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2014 Sundress Publications Best of the Net Nomination: Milk Crates
Here is just a quick shout out to Vending Machine Press for nominating my poem Milk Crates for Sundress Publications Best of the Net Awards! It is a true honor.
I wish I could write more, but I need to get back to getting all this prep work done for TA training that starts in about a week, so thank you to VMP for the nomination.
Keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking,
M
Plant Seeds and Some Will Grow: An Upcoming Group Review in The Cincinnati Review
About a year ago I was having a final face-to-face conversation with my ex-professor/mentor John A. Nieves about navigating your way through the literary world and per usual he gave me some great advice when he said, "All you can do is plant seeds and some will grow into opportunities and others may not, but it is what you have to do."
I have been trying my best since I started writing to do this one of these seeds was attempting to land a spot reviewing lit mags for Newpages, I was lucky enough to be given a chance and after writing a few I eventually ended up with an issue of Smartish Pace to review. I have a policy of not looking at any of the biographical information in the back before reviewing a journal and it so turned out that in the issue was a poem I loved by U of Cincinnati's very own Don Bogen. Somehow Don came across my review and reached out to me to say the review was very well put together (not just my blurb on his piece, but the others as well). As it turns out I knew Cincy was one of the schools I would be applying to in a few months, so I figured this was a good connection to have. If you have read my other blog posts you will know that I missed getting into Cincy in a turn of events that I chalk up to destiny making the right decision for me (It would have been hard to choose between GMU and Cincy). Anyway I talked with Don a little bit at AWP and he complimented my reviews on Newpages again and briefly mentioned the possibility of writing reviews for The Cincinnati Review I of course said if anything ever came up to let me know. As luck would have it several days ago I received an email from Don asking if I wanted to write a group review on three different books of poetry! I of course said, "Yes!"
Now I am holding in my hands what look to be three amazing books I get to read and review for CR, what is happening!? I am beyond excited to get to do this and I am left reflecting on some of the best advice I have ever received and looking at how accurately correct it was: I planted a seed (applied to write reviews for Newpages and got the job), I watered the seed (did my best), then I let nature have its way and it shined sun on the soil and maybe I chose a nitrogen rich patch to plant it in or something because now it is grown and I am moving on to bigger things.
An added benefit to this is that it gives me busy work for the next couple of weeks before I really need to start packing to move out to Fairfax. Exciting things are happening!
Keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking, and keep planting seeds, M
Vending Machine Press Issue No. 3: Milk Crates
In an effort to catch up on updating what has been going on in my little corner of the poetic world here is a little blurb on a poem that was published in April 2014 through Vending Machine Press. They online journal picked up one of my older poems "Milk Crates".
I wrote Milk Crates in my intermediate poetry class in my final year of school. Two stanzas of the poem came from a different poem, at the time I had two very big problems with all my writing: there were too many words and often times things were very disjointed so, from one very disjointed and wordy poem came Milk Crates. The overarching question being asked is "What happens when you remember?"
Right before this poem was picked up I was ready to retire it for awhile and maybe start to edit it (I am still not taking editing it off the table), I had been submitting it for a couple years with no results, but once again a lesson was learned, don't give up on things. If you believe in your work at one point in time you should believe in it always. There is always something valuable in a piece of sincere writing.
Anyway, Vending Machine Press is an up-and-coming journal out of Australia that is definitely worth checking out and submitting to.
Keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking,M
Cider Press Review Vol. 16 Issue 2: Khasmas
The saying is, "Better late than never." Isn't it? Let me catch y'all up with everything.
In April I was fortunate enough to have my poem Khasmas picked up by Cider Press Review. I wrote Khasmas about a year and a half ago or so and for me there isn't much to say about it other than I firmly believe it does what it is intended to do. It was probably the first poem I wrote where I immediately just stopped typing and thought, "Yes. This is it."
The poem spawned from reading an article on cosmology for a Science Fiction and Religion class that I was taking (if I can find the article ever again I will try to post a link or at least the title of it on here), but the article began dissecting the word Cosmology and this in and of itself became something very vast and expansive and the Greek word Khasmas was brought into the discussion and something about this all just struck a chord and that was the moment of inception for this poem.
Keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking, M
The Final Decision
I can end this chattering about the grad school admissions process by stating that my decision has been made (it wasn't easy), but after much deliberation I decided that George Mason was where I wanted to call home for the next three years. I love their faculty, they offered me a crazy good deal, I get to teach, I get to learn, I get to do everything (how is this possible!?).
