30 Habits of Highly Effective Poets #8: Nicole Schultheis on Food

My friend Nicole Schultheis is a poet, a lawyer, a mom, a novelist and president of a fabulous organization, the Maryland Writers Association.

Nicole is also a die-hard foodie. Once, when I was visiting her home, I had to ask about Nicole's wall-length bookshelf. It is filled from top to bottom with cookbooks, collected by Nicole and her late husband.

I wonder if Nicole knows about book spine poetry.
With these book titles, she could cook up some pretty juicy verse.

If you comment today, please share your favorite writing-time munchies. For me, it's Twizzlers. (Another option -- write a book spine poem with Nicole's cookbooks.)

My jaw muscles love them. My taste buds are in heaven.

While I don't indulge often, Twizzlers are the perfect amount of chewy. Did you know that chewing helps you think? Here is an article on the topic from Real World Mindfulness.

Recently, Nicole tried something a little fancier than Twizzlers for her writing snack. The gourmet salsa was a treat for the tongue, but had some unexpected side effects.

Several bathroom breaks later, Nicole returned to her computer and found this piece, composed by her dog. It's a (rejected) new food review for McSweeney's.

Dear McSweeney’s,

My mistress is annoyed.

Last evening when no one was looking and she was trying unsuccessfully to write something funny, she ate a whole tub of Fresh! Hot Salsa with a crowd-pleaser bag of salty chips, then devoured a large chocolate bar with hazelnuts. (She did not give me any of it.) This made her drink a lot of water. She couldn’t sleep, I suppose because of the chocolate and the water, so she got up, went to the bathroom, took ibuprofen and acetaminophen together, and drank another large quantity of water. Then she slept until 10:30 and woke up groggy, downed four cups of black coffee, and sat here at this screen staring, apparently unable to write the piece she had intended to submit to you literate types at McSweeney’s. She kept pressing on her belly with her arms folded. She went into the bathroom several times, fiddling with something or other. Around two, she got dressed but found she could not force her feet into any of her favorite shoes, so she settled for her new pink and green flip-flops that had lots of pretty buttons and silk flowers sewn on them. I liked them especially because the bottoms were hand painted with little paisleys and polka dots. When she came back, this screen had gone black and in the reflection, she saw something that bothered her in the middle of her cheek and began picking at it. She moaned, and went back to the kitchen to make more coffee.

I wiggled the mouse with my nose and saw the word Fresh! on the screen in an email addressed to McSweeney’s but there was nothing written after it.

The new flip-flops were under her chair. My gums were itching.

Sincerely,

Fidelio

You can purchase these lovely floral flip-flops for $125 at Zappos.com

As Nicole says, flip-flops, while delectable, are not technically a food. They did, however, inspire some fun writing.

Tomorrow, Pushcart-prize nominee Lisa Vihos stops by to talk about the importance of practice.

National Poetry Month Issue 1

National Poetry Month is finally here! Did you order your free NPM Poster from the Academy of American Poets?

National Poetry Month 2011 is extra-special for me. Life in Me like Grass on Fire: Love Poems hits the shelves today.


The book was my first editing gig, a project for the Maryland Writers Association.

This month, I'm going to introduce you to some of Maryland best poets -- many of whom are contributors to Life in Me. All of the poems are classroom-appropriate. Some may be for high schoolers. Others will work in elementary schools.

Today's writing prompt is for high schoolers. You'll find it at the end of the post.

I've come to know Dennis Kirschbaum's poetry through the anthology. Nostalgia is one of the themes of Dennis work, but he always manages to look at the past without rose-colored glasses.

Dennis' poem X-Men speaks to the trappings of childhood. We understand the speaker's youthful admiration for the Fantastic Four, but also how they help the speaker navigate his way into adulthood.

X-Men

by Dennis Kirschbaum

John’s “Avengers” numbered 16 to 127 formed the core

so we kept the collection at his house.

I was sucked in through the Fantastic Four, whose stony,

aloof, orange Thing spoke to me at a gamma level.

Iron Man and the giant, emerald Hulk,

hid tender emotions beneath impenetrable metal

and impervious hide.

Tapping superhuman powers, I bought hundreds.

I earned a small fortune, bringing the daily “Sun”

and spent it in 25 cent increments,

flying to Jeppe’s Comic World in the summer heat,

burning like the Human Torch, and cooling down in the rare air

conditioned basement where a crisp stack waited in a milk crate

with my name on it.

Each was read once, then catalogued on blue-lined

index cards, and carefully protected in special plastic

that could withstand water, extinguish fire,

and repel radioactive spider venom.

By the time I left for college, the boxes filled half the room.

Later, I returned to find John had sold every one.

Mortally wounded by the Abomination and his Forces of Evil,

I remembered my training. I didn’t cry.

Just a grimace, as I slunk from the scene,

tattered shirt clinging to my swelling green skin,

purple pants stretched, ripped,

and blown apart at the knees.

Posted with the permission of Dennis Kirschbaum.

Dennis Kirschbaum is the associate vice president for Campus Advancement at Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. He runs, bakes and writes a poetry blog, The Steaming Cup, from his home in Washington Grove, Maryland.

HS Writing Prompt:

After reading "X-Men," have students choose a favorite super-hero. Real heroes need not apply. It has to be a fictional character. Someone with powers.

Next, ask students to free-write any memories they have connected with that character.

Once the memories are written down, ask them to write what aspects of the character appealed to them as little kids.

Enough brainstorming! Time to write. I was always partial to Storm.

