Schooling

Binghamton starts classes today, but my first day is tomorrow.

I didn't write much the first year, which I expected, but I'm hoping this year will change that.

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I found out near the end of the reading tour that my new manuscript, currently titled Sirens and Wildfire, was a finalist for the Akron Poetry Prize and a semi-finalist for the Cleveland State Open Competition.

Like it was when I first started sending out what finally became Ghost Lights, it's just fuel for the fire. Late nights reading poems, thinking about order, feeling out if any should be cut or if new ones should be added. All of that will continue to happen with the new manuscript, and it becomes both fun and maddening at the same time.

I have a list of contests and open reading periods for 2010 and 2011, so it's back to getting it out again soon enough.

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And somehow, since the tour, miraculously, I've been writing a lot of new poems. Since I wasn't able to send out a lot last year, I'm hoping I can have a good September to add more poems to the ones I've already written.

My goal, then, is to send out as many that I feel are ready for a big push at the beginning of October.

Maybe there's even the kernel of a third manuscript in there somewhere...?

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Speaking of submissions, it's interesting to hear all the hullabaloo about New England Review and Ploughshares charging writers to submit their work now.

My take on it personally is this...

I haven't submitted to NER for one simple reason: currently I don't, and have never, sent to places who don't accept simultaneous submissions. If I wrote as much as Bob Hicok and had his reputation, I'd have enough poems to wait on a response before sending those poems to other journals. The simple fact is, however, that I don't write enough. So I respect the policy for non-simultaneous submissions. I know many others that don't feel this way, but I do.

I've sent to Ploughshares many times in the past, with form rejections following every single time, and with chances already slim to get in (because of the notoriety of the journal, the amount of submissions they get, and the guest editor usually soliciting a lot), I'd rather submit work to other journals at this point. But Ploughshares will be in my sights for the future.

If many journals follow with charging for submissions, which I hope they won't, I'll either go back to sending via snail mail or not sending to them at all.

With so many journals out there, I just don't think this is a huge concern for me. I know where folks are coming from as far as being annoyed, but alas, if I get the itch to send to some of these places, I'll just send via snail mail, or I'll look at other journals who don't charge.

Simple as that.

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Bring on PhD year number two...

Number Five

Received a welcoming email letting me know Ghost Lights is a finalist for another first book prize. Since this is the first contest where I still have a chance to win, I imagine I shouldn't say anything else regarding the press, so I won't.

That said, I'd be thrilled if my book got picked by the judge, and this is a prize last year that sent me the "Dear Poet, here's the winner, and it's not you" letter. Somehow, though, this year I felt the press would hopefully like it and didn't lose hope, so I'm glad my tenacity paid off. The same thing with the Brittingham last year versus this year. My manuscript didn't place last year, and this year Robert Pinsky read it as one of the finalists.

How these contests can be totally unpredictable continues to blow my mind.

I can see how waiting can get agonizing, though. I liked it better when I found out I didn't win but I was finalist. Now, knowing I still can win, it's almost worse. But having a chance I suppose is better. We'll see what happens.

Finalisting

I was thrilled and shocked today when I got letters from The Zone 3 First Book Award and The Brittingham / Pollack Prizes telling me Ghost Lights was a Finalist for both of them.

I was hoping 2009 would be good, and it's started that way for sure.

Though, like everyone, I would've loved to get selected by Phillis Levin and Robert Pinsky, this only fuels the fire, as I'll be sending it out like crazy in the upcoming months.

I'm very confident with the book's structure and length and everything now, and this gives me even more.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year.

Bachelor Weekend

Clearly I am not a bachelor anymore and -- somehow fortuitously -- haven't been in a long time. But my brothers and I use the term "bachelor weekend" when our respective significant others are out of town.

Jess is out of a town for a whole week. She left this morning. She's be taking some much needed time off (I can't wait when she's applying for jobs wherever we are next year, again contingent on someone wanting me to go to their school for a Ph.D, since people will be all about hiring her wherever she applies -- she's a complete Physician Assistant badass), in addition to hopefully locking up some wedding spots, dates for both the church and the reception. I'll be trying to get a lot done this week.

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Finally received the new Fugue (though the new issue is not yet on the website) today. I don't say that with any bitterness, even though I think some contributors were a bit confused about why it took so long. Apparently, by way of a few emails from the editor, there were some production problems, and then the boxes got delivered to the wrong city. So it was a seemingly circuitous route, literally, the path the journals took to finally get here. But again, I didn't mind the wait.

