Poetics

Hello from the sunny 'burbs of Phila-del-phia. I've been getting back into the swing of poetry these days after a too long hiatus from composing original work. In 2001, I had the privilege of being invited to a writer's retreat in Washington State and there I finally had the courage to come out as a writer and poet. Of course, I knew these things about myself but it is very difficult to own up to this type of calling in a world that expects you to have "real" vocations like Internet mogul, politician, or businesswoman to name a few. Despite this coming out, my level of writing had diminished for some time which I finally attributed to needing to live life so that life could provide those snapshots of memory to commit to the page. Most recently, probably in part to having a bit more time on my hands, I've begun to write again. Some day soon I will post some work for your reading pleasure.

I also attribute this writing bug to the fact that I have been reading and rediscovering the works of poets I admire, such as Adrienne Rich, Mark Doty, Billy Collins, and Pablo Neruda. It had been some time since I visited the poetry sites Web Del Sol, Gertrude Press, and Small Spiral Notebook, and much to my happiness they are all thriving and growing and still publishing amazing poetry and art. More close to home, I have been tinkering around UPenn's Kelly Writer's House website and PENN SOUND. I didn't know that you could listen for free many poets reading their work. For instance, here is June Jordan's Poem, Poem for a Young Poet, posted on UPenn's Website, PennSound.

I'd love to find out about poetry sites that highlight the work of poets of color. Please post these to my comments page and I will list them for all in a future post.