreams.

Also, this Sunday, I'm going to be part of an amazing CODEPINK International Women's Day Activist Training Camp in Malibu.

Join us on March 9th to celebrate International Women's Day CODEPINK-style with an informative and inspirational activist training day camp. We're planning an exciting Sunday of workshops, group activities, a delicious lunch, and special guest performances! Learn how to organize creative peace actions, know your rights, become an activist writer, gain a deeper understanding of the peace movement and the ongoing occupation of Iraq, and help create banners for actions on the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq. Bring your talents, passion for peace, and your creative ideas and join us in the LA area!

I'm thrilled to be part of it.

There will be inspiring International Women's Day activist trainings offered all over the country this weekend. Click here to find one in your region. Also, click here to sign CODEPINK's letter to remind women members of Congress to take action to support Iraqi women. Women for Women International recently published a deeply disturbing report about the dire situation of women in Iraq. Let's do what we can this International Women's Day to honor Iraqi women and make sure their voices are heard.

In response to the recent spate of fraudulent memoirs, Salon posted a satirical memo by Louis Bayard that posits how editors would respond to certain classic books today to avoid further scandal. (Under "The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas" by Gertrude Stein, for instance, it says "Written by someone else. Please change title.")

The Song of Myself one especially cracked me up:

"Reviewers have flagged the following line:

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then, I contradict myself ...

This is the kind of factual defiance we will no longer accept from our memoirists. Please change second line to: 'Sorry.'"

Somehow, I don't think Walt would be very happy with that suggested edit! It actually reminds me of the opening of Self Storage:

I celebrate myself.
Sorry, I just can't do it.

I hope Walt would be happy with what I did with his words...

Susan Ito is a comma. Apparently, I am too!

You Are a Comma

You are open minded and extremely optimistic. You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything. You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests. You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time. Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to. (But with so many competing interests, you friends do feel like you hardly have time for them.) You excel in: Inspiring people You get along best with: The Question Mark

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

I like the thought of being a comma, a brief pause between two thoughts, that moment of rest between the inhale and exhale. Although I must say I've been especially enamored of semi-colons lately--maybe because I need a deeper pause these days. Do you have a favorite punctuation mark?

My friend Elizabeth Austen wrote a gorgeous poem about punctuation when we were at Antioch together. You can hear it in her own voice if you click the third track here.

Until recently, when my dad had trouble going to sleep, he would count backwards (from 10 or 5, I can't remember) and then say "McCain" in his mind. My dad figured if John McCain could get through years of life as a POW, he himself could get through another sleepless night. McCain's name was a soothing mantra, a source of comfort, even though my dad's a lifelong Democrat. He doesn't repeat it any longer. This letter he wrote to the North County Times will help you understand why:

I Worry About John McCain by Buzz Brandeis

John McCain is a hero, having courageously survived over five years of imprisonment in Vietnam. He has served his country well during his many years in Congress.

I admire John McCain. But I also worry about him as a candidate for President of the United States. It's because of his attitude about war. When he fervently speaks of war, it's as though he has a personal score to settle. It seems that he has a psychological need to win wars.

McCain's commercials refer to him as our next Commander-in-Chief. I know that's campaign rhetoric to portray him as a strong leader. But McCain wants to be referred to as "Commander-in-Chief".

Yes, it's dangerous world with many threats to our security. The United States must always be strong and vigilant. But we must not believe in the inevitability of war as McCain obviously does when he says " There's going to be other wars....we will never surrender but there will be other wars".

If our President believes in the inevitability of war, there will be war. If, however, our President believes it's possible to settle differences peacefully, then, at least, there is the possibility that there can be peace.

If McCain is elected and becomes our Commander-in-Chief, which is the office he's running for, I fear that one of those "other wars" will be McCain's war because he will carry his self-fulfilling prophecy into the White House. Then he can go down in history as America's Great War President.

I hope our next President will be remembered as America's Great Peace President.

I hope so, too, my Papa.

Cati tagged me to write a six-word memoir, a meme inspired by the smash hit new book, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. I've been wanting to try my hand at one since I first heard about the book, so I'm glad for the chance. Here goes, off the top off my head:

Shy unless I'm writing or dancing.

I'm a lot less shy than I used to be, but shyness is still a big part of me, as are writing and dance (my doorways to boldness). All three have been at the center of my life, of my self, since I was small. But here I am explaining away when the six words should stand on their own.

Rather than tag five specific blogs, I'll just go ahead and tag whoever wants to give it a try. Have fun...

It is my great pleasure today to introduce you to Cati Porter. I've known Cati for about 10 years; we first met at Kinko's, where she worked at the time. I would go there to make copies of my early novel manuscripts before sending them (fruitlessly, it turned out) out into the world; Cati told me she was a writer, too, and an artist, and it was always a treat to talk to her over the countertop.

