Just a Little Catch-Up on the Wall

Aug 28, 2024 | Fiction, Poetry, Travel, Writing

No, NOT Ketchup (or Catsup, for that Matter)

I didn’t throw food. I’m not a heathen.

But I haven’t blogged since April, and I think it’s about time to catch up with you, my three – make that four – faithful readers. Please accept my apologies if you got swept up in my housekeeping flurry – after archiving all 800+ posts here, I have been selectively restoring them. I wasn’t aware that they would go back out to you in email, again. I wasn’t trying to spam you, honestly. Maybe just remind you that I’m not dead. Nor is my blog. Forgive me?

Writing News

Last year, I was named a Councilor and Webmaster for The Poetry Society of Texas (PST). In May, I was elected a Director; my term starts September 1, 2024. The Poetry Society of Texas (PST) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose purpose is “to secure fuller public recognition of the art of poetry, to encourage the writing of poetry by Texans, and to kindle a finer and more intelligent appreciation of poetry, especially the work of living poets who interpret the spirit and heritage of Texas.” If you’d like to support PST while searching the internet and having a bit of fun with games and quizzes, check out Give with Bing (instructions for selecting PST so that your searches count towards donations by Microsoft are located here).

In February, I submitted three poems to the National Federation of Poetry Societies (NFSPS) Annual Contest; none were chosen as winners. My friend and fellow poet Mervyn R. Seivwright suggested aiming for at least 200 rejections a year, which means that I’m still behind! After all, if you’re a writer who is not winning contests, getting published, or receiving polite rejection slips, you’re not submitting your work often enough.

In May, I submitted 24 poems to Poets Northwest (I judged one category, or I’d have entered 25). As my mom used to say, “You can’t win if you don’t enter!” My poems won or placed in eleven categories! In August, I submitted 24 poems to the Poetry Society of Texas Annual Contests. I can’t share them here, because doing so would make them ineligible for contests and publication in some markets, but keep your fingers crossed for me – the Annual Awards Banquet is in Dallas on November 9, 2024, and I’ll know then how those did. Meanwhile, I have a few more looking for good homes.

In June, I participated in the Summer Writers Institute at the University of St. Thomas. I think of it as a 3-4 day retreat to focus solely on poetry or fiction. I’m always tempted to enroll, then, in the MFA program, but it makes little financial or practical sense for me, at this point. Still, it’s fun to stay in the dorm and be a full-time student for a few days!

I co-wrote a couple of poems, which my partner-in-crime, aka Necia Campbell, submitted to contests and journals. We have a little poetry group that’s an offshoot of the Stafford Poetry Challenge, and have been experimenting with invented, collaborative forms. We’re also planning to create an anthology later in the year.

Speaking of anthologies, this one is hot off the press: People, Places, and Pets. And if you missed it, I helped Poets Northwest publish Dreams+Nightmares last year.

Globe-Trotting

My husband and I have almost met our goal of visiting every state in the USA. Surprisingly enough, he’s ahead of me. And I have set foot in more countries than he has. He’s told me I ought to find a writing conference or workshop to attend in Kansas and in New Mexico – he’s been there, but I haven’t, and he’s happy for me to go alone. Now I’m worried – he doesn’t want to go back, or he’s tired of traveling with me? Maybe a little of both, by now!

We traveled to Rodanthe, NC, for a family reunion, then to the opposite coast to visit our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. It seems almost silly to say “on vacation” when you’re retired, but it was a pleasant change from the usual routine, and it’s always fun to spend time with family.

We were not renting the house that floated down the beach on our last day in Rodanthe, and thankfully, no one was in it when it broke loose from its moorings and took a swim in the sea. In fact, between the thunderstorms and the red flag warnings from Hurricane Ernesto and the runaway house, we had a few lovely beach days and lazy afternoons by the pool.

While we were in Oregon, we visited the Hopscotch immersive and interactive art exhibit. I highly recommend it, if you get the chance – especially with kids. It was my first-ever time playing in a huge, colorfully-lit ball pit. And we all got a chance to spray-paint laser graffiti on a digital brick wall.

