Notes from the Unbound Book Festival: Mark Doty Discusses Poetry and Memoir

Standing in the center of the chapel on the campus of Stephens College, Mark Doty read a selection of his award-winning poems. After his readings he shared his thoughts on poetry and memoir.

 

On poetry:

The best poems are purely personal, but they should not leave the reader saying, “So what?”

Reach toward bridges between the writer and reader.

"Create an opportunity for shared experiences in places that are unexpected and unlikely, where beauty and dignity reveal themselves."

Performance can lift one out of oneself.

Cultivate individual sensibilities.

On racial violence, he said that it’s not just the province of poets of color to write about it. “It’s everybody’s job to address it.”

Be part of change.

 

On memoir:

Writing his memoir was like watching a film of his childhood unfold.

 

Tap into memory in detail.

Memory and imagination become close together.

How the book felt was most important.

Art is a refuge.

 

After his first year of grief over the death of his partner, prose opened up more expansive ways to express himself.

“Joy resides in the present, in the now.”

 

 

Next week I'll share my notes on what the panel of professionals had to say about the five submissions selected for discussion during the Unbound Book Festival's First Page Rodeo .

The Importance of Transitions in Writing and in Life

Writers know how important transitions are to make their words flow smoothly so readers can understand what they are trying to communicate and don't get lost. According to the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "transitions glue our ideas and our essays together."

In my little corner of the world, the past few days have been a time of major transitions. For us, the love of family and the kindness of friends have been the glue that has kept us together.

Last Thursday my grandson attended Freshman Transition Day at his new high school.

Being a shy kid, the thought of switching from a small Catholic elementary school to a large public high school has been intimidating. On the drive to his new school, he and his best friend from grade school told me how nervous they were.

By the time I picked them up three hours later, they told me how much fun they had and how they can't wait to start their new high school.

During transition day, my grandson met other students, found his way to his locker and classes, had a teacher/coach invite him to try out for a team, and even talked to some girls. His transition day was a big hit!

First-day jitters is the last hurdle he has to overcome: riding the school bus and maneuvering through his first lunch period, but experiencing transition day has made that prospect less daunting.

And he isn't the only one making a major change this month.

Yesterday, my granddaughter began her trek to college, where it's Rush Week for coeds interested in Greek Life and thinking about joining a sorority.

After a quick breakfast, my husband and grandson loaded her car and mine. We barely fit her stuff into two cars with room for two of us in each vehicle; I wondered how she would fit everything in her half of the dorm room.

Oops, they're not called dorms anymore; they're called residence halls.

On the 100-mile drive, she and I had a good talk. Mostly, I listened, and we both shed some tears. To keep her eyes dry while she drove, I read out loud a few pages from Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycoskie, creator of the TOMS shoe company.

She had already started reading the book but needs to have it finished for a group discussion the first week at school -- and I'm always happy to read and learn, especially if it's something my grandchildren are reading and learning.

Upon arrival, we were directed to park in spots designated for 20-minute unloading. That's when the fun began. The scene was controlled chaos as students and family members unloaded cars, trucks, and vans then waited their turns to check in and haul everything up to their rooms.


Several hours later, with the help of her grandpa and "little" brother, who did most of the heavy lifting and moving of furniture, she was unpacked and ready to register for Greek Week.

After sharing a late lunch with the family of one of her good friends, we loaded the dolly, the empty suitcases, and the storage containers into my car for the trip home.

By 6 p.m., we said our farewells and shed even more tears as we watched her and her friend head off for their first Greek Life meeting and the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

Loving families, good friends, and smooth transitions; without them, we'd be lost.

Declutter/Enhance: A Different Approach to my Writing Life

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe it’s 2013.

Last year was a productive one for me --- I think because of something I decided to do early in 2012 --- to change the approach to my writing career.

My intent was to declutter my writing life while enhancing it. The plan was to focus on what I enjoyed doing or what improved my bottom line and eliminate activities that created anxiety rather than fulfillment.

With only 24 hours in each day, I knew something had to give.

First, I scaled back on book reviews and author interviews. While I love to read and discover new authors, doing so took away from my personal writing time, so I took on fewer freelance assignments. Understandably, my income from that revenue stream decreased, but my personal writing time increased.

With my newly “discovered” time, I submitted to more markets. While I had my fair share of rejections, I also enjoyed a measure of success. I also entered more contests and happily won a few --- including one big one in the spring.

Next, I cut back on social media time. My blog posts decreased from 184 in 2011, to 117 in 2012. Strangely, my page views during 2012 more than doubled, and for a few months, they almost tripled. The largest increases in page visits occurred after I won first place in the Global Humor Category of the Erma Bombeck writing competition and when I was interviewed in the St. Louis Review. The drawback is that I haven’t visited blogs of my friends as much as I’d like.

Lastly, one of my goals for 2012 was to be a more engaged member of the writing community. This meant participating in readings, speaking to groups, and tapping into the spiritual side of my writing life. While this wasn’t a money-making venture, it has been gratifying. I’ve renewed friendships with writing friends and met some amazing new writers. One surprising benefit has been activities with my parish writing group. Although we are small, we share some lofty ambitions, including writing scripts for our parish’s 190^th anniversary heritage celebration in 2013.

Overall, I believe my declutter/enhance approach has worked, and I plan to continue along the same path in 2013, with a few modifications. I will still blog and visit blogs of friends, although not as often as I’d like. With rare exceptions, I am taking a break from book reviews and author interviews. I plan to get outside more, spend time with friends and family, and see more of the world -- which should give me even more to write about!

Later this week I will post the fruits of my 2012 writing labors, broken down by: Professional Activities, Nominations/Awards, and Publications.

For me, this new approach has been a positive experience. How about you? Have you made any changes that have benefitted your writing life or personal life?

After the Drought Comes . . . Mushrooms

Weather has been weird this year in Missouri.

Winter was mild and we didn't get much snow. Early spring brought a lot of hail and storms and damage to my new car.

Then came summer's record-breaking hot temperatures and drought that made going outside a "hot mess." Inside wasn't much better. I felt like a slug. Keeping cool was my priority; my writing production slowed down.

But last week, as Hurricane Hugo swirled from the southeast to the northwest, it rained. When the sun came out again, the humidity returned. Still, it was a welcome break from the dry spell we've been having.

After the rain I took a walk and spotted mushrooms popping up on lawns all around our neighborhood. Later on I hopped in the car and brought along my camera. I clicked a photo of three mushrooms in a neighbor's yard. 

The mushrooms look like a sideways snowman to me.

Seeing snowmen-mushrooms pop up got me to thinking that after a dry spell of writing, change can produce unexpected surprises because, just under the surface, something new is waiting to be born.


Friday's Happy Hour Discussion - Changes

Today's weather in St. Peters: Blustery, overcast, high 50 degrees. A definite change from earlier in the week.

While this site isn't intended for political discussion, I can't close out the week without mentioning the monumental and historic change we witnessed in the United States on Tuesday, November 4, when a majority of U.S. citizens elected Barack Obama our first African-American president. No matter how we voted or our party affiliation, I think we all can embrace our nation's democratic process.

This week also marked the passing of two famous and critically acclaimed authors--Studs Turkel and Michael Crichton. While their passing isn't anywhere near on the scale of this week's historic election, as a writer and reader who has enjoyed some of their works, I thought I would mention them too.

So, let's raise our glasses, cans, coffee mugs, or tea cups in salute of our great nation and great writers.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Next week, I plan to share some ideas and experiences about critique groups.