When another local poet, Judy Kronenfeld, and I decided to form a monthly poetry group eight or so years ago, I decided to invite my "Kinko's friend". What a wonderful decision that was. It's been a joy to watch Cati, a passionate poet from the beginning, evolve into a truly mind-blowing poet. Cati continues to challenge and stretch herself in both form and content, crafting work that is gorgeous and strange and deep. She also does a beautiful job of reaching out to the poetry community and creating new community in the process--she founded an online poetry journal, Poemeleon, which publishes amazing work from poets around the world, each issue structured around a specific theme (if you have a persona poem, send it to her by the end of the month!) and is also a contributing editor at Babel Fruit, an online poetry journal with a human rights focus. Her first chapbook, small fruit songs, was recently released by Pudding House Publications, and her first full-length collection, Where We Dwell, will be published later this year by Mayapple Press. It's so exciting to see her work explode out into the world!

I had a chance to ask Cati a few questions. Here is the resulting conversation:

--When did you start writing poetry? How would you say your poetry has changed over the years?

Hi Gayle! Thanks for inviting me here. Writing has always been a part of my life, even when I was very young, but I think what really nudged me onto the path was having the opportunity to experience the Poets in the Schools program. I had already developed an interest in poetry and was writing my own before I even entered middle school, but in the eighth grade Jack Grapes and Doraine Poretz came into my class. We wrote poems inspired by their exercises, and we each produced a "manuscript" which we took down to the local copy shop where our crude paste-ups were turned into chapbooks. I still have mine: In My Mind and Out My Dreams. Pretty funny to look at it now, but I was so proud.

Of course, at the time, I had no understanding of craft. That's what has changed. I have slowly internalized an understanding of the elements involved in making an effective poem. I have learned to ruthlessly revise. And I have learned to accept critiques of my work without taking it personally. The best thing I have ever done for myself, as far as my writing is concerned, is join a poetry group. They have been my educators as well as my friends, and I am a better poet, maybe even a better person, because of them.

--I love the publishing trajectory of small fruit songs. Could you please share the story of how it found its way into the world (and before that, how it found its way onto the page)?

I wrote this poem called "Pomegranate, Juiced". That got me started writing a series of fruit poems. I had written at least a dozen, and then I ran across this song that resonated with what I was trying to do, and suddenly the title for the manuscript became obvious: small fruit songs. But as I tried to order the poems and put them in manuscript form, none of them seemed good enough. So I did the hard thing: I scrapped them all and began again. I decided to use fruit-related terms as titles. I browsed through the dictionary under the word "fruit", then the etymological dictionary, for words that were rooted in "fruit", and made a list of the most interesting ones: civil fruit, fructus industriales, fructify, even frugal. When I sat down to write the poems seemed to come all at once, with a rhythm of their own, arriving almost fully intact. In one day I wrote ten, then three more the next; by the end of the weekend I had a complete chapbook-length manuscript. I had already been researching small presses -- reading periods, contests, who accepted manuscripts via e-mail, who didn't -- and decided on a whim to send it to a press that had already turned down my other manuscript -- I figured I had nothing to lose, and their website boasts a twenty-four turnaround on decisions. And then I waited for what I knew would be a rejection note. After three days I still hadn't heard anything back, so I queried. The answer Yes, they loved it and wanted to publish it.

--How would you describe your writing process? You are also a visual artist; could you touch upon whether that process is similar to your writing process, or is it a different experience entirely?

My experience with writing the fruit poems was unusual, in that I usually labor over a poem for days before I think it's done or get tired of it. Then I'll put it away and pull it back out months down the road and revise again. As for differences or similarities in process, I have a tendency to overwrite, to overpaint, but it's much harder to revise a canvas than it is to revise a poem. And with painting -- I love the smell of the paint, the turpentine; it's almost euphoric, and there's a sort of mindlessness to it. With writing, it's all mind. When I try to pull myself out of it, it's a little like stepping out of a dark theater -- it takes some time to adjust. And I'm definitely one of those writers who are dependent upon the computer. I rarely attempt to write anything out by hand. It helps me maintain a level of detachment from the work.

--What inspired you to create Poemeleon?

Poemeleon, in a bizarre twist, is directly attributable to my husband, who is not a poet and has no interest in poetry and in fact wishes I could just be a 'normal' housewife! We were standing in the kitchen one evening after dinner, and I was grousing about how long it was taking an editor to get back to me about a submission. He said, "Well, why don't you start your own journal?" And so I immediately began researching what was involved and with a month I had rudimentary website up and sent out my first call for submissions! Two years down the road, I now have a nice website, two associate editors, a book review editor, and am preparing to launch our fifth issue.

--What has editing poetry taught you about writing poetry?

Everyone tells you that reading is essential in order to grow as a writer, as a poet. Reading submissions gives me a window into what is going on in the poetry community.