Now, finally, maybe, I can refocus my energy on writing and not worrying about this whole process. I haven't been writing much at all the past few months and I miss it. Time to read and write folks, while I wait for the few books I ordered from amazon I will go back to a couple of old favorites such as Daniel Simko's The Arrival. The words will come to me in time for new poems.
See ya in a few months Fairfax, VA. :)
Keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking.
-M
Is This Real Life?
I can't believe I have made it here! I have my choice between four out of the eight schools I applied to! There is so much I want to write, but I am exhausted from this process and simply speechless. All I can say right now is, I am ready to build a new family of supportive writer friends somewhere new. I am ready for new experiences, I am ready to learn, to teach, to grow...
More details to come...I can't even write about this right now I am so overwhelmed with the outcome of my application process. I was a history and sociology major who always liked to do creative writing and who on a whim took two poetry classes my last year at Mizzou which changed my life. How do I have seven poems published and how am I #1 on the wait-list at Cincinnati and admitted at George Mason? How am I lucky enough to have three passions (writing, learning, and teaching) that can be combined into one job?
It's so unreal. Thank you to anyone and everyone who has been a part of my journey so far!!! We are going to keep going places because anywhere I go, you go.
Keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking.
M
Rappahannock Review Publication: Homemade
February has been good to me as far as publications go, I had a poem come out in the newest issue of Weave Magazine (see previous post), a poem picked up by Vending Machine Press, and this week a publication came out in Rappahannock Review Issue 1.2. I can't quite say enough about how much this publication means to me.
Rappahannock may be new, but from what I am gathering it is receiving some great feedback, and rightly so. In my opinion this journal is going to be doing some serious and meaningful work. The journal is out of Mary Washington University, it is student run and overseen by Elizabeth Wade. While I have only talked with Elizabeth a few times I find her to be an amazing writer and person (I have mad respect for her), there was no doubt in my mind that she would compose an amazing group of kids to put this journal together and it seems like she did.
Maybe I should talk a little bit more about the piece, it is probably the first prose piece I have ever written and when I sent it to Rappahannock it was the first time I had ever sent a piece of prose out into the journal world. The piece is meant to address just how many emotions one moment can encompass, how one present moment can conjure up a person's history, how vulnerable a moment can be, and how invisible that vulnerability can be.
I will be the first to admit I have a problem with vulnerability, with being open, with feeling. Often times I am hard pressed to be able to openly put my own vulnerabilities onto a page when writing a poem without trying to shroud them in one way or another. With prose, it is much easier for me to let that vulnerability out, something I hope to do as I grow as a writer is be able to take the vulnerability I can put into prose and place it into my poetry.
There really aren't words that could accurately describe how much this publication means to be, not just because of the journal it ended up in and the mad respect I have for the people involved with it, but because this is one of those pieces where my soul is on the page. The work is about vulnerability not being seen in the moment which is being written about, but it is being seen now by readers, so thank you Rappahannock crew!
Let's hope the good news keeps rolling, I am stressing about hearing from Grad Schools. Hopefully I will get good news soon. See y'all at AWP!
Keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking, M
Publication: "Before Heat" Weave Magazine Issue 10
February is a good month for me, the past two poems I have had accepted come out this month, the first poem is titled "Before Heat" and is out in issue 10 of Weave Magazine.
This issue of Weave is beautifully put together, the cover artwork is stunning, and I couldn't be more proud to be put alongside the other great writers in this journal. If you have never checked out Weave before you should definitely order a copy, it doesn't matter if you order mine or not, each issue always has quality work.
Enough about the fact I got published, with each publication I like to reflect about the lessons learned from writing the poem and editing it, and also to reflect upon how my writing has changed, etc.
"Before Heat" is a poem I have learned a lot from to say the least. This poem was one of the first "real poems" I ever wrote. When I say real poems I mean ones where I felt like I kind of knew what I was doing, I felt the connection that a poet should feel with their work, and I knew I had something in the words I had written. This being said, when I submitted this poem to Weave, several months ago, it was among the first group of poems I have need much editing and revising to. One of my biggest struggles is letting go of a poem I have written and allowing it to reform and transform into something bigger and better. Of course, I didn't edit it alone, I had some help like any good poet does, but it was still hard to tear apart the original work I had created and give it a new space in which to breath. When all was said and done not that much was changed, but the impact of the work had grown stronger, which is good. Once this poem was selected for publication it reinforced that revising is good. It doesn't mean I still do not struggle with revisions, but it helped me take the first couple of steps down the "road of revisions" if you will.
