Hear Me at the Houston Poetry Fest

Picture yourself seated in a small auditorium with a well lit stage in front.  A narrow podium stands in the middle, spotlighted.  The crowd is mumbling, but settling down.  In the moment before the Master of Ceremonies walks up to speak, the crowd quiets, sudden as the end of a summer rain.  The M.C. welcomes the attendees, thanks the sponsors, and introduces the first reader, who replaces the M.C. amid clapping hands, sounding as if the rain has returned.  Next, the poem infuses the air with lyrical lines, images opening into your mind like flowers and layering there with the sounds of the words as your emotions wake up and seal away the memory of the experience for you to recall another time.

This is the intimacy of poetry.  I hope I have sparked your interest in attending one of my poetry readings.  If you cannot attend one of my upcoming readings, I hope you will find a local reading to attend.  You won’t be disappointed, so give it a try.  Too busy to attend a scheduled reading?  Believe me; I know how hard that can be!  I’ve got you covered.  Details about a free audio recording of poems written about artwork here (includes links to full color reproductions of the art).  No excuses, now; go listen to some poetry.

Image courtesy of The Houston Poetry Fest

I just received news that I will read as a Juried Poet at this year’s Houston Poetry Fest.  This three day celebration of local poetry has been held each October for nearly thirty years.  I am honored to be chosen to participate for a third time (each through blind jury selection).  Previously, I read as a Juried Poet in 1993 and 2001.

The first time I participated, I was very young, still learning the craft of writing poetry, and extremely humbled that I was chosen to read on a stage with more experienced, published poets.  Now that I am one of the more experienced (and published) poets, I remain humbled, as the field of local and regional poets who apply is very deep, very diverse, and wonderfully talented.

This year, you can hear me read on Saturday, October 13^th at 7:30 p.m. at Willow Street Pump Station (part of the UH-Downtown campus, east of the main building), 811 North San Jacinto.  See the list of other poets here.  Come join us!

Each night of the Fest, you will hear Juried Poets, a Featured Poet, and a Guest Poet, starting Friday the 12^th, continuing Saturday (both at 7:30), and culminating Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.  An open mike event runs Saturday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4:30.  Full list of events here.

Also, I have more details about my reading at the South Central MLA Conference in November.  I will read on Saturday, November 10^th at 9 a.m. in the Magnolia Room of the Sheraton Gunter Hotel in downtown San Antonio, Texas.  I will share the podium with three other regional poets: Juan M. Perez, Reggie Scott Young, and Eduardo R. del Rio.

You can learn more about the conference here.  I hope you will stop by if you happen to attend the conference or live in San Antonio.

You will always find me linked at The Catholic Bloggers Network Monthly Round up.

Karri at My Life’s a Treasure hosts a weekly My Favorite Things Link up, and I am linking this post there.  

L.L. at Seedlings in Stone hosts the weekly On, In, and Around Monday Link up, “an invitation to write from where you are… [with] a sense of place.”  

Free Poetry Download and an Event

Looking for something to read?  Poetry perhaps?  Or looking for something free to read that is not a blog and that you don’t have to return to the library?  How about the booklet of the ARTlines Ekphrastic Poetry Competition Winners?  Last year, the Public Poetry Reading Series and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, paired up to host a poetry competition that invited contestants to write poems about certain works of art in the museum collection.  They have published the poems written by the winners, the honorable mentions, judges, and invited guest poets in a free downloadable PDF.

And, that is not all.  They have also published a downloadable Gallery Guide that includes a phone number you can call to listen to the winning poems read by their authors.  You can read the poems, look at the art, and listen to the authors without even visiting the museum.  I think this is a very cool thing, and a great resource for those who are interested in poetry, teaching poetry, or writing it themselves.

If you are interested, please visit the links below.  Even if you don’t have time to read or listen now, download the PDFs; the museum is going to count the number of downloads at the end of August.  Let’s show them how much we appreciate this free service by giving them a high count!

View information about the competition, the list of winners, and calling information here.

View or download the works of art PDF here.

View or download the poetry booklet PDF here.

View or download the gallery guide and phone information PDF here.

All three PDFs include full color reproductions of the art works.

My favorite poem in the collection is the one written in Spanish by William Marabella about the crosswalk art piece that is painted on the street in front of the museum entrance.  The poem is vibrant in its interaction with the art, and enthusiastic about the artwork’s unusual media.  An English translation is also included.  Honestly, if you are looking for a little poetry in your life, I couldn’t recommend a better place to start (except for my own chapbooks).

