Lawton Poets and Writers

Time for Re-Verse, Sigma Tau Delta style.

2010-10-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

Last April, several people in the Department of English and Foreign Languages met to plan a new event, a poetry recitation. Sigma Tau Delta, the English honor society, sponsored the event and the experiment was born on a rainy Thursday night. Eleven people read, including students and professors. In planning this year's recitation, STD decided to move it to the fall semester.

This is the story of Re-Verse. The beginning, anyway. The second chapter occurs on November 18, a Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Buddy Green Room in the MCC on the Cameron University campus.

The event is open to the the public and anyone can recite a poem as long as they sign up in advance. This year you can speak to Dr. William Carney if you want to recite a poem. Email him at wcarney at cameron dot edu.

You can recite one poem. The poem must by written by anyone other than yourself. Last year, someone recited a poem written by his niece. Dr. Seuss is fair game. So is Chaucer, Shelley, and Plath. Poems not in English ARE ENCOURAGED ENTHUSIASTICALLY. It doesn't matter if no one else speaks Sanskrit; poetry is also about rhythm and sound, and those things can be understood in any language.

Price of admission is a can of food, to be donated by STD to the Lawton Food Bank. Please join us for an evening of fun, friends, and poetry.

Ken Hada, from Ada, Brings the Poetry Forth Tonight

2010-10-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Ken Hada, poet and professor of English at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, will read tonight at Cameron University. His reading begins at 7:00 and will be held in the CETES building ballroom. The CETES building is behind the Nance-Boyer building and the library.

Ken Hada has numerous publications, including the poetry collection, Spare Parts, published by Mongrel Empire Press. He is also the director of the immensely popular Scissortail Creative Writing Festival of poetry in Ada each Spring.

The reading is free and open to everyone. Please join us for a reading by an Okie who often writes about Oklahoma.

Moira Crone reads her stories about New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina

2010-09-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

(This article was written by David Pilon, Cameron University creative writing student.)

Award-winning fiction author Moira Crone visited Cameron University on Friday, September, 10 for a reading of some of her work, and I had the pleasure of attending. The reading was part of the continuing Visiting Writers Series at Cameron, which has included in the past such writers as Anis Shivani and Barry Graham.

Crone, a resident of New Orleans, read for us her short story, “Black Carpet,” about New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the effects of crises on relationships. Afterwards was a question and answer with discussion of her writing and her experiences in relation to New Orleans and Katrina. She offered some interesting insight on the disaster as well as into the current culture of NOLA and the increasing growth of the artistic scene there.

Two of her short story collections, What Gets Into Us and Dream State were also being sold outside of the reading. Her work sounds modern and relevant and seems also deeply influenced by her life and experiences in the American South. If you missed the reading, then you can read more about Moira Crone online and find some of her books on Amazon.

The next scheduled Visiting Writer event is Ken Hada on October 8 at the CETES building.

Second Saturdays are for Open Mic Reading

2010-09-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

Celebration time! It's the second Saturday of the month, and in Lawton that means it's time for the Open Mic reading at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

Unitarian Universalist Church

@ 701 B Ave.

Saturday night at 6:30

Come celebrate writing with members of the Lawton area writing community. Share a poem, novel chapter, story, or plan for world domination. Everyone is welcome.

There will be coffee. There may be cookies; cookies often happen at the readings.

Last month saw poems, stories, news events, and musical/poetical collaboration.

Among the work I've read recently is micro fiction--stories told in 25 words. This form is gaining a lot of popularity on line, especially Twitter. I share my stories with several people, who also write some solid micro stories. I plan to read more of these at the readings. Here are three of my recent micro stories (or vss, very short stories).

"Momma, are we poor?" Georgie asked. Her mother smiled & touched Georgie's cheek. "Yes, we are." Georgie giggled and kissed her mom's hand.

The band you had come to see did not show. Their replacement was called The Sappy Trees. The singer had orange hair. You swayed slightly.

One day, George understood that he was in trouble, about to enter a downward spiral. He had lost his enthusiasm for birds.

(These stories by Aaron Rudolph appear on Twitter.)

Moira Crone reads her fiction Friday Night at 7:00

2010-09-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

Novelist and Louisiana State University professor Moira Crone will read on the Cameron University campus Friday (September 10) in the CETES building.

Moira Crone is the recipient of the Robert Penn Warren Award from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. She is the author of four books of fiction, most recently WHAT GETS INTO US (read a review). Her stories have been selected five times for New Stories from the South: The Year's Best, and her works have appeared in the New Yorker, Oxford American, Image, and many other journals. She has degrees from John Hopkins U. (MD) and Smith College (MA).

Please join us for her reading which will take about an hour. Hear some excellent storytelling and meet others in the Lawton and Cameron writing communities. There may be cookies and coffee. If not, we'll owe you some.

The event is sponsored by CU Lectures and Concerts, the School of Liberal Arts,

the Department of English and Foreign Languages, and Sigma Tau Delta.

A “Gold Mine” of Talent by Leah Ellis

2010-08-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

The new journal The Gold Mine was created and published at Cameron University during the last school year by students under the direction of Dr. Jones and Dr. Godsave. The idea was to create a fine arts journal which featured the work of Cameron students. Combining the written art of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, with visual art allowed for the cooperation of students from the English Department and the Art Department. The logistics of bringing together people and submissions from both these departments seemed daunting, but in actuality everything came together very smoothly.

The call for submissions was set so the selection committee could review the work over the break between the fall and spring semester. At first we were concerned that not enough contributions would be made to fill the journal, but on the last few days of the submission deadline a flood of entries came in. The committee gathered in groups reading the manuscripts and looking over the art, while some chose to peruse the material alone. All were accommodated as everyone works differently. Everyone involved willingly gave of their time and resources. For example, Phillip and Amber Harrington graciously opened their home for the group I was involved with which included the journal’s Editor, Aubrey Vandall.

After all the material was reviewed, and the selections were made, the process of formatting and designing the layout began. Aubrey Vandall, Holly Neville representing the Art Department, and myself as Managing Editor met and began discussing the order of submissions in relation to the number of pages and other design issues. While all of this went easily enough Holly’s contribution to the overall layout, and completion of the project cannot be emphasized enough. It was her eye for design and attention to small details that truly created the end product. She presented the Editorial Staff with several different options for a cover. She also put the layout on a program that worked for the printer, without which the journal would have been dead in the water.