This piece also helped me learn that you can't give up on old work, if you find yourself distanced from a piece you wrote, it probably needs revision, and despite not feeling as close to it as you once did, it doesn't mean it is worthless and that it won't speak to others. While I didn't connect to the poem several months ago, I am connecting to it again now, it speaks to something everyone feels and sometimes it is more beneficial to make yourself face something you are not connected to that what you are connected to. Facing this poem (along with a few others I revised at the same time), helped me get past some writers block I was having and resulted in my working moving in a new way, unexpected way.
My writing has changed so much since I wrote this in my intermediate poetry class, and I find that perhaps the most frustrating thing is the fact that I feel like my abilities and my work have grown and become so much better, yet it is my older work that gets selected for publishing. I don't write to be published, but I feel as a poet I owe it to myself and the others to share and engage in the literary community by publishing. I find the most pressing question in my mind is what was different about my early work as opposed to now? I have some ideas, but I need to analyze things more, finding the missing link could prove a major turning point in my writing.
"Before Heat" is a poem is of loss, bitter sentiments, the wounds and darkness that come from letting go, and the symbolism that exists in life regardless of if it was meant to be there or not. Originally, it was titled "Basement Feelings", but that changed right after I wrote the poem a couple of years ago. It all stemmed from a single moment in my life that I will never forget because it was where the threads of so many parts of my life met up, were tied together, and ended. Perhaps it is a lack of letting moments exist more realistically in my work that has changed, I don't know.
Either way, I am grateful to be in the newest issue of Weave and I am grateful for the lessons I learned from this poem and its publication. Now, that grad school applications are out of the way I plan on attempting to revisit old work and take on the painful task (literally it tares into my soul) of reworking it.
Keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking,
M
Guest Lectures at Salisbury University
As everything is beginning to settle down (aka I only have one more graduate school application to fill out) I am finally catching up on stuff like updating my tumblr blog!
I believe I mentioned in a previous post that a couple of months ago I flew out to Salisbury, MD to visit my ex-professor John A. Nieves (Shout out to him, he has his first book coming out from Elixer Press on Jan. 1, I believe. It is titled "Curio" and it is amazing). While I was out there I did several things such as meet up with a friend at GMU and explore the campus a bit and I also walked around ODU's campus. The coolest thing I think I did though was doing two guest lectures in the creative writing classes John teaches.
The first class was an intro to creative writing class and I was able to just go through the kids work, make suggestions, and began introducing the process of submitting work to journals with them. It was amazing. The second class was an upper level creative writing class and I spent the duration of the class discussing and answering questions about serving as an editor for River Styx, what RS looks for, what I look for, and helping provide the students a deeper understanding of how literary journals work.
After the classes were over, I had the opportunity to talk to some MFA candidates and we discussed getting into the editorial field. I also met up with some students from the previous classes I lectured in and talked to them about everything from submissions to graduate school applications to what they could do as freshman to prepare themselves for the next level.
No words can really describe how much I loved doing all of this. It just make everything fall into line for me and made me 100% certain I am heading down the right life path. I can not wait to enter into an MFA program next year and to TA and work on a journal. I am excited for the next steps!
Newpages Part II: A Compliment From Don Bogen
I really am beginning to fall behind on keeping everything up to speed on here! I will say though, that I intend on writing about my recent guest lecture experiences, and within the next two months I also intend to write about two more publications I have coming out.
As I have said before reviewing for Newpages has been a truly rewarding experience thus far. I am always curious about how many people read the reviews that are put up on the site, and the answer has to be a lot. These people are not just your every day Joe's either, people like Don Bogen, Poetry Editor for The Cincinnati Review reads them. How do I know this? He told me so himself. Check it out...
So, one morning a couple months ago I wake up and check my email to see I have an email from the editor at Newpages. I open it up and to my surprise it is a forwarded message from Don Bogen about my most reccent review of Smartish Pace saying, "Melanie Tague does a great job...ect" Of course, I looked up his email to send him a thank you and he responded saying,
"That was a sharp and thoughtful review, I thought. I’m prejudiced, of course, because of the insightful comments you had to make about “On Hospitals,” but what you had to say about the other poems in the issue, particularly Megan Harlan’s “Bastide,” one of my favorites, was very fine indeed. One of my biggest struggles as poetry editor at CR is finding strong reviewers—and you clearly are part of that camp."
