Divination by poem

I’m sending you a brief postcard from snowdrop time. Virginia has always had “midwinter spring, its own season,” to quote Four Quartets–a balmy few days in February–but never, that I can recall, so early in the month. Omens everywhere. Meanwhile, here’s what’s going down:

• I’m reading with the Dear Human at the Edge of Time east coast launch event this Saturday, and the organizers have just asked that anyone who plans to attend RSVP using the link here. It enables you to make an optional donation to the Ryan Resilience Lab in Norfolk, VA, devoted to urban coastal resilience.
• A couple of years ago, reading a draft of what became my book Mycocosmic, Jeannine Hall Gailey challenged me to write a poem in which I looked in the mirror. Honestly, I can’t remember why, exactly, but the assignment was fun and a little painful, which was probably why she was nudging me to do it. The result was “Smart,” just published by ASP Review. The editors also chose my poem “Rhapsodomancy.” If you want to have some fun with the latter, before you read it, choose a number between 0 and 21 then scroll to that line. The results: advice to you as a writer.
• Another nice moment in recent literary news: the poem I published in the final issue of The Gettysburg Review, “Sex Talk,” will be featured on February 20th by Poetry Daily! I’m bubbling over like a cauldron full of happy newts.
• Lastly, a poem accepted years ago by Cimarron Review is to appear shortly. The Table of Contents is here and maybe you can pick up a copy at AWP, if you’re on your way (I’m not). Looks like a great issue but wow, Spring 2022 appearing in late winter 2024! I wonder what the story is.

Back to nudging my creative writers to try their hand (or feet) at meter, and discussing Amiri Baraka’s provocations and conjurations with my Poetry & Authenticity class. Wish you were here.