The direction of Dr. Jones and Dr. Godsave was just enough to keep the project on track, but not so much as to be over-bearing. The balance formed a working environment for the student staff that was both enjoyable and productive. Both made themselves available at meetings and via email for any questions and concerns regarding the process. They made suggestions while allowing the final decision to be made by the staff of students.

The end product was our “Art and Literary Journal” that features several of the talented students at Cameron University. There are still copies of the journal available, and I strongly encourage people to pick up one. There are several notable pieces in the journal. I have my favorites from each section, like Jutta Carter’s poem, "Memories of Water," Justin Cliburn’s non-fiction entry "Tears in Bagdad," Reece Capps fictional story, "Jake is Dead," and the untitled picture by Bennet Dewan of a guitar player leaning against a wall.

It was a deeply rewarding experience for me to be a part of the journey. There were many wonderful people who came together to see the project through to publication. I am looking forward to being a part of this year’s journal. Seeing the talent of so many of my peers at Cameron is amazing. While our geographical area may be a dusty, baked impoverished zone, the minds it breeds are fertile and rich in imagination. Our local talent is not limited to the University, but it is a gathering ground for those seeking an outlet for their art. The Gold Mine is just one of the outlets available. Students interested in working on this year’s edition, or making submissions should watch for fliers and notices coming this Fall.

Writing Workshop in Duncan Rocked the Senior Center

2010-08-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, August 7, 16 writers came to the Senior Citizens Center in Duncan for a writing workshop. At nine in the morning I showed up and found many people sitting at desks, waiting to start. Patsy Nixon was standing, waiting to show me what she had set up. Patsy, Teri McGrath, and myself had been discussing doing a workshop like this for months, probably a whole year. Finally, we decided to actually do it and without all of the work of Patsy, the workshop would’ve never happened. She arranged the space, arranged the food and drink, advertised, got writers to show up, and set up the room. Of course, her husband, Jack, was integral to setting up everything along the way, too. He is the quiet accomplice who gets it done.

Writers from Marlow, Duncan, Ft. Sill, Lawton, and other places attended. Experience ranged from beginners to pros who’ve been writing for years. Some writers in attendance have finished book manuscripts even. Stacey, for example, has written a memoir. He ws the last stowaway on the original Queen Mary ship. He boarded with the help of some younger crew in England and was caught on the way to Brazil. The American consulate gave him two choices: wait in Brazil until a plane to the U.S. could be arranged or stay on board the ship as a non-paying crew member for the last three weeks of the voyage. Stacey picked the latter option and wrote a 300-page manuscript about his adventures.

On Saturday, we did a few exercises and wrote about place. One writer showed Marlow as a spooky place at night while a new resident to Duncan resident showed it to have almost Utopian features. A Lawton writer focused on the many police cars and that the cars read “POL...ICE” Now, I can only see that when I see a Lawton police car since the workshop.

The workshop ran for four hours but included a break and a long lunch where everyone enjoyed talking to people they had just met and many attendees discussed writing over lunch. It was a nice event for sure. We’ve discussed doing more, of course, including a return to the Duncan Senior Citizens Center. Hopefully in six months or so.

Come gather round people, wherever you roam!

2010-08-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

Guess what time it is?

It's open mic night time is what.

Come to the

Unitarian Universalist Church

@ 701 B Ave.

Saturday night at 6:30

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the last reading, but the famous Terry Gresham was there, and he made a post featuring two of the poems read that night, by Monty May.

Here is one of them:

MUSIC

Sing and play,
Cast a ray,
Draw from the wealth within you;
Dance, direct-
Use your own dialect,
The Muses are waiting to guide you.

Day raining dreams,
Sky reigning themes;
Circling motions of wonder-
Rising within, rising without,
Ringing like carols of thunder!

You can read the other at Terry's awesome blog, Toenail Moon, where he also keeps his poetry, links to interesting things, and musings about Frenchmen, Woodchucks, hipsters and werewolves.

I hope both Terry and Monty will be back tomorrow night, and I hope to see you there, too!

Labor Omnia Vincit

2010-08-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

Oklahoma Laborfest sounds like it's going to be great!

The festival takes place in Oklahoma City's

Plaza Dis trict

from

August 26th to August 28th.

It will begin with a poetry reading at Coffy's Cafe, hosted by Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, whose book, Work is Love Made Visible: Poetry and Family Photographs, won the 2010 Oklahoma Book Award for Poetry.

Several Oklahoma writers will read, including our own Aaron Rudolph, Jason Poudrier and more. Lawton will be represented! Let us know if you are going, too.

Here's a link to a map of the Plaza District.

Here's the schedule of events for the rest of the weekend, including panel discussions, screenings of documentaries, live music and art shows!

The festival will wrap up with "Labor Speaks," an event that "will include dramatic readings of selected historical texts from Oklahoma’s labor and civil rights movement as well as musical performances of songs connected to these movements."

This is a great opportunity to support the arts and to learn about Oklahoma history.

There Will Be Cookies

2010-07-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

Open Mic Night

Unitarian Universalist Church

of the Universe

@ 701 B Ave.

Saturday night at 6:30

OTD

Summer is a time for new people! At the last reading, we had a lot of new faces and one new reader. His name is Jack Hunsucker, and I wrote an OKIE article about a production of Sleuth that he directed for the Lawton Community Theatre. Hopefully, Jack will come and read again this month, and here's a link to his website where you can read more of his work.

Maya Sloan's Book Release Party in OKC Tuesday, June 22

2010-06-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

I wrote an article about Maya Sloan for OKIE Mag this month, and, in case you are interested, I've posted it at my new blog that I haven't posted anything else to yet.

There are a bunch of links there, too, but for now, you might be interested in watching this book trailer for Maya's new novel High Before Homeroom.

I also suggest you watch this video, which includes footage of Maya reading from her novel:

Maya's book release party is this Tuesday at 7pm at the very Barnes and Noble on May Ave. that she used to frequent as a tormented teen. I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and it's a good opportunity to meet her before she gets all snooty and Hollywood on us.

David Pilon Writes About The Oklahoma Review

2010-06-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

In the spring semester of 2010, I was enrolled in a class at Cameron University listed as Online Magazine Editing. It wasn’t really exactly what I had expected or what it might sound like to some. The class was also my introduction to The Oklahoma Review, a publication I wish I had known about sooner.

The Oklahoma Review is an international online magazine published twice each year through the English Department at Cameron. Its Editor in Chief and the professor in charge of the class that publishes it is Dr. John Hodgson. For those who don’t know Dr. Hodgson, he can seem intimidating at first with his booming voice of authority, and it’s also not a great idea to smart off to him or shirk on assignments (both of which I’ve sometimes done in the past). However, it was actually fun working for him, and I learned a lot from the experience.