DONBOGENSAYWHAT!? Of course, I was beyond flattered. It made my week and still continues to make me smile. I respect Don Bogen's work, and his journal so much so it meant a lot for him to say that. I even am planning on applying to grad school there, so it is exciting stuff!
So, until next time, keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking,
M
Time For An Update: Newpages Work
It has been awhile since I have been on here but, I promise I have been busy submitting, beginning grad school aps (I just sent my first one out to GMU today), writing, working at River Styx, watching Mizzou Football in all its current glory, doing a couple guest lectures, and visiting some friends and checking out the physical location/campuses of a few schools.
Since I have started working for Newpages I have had the opportunity to review some truly amazing journals. If you are ever unsure about if you want to get a journal or not, check out Newpages. There are plenty of phenomenal reviewers that just might have written up a review for the magazine you are curious about.
Writing reviews for Newpages has turned out to be one of the most fun things I have ever done. Not only do I get the chance to read great journals but, I get to challenge myself by reading and critically analyzing them. I can see what works and what doesn't and learn more about what makes a journal a top tier journal and what makes one a lower tier journal. I have gotten the opportunity to look at everything from poetry to actual scholarly articles that have been fascinating. I could not ask for a cooler position.
Here are the links to all of my reviews so far (My apologies for links not being embedded but, my browser is not being friendly tonight):
The Bitter Oleander Vol. 19 No. 1 http://newpages.com/literary-magazine-reviews/2013-07-15/#Bitter-Oleander-V19-N1-2013
Chicago Review Vol. 57 No. 3 http://newpages.com/literary-magazine-reviews/2013-07-15/#Chicago-Review-V57-N3-4-Winter-2013
Burnside Review Vol. 9 No. 1 http://newpages.com/literary-magazine-reviews/2013-08-15/#Burnside-Review-V9-N1-2013
Cruel Garters No. 1 http://newpages.com/literary-magazine-reviews/2013-08-15/#Cruel-Garters-N1-2013
Smartish Pace No. 20 http://newpages.com/literary-magazine-reviews/2013-08-15/#Smartish-Pace-N20-April-2013
The Southern Review Vol. 49 No. 3 http://newpages.com/literary-magazine-reviews/2013-09-16/#Southern-Review-V49-N3-Summer-2013
The Southern Literary Journal Vol. 65 No. 2 http://newpages.com/literary-magazine-reviews/2013-10-15/#Southern-Literary-Journal-V65-N2-Spring-2013
More updates to come soon! Until then keep reading, keep writing, keep seeking, M
"The Elite Eight" -MFA Programs I'm Applying To
Well, the decision was solidified a week or so ago, now I need to start compiling the things I need to actually apply in the next month or two. I also need to start studying to retake the GRE but, I would rather not think about that. I truly do hate standardized tests.
Without further ado, here are the eight schools I am applying to:
1. Old Dominion University (Virginia) 2. Virginia Tech 3. George Mason University 4. University of Cincinnati (MA/PhD program?) 5. Syracuse 6. Portland State University 7. Eastern Washington 8. University of Utah I was so excited to have been accepted to the only grad school I managed to squeeze an application out to last year (due to all the family medical drama) but, the funding just was not there. I could not take out more loans and I realized I was more enamored by my love for Boston that I was for my love of the Emerson and the program.
The schools I have listed have justly earned their place in my heart, while I have not visited any of them yet I am sure I will love them. From research I have done about the programs they truly sound amazing. Everyday is like groundhogs day, I wake up, feeling like I am a kid and it is christmas eve and if I can just hold on one more day I will wake up again and it will be the day I start my MFA program. I can't wait to move on and go to one of these great institutions.
Joining the River Styx Team
Recently a friend informed me about a position that was open with a literary magazine in St. Louis, River Styx. She said they were looking for a new managing editor. At first I thought, "meh, I wouldn't stand a chance." But, I thought about it and then I thought, "What the hell, worst case scenario they just say, "No thanks".
