Writing News<\/h2>\n
Last year, I was named a Councilor and Webmaster for The Poetry Society of Texas<\/a> (PST<\/a>). 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\u2019d 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<\/a>).<\/p>\n In February, I submitted three poems to the National Federation of Poetry Societies<\/a> (NFSPS<\/a>) Annual Contest; none were chosen as winners. My friend and fellow poet Mervyn R. Seivwright<\/a> suggested aiming for at least 200 rejections a year, which means that I\u2019m still behind! After all, if you\u2019re a writer who is not winning contests, getting published, or receiving polite rejection slips, you\u2019re not submitting your work often enough.<\/p>\n 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!\u00a0In August, I submitted 24 poems to the Poetry Society of Texas Annual Contests<\/a>. I can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n In June, I participated in the Summer Writers Institute<\/a> 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<\/em>, at this point. Still, it’s fun to stay in the dorm and be a full-time student for a few days!<\/p>\n 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\u2019s an offshoot of the Stafford Poetry Challenge, and have been experimenting with invented, collaborative forms. We\u2019re also planning to create an anthology later in the year.<\/p>\n Speaking of anthologies, this one is hot off the press: People, Places, and Pets<\/a>. And if you missed it, I helped Poets Northwest publish Dreams+Nightmares<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n 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!<\/p>\n 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 \u201con vacation\u201d when you\u2019re retired, but it was a pleasant change from the usual routine, and it\u2019s always fun to spend time with family.<\/p>\n We were not renting the house that floated down the beach<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n While we were in Oregon, we visited the Hopscotch<\/a> immersive and interactive art exhibit. I highly recommend it, if you get the chance \u2013 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>” 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<\/a> meet everyone and pass muster as “probably not a serial killer” before I could grab a coffee with her.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, Osaka, Kyoto, and T\u014ddai-Ji<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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!<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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<\/a>‘s Malin<\/a> lives.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Our Stafford “small group” of writers that meets on Zoom\u00a0 \u2013 originally dubbed \u201cThe Nameless\u201d but now also<\/em> calling itself \u201cThe Rebel Outpost\u201d invented a new poetry form: the “Rebellian” (pronounced like “rebellion”).<\/p>\n Rules for the Rebellian:<\/strong><\/p>\nGlobe-Trotting<\/h2>\n
Invention is the Mother of All Poetry<\/h2>\n
\n
![\"Malin,](\"https:\/\/jahangiri.us\/2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/P1070386-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n