I was also impressed both by the volume and the quality of work the magazine receives. Being in the class also means being on the staff, and my main task as such was working as a student reader, reading through and evaluating poems, short stories, and works of creative nonfiction. I read some great pieces (and honestly, some not-so-great ones as well), and I got to openly discuss them with my peers. Out of the works published in the spring issue, I was particularly fond of the short story “The Statue at the Café Ephemera,” by Robert Kaye.

As a Creative Writing major, a writer, and someone who is looking towards pursuing an MFA and probably going on to be a college instructor, what I gained most from working on the magazine was learning more about the submission and publication processes, as well as building better communication skills in regards to writing and literature and a better understanding of what is considered quality, contemporary literature.

The spring 2010 issue of The Oklahoma Review turned out really good, and I enjoyed helping to create it. I liked reading the poems and the one work of fiction published in this issue, and I would recommend the magazine to anyone who values quality literature, as well as recommending the magazine editing class at Cameron to anyone who is interested.

David Pilon is a senior Creative Writing student at Cameron University. He is also the newly elected Vice President of the Cameron chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. He has been a reader for both The Oklahoma Review and The Gold Mine Literary & Fine Arts Journal. His poetry was nominated for the John G. Morris Poetry Prize the past two years.

Lawton's Juneteenth Celebration This Saturday

2010-06-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Lawton, Oklahoma (June 19, 2010)

Juneteenth is a holiday with an amazing and surprising history. What is Juneteenth?

This year’s event takes place on June 19, a Saturday. At 4:00 p.m., a program and celebration march will occur at the Buffalo Soldier Monument, located at Second and Gore Boulevard. Then from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Patterson Community Center, located at #4 NE Arlington, people will be able to enjoy food, music, games, and other activities.

Specific games and activities are held for children. The committee invites historians, storytellers, and poets, who all share history about events relating to African-American culture in Oklahoma and the events surrounding the Civil War and Juneteenth.

Food and music will also be plentiful. Local musicians will provide live music. Jazz and Rhythm & Blues will be two musical styles featured. Food will be cooking in abundance. About forty cases of ribs and one hundred pounds of brisket will be cooked and consumed. All food and drink was either donated or purchased with donated money. According to organizer Albert Johnson, Sr., about 1,500 to 2,000 people contribute money for the event.

Wallace Moore, a cowboy poet and historian of Oklahoman history, regularly adds to the Juneteenth celebration by reciting poems and speaking about the history surrounding Oklahoma during the Civil War period. Unfortunately, Moore is unable to attend this year’s event because he will be out of town. Prior to last year’s event, Moore wrote a poem titled, “De End of De Row.” He read it for Juneteenth and received lots of compliments for the poem and his reading of it.

Here is the full poem:

De End of De Row

I was born a slave, down in Texas. Seems like it was yesterday, but if the truth be known, it was a long time ago.

My Mammy and me was owned by a man what had a big cotton Plantation. Some of de biggest cotton fields that I ever did see. I use to say to Mammy, “How is we ever goner make all de way down younder to de end of de row.

Us slaves had it mighty hard in dem days, working from sun up till sun down. Our lives were controlled by the crack of de whipe. We had to jump ever time we heared de horn blow.

We was always busy, plowing, planting, chopping or picking de masters cotton. It don’t matter how hard we work, we can’t to seem to make it to de end of de roe.

Then comes de big war. You know, the one between de states. I guess you don heared about that. Mr. Lincon, he up and freeded all us slaves. Says that we could just get all out things and go.

It took almost a year before we got de word down here in Texas. I will never forget, it was de 19^th of June. I was standing knee deep in ol masters cotton field. As always I was trying the dickens to make it to de end of de row.

Ever since then, people of color in this part of the country have been celebrating the 19^th of June. They called it Juneteeth. Down in my hometown, somebody would Bar-B-Q a goat and make some red kool-aid. All the men would go out behind the outhouse for a cup of chock beer. We would have a high ol time. Lord we would get down de fiddle and de bow.

I have been to lot’s of Juneteeths over the years, but no matter how much fun I have, I can’t ever forget the smell of dem slave cabins and how hard it was for us to make it to de end of de row.

Now days we think that we all don made it. We got a black man on the Supreme Court, a black Secretary of State, and a black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. We even go a black President, Lord, don’t you know.

Some of my black brothers and sisters are still shackled by the invisible chains of drugs and gang violence. Unless we all join together to break dem chains, they ain’t never gonna make it to de end of de row.

This year as you enjoy the party, try not to forget just whey it is we celebrate. As a people, we don come a long way, but de good Lord knows, we still got a long way to go.

Get your woman and the kids, why you can even bring your mother-in-law, just long as you come one come all. We got big doings planned at the Juneteenth party so you just meet us all down at de end of de row.

Tonight's the Night!

2010-06-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hope to see you all at the

Unitarian Universalist Church

of the Universe

@ 701 B Ave.

tonight at 6:30

OTD.

Often there are cookies, but what you want to come for is to hear brilliant, charming and smarty-pantsed poems like the one below, which Magan Chappell, who may or may not have tripped her way to the podium, wrote just for you--really. (And for Dr. Morris)

My Own Fear

by Magan Chappell

First let me apologize.
You see, I have this stupid fear.
And with the way my voice is shaking right now,
I’m sure you know it’s because I’m standing…..up here.

Some people call it topophobia,
Stage fright or a fear of public situations.
Others call it social phobia,
A fear of socially negative evaluations.

Glassophobia fits well too,
A fear of speaking in a public setting.
Not too hard to explain right now,
Considering how much my palms are sweating.

I’m proud that I didn’t trip coming up the steps,
Although I wouldn’t have been surprised.
However, since I wrote this poem before tonight, if I DID trip,
Just overlook it because I didn’t have a chance to revise.

I know my cheeks are beet red,
I’m sure my face is really glowing.
Trust me, it’s not from being pregnant,
Or the fact that my baby bump is showing.

My stomach is turning circles, my mouth is dry,
And unless I am mistaking,
We’re all thankful that this podium is here
Or you’d certainly see my knees shaking.

My heart is pounding in my chest.
The anxiety is quite intense.
Thank goodness my tongue didn’t swell
The embarrassment sure would be immense.

Forgive me if I seem a bit flustered,
But rest assured, I don’t think I’m gonna pass out.
Especially since I’m coming close to the end,
And I’m starting to feel a little better now.