In a sense, the journal has become an integral part of my education as a poet, and I consider it an extension of myself. Each issue is devoted to something different, determined by whatever it is I happen to be interested in when it's time to put out the call for a new issue. We've done poems of place, ekphrastic poems, poems in form, prose poems, and now the persona poem. With each issue, I have done significant reading -- even entire writing projects of my own -- in preparation for it. It provides me an opportunity to research aspects of craft that I want to learn more about, to read as many examples of it as I can, and to learn from the mistakes of others,

The more good poetry one reads, the easier it is to distinguish the good from the bad, or even harder, the excellent from the merely competent. In that way, it has helped me to recognize flaws in my own work.

--How did you get involved with Babel Fruit? How, if at all, does the human rights emphasis of the site affect your editorial decisions?

Ren Powell is a friend I'd met through the Women's Poetry Listserv (Wompo). She was one of the first to submit work for the inaugural issue of Poemeleon, and when it came time for the summer reading she was, by coincidence, already planning to be in Southern California (she's a resident of Norway). After the reading, we stayed in touch. Then one day I was checking the list and there was a note from Ren -- she was starting up a literary journal as a result of her involvement with ICORN, an organization that assists with the relocation of persecuted writers. In her note, she said she was sorry she hadn't thought to ask me for advice while she was here. And so I wrote to her, and volunteered to help in any way I could. Because of the journal's affiliation with the International Cities of Refuge Network, a human rights/freedom of speech emphasis was the natural and inevitable choice, and so it became imperative that the work selected for inclusion reflect that.

--How do you balance your creative life and motherhood?

It's more like a see-saw -- some days are devoted more to writing, other days to family. But I have to believe that my children's lives have been enriched by the fact that I have integrated my creative life into my role as a mother. I've read poetry to them from very early on, and they've been to lots of readings. On a daily basis, it's hard to get everything done that needs to be done. I may have the urge to write, but if they're home I have to be in mommy mode -- helping with homework, separating the fights, etc. Just to sit on the couch with them sometimes, well, I love snuggling, but the sometimes I'm sitting there thinking, If I could just get up I could jot down this line before I forget it…. I've learned to work in writing time during odd moments, like while I'm waiting for the pasta water to boil, or after a shower, or the middle of the night!

--This is a banner year for you, with your two books bursting onto the scene. How has this success affected your writing process, or your perception of yourself as a poet?

I'm still sort of in shock. If you'd asked me a year ago, I doubt that I could have predicted this. Actually, I'm quite sure that I couldn't have. But it's not like I've turned into an overnight success. It's been a long road, and I've just turned a corner. That's all. And I just keep moving, putting one word in front of the other, like I always have, using the backspace and delete buttons liberally and without mercy or regret. While small fruit songs is all new material, the poems in Where We Dwell I've been working on for years. The majority of the poems in there have already seen publication in various online and print journals and anthologies. I think having those finally collected in book form will be a relief. I'm already beginning to explore new material.

--Who are some of your favorite poets?

Poets that I return to again and again include Elizabeth Bishop, Sylvia Plath, E.E. Cummings, William Carlos Williams, Ruth Stone, Marie Ponsot, Louise Gluck, Beth Ann Fennelly, Charles Harper Webb….

--What advice would you have for an aspiring poet? An aspiring editor?

For an aspiring poet, I know everyone's heard this, but read. Read anything and everything. Not just poetry. Let all those words and ways of writing buzz around and make connections with one another. Join or form a poetry group, go to readings, attend workshops. Learn how to revise without mercy, to be able to cut a word, a line, a stanza, if it isn't functioning. Make sure your work is ready before you start sending it out. And don't let the rejections get you down. Everyone gets them.

For an aspiring editor, if you aren't ready to found your own you can try interning with an established journal. The Council of Little Magazines and Small Presses can offer some guidance, or if there's one you'd especially like to work with, contact them about the possibility. Or if you do want to jump right in and start your own, make sure you have a vision and then stick with it. Stand behind it. And pretty soon other people will, too.

--Thank you so much, Cati! I look forward to continuing to share our journeys with poetry and publishing and life (and fruit!) in the years to come...

In honor of tomorrow's paperback release, I put together this little "trailer" for Self Storage. It was great fun to take the story from one medium to another. Enjoy!

In lieu of a more substantive post (which hopefully will come soon), I wanted to share some news:

--I am honored to have an essay about collateral damage in the powerful new book American Wars: Illusions and Realities edited by Paul Buchheit. All author proceeds will go to anti-war groups. Here are a couple of blurbs for the book:

The questions raised in these essays are the pertinent ones, and the answers developed should be pondered carefully.
*Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate

There are always alternatives to war, as the voices in this book testify. Let us listen to their voices of wisdom.
*Stephen Kinzer, author of 'Overthrow'

--Following the collateral theme, I recently found out that my short story "Collateral" (now available as a free download at Amazon.com) received a "Special Mention" from judges of the Pushcart Prize.