Earlier this year, we visited Louisville, Kentucky, where we toured Bourbon distilleries, ate some great food, walked across the Ohio River to Indiana, and took a tour of Mammoth Cave – which I did not find “disappointing” in the least. We also met an online friend of mine, Sandy Knauer Morgan, who I met on the now-defunct writing site, Gather, longer ago than either of us care to admit. My husband admitted, after meeting her, that I have nice online friends. He’s now open to meeting more of them. We’ve come a long way since the late 1990s, when the family made one of my sisters-by-choice meet everyone and pass muster as “probably not a serial killer” before I could grab a coffee with her.

We traveled to Japan in March, to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. That was in June, but we figured we ought to go while the Sakura (cherry blossoms) were in bloom. They started blooming a day or two after we arrived. We enjoyed sightseeing in Tokyo, Fujikawaguchiko, Osaka, Kyoto, and Tōdai-Ji at Nara. I had told my husband that I would hold off eating any sort of Kobe (or Wagyu) beef until we were in Japan – preferably in or near Kobe. It was worth the wait! ! It practically melts in your mouth.

We met another online friend of mine, Yosuke, in Tokyo. He showed us around, had a lovely sushi dinner with us, and helped me find a replacement cable for my Garmin watch! Yosuke and I had once been in the same room, but not met, in 2012, at a Frank Zappa Unlocked tribute concert at UNT, featuring Arthur Barrow, Tommy Mars, and student musicians – my daughter was one, at the time. He was saluted from the stage for coming the farthest to see the concert, then left nice comments online about my daughter’s performance. We became Facebook friends, and I reached out before going to Tokyo asking for suggestions of things to see and do – and he agreed to meet up with us!

In April, we went to Dallas for the eclipse. The weather cleared just in time, and just long enough to give us a breathtaking view of a full solar eclipse. I could see, then, why people would “chase eclipses” around the world. It was entirely worth it, and we had a peaceful, uncrowded spot in an open field, with an unobstructed view, from which to watch it.

In May, I attended the annual Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc (OWFI) conference, hob-nobbed with fellow writers, and placed in one of the poetry contests. It was a fun, slightly bittersweet time, as it may be the last time my friend and publisher, Vivian Zabel, and I, attend.

We went to Austin for our niece, Lauren’s, graduation. There were two ceremonies! One for her college and one for all the graduates, together. UT Austin put on a stunning show – it was almost rained out, but again, the weather cleared and we were able to watch a drone show with congratulatory messages, a longhorn steer, a graduation cap with a moving tassel, and more looming over the stadium. While we were there, Lauren showed us where Thomas Dambo‘s Malin lives.

We traveled to Sacramento and to Yosemite National Park. I was surprised by how much of Yosemite you can see in a couple of days; I’d assumed we would miss a lot, but we left satisfied with the whole experience. So many beautiful waterfalls and hiking trails for every ability.

Invention is the Mother of All Poetry

Our Stafford “small group” of writers that meets on Zoom  – originally dubbed “The Nameless” but now also calling itself “The Rebel Outpost” invented a new poetry form: the “Rebellian” (pronounced like “rebellion”).

Rules for the Rebellian:

  • Blank verse written in any number of couplets (If co-written, each participant should alternate submitting couplets)
  • A chosen word (eg, “Today”) must be the first word of the first and every other couplet (lines 1, 5, 9, 13, etc), and it must be the last word of the alternating couplet (lines 4, 8, 12, 16, etc)
  • Each quatrain should be able to stand alone, linked only by the word “today”

TIP:

Start with a word that’s an iamb to make the meter easier. A very short phrase might be okay, as long as it could work at the end of the next couplet, is iambic, and isn’t too “leading” in its message Example: “Another day” or “A bird in flight.”

Give it a try! Send me a link to your poem, if you post it.

Malin, by Thomas Dambo

 

Holly Jahangiri

Holly Jahangiri is the author of Trockle, illustrated by Jordan Vinyard; A Puppy, Not a Guppy, illustrated by Ryan Shaw; and the newest release: A New Leaf for Lyle, illustrated by Carrie Salazar. She draws inspiration from her family, from her own childhood adventures (some of which only happened in her overactive imagination), and from readers both young and young-at-heart. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, J.J., whose love and encouragement make writing books twice the fun.