I had to do this reading for my poetry class.
I’m not really sure if it’s for a grade.
But juuuuuust in case it is,
Is it worthy of an “A”?????

Sam McMichael Presents at The Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival in Seminole, OK

2010-06-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sam McMichael was one of the featured storytellers at the Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival in Seminole, OK on June 4th and 5th. At least fifty or sixty men and women told stories over two days representing every region of the state. Sam was one of the most respected and admired tellers. People wanted to say hello, shake his hand, and ask for help. He led a workshop on finding voice and the classroom at Seminole State College was packed. His fans were ready to partake in his knowledge. The workshop itself was well planned and Sam even kept the crowd happy with some storytelling.

The Territory Tellers hosted the event. Tellers from other states also came to reunite and tell particularly Oklahoman tales. For a new guy to Oklahoma like me, it was exciting to be in the middle of all these Oklahoman artists who so obviously love their place and the people who comprise it.

Among some of the people and things I was luckily introduced to in the two days:

46th Star Press run by Pam Bracken, who has committed her free time to publishing and advertising books by Oklahomans or about Oklahoma. Her 10-year old daughter was recruited, with a commission on each book she sold. Her husband designs the website, at least, and I believe does much, much more. (We will feature then on our blog later in the summer.)

Teller Eldrena Douma, who grew up on the Laguna Peublo reservation in New Mexico and the Hopi reservation in Arizona. She lived in Lawton and told these sweet, incredibly identifiable stories about looking for others who share our world view, so that we know we're not alone on the planet.

The fanfare surrounding our friend, Sam McMichael. He will say I am being silly, but it was clear that he is respected for his craft. He is good at engaging an audience in a story about his own life. I know the difference between a fake laugh and a sincere one, and his featured story was full of from-the-gut belly laughs. He is also such a great representative for southwestern Oklahoma and for rural life in general. Walking around the festival with Sam made me think of the expression, "I'm with the band."

I told a story! It was exhilarating; I was nervous. I botched it over and over, but I got a laugh or two. And I finished without falling over. I am ready to try again.

Valerie Martinez--Imaginative Poet, Inspiring Teacher

2010-05-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

In 1997, I enrolled in English 364, Creative Writing: poetry. The professor: Valerie Martinez. It was her first year at the school. None of the students knew anything about her. She turned out to be serious but friendly. Intense but with a sense of humor. She didn't care that we couldn't write very well. She did care that we gave a sincere effort to improve. When I asked her if I could visit her during office hours to ask about additional poets I could read, she responded enthusiastically. When I showed up, she handed me a couple of xeroxed poems and we read them together. In class, she would make copies of poems that seemed to be in the spirit of our poetic attempts. She wanted us to have models. She also asked us to write an essay about a contemporary poet. She made it clear that reading and writing poetry were not separate acts. Later on, a friend and I started saying, "A writer who doesn't read is like a chef who hates vegetables." Or something like that (hopefully much funnier). The idea behind that joke is one that originated in Valerie's class for me. Writing is not an easy task; a person has to be willing to do all the things necessary if he or she expects to write well and improve.

There are so many inspiring moments I want to share with you here about Valerie Martinez, but mainly, I want to express that she is a caring, diligent teacher who, in 1997, just happened to be one of the strongest up-and-coming poets in the U.S. The start of her career was happening just as she was teaching our class.

Valerie's first book, Absence Luminescent, was published in 1999 by Four Way Books, and she had just received notice that it had won the Larry Levis Prize when our class began. At the same time, she was included in a major Latino/a anthology called Touching the Fire (Random House, 1998), edited by Ray Gonzales, a well-know poet and anthology editor. I bought that book as soon as it came out and was mesmerized that one of the poets was my teacher. I dreamed of being a published author.

One day, Valerie mentioned that she earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing from the University of Arizona. I asked her about it. Honestly, I can still remember my thoughts when she began explaining her MFA experience. I thought, "This sounds like the greatest thing I've ever heard of." Despite being a brand-new to poetry and not having written a single thing that my teacher would refer to as a "poem," I wanted to be in the MFA environment. Valerie offered to advise me about the application process. A year later when I walked into her office and said I had been accepted at a school in Minnesota, she hugged me then walked into the halls and told each faculty member she could find about my news. Her excitement was surprising. And it was authentic. My experience has been that Valerie cares for her students as her top priority. Even after thirteen years, she is my teacher. I don't see or speak to her often, but she still shows the same concern she did when I was in her class.

As far as Valerie's own poetry, there are so many ideas I feel like I need to share. I will state this: Valerie Martinez writes tight, lyrical poems which emphasize sound at the same time that they stretch the limits of words: the ways in which words can be used and the ways they can be connected and attached to other words. This poem, "And Seeing It" has always been one of my favorite poems.

Orange, orange. And the hand arching up

to hold it. The woman's hand. The arching.

Up. And the star exploding, seeing it

where it wasn't, a telescope on the night sky.

The thermonuclear flash.

The explosion.

She had her hand out; it fell

like an explosion into her fingers.

It wasn't the cope and the eye,

was hand, fruit. It was what I saw.

It was what I imagine I somehow saw.

Out on the horizon of stars beyond the gigantic sun.

Beyond the measure of the sun the star bursting.

And it was autumn. The shadows of oleanders

made colors of bodies on the lawn.

The girls dresses were red on the green lawn.

Smelling of fruit.

Making shapes of fruit in their hands.

With the sky all opaque, and the one star.

There, at the top of the fingers, the orange.

At the tip like God and Adam touching.

Like the ceiling of the Sistine where the stars might be.

And knowing about hydrogen, carbon.

A collapsing in. The water drunk by girls,

the breath given out. Breath, out.

The table of elements served up.

Iron in spinach in the aqua bowl.

Green explosion in the aqua bowl.

Clusters of grape stems without grapes.

Molecular models like grape stems.

To what we address, link.

To what we speak.

Not in our lifetime will we see it.

Not in the sky like this: supernova.

Not ever again, they say.

Drops. The orange.

(from Absence, Luminescent)

Saturday Night's All Right!

2010-05-04T17:11:00.001-07:00

A lot is happening this weekend, folks. Friday is the first day of the Arts for All Festival, which will take place at Sheplar Park. There are a lot of events on the calendar for Friday through Sunday. Check it out.

But hopefully you will take a break from the festivities on Saturday to come to Cameron'sSheplar Ballroom and listen to some of our senior creative writing students present their work. This is a good opportunity to see what great writers our program produces and to have a talk with some of the faculty who helped to produce them:

Drs. John Graves Morris, Hardy Jones, Bayard Godsave and Aaron Rudolph.