--My short story "Rapture" is part of a great new collection, You Have Time for This: Contemporary American Short-Short Stories, edited by Mark Budman and Tom Hazuka.

--My novel Self Storage comes out in paperback February 12th.

--I have a few events planned in the near future:

Thursday, February 7 @6pm, I will be moderating the "Coming to California" panel (featuring the amazing writers Chris Abani, Alex Espinoza, and Marisa Silver) at UCR Writers Week.

Saturday, February 9, 1-3pm, I will be part of The Business of Being a Writer panel at the Riverside Public Library

Saturday, February 16, I will speak and co-teach a workshop at the Johnston mini-college event, A Lifetime of Service and Community Activism

Tuesday, February 19 @7pm, I will read from Self Storage at the Borders in Torrance

Friday, February 22 @7pm, I will be reading poetry (and belly dancing in public for the first time in 14 years!) at the Inspire Hope benefit concert at Back to the Grind in Riverside. We will be raising funds for a family tragically affected by domestic violence.

Saturday, February 23 @5pm, I will read from Self Storage at one of my favorite bookstores, Skylight Books in L.A.

Saturday, March 8, 2-4pm, I will be teaching a workshop on Marketing for Writers at the Riverside Public Library

Friday, March 14-Sunday, March 16, I will be teaching a workshop on "The Embodied Voice" at the International Women's Writing Guild "Voices Conference" in Santa Cruz. I taught here once before and it was such a beautiful experience (and a beautiful setting!)

Hope to see you along the way!

It's been over a month since I last posted--a very life-changing month at that. I am in a new house, finding my way into this new phase of my world. But this post is not about me. This post is about Patry.

I first met Patry Francis on Readerville several years ago. I was always happy to see her postings--her voice was invariably fresh and funny and full of compassion. I would often dip into her blog, Simply Wait to follow the chronicles of her life as a writer and banquet waiter, and lose myself inside her beautiful words. The whole community celebrated when she sold her first novel, The Liar's Diary. Now, as the book is released in paperback, the community is coming together again.

Over 300 writers and readers are blogging for Patry today, helping her promote her gorgeous book as she recovers from cancer surgery. To learn how this day came about, read Susan Henderson's post here. I am so pleased to be part of this convergence. I continue to read Patry's blog, and am so moved by the strength and grace and wisdom (and humor) she embodies during her illness. In the hospital, they ask her to rate her pain, and she wonders why they don't ask her to rate her bliss (so she does it anyway--and there is much, even in the middle of the dark times.) Her words have helped me through my own time of transition.

"Simply waiting" in the Cancer Center wasn't easy. The fifteen or twenty people who sat in chairs along the periphery all looked scared and tense. No one spoke. Furtively, I checked out them out, wondering what form of the disease they had, what their prognoses might be. Were they among the statistical numbers who would beat the disease? Was I?

The first day I visited, most of the patients were a generation older than I was. What was I doing there? I wondered. It wasn't fair. Then I spotted a woman who appeared to be about the age of my oldest son. Damn. Cancer WASN'T fair. It wasn't democratic. It just was. I looked down and pretended to read People magazine.

This time, however, Nicola and I had eight month old Hank with us. How would an active, squirmy baby ever endure the kind of wait that drove adults to distraction? But it turned out that Hank found the spacious waiting room perfect for exploring on hands and knees, the coffee tables just the right height to walk around, and the seats filled with people he was eager to meet.

He started with those closest to us, and then, slowly (followed by his mum, of course) he extended his reach to everyone in the waiting room, transforming the atmosphere as he crawled around, babbling and smiling.

Strangers smiled back and called to him, "Over here, buddy." When he toppled over, people leaped up to make sure he was all right. Suddenly, Nicola and I weren't the only ones watching to make sure he didn't put anything in his mouth. Everyone in the room had his back.

Soon people were sharing stories about their children and grandchildren. When someone said that babies who don't crawl before they walk often have developmental delays later, a vigorous debate broke out.

Eventually, the conversation expanded. People discussed how far they'd traveled to get there, and worried that they'd get on the road before rush hour. A couple of men started to talk about sports.

We stopped being a bunch of solitary, anxious cancer patients, and became a room full of human beings. I forgot to think about how many patients had come in after me and heard their names called before me, or to look at my watch. What remained was the goodwill in that room, the outstretched hands, and the encouraging words to Hank when he took a couple of tentative steps between table and chair.

"Look! You're doing great. You can do it!"

On the way home, exhausted, but strangely elated, I wondered why it took a baby to release us from our fear and reveal our common humanity....

And why it took a life-threatening illness to make me realize that nothing is promised to me or to anyone else--not a single breath--that it's all a gift and I'd better savor every bit of it--even the missed exits, and the unexpected detours.

You are a gift, Patry. May you make a swift and complete recovery and may we be blessed with much more of your beautiful writing.