So I sent them everything they asked for applicants to send and I snagged an interview, I was pretty sure that it would just end up as something I could count as a good experience but nothing would come of it. So, I went to the interview and it was great to meet the crew and see the office, etc. A few weeks later Richard Newman emailed me saying that they decided on someone else with a bit more experience but I was a high contender and he offered me a position as a reader or an intern if I so desired. I of course took him up on this offer. My first day was yesterday, I already have a million times more respect for anyone who works at a journal. I am also excited because it is another opportunity to not only read a ton of work but to just learn a ton about journals, about myself, and meet great people. This is just another great way to have a ton of amazing learning experiences. The older I get the more and more I realize just how much knowledge can be squeezed out of every single experience, out of every single second. While this makes me a bit bummed over the fact that I could not venture my way to Emerson College to get my MFA this year, it also makes me excited for how much more ready I will be to go somewhere to get my MFA next year.
I left yesterday thinking, "I could do this all day, everyday, and be totally happy."
Keep reading, writing, seeking, M
Newpages.com Lit Mag Reviews
Well folks, the literary world is always taking me in different directions. Perhaps I should say I am pursuing many directions. Regardless, I like it. It seems like no matter which direction I take within the literary community I love it. Recently I was afforded the opportunity to write literary magazine reviews for Newpages.com.
Before I say anything else, I would like to take a moment to thank the folks at Newpages for the great opportunity that they threw my way!
Just last month I started doing Literary Magazine reviews for them, they have a great crew of people that are dedicated to reading the magazines and putting out thoughtful reviews. I am glad to be one of them! My first two appeared last month. I got the chance to take a look at The Bitter Oleander and Chicago Review (which are two stellar journals BTW). So, go check out some reviews of great mags written by a host of great folks Newpages Literary Magazine Reviews. You won't be disappointed! For the foreseeable future I will be posting at least a couple reviews each month.
This opportunity has been phenomenal, I have only written 5 reviews and I am learning so much. I am thankful for this task that requires me to not just read for enjoyment (although I do enjoy it) but to actually critically look at everything about each journal, does the journal accomplish what it wants to? How does each individual poem come together with the rest to make this happen? It gives me a lot of new angles in which to look at the writing/editing process. I am not feeling very bloggerish (that is totally a word, in case you were wondering...) so, I do not have much to say, I just thought I would post a quick update.
Another update will be coming soon that involves me and actually getting the chance to work on a fantastic journal for the next year or so. Also, I have a couple of pieces that have been selected for publication and I can't wait for them to come out so I can talk a bit more about them. Until then..
Keep reading, writing, and seeking, M
A Personal Rejection from BPJ and What I learned: The Story of an Overzealous and Egar Girl at AWP 2013
Today marked the ending of a big hope. It transitioned a hope back into a dream, for now. I don't think I will normally post about personal rejections but, in my mind this was a VERY personal rejection and it was one that I learned a lot from. It is something I will hold special to me even though my poem will have to find a home somewhere else.
At AWP this Winter I was introduced to John Rosenwald at BPJ's bookfair table. He really is one of the nicest guys ever. He started talk to me and the group of people I was with about their newest issue and how it focused on long poetry. I made the comment, "I will never be able to write long poetry." He looked at me, smiled, and said, "Trust me dear you will. It takes time, a sense of history."
In my mind I thought, well, wait, I was a history major. I have been obsessed with history my whole life. I have a sense of history, the same one I believe he is talking about. For some reason I was carrying copies of my work along with me and just blurted out without thinking, "I was a history major, I have some historical poems, would you like to take a look at them." The group I was with looked at me and with their eyes said, "Oh my god, you are crazy." While I realized that probably WAS NOT proper protocol. But, John being John, took two of my poems and said I can't look at these right now but come find me here tomorrow morning.
Later that afternoon, he spotted me across the room and came to me. Stating he loved one poem the other not so much. He gave it back to me and said see you in the morning. I met with him we talked he challenged me, and told me, "I want to see this submitted within 3 weeks."
I submitted it and we went back and forth a time or two with a few edits. Then finally I said it was in its final state and it would have to stand alone or come back to me in its vulnerable state. It stood alone for several weeks until this morning I got an email releasing it back to me...:(
I say I want my writing to "not be enough", writers should have risks. This is a risk I often choose to take. Am I not taking it in an effective way? How can I do this better? When I write I want to give enough to connect but not too much. So in many ways it seems I am successful with this when it comes to this piece. I am glad I am doing that but, on another level however (as with anything) there seems to be room for improvement. What can I do to give a little more but not change many of my poems "starving" nature?