The readers this year are Colleen Carter, Jed Fisher, Kayla Leuch, Michell Lewis, David Pilon and Jamaal Richardson. These are some very impressive writers , and I hope you'll come listen to them read.

The Sheplar Ballroom is in between the two tallest buildings on Cameron's campus. If you park in front of Nance Boyer and the Library, you can take a stroll past the new McMahon Centennial Complex and through the beautiful Bentley Gardens.

If you haven't yet seen the pretty new things we have on campus, this is a good time to make a visit.

Final Favorite Poem Project Poems

2010-04-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here's an email we got from Sahkti Pandi, who sent us our last poem for the Favorite poem project.

This is one of my best poem written by laxmi prasad devkota. It has been sung by rabin sharma one of the famous singer of all time..here is the link of video

and the poem is below, original version.

"यात्री"

कुन मन्दिरमा जान्छौ यात्री, कुन मन्दिरमा जाने हो?
कुन सामग्री पुजा गर्ने, साथ कसोरी लाने हो?
मानिसहरूको काँध चढी, कुन देवपुरीमा जाने हो?

हाडहरूका सुन्दर खम्बा, मांसपिण्डका दिवार !
मस्तिष्कको यो सुनको छाना, इन्द्रियहरूका द्वार !
नसा-नदीका तरल तर, मन्दिर आफू अपार !
कुन मन्दिरमा जान्छौ यात्री, कुन मन्दिरको द्वार ?

मनको सुन्दर सिंहासनमा, जगदिश्वरको राज !
चेतनाको यो ज्योति हिरण्यमय, उसको शिरको ताज !
शरिरको यो सुन्दर मन्दिर, विश्वक्षेत्रको माझ।

भित्र छ ईश्वर बाहिर आँखा, खोजी हिड्छौ कुन पुर?
ईश्वर बस्तछ गहिराइमा, सतह बहन्छौ कति दुर?
खोजी गर्छौ हृदय लगाऊ, बत्ति बाली तेज प्रचुर ?

साथी यात्री बीच सडकमा, ईश्वर हिड्छ साथ
चुम्दछ ईश्वर काम सुनौला, गरिरहेका हात
छुन्छ तिलस्मी करले उसले, सेवकहरूको साथ ।

सडक किनार गाउँछ ईश्वर, चराहरूको तानामा
बोल्दछ ईश्वर मानिसहरूका, पिडा, दु:खको गानामा
दर्शन किन्तु कहिँ दिँदैन, चर्म-चछुले कानामा ।
कुन मन्दिरमा जान्छौ यात्री, कुन नव-देश बिरानामा?

फर्क फर्क हे ! जाऊ समाऊ, मानिसहरूको पाउ !
मलम लगाऊ आर्तहरूको, चहराइरहेको घाउ
मानिस भइ ईश्वरको त्यो, दिव्य मुहार हँसाऊ ।।

Here is a link to the translation at Favorite Poems Project blog.

Poetry is.....

2010-04-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a home-sickness, a love-sickness.

Robert Frost

New poem for Sunday...a cowboy in New York: Whu...What??

2010-04-25T14:49:00.001-07:00

Inspired by Teri McGrath's excellent blog post urging us to look for poets that may not have the stamp of "OFFICIAL POET" but still should be read, I remembered a poem that knocked me down in a small online lit mag, 3rd Muse. The poem, "Saw You, Want You." The poet, Sarah J. Sloat. Sloat's poem is short and powerful. It begs to be read several times. Please enjoy it and tip the delivery boy or girl. And keep the hippie poncho on. It rocks.

Find the poem here.

This selection is a staff selection even though we don't have a staff exactly. It's just that to label it as selected by "staff" makes me feel important when I'm typing it out. Yeah.

O, I am Fortune's Fool!

2010-04-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing a wallpaper on myspace once that said, "Shakespeare hates your emo poems." I thought it was funny, of course--its hyperbole and cruelty. And snobbery. It is meant to be an admonishment to any writer of poetry that does not measure up to what is supposed to be Great.

That sentiment is pretty problematic, though, since it suggests there is an absolute authority over what is beautiful and valuable in poetry. And anyway, poetry is supposed to be about "making it new" like that mean old man said back in the day.

Speaking of whom, it is also important to consider who is doing the "supposing" when one is looking for ways to appreciate and value art. In mainstream culture, "Great Literature" is often used synonymously with "Required Reading." So the people who tell us whether or not the art we create is worthy of attention--at least in our imaginations--look like this:

Old, stony, and authoritative; ghostly pale, blank-eyed, and judgy. And a little bit like Tim Curry in Disney's "The Three Musketeers." And if people who look like that are the people we're taking our cues from when seeking Great Works, it is no wonder we sometimes forget--or don't know--that Shakespeare also looks like this:

Prrree--yow!

And this:

Anyway, it is understandable and good that Shakespeare should be molded into a stern, disapproving father figure for would-be poets (or would-be critics, I should say). That is not what I object to here. The problem with that slogan, "Shakespeare hates your emo poems," is that it can't be true.

Surely, it can't be true of the man who wrote Romeo--the emoest emo to ever emote--and Juliet (O! Happy dagger!). Or Hamlet, which is a play about a man who no one even understands. Because he's different. He has real feelings! And grieves for his father, hates his phony mom and his stupid step-dad, contemplates suicide, and fetishizes death.

Shakespeare does not hate my emo poems. Even if he thinks they're silly.

He loves them.

Well, anyway, because it is (at the time I am going to date this post) Shakespeare's birthday or death-day (creepy) or whatever, I decided to let the bard himself pick the poem for the day, and he chose a poet he found on myspace, amid a plethora of other poets who are writing their hearts out, people, and who should be appreciated. This one's name is "poetman," or Steven Anstey, and he publishes the Shakespeare's Monkeys Revue (I suspect Shakespeare found the site by googling himself).

If you have a look at poetman's blog, you'll see that he writes a lot of poetry. Some is silly and some is brilliant, and some it's hard to tell. Which is just the way that Shakepeare likes it. In fact, it was hard to pick one, but Shakepeare grabbed the first emo-licious poem he could find. It is called, "Fashion Statement," and begins with the line, "Hate is a comfortable pair of trousers."

You want to read it now, don't you? Well, click on the link and you'll go directly to the poem right there on poetman's myspace page.

And you can click on this link to read Shakespeare's Sonnet 57 on our Favorite Poems Project page.

If in your perusal of the internets, you come across great--or interestingly un-great--self-published poetry, please post a link here or send me a note about it. These people must be heard!

