Yearendery

The fall semester is all but done, and the usual tumult accompanying it has resulted in some quiet here. Come January, I will be continuing with my Hands on Stanzas residency at Skinner West, and also returning to Indiana University Northwest to teach some higher ed classes. In all, academically the spring semester looks to be quite busy!

In other news, my label, Zenith Beast, is currently in the process of delving into its back catalogue, with the result being a series of archival releases. The first, including albums from 1986-1993, resumes December 9th. These albums are digital-only releases, available from iTunes, Amazon, and other e-tailers. ZB's next wave of releases may comprise a deeper dig into the archives, going back to the early '80s, or it may entail brand new music -- check out the redesigned ZB homepage for details, and/or follow the label on Twitter.

Finally, the end of the year signals the arrival of the annual Alex Chilton Birthday Bash! The Injured Parties are pleased to play for the tenth year straight, and this lineup looks to be especially good.

Happy holidays, all!

4th Grade Centos

Today was my last with the 4th graders, and to wind up the residency we created centos in each class. Read all about it here, and thanks to the teachers for making me feel welcome!

I hope to be back at Skinner West next year. Happy (almost) summer, everyone!

Hands on Stanzas: 4th Grade, Week 9 + All Schools Reading

Last week, in addition to teaching the second-to-last classes with my 4th grade students at Skinner West, the Poetry Center hosted its end of the year All Schools Reading celebration at the Cultural Center. Three 2nd graders from earlier in the residency, along with three readers from my current 4th grade classes were able to attend, and everyone did a terrific job! I was similarly impressed by the student poets from other participating schools; it was great to meet my students' parents, as well as other host teachers involved with the program, and to hobnob with fellow poets-in-residence. It was an amazing night!

Audience at All School Reading

 

 

For last week's classes, we read and discussed "One Train May Hide Another" by Kenneth Koch, and students wrote poems about things that are hidden. Here are some of them at work:

Mrs. Carlson's class

Looking forward to this week's classes!

Hands on Stanzas: 4th Grade, Week 8

Last week, we read Delmore Schwartz's sonnet, "The Beautiful American Word, Sure," and Skinner students wrote poems about their own favorite words.

Incredible stuff!

Hands on Stanzas: 4th Grade, Week 7

Last week, my 4th grade students at Skinner West read Jane Kenyon's poem, "My Mother" and then wrote about family members. Read all about it here.

The Return of Hands on Stanzas and the Poetry Center Online

Last day with Mrs. Beaudry's class

I hadn't posted anything about my ongoing Hands on Stanzas residency at Skinner West (which continues through the end of May) in over a month until yesterday. Back at the end of March, I began having problems with the site, and after scrupulous investigation by Poetry Center bigwigs it was determined that it had been hacked. (My students were intrigued by the prospect of hacking a poetry site. I said the least the perpetrator could have done was post some bizarre verse in an attempt to foist it off as legit, but I also added that if that had been the case, this being poetry and all, nobody might have noticed! That's a compliment, BTW.)

The upside of this is that the site has finally undergone a long-needed facelift. It's brighter, cleaner, and more navigable now -- please check it out, and in particular the work of my students to date, including my last 2nd grade classes and all the poems from 4th graders through today.

More to come!

Hands on Stanzas: Week 9

Last week, we had our penultimate 2nd grade classes at Skinner West, and I also began the second half of my residency, starting in three 4th grade rooms. (More on that later.)

This time we read and discussed nine of Robert Hass' translations of haiku by Kobayashi Issa. The students seemed to really enjoy this form, which was new to most of them, and came up with a litany of incredible haiku of their own.

Read all about it here, including examples of their exemplary work.

Hands on Stanzas: Week 8

Color was the focus this week for Hands on Stanzas. The 2nd graders at Skinner West read and discussed Marge Piercy's "Colors passing through us," then wrote their own color-themed poems. Amazing!

Hands on Stanzas: Week 7

Hard to believe we're winding down with the 2nd graders at Skinner West!

This week, we read and discussed Natasha Trethewey's lovely "Theories of Time and Space," and the students then wrote their own poems about memories. There were many amazing pieces this week...

Take a gander, and hope you enjoy.