13 Comments

  1. Bob Jasper

    Ah, I was wondering why I was getting so many notifications of posts to your blog in the past few days. Good that you are getting the traveling in now. We did quite a bit pre-covid. Since then my wife’s knees have been complaining too much for us to do more than short local trips to state parks and other local spots. Japan is fun, isn’t it. Our last trip there was in 2018 when we visited on our 50th anniversary. We saw the sakura then, too. Did you get rail passes? We got them for two weeks of our 4-week stay and used them for various one-day trips out of Tokyo (we payed a bundle and got a nice hotel next to the Tokyo train station). I love Japan and hope to go back sometime.

    Good for you on the poems and the anthologies you’ve contributed to. I’m sure you are a great asset to the poetry societies you belong to (as well as a delightful contributor).

    Reply
    • Holly Jahangiri

      We didn’t get trail passes, but we did take the trains and the Shinkansen once. The trip was a lot of fun. My knees, though, could have a good long chat with your wife’s. I can walk almost forever, but climbing is a challenge.

      I’m rather proud of the anthologies, as I designed and published then in addition to contributing stories and poems. After the next one, though, I’m taking a break. Unlike Vivian, I don’t aspire to BE a publisher!

      Reply
  2. Patricia Stoltey

    I wondered what this flurry of posts meant but am always happy to hear your words of wisdom. I’m deep-diving into those posts about Facebook as I’m there and have been increasingly unhappy with the Zuckerbug (!) way of doing things.

    Reply
    • Holly Jahangiri

      Pat! How good to see you! Yes, Facebook’s a pain. I hope you find those posts useful. I’ll probably stick around till the damned thing implodes (as all sites seem to do, in the end), but I won’t mourn it when it’s gone. I deleted all but the past month’s worth of posts there. I should post instructions for that! The account goes back to 2007 or so. But I deleted Twitter without a backwards glance and no regrets. Sometimes it’s not worth hanging onto the digital souvenirs.

      Reply
  3. Necia Campbell

    Oh my goodness! I’m mentioned on a BLOG! 🎉🎉🎉 How exciting! (Zero sarcasm here…I’m truly honored).

    Reply
    • Holly Jahangiri

      Well, of COURSE you are mentioned here – how could I not mention you in this context? I’m honored you read it and found the mention, Necia! (Okay, now, that brings the total up to EIGHT faithful readers! I’m excited, now!)

      Reply
      • Necia Campbell

        😘

        Reply
  4. Mitch Mitchell

    That’s a busy year… and there’s still 4 months of the year to go! Glad you’ve had a lot of fun and spent time with your family and friends in multiple places. BTW, when were you ever in New York; just seeing whether we knew each other when you decided to invade our borders! lol

    Reply
    • Holly Jahangiri

      FOUR WHOLE MONTHS!!! I guess I should’ve paced myself. Keep your fingers crossed for me on those outstanding contest entries. It would be fun to win a first place in at least one… (they are “winner take all” even if the top 10 get announced). I have more adventures planned before the year is over!

      When was I ever in New York? It’s been a while; I never lived there, and I’ve never been to your part of the state. (That would be funny, but it’s about as likely as us stumbling across each other one your trip to Houston.) I’ve been to NYC and to Newburgh and to Niagara Falls. I’ve flown through JFK with brief layovers. I think that’s it, though.

      Reply
      • Mitch Mitchell

        It’s too bad we didn’t know each other back in 2000, way before the days of blogs and the lead towards the internet we have now. We could have gone to the downtown Krispy Kreme; sigh… lol

        Reply
        • Holly Jahangiri

          Mmmmm, now you’re making me hungry! I miss Krispy Kreme. Shipley’s is our local chain, and it’s good, but not the same.

          Reply
  5. Micki

    Wow! I had to take a long nap after reading how much traveling and writing you’ve been doing! 😉

    Reply
    • Holly Jahangiri

      Me, too! I swear, if I hadn’t been writing these things down, I would not have included all of this.

      Reply

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