I went to Poets.org, the website of the Academy of American Poets, to check out which poems they are highlighting for the holiday season. When I saw that they recommend Archaic Torso of Apollo by Rainer Maria Rilke for New Year's, my breath stopped for a moment. This poem has spoken to me before, but never more than now.

May the holidays and the New Year bring you peace and joy and, if this poem speaks to you the way it does to me, fruitful transformation.

I have a couple of fun events this week; swing by if you can:

Wednesday, December 5, I will be speaking about writing and activism at the University of Redlands, 1200 E. Colton Avenue, Redlands, CA in Gregory Hall, room 161 (in the Science Complex) at 7pm.

Thursday, December 6, I will be part of a poetry event called “Women's Work” at the Riverside Public Library, 3581 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA at 6:30pm. I'll be reading with a bunch of amazing women poets, all friends; we'll also be discussing how our work relates to the "wisdom of the divine feminine."

Thanks to my friend Susan Ito's blog, I discovered freerice.com, a web site where you can both test your vocabulary and help end hunger all at one (for every correct answer, they donate 10 grains of rice through the United Nations World Food Program.) What a cool, fun way to combine literacy and human rights!

Some fun news--I learned that Target has chosen Self Storage as a "Breakout Book" for the month of February (when the paperback comes out) and will feature it on their "Bookmarked" shelves around the country. I love me some Tar-jay!

This is a picture of what was once Bransky's Hall, the aforementioned ice cream shop owned by my great grandfather in Baltimore (which I learned was also a confectionery and a place to buy coal. The Branksys lived there, too--I imagine on the upper levels.) It was very exciting to learn the address, to find more about the place through the archives at the Jewish Museum of Maryland. Driving to the place itself was quite a terrifying adventure--the neighborhood is very economically depressed now, and I guess I looked like a target in my shiny rental car; I had to do some scary and illegal maneuvers to get away from a beat up van that was trailing me, and I had to race away from a couple of women chasing my car on foot. My finger is in this cell phone photo because the picture was taken in great haste. I wish I could have gotten out of the car, examined the building, touched the original brick that still edges one wall, but I'm so happy to just be able to place the building geographically, to begin to visualize it as it once must have been.

My trip was wonderful--beautiful family togetherness, amazing food (including one of the best new pickles ever at Attman's Delicatessen, which has been around since 1915 and has some fun menu listings, a "Gay Liver-ation" sandwich among them), kick ass bookstores (including a progressive one, and a totally free one), a quick trip to the CODEPINK house in DC, and a stop at the American Visionary Art Museum, which houses one of the most wild and awe-inspiring collections I have seen. My time at Cecil College was a lot of fun, too--I surprised both myself and the audience by singing a bit from Annie Get Your Gun during my talk (I wasn't expecting to do that at all, but the talk was on a stage that was set for a play, and it just triggered something in me.) I'm grateful for the warm welcome there, for the time spent with my sisters, for the time spent reconnecting with my roots, even for the time spent running for my life. Re-entry into my life here has been a bit discombobulating--I got home late Wednesday, taught all day Thursday, and my daughter had her tonsils out this morning--but I am grateful for all of that, as well (especially the fact that Hannah is recovering so beautifully! I wish Bransky's Hall was still around so I could give her some ice cream made by her great-great-grandfather to soothe her aching throat...)

Good luck to everyone who signed up for NaNoWriMo this year! Like a fool, I signed up, myself, fully intending to fall wayyyyy short of the 50,000 word mark. I'm already ridiculously behind. I just wanted to give myself some inspiration to move forward with my novel this month, even in the midst of total life chaos, plus I love the camaraderie of NaNo. Hopefully I'll spill a few words before December.

This Friday, I leave for Baltimore. If you happen to be in the area, I will be speaking at Cecil College on Nov. 13, talking about art and activism. You can find more info here. I'm so excited. My father's family landed in Baltimore after fleeing Russia, and stayed for many years, my great great grandfather funding college education for his 10 children through his ice cream store (which began as a shaved ice cart.) I've never been there myself and am eager to explore my roots and visit relatives who live in the area (as well as my sister who is flying in from Toronto). Speaking of family, please send good thoughts to my brother's liver. He just got a new one today.

I'm doing a couple of events this weekend. Come say hello if you can (and if you come on Sunday, bring a poem or two for the open mic!):

Saturday, October 27

California Writers Week Author Panel

A panel discussion featuring five authors: Judith Merkle Riley (Water Devil-a Margaret Ashbury Novel), Gayle Brandeis (Book of Dead Birds and Self-Storage), Jim Brown (The Los Angeles Diaries), Maurya Simon (Ghost Orchid) and journalist Mike Rappaport. Get your questions ready. They'll answer them.

October 27, 2007 11:00 AM
Location: In Store

Montclair
5055 S. Plaza Lane
Montclair, CA
Phone:909.625.0424

Sunday, October 28

OUR POETIC SOULS - Where words go when they want to play
Sunday October 28 - 2:30 PM to 5 PM San Dimas, CA
featured poets and open mic poetry reading

There are two types of poets that inspire me. The first are the ones I hear and respond by saying, "I can do better than that." The second are the writers that cause me to say, "Wow! I wish I could do that. Both of this Sunday's features fall into the second category.