Hands on Stanzas: Week 6

Last week the 2nd graders read and discussed Edip Cansever's poem, "Table," then wrote about things they see every day around their homes.

Check it out!

Hands on Stanzas: Week 5

Last week, the 2nd graders at Skinner West read and discussed Sylvia Plath's "Mirror," then wrote their own "reflection" poems. Check 'em out!

Hands on Stanzas: Week 4

This week the 2nd graders at Skinner West read and discussed "[love is more thicker than forget]" by E. E. Cummings. Peruse their pre-Valentine's Day love poems here.

Hands on Stanzas: Week 3

This week the 2nd graders read Emily Dickinson's "A Bird came down the Walk." Take a gander (pun intended) at their amazing work inspired by our discussions!

Hands on Stanzas: Week 2

This week at Skinner we read a poem by Langston Hughes and the students wrote about things they saw. Check it out!

Hands on Stanzas for 2014

I'm back at Skinner West for another year of Hands on Stanzas residencies! It was thrilling to return to the three 2nd grade classrooms I had last year; in addition, I'm in Skinner's fourth 2nd grade class as well. Different from last time, my initial ten weeks will be spent with the 2nd graders, and the final ten weeks will be with 4th graders. I look forward to working with all the amazing students at Skinner!

For a report on the first week of classes, where we read and discussed Mark Strand's "Eating Poetry," go here.

Post-Solstice Recap

After two months of radio silence, here's some of what's been happening.

In May, the Brief Nudity reading tour kicked off with a special event in St. Louis.

No Lizard Kings was created to discourage, disparage and dispel the myth of the poet-rocker as some kind of hipster satyr. I was joined by fellow harmonic versifier Ken Kase, whose book, Seven Sonnets is available from Amazon. A month later, the event came to Chicago, again with Ken as well as local chanteuse and word warrior Snežana Žabić. This was the official book launch party for Brief Nudity, and a great time was had by everyone!

Also in May, I read from Brief Nudity at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was a pleasure to see many familiar faces at this event.

There are additional upcoming readings for Brief Nudity in Chicago; Murray, KY; Nashville; Berkeley, CA; Waukesha and Milwaukee, WI, with other dates TBD. Go here for your best central source.

I also recently completed my twenty week Hands on Stanzas residency at Skinner West Elementary. You may read about the various lesson plans and ideas taught throughout the year, as well as peruse student poems through the Poetry Center's Skinner blog.

The Sound of . . . Hands on Stanzas

Check out last week's efforts from my residency at Skinner West: "Sound of" poems! Enjoy!

Hands on Stanzas Update

Recent residencies at Skinner West revolved around work by Claude McKay, Elizabeth Bishop, and Kenneth Patchen. Examples of student picture poems (one from each classroom) in the style of Patchen are below.

Status Quo(tes) on the Vernal Equinox

Getting caught up on a few outstanding items on this chilly first day of spring.

For some insights into my last few Hands on Stanzas residencies at Skinner West, check out these Poetry Center blog posts, when classes focused on poems by Bernadette Mayer, Robert Frost, and Natasha Trethewey. I'm nearing the halfway point and having a terrific time!

Biggest recent news involves my trip to Boston earlier this month to attend the annual AWP Conference, for the launch of Brief Nudity. In addition to reading for my publisher, Salmon Poetry, and doing a book signing, I also participated in the Festival of Language's event, caught a few panels, wore out my shoes, and got snowed on, which is par for the AWP course. I'll be announcing further reading dates for Brief Nudity's official book tour soon.

Reading from Brief Nudity at Salmon Poetry's book launch

Before departing for the east coast I was also fortunate to be asked to read as part of Debra Bruce's shindig for her latest book, Survivors' Picnic; upon returning, I also once again partook in Northeastern Illinois University's faculty authors reception, honoring work published in 2012, which for me would be my e-chapbook, Basic Cable Couplets.

Whew!

Giving Poetry

Today at Skinner I read Bernadette Mayer's poem, "The Tragic Condition of the Statue of Liberty" (a "collaboration" with Emma Lazarus). After discussing the concept of anaphora with the students, they wrote their own "give me" poems. The full report may be found here. Enjoy!