Tonight's Reading Cancelled.

2010-04-23T11:14:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, Sy Hoahwah's reading has been cancelled due to a family emergency. He had to hurry home to St. Louis last night to be with his wife and children. We are wishing him well and hoping he'll come back soon to visit and maybe read.

If you haven't had a chance yet, do have a look at the book, Velroy and the and Madischie Mafia . You can read some of the poems at the Poetry Foundation Website.

Jason Poudrier Writes About His Experiences at Scissortail Writing Festival

2010-04-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Scissortail Creative Writing Festival is the most happening writing get together in all of Oklahoma. It takes place at East Central University in small town Ada, Oklahoma. The town fills and the restaurants are packed as writers from all over the United Sates arrive to participate or observe, or often both, the Sci ssortail Festival. At this year's festival, writer's came from as far away as Alaska and South Dakota to participate. There were several -yes several- former poet laureates from different states, including Oklahom a and Texas. And Jim Barnes, the current Oklahoma poet laureate, read from his new book and mingled with other writers and literature lovers during the afterhours events that take place throughout Ada each night of the festival.

Books are sold and can often be signed virtually simultaneously; a long table holds all the books for sale by various authors reading at the festival. Rilla Askew, last year--I had read last year from a manuscript I am working on--signed my copy of Harpsong "to a fellow writer," which I thought was awesome.

This year I got a chance to chat with Nathan Brown an Oklahoma Book Award recipient, who also has several poetry books out; we talked about writing and an author who read at the festival last year, named Jim Chastain. I enjoyed Chastain's reading and purchased his book right after. The title of the book: "I survived Cancer but Never Won the Tour de France."

The heart breaking part of the festival this year, for me, was finding out from Chastain's friend Nathan Brown that Chastain passed away last year. However, Brown and another of Chastain's writing friends are working on completing Chastain's final manuscript for him, and they are hoping to publish it within a few years.

As a reader, I enjoyed the opportunity and was honored to read among such great artists in 2008 and 2009; this year as a spectator, I enjoyed the freedom of attending which ever session I chose (more than one reading occurs at a time in different locations) and listening to fabulous writers share their works and talk about writing.

(Note: The photos come from Scissortail 2010's facebook page, this photo album for the 2009 festival, and Amazon.com. They were added by Teri McGrath.)

Favorite Poems Project: New Poems up for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday

2010-04-21T14:30:00.001-07:00

We now have nine poems posted as part of the Favorite Poems Project. A new blog has been started to feature the daily poems. We have eleven days left, so eleven chances to send us your faves. That's right, faves. I know the lingo.

Today's poem comes from a very good literary journal called The Nervous Breakdown. TNB is not a typical journal. They have a lot of work that the "reputable" zines would balk at. Also, they let authors download their own work, so they constantly have new material. Also, they do edgy things like the self-interview. Hannah Wehr, the poet behind, "Dude, You Ruined David Bowie for Me," gave a hilariously odd self-interview. It made me laugh. It made laugh some more. It made me frightened. Enjoy.

Poem of the day 4/18: LP&W's Favorite Poems Project is gaining steam

2010-04-18T19:38:00.001-07:00

Six poems are now up at http://lawtonpoetsfpp.blogspot.com/.

Fourteen more days to go. Please pass along any poems you think that other literature lovers MUST read. We'll be appreciative. Also, we'd like a nice, warm meal. Writing doesn't pay our bills.

The latest poem (April 18) is by Federico Garcia Lorca, the brilliant Spanish poet who was killed by the new government who found him to controversial. Lorca was heavily involved in politic and human rights and this made him a target. Probably, he was not a perfect man, but his poems are left behind as quite a legacy.

Poem of the Day 4/17

2010-04-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

Poem of the day is an Ancient Egyptian Love Poem that Teri McGrath selected because she read it once in an anthology and thought it sounded a little bit like a diary entry she wrote about Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran.

what does poetry do?

2010-04-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Gerald M. Edelman said, "Science is imagination in the service of verifiable truth."
This is a beautiful and succinct definition. I wonder if we can come up with one for poetry that is as clear and definite. "Poetry is imaginationin the service of...............

Favorite Poem: Friday, April 16

2010-04-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Today's poem of the day is "Banjo Saturday Nights" by former Poet Laureate of Texas, Walt McDonald.

It appeared in Volume 3, Issue 1 of The Oklahoma Review.

Dr. John Hodgson gave us this one.

Favorite Poems for April 15

2010-04-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

We still need poems for the next seventeen days so please send us those poems you love, that hit you in the gut, or that make you run out into the streets singing.

Our next poem of the day is a poem inspired by cake.

It is called "Delicious Desssert!!!! You are Favourite Sin!" who won first place in a contest at The Poet Society of Trinidad and Tobago website.

We have Cameron Student, Ornella Nelson, to thank for bringing this website, this poem, and this cake to our attention.

Favorite Poem for April 14th

2010-04-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

Our first poem of the day is "The Sonnet-Ballad"

by Gwendolyn Brooks

who looked like this once:

Click on the title to read the poem at our Favorite Poems Project page. Click on the author's name to read more about her on the Modern American Poetry website.

This poem was suggested by Aaron Rudolph.

Favorite Poems Project @ Lawton Poets and Writers

2010-04-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Howdy, everyone. We are in the midst of National Poetry Month. As part of this celebration, Lawton Poets and Writers will post favorite poems.

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14, we will post a new poem for twenty consecutive days.

The poems will come from all of us. Send us your favorite poems to lawtonpoets@gmail.com. Whether the poem is long, short, funny, or dramatic, we want to see it. The poem does not have to be from someone famous. We'd like to see any poems by any authors. We will select one each day. If possible, send it as a document or in the text of the email. Include the title, poet's name, and the full text of the poem. On our blog, we will display the poem along with the names of the poet and the person who submitted the poem.

National Poetry Month celebrates a beautiful art form which often gets overlooked. Certainly, it is under appreciated. Hopefully, we will all share some new poems to add to your own collections of favorites.

Link to Lawton Poets and Writers Favorite Poems Project

April 23rd reading at the Leslie Powell Gallery Cancelled :-(

2010-04-09T17:10:00.001-07:00

Poet, Sy Hoahwah, an Oklahoma Native and a friend of mine from the M.F.A. program at the University of Arkansas will be back in town later on this month and will be giving a reading.

On Friday, April 23rd

At 7pm

The Leslie Powell Gallery

@ 1620 Southwest D Ave.

He will read from his book,

Velroy and the Madischie Mafia

Here's a bit about the book from the publisher's website.