We are located approximately halfway between LA and the Inland Empire. We try to make the most of that location by featuring poets from both sides of the county line. It is common for poets to come from as far away as Palm Springs and Santa Monica to read on our stage. Our presenters' diverse elements of style combine to make a refreshing and intoxicating cocktail of verse that you likely will not find at any other reading.

If you are available, we'd love to have you spend a Sunday afternoon with us.


Oct 28 Features - Rick Lupert & Gayle Brandeis

Rick Lupert
Rick Lupert has been involved in the Los Angeles poetry community since 1990. He served for two years as a co-director of the Valley Contemporary Poets, a twenty-five year old non-profit organization which produces a readings and publications out of the San Fernando Valley. His poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and literary journals, including The Los Angeles Times, Chiron Review, Stirring, poeticdiversity, Zuzu's Petals, Caffeine Magazine, Blue Satellite and others. He is the author of 10 books: Paris: It's The Cheese, I Am My Own Orange County, Mowing Fargo, I'm a Jew. Are You?, Stolen Mummies, I'd Like to Bake Your Goods, (Ain't Got No Press), Lizard King of the Laundromat, Brendan Constantine is My Kind of Town (Inevitable Press), Feeding Holy Cats and Up Liberty's Skirt (Cassowary Press). He serves on the Artist and Community Advisory Council of Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice, California. (Though he's not sure how that happened or what it means.) He has hosted the long running Cobalt Café reading series in Canoga Park since 1994 and is regularly featured at venues throughout Southern California.

Gayle Brandeis
Gayle Brandeis is the author of Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write (HarperSanFrancisco), Dictionary Poems (Pudding House Publications), and The Book of Dead Birds: A Novel (HarperCollins), which won Barbara Kingsolver’s Bellwether Prize for Fiction in Support of a Literature of Social Change. Her second novel, Self Storage, has recently been published.

Gayle’s poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies (such as Salon.com, The Nation, and The Mississippi Review) and have received several awards, including the QPB/Story Magazine Short Story Award, a Barbara Mandigo Kelley Peace Poetry Award, and a grant from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund. Her essay on the meaning of liberty was one of three included in the Statue of Liberty’s Centennial time capsule in 1986. In 2004, The Writer Magazine honored Gayle with “A Writer Who Makes a Difference” Award.

Gayle holds a BA in “Poetry and Movement: Arts of Expression, Meditation and Healing” from the University of Redlands, and an MFA in Creative Writing/Fiction from Antioch University. She is writer in residence for the Mission Inn Foundation’s Family Voices Project, and has taught at universities, libraries, community centers, and writing conferences around the country. Gayle is also a community activist and was recently named Communications Goddess of the international women’s peace organization, CODEPINK. She lives in Riverside, California, with her husband and two children.

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Home Brew Coffee Company
661 West Arrow Highway
San Dimas, Ca. 91773
909-394-1964
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Our Poetic Souls
It is a laid back easy reading atmosphere for poets at all levels of experience. We appreciate the master, encourage the novice and have lots of open mic time to let you experiment with style and delivery. It is a great place to try your wings or soar to new heights.

We want to hear your work, but you may also enjoy hanging out with other poets that share your love of words. Discover great coffee or smoothies in a delightful setting and read on a stage that flashes you back to the East Village of the fifties. It is a bohemian backdrop for modern verse.

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No Fees Taken, No Fees Given
Performers are encouraged to present their works for sale
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It is easy to get there from anywhere in Southern California.
(For those unfamiliar with the area: San Dimas is on the East side of the San Gabriel Valley. It is famous as the home of Raging Waters and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. It is where the 210 and 57 freeways meet, and is only a few minutes drive from most anywhere in LA, Orange, San Bernardino, or Riverside counties. OK... the few minutes thing is a stretch if you live in Blythe, but you get the idea. It is very near the LA County Fairgrounds, so really it isn't far.)

Information including a link to a map is on the web - http://www.chrystinedrums.com/PoeticSouls.html

Located across the street from Lowes Hardware, one block North off the I-57 freeway, Arrow Highway exit. On Bonita Ave., in the shopping mall area. Corner of Bonita Ave. and Arrow Hwy. Turn in where you see the Boot Barn, look for the corner of the mall with the school house steeple.

The only way we could make this easier would be to send a limo for you. However, if you read the "No Fees" line you will understand why that is beyond our budget.

Hosts: Jim Lyon / Lee Collins / Chrystine Julian

2:30 to 2:45 - SIGN UPS FOR OPEN MIC READING.
Readings 2:45 - till we finish.
(This is a very public forum and we often have a mixed age audience, so appropriate vocabulary is a must.)