Also, next Saturday, September 1^st, Public Poetry will present four poets, DF Brown, Erica Lehrer, Thad Logan and Karyna McGlynn at their monthly event.  Starting this month, Public Poetry alumni are invited to read one poem each and sell their books after the readings.  Since I am an alumna of this reading series, I will be there on Sept. 1, so do come out and join us!  I will be selling both of my chapbooks; you can learn more about them on the My Publications page in the tabs above.  The event begins at 2 p.m. at the McGovern-Stella Link Library, 7405 Stella Link, 77025.

These events are always full of good poetry of many different types.  You don’t want to miss the poetry of Erica Lehrer, whose voice is witty and mood light hearted, even in the poems about her terminal illness.  I do hope you will join us.

Karri at My Life’s a Treasure hosts a weekly My Favorite Things Link up, and I am linking this post there.  

My Book is on Sale at a Local Bookstore

We live in a new world that I as an author am still adjusting to: many people no longer read books for pleasure, the people who still read books often buy them on-line and are growing devoted to e-book readers.  Consequently, the number of bookstores is dwindling.  Even people in my own family asked why I published a physical book instead of an e-book.  I’m old school that way.  Poetry publishers and the books they print are old school that way too.  

However, the conditions of the new literature market make it harder than ever to see a chapbook (shorter than a volume or regular length book) of poetry with a limited run from a small independent publisher for sale at an actual brick and mortar bookstore.  Thankfully, the publisher of Improbable Worlds, Mutabilis Press, based here in Houston, has arranged for a special event and exhibit at our local literary bookstore.  In honor of National Poetry Month, which begins today, Brazos Bookstore will feature a display of books by Houston poets in their store.  

My two chapbooks, Entre la claridad and Familia, are included in the display and available for sale.  So, if you live in Houston, but have not yet bought either of my books, please visit Brazos Bookstore and buy your copy.  Because they are for sale on consignment, if all the copies sell, Brazos may choose to sell the books beyond the original contract.  That would make this old school writer who still hopes to see my work in an actual physical book very happy.

Of course, you can still order Entre la claridad directly from the publisher, Mouthfeel Press.  Familia is only available directly from me or at Brazos Bookstore for a limited time.

Also in honor of National Poetry month, MutabilisPress is hosting another reading by the poets published in their anthology of spiritual poems, Improbable Worlds.  This event is at Brazos Bookstore this Thursday, April 5 at 7 p.m.  If you are planning to stop by Brazos to buy my books anyway, this would be a good night to go.   

I’m going to read a poem from Entre la claridad titled “Stations of the Cross Park, Mount St. Francis Friary,” in homage to Holy Week.  Here is an excerpt, to tease you:

Ash and pine poke through sloped banks,

a vista of miniatures versus giants.

These towers crowd and disperse,

segregate one turn, one station

of the path from another,

one solemn moment from the next.

Garden update:  In my last post, I wrote about what we planted in the garden last weekend.  All of the transplants have survived, and either the broccoli or kale seeds have sprouted in droves.  If you want some herbs or some of the new sprouts, let me know!

Book Signing, Readings, and a Link up

My publisher and I have scheduled my first book signing event for Entre la claridad!  I’ll be signing copies Thursday, March 1 from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. during the AWP Conference Bookfair in Chicago.  If you are attending this conference, look for me at the PALABRA/Con Tinta table (Southeast Hall, Table K17).  Thanks to Elena and PALABRA Literary Magazine for sharing their table space.

If you want to buy Entre la claridad, but won’t be at the conference, it is available for $7.00 from Mouthfeel Press.  You can listen to some of the poems from this book through the links on my “Audio” page above.  For future updates about my signing and reading events, check my “Upcoming Events” page above or like the Entre la claridad page on Facebook.  

On Saturday, March 3, you can also hear me read as part of the panel Border Bodies — Womanhood In Verse.  Our presentation is from 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. in Private Dining Room 2, at the Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor.  This is a panel of poets all associated with Mouthfeel Press, including Katherine Hoerth, Laura Cesarco Eglin, and Maria Miranda Maloney.  Read more about my presentation here.

This Saturday, February 25, at 2 p.m., you can hear a large group of poets published in the Mutabilis Press anthology Improbable Worlds read at Brazos Bookstore in Houston.  I will read my poem “Bat Bridge” and mingle with the other poets.  I hope you will join us.

Also, I am announcing the next link up in the Liturgical Calendar Link up Party coordinated by Xhonané at Familia Católica.  The Link up for Saint Joseph is hosted by Beatriz at Conócete a tí mismo y sé lo que eres.  Go see what other bloggers are posting about Saint Joseph’s feast day, or to link your own post.  I’m hoping to post an activity that highlights Saint Joseph’s role as protector and patron of the church.  I won’t have time to pull it all together until after I return from the conference, but I hope you will check back the second week of March!