And it was worth it. Brian Barker (who's already has done a first book interview and will be an official part of its continuation imminently) and his wife, amazing poet (somehow, almost laughably without a book right now -- seriously, check her work out, it's amazing) Nicky Beer (also a recent Ruth Lilly fellowship winner) are contributors, along with Mark Halliday, K.A. Hays, Richard Garcia, and many others.

I love the cover. It's my favorite cover of any journal I've seen in a while. There's just something haunting about it, and I love the dark blue along with the lighter yellow brushstrokes in the middle. I'd paint our whole apartment black if I could. I'm not a big fan of light. But I was never a goth kid in High School, I swear.

I suppose also what makes me love this issue is that includes on of my favorite poems of mine, one of the few favorites: "Poem Ending with a Hundred Year-Old House on Fire." So thank you to Fugue and all the editors. It's a great issue, and they're easily a journal I will continue submitting to in the future.

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Other good things, or rather another good thing, is that I found out ABOUT RAVISHMENT (which is now GHOST LIGHTS) was a finalist in the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry First Book Award for the second year in a row. I love love love Crab Orchard, both the journal and their books, and since I've placed three times in three submissions to their contests, I'm just very happy that they're fans of the manuscript. I'll be sending to Crab Orchard until (if and when) this manuscript gets picked up for every single contest they have. Even if I never win one of their contests, I feel great about giving the contest money to a press that I really and truly believe in and back wholeheartedly.

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Ah, the NFL season is starting. For those of you who don't really know me, I'm a New York Giants fan. A pretty die-hard Giants fan. (Yes I was born in Western Pennsylvania. No I don't like the Steelers. I pretty much hate the Steelers.) But I currently live in Richmond. It's pretty much Washington Redskins country. Most of my students are and have been Redskins fans (and to one student who said, "She-li? Come on..." the other day, I responded, "Yeah, beating the 18-0 Patriots to become Super Bowl Champions really isn't a big deal..."). I'm surrounded by everything Redskins.

This Thursday. The First Game Of The Season. We Play The Redskins.

I'm psyched. At 6:00 P.M. ET today the final cuts will be made.

So, far, by the count of the New York Giants blog, here's the roster:

QB (2): Eli Manning, David Carr

RB (6): Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Derrick Ward, Danny Ware, Reuben Droughns, Madison Hedgecock

WR (6): Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon, Sinorice Moss

TE (3): Kevin Boss, Michael Matthews, Darcy Johnson

OL (9): David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie, Guy Whimper, Adam Koets, Kevin Boothe, Grey Ruegamer

DE (4): Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Dave Tollefson, Renaldo Wynn

DT (4): Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield, Jay Alford, Rodney Leisle

LB (7): Antonio Pierce, Danny Clark, Gerris Wilkinson, Chase Blackburn, Bryan Kehl, Zak DeOssie, Jonathan Goff

CB (6): Aaron Ross, Corey Webster, Kevin Dockery, R.W. McQuarters, Sam Madison, Terrell Thomas

S (4): James Butler, Michael Johnson, Kenny Phillips, Sammy Knight

K (2): Lawrence Tynes, John Carney

P (1): Jeff Feagles

I'm very happy with the roster (and if Tynes can't go, Carney's fine with me -- as long as it's not Josh Huston, who, thankfully, has been cut), though I'm not sure about not having a third quarterback in the mix. Let's hope Eli can continue his role at staying healthy, not mention hopefully continuing in the regular season the amazing numbers he put up in the playoffs and Super Bowl.

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Is anyone else taking up the task of their Favorite 100 Movies list? Any bloggers? Anyone? Mine is coming along. It seems monumental to take up the task, but then once you have 100, it begins to narrow, and you start to question things. Can I watch this in any mood? How many times have I seen this? Does that matter versus movies I have only seen a few times? So many questions. So many movies. So many decisions.

I'm pretty sure I'll be taking a lot of shit for my list. There are so many "classics" I haven't seen. But not only was I born in 1981, I'm still going for balls-to-the-wall, the Apocalyptic List, whatever that may mean, even if it's a movie no one's heard of (but not pretentiously and forcefully so, as one may possibly assume by such a comment). Yes, folks can fill their lists with Truffaut, Wilder, Hitchcock, Godard, Bergman, and I'll have some gems listed by some of those amazing directors, but I'll also have some movies that have ripped open my stomach and pulled out my heart and showed it to me while I was trying to gasp for breath but could not. Not every movie will be like that, of course, but there will be many on the list as such.

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Cheers to everyone having a great long weekend...