Let us know if you'd like to be featured poet at an upcoming OUR POETIC SOULS reading.

We are proud to present poets at all levels of skill and experience and would love to feature your work. Please submit samples of your work and/or a brief publishing history or other relevant information to the e-mail address below.

Contact: Jim Lyon - jamesmlyon@adelphia.net / Chrystine Julian - LadyLovesDrums@aol.com

It is such a pleasure to welcome back Donna Druchunas, whose latest book, Ethnic Knitting Discovery, was just released. Even though I am not a knitter, I am fascinated by Donna's work--she does a beautiful job weaving together her art and social change, as you can see on her Subversive Knitting page. Donna and I have been email friends for quite some time now; I look forward to one day meeting her in person! You can find out more about her work on her website, Sheep to Shawl. I am honored to be a stop on her book blog tour as she promotes her new book; what it has to say about the creative process can apply to any art, not just knitting.

>--Welcome to Fruitful, Donna!

Thank you for hosting this stop on my Ethnic Knitting Discovery blog
tour. Your book Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write
is one of my favorite writing books. It's so inspirational that I
come back to it every time I start working on a new book of my own.

--Thank you so much, Donna--that means a lot to me. You speak about how you prefer to make things up as you go along when you knit. It sounds very similar to my approach to writing. Do you approach other aspects of your life the same way, and how else do you find that your life and your art intersect?

I do a certain amount of planning in my life -- to have some sort of
overall structure -- but I like to let the details work themselves
out. For example, when I went to Europe last summer, I bought my
plane tickets and made my hotel reservations pretty far in advance,
but I didn't plan very many day-to-day activities. Instead, each
night or even in the morning, I would take a little time to think
about what I wanted to do the next day. And I didn't fill my days too
much, so if something interesting came up, I could be spontaneous. I
do approach my writing in a similar way as well. I outline my books,
and sometimes even my chapters, but I allow myself to free write and
disregard the outline as I write my first draft, and even the work
develops. I call it "having a plan from which to deviate." I hadn't
realized it before this blog tour, but several people have asked me
similar questions and it's quite interesting to see how my life, my
knitting, and my writing all function in such similar ways.

--You use knitting traditions from around the world to inspire your work. Why would you say it is important for us to explore other cultures? What have you learned about yourself by delving into these practices from around the world? What do you hope your readers will discover about the world and themselves?

It's so easy to think that everyone is just like we are, on an
individual, regional, or even on a national level, but that's just
not true. I always thought I was a little weird and my family was
strange until I went to Lithuania last summer. Suddenly, I understood
everything! It was like I had finally learned the cultural language
that my family speaks, even though we don't speak the actual
Lithuanian language (I'm learning and will be going to a 4-week
language school in Vilnius next year). We may not be normal
Americans, but even after three generations, we are still normal
Lithuanians!

I've also been reading a lot about traveling to different places. One
book that is really influencing my thoughts is Grammar Lessons:
Translating a Life In Spain by Michelle Morano. The author explores
how culture and language are all tied together and she is constantly
surprised by her own expectations and assumptions and how they are
continually torn apart by her experience with language and living in
a foreign country. The book is making me want to spend a few years
overseas. I guess I'll have to wait until I can "retire."

I'm finding that learning languages (I spent the last few years
studying German) and knitting techniques from other cultures can
break down the habits of thinking that I've been captured by for so
many years. It's an incredibly liberating experience if you can
overcome the initial fear of "otherness" that might attempt to hold
you back. Knitting -- making small stitches with yarn and sticks --
seems like such a simple task that it's hard to imagine that it can
break down so many walls in your psyche.

--I love how your book empowers knitters by giving them concrete steps for how to overcome their fears. I was particularly taken with the section where you speak of "fear of color" and "designer's block". What words of advice would you have for an artist in any discipline (including writing) who is experiencing some sort of creative block?

I think most -- if not all -- creative blocks are caused by fear or,
in its milder form, anxiety. We are afraid to fail, we are afraid to
succeed, sometimes we are even afraid to try.

I write in spiral notebooks with pink ink so I don't take myself so
seriously that I can't write at all. I write what I consider "pre"
drafts in my notebook, and I only count the material as a first draft
when I clean it up a little bit as I type it into the computer. I
find that when I write directly on the computer, I expect my thoughts
to be as neat as the type is, but when I write in my terrible
handwriting and funky colors of ink in a notebook, I let myself play
with the words and I let myself write whatever comes to the surface
without censoring myself. Some material comes out whole, like a third
draft already organized and polished, and some material comes out
like a heap of garbage with one or two interesting sentences buried
in the middle waiting for further exploration. Either way, the time
has not been wasted and I feel like I've accomplished something by
filling the pages.

In knitting, if I don't like the way something is working, I can rip
it out and start over. That's part of the beauty of the medium. In
sewing, once you cut out your pattern pieces, you are committed to
making a certain garment. But with knitting, you an unravel your
project even after it's completely finished, and your yarn is no
worse for the wear. You just wash it and reskein it, and when it's
try, you can start over again from scratch. Another liberating
revelation.