Upcoming Readings

 

If you live in Houston, you can hear a large group of poets published in the Mutabilis Press anthology Improbable Worlds read at Brazos Bookstore on Saturday, February 25, at 2 p.m.  I will read my poem “Bat Bridge” and mingle with the other poets.  I hope you will join us.

On Saturday, March 3, you can hear me read in Chicago at the AWP Conference as part of the panel Border Bodies — Womanhood In Verse.  Our presentation is from 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. in Private Dining Room 2, at the Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor.  This is a panel of poets all associated with Mouthfeel Press, including Katherine Hoerth, Laura Cesarco Eglin, and Maria Miranda Maloney.  

My talk at AWP is not open to the public, but I hope to see you there if you are already registered for the conference.  For the rest of you, here is a preview:

I will discuss how the narratives of women’s bodily processes, such as lactation, are considered natural instead of cultural, which means they are not valued as important enough for literature.  I will read my poem about Hurricane Ike, which is about nursing my newborn during the storm.

I will discuss how a woman’s body can metaphorically represent her path in life, and read from my poem “Soy Chicana.”

Lastly, I will discuss how poems about women and their bodies offer a much needed counterpoint to the dominant narrative about border culture that is militaristic and hyper-masculine.  I plan to read from poems in process about the women murdered in Juarez.

I have other reading and writing events in the works, and will post information here, and on the “Upcoming Events” page when they are finalized.

If you want to buy my latest book, Entre la claridad, it is available for $7.00 from Mouthfeel Press.  My poem “Soy Chicana” is included.  You can listen to some of the poems from this book through the links on my “Audio” page above.

Have you liked the Entre la claridad page on Facebook?  I post notices about writing, the giveaways, and literary events there also.

Second Chance Giveaway Winner

The winner of this drawing is my friend Heather!  Contact me to collect your autographed copy of Entre la claridad.  Thank you to all the giveaway participants.  If there is enough interest in another giveaway, I will host also host one in February.  

If you have already won or purchased a copy of Entre la claridad, please send me your thoughts, reactions, reviews.  Good or bad, I’m willing to read them.

I have changed the look of the blog a little: moved some things around, added a few gadgets, and posted some new affiliations at the very bottom.  I think the sidebars look a little more organized and cleaner, even if they are a bit crowded.  

I’ve added a blog roll, listing those that include Tercets on their blog rolls.  If you want to participate in a blog roll mutual exchange, let me know.  Or, if you already list Tercets, but I have not listed your blog, tell me so.

I have been making plans for future posts.  In the works are “Stocking the Pantry for Lent,” “Not Your Ordinary Bean Dinners,” and if I can find the supplies I need, a craft for St. Valentine’s Day.  If there is anything you want to read about here, let me know.

If you want to buy Entre la claridad, it is available for $7.00 from Mouthfeel Press.  Take a look at the other books from the press while you are there; you’ll see a selection of books by innovative and talented poets in English and Spanish.  

Also, my poem “Bat Bridge” is included in the new collection of poems about the sacred by Mutabilis Press, Improbable Worlds.  Reading an anthology is a good way to familiarize yourself with poetry.  If you live in Houston, you can hear a large group of poets published in the anthology read at Brazos Bookstore on Saturday, February 25, at 2 p.m.  See the current list of future readings on my Upcoming Events page (blue bar above).

Have you liked the Entre la claridad page on Facebook?  I post notices about writing, the giveaways, and literary events there also.  Maybe I’ll make a Facebook page for Tercets one of these days. 

Two Readings This Week

You have two chances to listen to me read on the radio Thursday, November 3: 

•    12 noon on KUHA’s program “The Front Row” at 91.7 FM or

•   11 p.m. on KUHF at 88.7 FM.

Listen over the Houston airwaves, or stream over the internet.  Choose “listen online” on the left sidebar of the website for KUHA or KUHF.

You can hear me read two poems from my forthcoming book, Fronteras, and discuss what hooked me about writing poems.  I also talk about blending English and Spanish in my writing.  

Dave Parsons, the current Texas Poet Laureate, discusses how he promotes poetry in our state, why he writes elegiac poems, and reads from his work.

You can also hear both of us read in person, along with Robin Davidson and Sam Amadon on Saturday, November 5 at 2 p.m. at Discovery Green Park in downtown Houston.  See the Public Poetry website for bios of the other readers.

Come find out why Public Poetry was voted the Best Reading Series for 2011.  You can see a map and RSVP for this event on the top of the right sidebar of this blog.

I’ll be reading some brand new poems, so you don’t want to miss it.  Plus, the weather should be phenomenal: sunny and mild.  A perfect day for visiting the park.