'Poet Sy Hoahwah’s hometown, Madischie, in Comanche County, Oklahoma, was named for a 110-year-old Comanche whose only English was “I do not speak English.”
Hoahwah’s Comanche County is not the place of the myths of Native America, wrinkled elders earnestly singing prayers. Instead, Hoahwah’s forty-one poems in Velroy and the Madischie Mafia portray a contemporary Indian Country where traditions spar with change, where old ways compete with drugs, violence, and pop culture for control of the next generation of Indians.'

And you can read some of the poems at

The Poetry Foundation website.

Of course copies of the book will be available at the reading, but I have a few right now if you want one. It is a beautiful book. I know you will love it.

This will be a wonderful way to spend some time on a Friday night in spring--among friends, in a beautiful art gallery, listening to a brilliant local poet read his work. There will be a chance to talk with Sy afterwards and to get your book signed. I believe there will also be refreshments.

Visiting Poet (March 29th)

2010-03-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Jenny Yang Cropp

will read from her work

March 29

@

7 pm

CETES Conference Room B

This is what she looks like:

She is a Lawton native, a former Cameron student and the author of the chapbook, Hanging the Moon (RockSaw Press, 2010).

Click on these links to read her work at Poetry Southeast, Boxcar Poetry Review, and Superstition Review.

Her poems have also appeared in Hayden's Ferry Review, Ecotone, Eclipse and others. In 2009, her work was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She received her MFA from Minnesota State University-Mankato and is currently pursuing a PhD in creative writing at the University of South Dakota where she also works as the circulation manager and an editorial assistant for South Dakota Review.

So. . . wow!

Re-Verse Recap (March 11, 2010)

2010-03-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

The first annual Re-Verse is completed. I use the word "annual" because we're definitely doing this again. It was too much fun to let it fade away into the Lawton fog. We had about 25 people show up and Amber Harrington, Sigma Tau Delta's president, said it was the best attended event STD has hosted all year.

I wish I didn't ramble on so much at the beginning with introductions, but no one ran away screaming. Anyway, we had both faculty and students read. Next year, we hope to increase our presenters to 30, with people participating from both Cameron and the Lawton/Southwerstern OK community.

Highlights... Drs. John Morris, William Carney, Ginette Baillergeon, and Vivian Tomlinson all gave us great poems performed passionately. Dr. Baillergeon, in particular, wowed us with two poems, one in French. She recited a longer poem by Carl Sandburg and reminded us that not all Sanburg poems are four lines long. Both of her poems were long ones and I don't think she faltered once.

Several students read, both English majors and students from other disciplines. All together, eleven people read a poem each and not one person had a difficult time reciting their work. Not one. I've been to recitation events before, and I've never seen one without a few long pauses. Long pauses are perfectly fine in such a difficult situation, but the fact that there was not one at our event is very impressive.

Also, we contributed lots of food to the Lawton Food Bank. This was Amber's idea and it is a good one. Future events only mean further donations. We are considering a fall date for next year's even (maybe a bi-annual thing) simply because we don't want to wait twelve months to do this again.

Highlights from the Last Open Mic

2010-03-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Things We Know and Love

Peanut Princesses
Lawton Municipal "Airport."
William Butler Yeats

Things We Didn't Expect

Steamy, sexy slash
Three very surprised giraffes
Stars fallen to ash.

Submit to OKIE

2010-03-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

OKIE Magazine posted this to their Faceboo k page the other day:

Photographers, artists, musicians, writers ...OKIE is currently seeking submissions for inclusion in upcoming issues of our publication. Please click the link below for details on submitting your works. Want to help out with the magazine on a regular basis and be part of a great group of volunteers - drop me a line at editor@okiemagazine.com .

OKIE Magazine Submission Guidelines

I may have mentioned in another post or four that I write for the OKIE, and I can tell you ... they might be trying to find people who are more punctual and less pirate-talky.

Seriously, though. I love writing for OKIE Mag or even thinking of things to write for it. The process always introduces me to new ways of appreciating the things that are happening right around me. I've interviewed people for a couple of the articles I've written, and now I find that I am always thinking of interview questions I want to ask the people I meet. I now notice interesting places around town that I might have passed by before. Because I'm looking for them. I'm beginning to think about Lawton as a story I want to tell people. So that's why I like writing for OKIE Mag.

I believe at some point I will also be given a free t-shirt or something like that.

Anyway, I hope you'll check out the latest issue and consider contributing to a future issue. Occasionally, OKIE Magazine will consider poetry and fiction as well as non-fiction, though they are not a literary magazine.

Another Publication with Excellent Taste in Poets

2010-02-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

This literary magazine right here:

(link ^)

has had the good sense to publish two of our fellow poets--and Cameron graduates--Tracy Haught and Jason Poudrier, in a special Oklahoma Writer's Issue.

Congratulations to them!

Jason Poudrier regularly attends the monthly poetry readings, so if you do too, it is likely you have heard him read some of the poems that will appear in Sugar Mule. We may have even heard several revisions of the poems. Jason is a veteran of the most recent war in Iraq. His poems, which often transpose images of the Iraq war over images of the Oklahoma landscape, present a vision that is probably familiar to a lot of Lawtonians.

Here is a bit from his poem "Red Fields," which is one that will be appearing in Sugar Mule:

our holes would be shallow,
and we'd push the sand up around
the perimeter, making
a false reservoir of safety,
knowing bullets would penetrate
the powdered walls if we were ambushed,
and our bodies would lie
half-exposed in shallow graves,
in pools coloring the sand
Oklahoma clay.

You can read some of Tracy Haught's poetry in the latest issue of Polyphony , where her poem, "Oklahoma," also presents a brave and authentic vision of our state.

Where sunset flames
On the western horizon
Like the sparks of past pain.
Like those who were forced
To walk until they could no longer be
What God intended them to be.
The only abundance was in tears--
Plenty enough for future irrigation--
but mostly they've been forgotten,
Overlooked in the stomping and clapping,
the humdrum of the average life

Sugar Mule is a really cool looking magazine, and I'm pretty excited about an issue featuring a lot of Oklahoma voices, like Tracy's and Jason's. The issue will be available on line in July, and eventually Sugar Mule will partner with Mongrel Empire Press to create a print anthology of Oklahoma Writers.

Here's a link to the current issue.

Fishouse.org: good resource to find emerging contemporary American poets

2010-02-21T16:53:00.000-08:00

I know that my posts have been poetry heavy; I am sorry for the bias. I do love prose as well, and would love to discuss some non-fiction, especially. But for now, here's a great poetry site you may not have encountered.