I think whatever you can do to make the "work" seem more like "play"
goes a long way to breaking through blocks. I read somewhere that the
best way to overcome writer's block is to lower your standards. I
think that's true. Like Ann Lamott, I strongly recommend letting
yourself write "shitty first drafts."

--Writing is such a process of discovery for me, so it was a treat to see that your title contains the word "Discovery." Could you speak a little bit about the role of discovery in your creative process?

The discovery is my favorite part of the process -- doing research,
trying new techniques, shopping for yarn. The conceptualization of a
project is what excites me. I know this is true for many knitters.
While many writers are afraid of the blank page that faces them when
starting a new project, we knitters love starting new projects. We
may even have 20 started projects hanging around our house waiting to
be finished, and we'll still be tempted to start something new. I
have a hard time keeping the excitement level up once a project is
starting to take shape. Then it's locked down and I feel like the
discovery part of the process is ending. I think all artists should
fiddle with other media because it gives us an opportunity to
approach our own discovery process with a different frame of mind.

--I noticed that your publisher is part of the Green Press Initiative, which is committed to preserving ancient forests and natural resources. I love that the publishing industry is becoming more conscious about their use of paper. I wonder whether the knitting world is working to become more green--in the cultures you describe, there is a real emphasis on using local wool. Is that something that American knitters are exploring, as well?

Yes, I'm very happy that I was able to work with a publisher who has
an environmental conscience. This is a trend in knitting, both in the
use of local fibers and the creation of "green" knitting supplies and
tools. Two of the major knitting publications had issues on the theme
of green knitting this year, and a wonderful book called The Natural
Knitter came out this year as well. Hand spinning and dyeing yarn
with natural materials are also gaining popularity.

--Any other thoughts or inspiration you'd like to share?

I think I've babbled enough already. Relax, breathe, have fun. Enjoy
the process. That's the best advice I can give, even if it's advice I
sometimes have trouble following myself!

--Thank you so much for all of your wise words, Donna--I need to follow this advice myself right now. It was a real treat to have you here again!

I wish I had time to write about the devastating fires blazing across Southern California; for now, I'll direct you to an essay I wrote during fire season four years ago, Smoke Inhalation.

This article in the New York Times, "Politeness and Authority at a Hilltop College in Minnesota" by Verlyn Klinkenborg really spoke to me--as a writer, a teacher, a mother of a teenage daughter, and a woman who still struggles on occasion with speaking her own truth:

And yet that is the writer’s work — to notice and question the act of noticing, to clarify again and again, to sift one’s perceptions. I’m always struck by how well fitted these young women are to be writers, if only there weren’t also something within them saying, Who cares what you notice? Who authorized you? Don’t you owe someone an apology?

Every young writer, male or female, Minnesotan or otherwise, faces questions like these at first. It’s a delicate thing, coming to the moment when you realize that your perceptions do count and that your writing can encompass them. You begin to understand how quiet, how subtle the writer’s authority really is, how little it has to do with “authority” as we usually use the word.

Young men have a way of coasting right past that point of realization without even noticing it, which is one of the reasons the world is full of male writers. But for young women, it often means a real transposition of self, a new knowledge of who they are and, in some cases, a forbidding understanding of whom they’ve been taught to be.

Perhaps the world will punish them for this confidence. Perhaps their self-possession will chase away everyone who can’t accept it for what it is, which may not be a terrible thing. But whenever I see this transformation — a young woman suddenly understanding the power of her perceptions, ready to look at the world unapologetically — I realize how much has been lost because of the culture of polite, self-negating silence in which they were raised.

I've been so busy, I've neglected to let you know about the October pledge at CODEPINK to Stop the Next War Now! We're asking people to pledge to do a simple action each week this month to prevent war with Iran. The first week, we connected with our hearts by printing up photos of Iranian children and creating Don't Bomb Iran necklaces; the next week, we connected with our minds by reading a list of important articles to educate ourselves about Iran; this week, we're connecting with our lawmakers by calling our Reps and asking them to sign a letter calling for congressional oversight of Bush's plans for Iran. It's not too late to join us; you can pledge here (and forward the pledge to your friends and family. Whoever inspires the most pledges will win a week at the CODEPINK house in DC!)

You can also sign our petition urging Canada and the FBI to stop blacklisting peacemakers. CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin and retired colonel and diplomat Ann Wright were denied entry at the Canadian border because they had been arrested for acts of non-violent civil disobedience. We are delivering the signatures next week to Canadian consulates around the US and directly to the Canadian parliament, as well, and we would love to get as many signatures as possible. Please help us keep the borders open for peacemakers (I feel a personal urgency with this issue since my sister lives in Canada and I can't bear the thought of not being able to visit her.)

Thanks for your support!