Posted on January 17, 2016
by Lesley Wheeler
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I’m not the only writer who’s fascinated by the processes of inspiration, composition, and revision, but horrified by the processes of self-promotion. And I do mean full-on gothic trauma complete with repressed guilt rising monstrously from a shallow grave and chasing me through the… Continue Reading “How and why”
Category: UncategorizedTags: Barrow Street Press, being tired of hearing about Brooklyn, Ben Lerner, Eileen Myles, Frank Bures, Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, Hampden-Sydney Review, Kenyon Review, process, productivity, publicity, Radioland, salamander, self-promotion
Posted on October 16, 2015
by Lesley Wheeler
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The main piece of housekeeping wisdom my mother passed down to me was just make it LOOK clean. If the counter is wiped down, people will admire your kitchen. They’ll never know about the dust under the fridge or even see the crumbs on the… Continue Reading “Poetic housekeeping”
Category: UncategorizedTags: AWP, Barrow Street Press, cleaning, Ecotone, editing, Eleven Eleven, gendered divisions of labor, Mid-Atlantic Council, New Orleans Review, poetry, post-publication prizes, Radioland, scholarship
Posted on September 21, 2015
by Lesley Wheeler
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My new book of poems, Radioland, is now available for purchase! My own box is supposed to arrive today, although I live in such a small town we don’t receive daily UPS delivery, so it could be tomorrow. I’m jittery with suspense. In the meantime, I thought… Continue Reading “Hey you out there in radioland!”
Posted on September 4, 2015
by Lesley Wheeler
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Now my daughter is off in radioland–away at college but constantly present in my imagination, and intermittently present through texts and posts. A message with cheerful emoji has such an instant calming effect on my blood pressure–it’s amazing that when I went to Rutgers,… Continue Reading “Crazed poet-parent launches daughter and book”
Posted on September 13, 2013
by Lesley Wheeler
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Some good advice I received from Barrow Street editor Peter Covino about the manuscript of Heterotopia: stop saying “I remember” so much. After all, he remarked—I’m sure I’m paraphrasing badly—isn’t “I remember” implicit in every poem? I received that comment with chagrined recognition. I’d… Continue Reading “Moldy”