The Academy of American Poets (poets.org) is a great site for classical poems and established contemporary poets. But what about the emerging voices: those 30-somethings and 40-somethings who need a wider audience? Fishouse (www.fishouse.org, 1 h) is the site for such poets. Fishouse features mostly American writers. And along with text, they have audio files. The poets read their work, both live and recorded in a studio, and they also answer interview questions. This site is a tremendous resource for anyone looking for contemporary work.

Yes, the work will mostly come from poets working in the academy, but there are still a wide and diverse range of voices. Poets who I go back to: Aimee Nez, John Poch, Patrick Rosal, Gerald Stern, Henrietta Goodman, and Curtis Bauer. I will admit to knowing a couple of these writers personally, so adding them on a list seems self-serving. Still, I believe that each poet here has good work. In fact, Curtis Bauer is talking about visiting Lawton soon. He is open to a spring reading. Hopefully, we can make that happen. If so, we'll all know what he sounds like before he shows up, thanks to this site.

LOCAL MONTHLY OPEN-MIC READINGS IN LAWTON

2010-02-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

Every second Saturday of the month, writers from Lawton and surrounding towns come together at the Universalist Unitarian church. This ragtag bunch reads new work, old work, tells stories, and shares the poems and stories of writers they admire.

For the most part, the readers become familiar, as may people read regularly. A new face or two, though, arrives each time to share a new perspective, a new voice. At the last reading, Amit Bashyal, a first-year student at Cameron walked in with his laptop, ready to read. Amit is from Kathmandu, Nepal. He is studying the sciences at CU, but he is most certainly a writer.

I first met Amit in my Comp class; he was my student, adjusting to college life a long, long distance from home. Amit and I are now friends and several times he has shared his new work with me. On his facebook page, he's listed quite a few titles under his "favorite books." But the list is not a wish list. It's the list of book he's read in the last two years and includes many of the most celebrated English-language books. Recently, he was turned on to the Beat writers. How he likes these writers, I hope to find out soon.

Anyway, here's a poem by Amit. Also, I wrote about Amit for the January issue of Okie Magazine--"From Nepal to Oklahoma, Amit Bashyal Discovers His Other Life."

Spaces Around Me

by Amit Bashyal

Vacant spaces around me
There I try to fit myself
Far left in the corner
I put my anger
In front of my eyes
Lies my world of ties
Above my head
Is the large round space
There is my world full of mess
My left hand points a place
Lies the challenges I have to face
My right hand facing the vacancy
Lies my dreams full of dreams and fancy
In my back lies an eternal room
All my memories are doomed
All around me are the spaces
Where I try to fit myself!

RE-VERSE. Poetry Recital @ Cameron, March 11, 6:30 p.m.

2010-02-14T14:03:00.001-08:00

RE-VERSE

If you're in Lawton on Thursday, March 11, 6:30 p.m., and you're needing a poetry fix, we have the event for you. Just for you. We're thoughtful like that.

Sigma Tau Delta is hosting Re-verse. The event will be held at the Student Activities Center (across from the student union) at Cameron University. Sigma Tau Delta will provide some food and drink and the event will have an intermission.

Thirty poetry lovers, from the Cameron and Lawton communities, will recite one of their favorite poems. As long as the poem isn't your own, it will work for this event. So far we have between ten and fifteen people who have signed up. If you're interested you can let us know on here or contact Amber Harrington, Dr. William Carney, or me at Cameron.

Sigma Tau Delta is asking for donations of canned food. These will go to the Lawton Food Bank. Anyone who can contribute a can or five, whether they are a presenter or listener, is encouraged to donate.

We're hoping that we hear a variety of poems, from the classics to contemporary to silly poems. I'm planning to recite the poem of an up-and-coming teen-aged poet. At least one poet will recite in a language other than English. Poems in any language are welcome. Is there a sonnet in Klingon? If so, someone should definitely recite it.

After Anis Shivani's reading, Friday, perhaps you would like your face rocked off.

2010-02-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

I'll tell you something else about Friday, February 12th.

The punk/metal band, Day of the Sick, featuring Rev. Jones (our fellow poet, Rob Duncan), will be performing at the Railhead. Beginning at 10pm.

This performance will not be an artsy performance.

It will be a wall of doomish noise.

March 2nd Show at Cameron Campus Ministry

2010-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Featuring Levi the Poet , a "Death Metal Poet." Here's a clip of him performing at Cameron in September '09:

The show will also feature Andrew the Poet, our new Facebook friend, who let us know about this event.

C-Note and the Ballerz, who were interviewed by Jeremy Bigelow for the March '09 issue of OKIE MAGAZINE, will perform.

And so will Paid in Blood

Show starts @ 8pm at Cameron Campus Ministry

500 SW 27th Street . Lawton, Oklahoma . 73505

Sounds like it could be pretty cool. Check it out. Tell us what you think.

February 12th Cameron Visiting Writer

2010-02-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

Author, Anis Shivani, will be reading from his collection,

ANATOLIA AND OTHER STORIES

@ Cameron University

in CETES Conference Room B

Friday, February 12

@ 7 pm

Here's a picture of Shivani that you can click on to get to his website:

Here's a bit about ANATOLIA AND OTHER STORIES:

In these stories of novelistic breadth, Shivani takes the measure of the fallout from globalization as well as its advantages, exploring cultures old and new to gauge their ultimate resiliencies. An undocumented Indian worker in Dubai, an Issei man in a California internment camp, a persecuted minority novelist in contemporary Tehran, and a loyal-to-the-core Jewish trader in the Ottoman empire are the kinds of sympathetic characters who bridge place and individuality in this powerful collection. These stories make us confront the hardest intellectual challenges of the emerging world, without losing narrative urgency, concision, and lyrical power.

These readings are usually very intimate and enjoyable. Afterward, the authors often invite questions from the audience. It's a great way to spend a few hours on a Friday. See you there!

Read This!

2010-02-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

Local poet, Tracy Haught, has some poems appearing in this publication:

You may have heard her reading some of these poems at the monthly reading.

Read them! Love them! Say so!

"Riding the Curl of Light: Poems to Love."

2010-02-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

John Graves Morris will give his traditional Valentine's Day reading
in the beautiful Leslie Powell Gallery
@ 620 Southwest D Ave.
on Friday, February 13th, at 7pm.

There will be wine and other refreshments.

And there will be love.

Welcome!

2010-02-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our blog.

We also have a Facebook group and a Twitter account.

Check them out!