When I start looking at my writing in this nature I begin to see the flaws that may exist because of my lack of technical knowledge just 2 creative writing undergrad classes is all I have to stand on (and a couple of people who trust and believe in me). I guess the thing I need to figure out is how to make what seems like a flaw an intentional part of my work. What thread with this piece "Chichen Itza" did not get wound in tightly enough or in the write way?
I write such a delicate poem, and construct it in such a way I can't imagine taking it back to the drawing board but, I feel like I may need to.
There may be a Pt 2 as this all has time to simmer...
Keep reading, writing, seeking, M
Moving Forward with OVS Magazine: Dear Mr. Webster and Avogadro and a reading at AWP Boston!
I started reading OVS (Organs of Vision and Speech) Magazine around the time they first started publishing their magazine in 2010. The journal is new but it is without a doubt up and coming. Some great pieces have been published in it (not including mine). After graduating and trying to decide if I wanted to go get my MFA or hold out on finding a rich dude to marry (just kidding...kind of), I found writing started to become more laborious and submitting became even harder.
As time passed I realized the problem was that I had lost my poetry community. I had moved to St. Louis while everyone was in Columbia. I went back to visit a few times and on one visit the great John Nieves (also recently published in OVS and a million other journals, also has his book Curio being published by Elixr Press in 2014) suggested I read the book The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. So I did. It was just what I needed.
Throughout the book the phrase "And yet." is strategically and beautifully placed and it rips your heart out each and every time. I knew I wanted to use this as an epigraph, so I did. What came of it was Dear Mr. Webster and a poem of my experience of "And yet." intertwined with my fascination of the definition of words and how that impacts society.
Getting the ball rolling on writing poetry again, shortly after one of my many poems inspired by the numerous scientific history courses I took with a great professor at Mizzou (I was a history major remember). It was titled Avogadro. Avogadro was originally an Italian lawyer in the 18th century however, he found science his calling/passion and penned Avogadro's Constant (the science of which I can not tell you much about, it has to do with elements and pressure).
For me both of these poems represented a crucial point in my continuous growth and evolution as a poet. They bridged my period of writing disconnected, abstract, crap to beginning to write from a true place of connected creativity.
Back to OVS, I submitted these poems to them and well, they took 'em so the rest is history. It is my first printed publication and so that is always exciting. The Winter 2012 issue can be found here OVS Magazine Winter 2013. It has some great work in it, the featured writer is Liz Ahl whom I got the pleasure of meeting at AWP this past year in Boston. She is a phenomenal lady. Speaking of AWP, not only was OVS gracious enough to publish a couple of my poems but, they got an offsite reading at AWP and asked me to be a part of it. It was held in conjunction with Berklee's slam team and was just the icing on top of the cupcake at AWP.
Good things are in the works. I hope they are for you too.
Keep reading, writing, and seeking,
M
Back To the Beginning: Worms (Barely South Review)
I decided it was time to get in on this tumblr thing before I fall too far behind. It seems as if almost everyone around me is either on here, has their own website or they are in the process of getting one. So today I am going back to the very beginning. I wrote the piece "Worms" in 2011. It was my first piece published and I was somehow lucky enough to get something published the first time I sent anything out. The great journal Barely South Review out of Old Dominion University picked up the piece. It was published in April of 2012 Barely South Review: April 2012.
It is probably the first example of a shift from me not knowing who I wanted to be as a writer and knowing who I wanted to be. I wanted to write under the pretense less is more. How big of an impact can be created with just a few words?
This piece was the culmination of coming in to my second creative writing poetry class, locating a few poets works that moved me and somehow against me, and sitting in a library trying to write a thesis paper on 13th century ideas of sovereignty...my best friend became a dead man known as Marsiglio (or Marsilio) of Padua (why was I a history major/why did I decide to write a thesis?).
"Worms" is one of the few poems I have written that I carry with me and let become part of a rhythm of my life for lack of a better term. Don't get me wrong each of my poems is a reflection of myself and I become a reflection of them. There is a symbiotic relationship however, the strength of that relationship varies. Worms for me, is one of the strongest.
A special big thank you for the great people at Barely South Review, for publishing my first poem. Barely South is a great journal so head over and check the issues out, submit (they are open until March 31st I believe).
Keep reading, writing, and seeking,
M