Who gets the honor of hosting Poetry Friday on the first day of National Poetry Month? It's Amy at the Poem Farm. Stop by the farm and enjoy all of the NPM posts and projects.

Poetry Friday: Make Believe

Happy Poetry Friday, everyone.

I'm glad to be back after a long hiatus. The end of winter was a busy time in my poetry life. Life in Me like Grass on Fire, the anthology of love poems I edited for Maryland Writers Association, comes out next Friday -- just in time for National Poetry Month.

I've also been selecting work for the Summer 2011 issue of Little Patuxent Review, my first issue as editor.

The issue will include an essay on the importance of make believe in modern thought, by Maryland poet-in-the-schools Vonnie Winslow Crist.

Vonnie is a contributor to Life in Me, and has her own new book out. The Greener Forest is a collection of original myths, faery fantasy, poetry and Vonnie's artwork.

 I'm just starting to read this rich book (appropriate for advanced middler school readers and older). The title poem feels like early spring -- when the first warm weather makes us want to rush outside and put our toes in the grass.

The Greener Forest

by Vonnie Winslow Crist

Leave all iron, red thread, bells,

and four-leafed clovers secured

in your cozy house.

Then, cross the yard and unlock

the gate in the out-of-the-way

corner of the fence.

Walk between its posts

into unruly grasses

who mutter with each stride.

Tug through the brambles and briar

who grip, grasp, attempt to

dissuade you from moving forward.

Next, stroll past gnarled vines

heavy with grapes,

step beyond abandoned apple trees,

crouching low,

their elongated limbs burdened with fruits,

and enter the forest.

It will be greener there,

and smell of pine, moss, wild flowers,

mushrooms, earth, and decay.

From the corner of your eye,

you'll think you spy acorn sprites

swinging on oak branches.

You'll tilt your head,

certain you  hear the voices of dryads

harmonizing with bird songs.

You'll lift your hand,

brush at the spider-web touch

of something finer than an eyelash

against your cheek --

but do not tarry.

Instead, follow the butterfly-filled path

that winds to the banks

of a stream rich with trout and sprites.

But tread carefully --

stray-sods, bogles, goblins, and such

skulk nearby waiting for the careless,

giants sleep below the moss,

and kelpies, eager to drown the unwary,

paddle just below

the water's silvery sheen.

Kneel down, but don't wade in.

Scoop a handful of cool liquid,

take a sip, close your eyes,

and proclaim your belief in Faerie.

At that moment,

should you spot an unusual pebble

or should a feather drift down

or a most colorful leaf scamper by --

grab it, hold it tightly,

and count yourself lucky.

For They have heard you,

and send bright blessings.

Published with permission of the author.

They aren't hearing us here in Maryland. We're expecting snow this weekend -- but that makes me enjoy Vonnie's poem even more.

Mary Lee at A Year of Reading is ringing in spring as our Poetry Friday host. Thanks, Mary Lee!

Poetry Friday: Stillness

'Tis the season to be jolly. Carols and Salvation Army bells are in the background of our daily chores. Our homes smell of pine or frying onions (yum latkes).

There's a kind of pressure to be "on" at this time of year. If you're like me, some down time is necessary to cope with the sensory overload and make yourself available to others, to the happiness of the season.

The painters and electricians have finally left our house -- looking great! -- after three weeks of work. The acceptances are done for the Maryland Writers Association Poetry Anthology.

Before I begin the task of editing the poems and doing final preparations for the holidays, I need to make time for stillness.

Helen Buss Mitchell talks about making time for stillness in the Spirituality issue of Maryland-based art and literary journal  Little Patuxent Review (LPR #8, Summer 2010). She says that in order to experience "personal Sacred Times and Sacred Places": 

"We begin by identifying and then consciously taking the time to experience our own sacred times and sacred places. These are not times and places associated with formal religions. Instead, they are the holder of our authenticity -- the times and places in which we feel most ourselves, closest to who we really are."

I hope you find time for those places during the holidays. Here is a poem about stillness by Chuang Tzu, translated by Thomas Merton.


Action and Non-Action

by Chuang Tzu

The non-action of the wise man is not inaction.

It is not studied. It is not shaken by anything.

The sage is quiet because he is not moved,   

Not because he wills to be quiet.   

Still water is like glass.

You can look in it and see the bristles on your chin.

It is a perfect level;

A carpenter could use it.

If water is so clear, so level,

How much more the spirit of man?   

The heart of the wise man is tranquil.   

It is the mirror of heaven and earth   

The glass of everything.

The rest of the poem is at the Poetry Foundation.

Happy winter season, everyone. Today's Poetry Friday host is lovely Jama Rattigan at Alphabet Soup.

For those of you who have been waiting for my interview with Muriel Weinstein, she broke her hand last week. As soon as she's feeling up to it, we'll get the interview and a review of her chapter book bio of Louis Armstrong PLAY, LOUIS, PLAY posted. Thanks for being patient!

MWA Poetry Anthololgy Q&A

Many poets have been sending in questions about submitting work to the upcoming Maryland Writers Association Poetry Anthology. (Find the full submission guidelines here.)

Since the deadline is coming up -- October 27 -- let's get those questions out of the way and those submissions sent in to MWA.

Q: Why is the theme of the anthology, "love," so broad? Can that include romance? Brotherly love? Love of oneself? Love of freedom?


A: The theme of the anthology is intentionally broad to accommodate a diversity of perspectives and voices. It is not necessarily who or what we love that we have in common, but how love makes us feel.

We hope to organize the anthology into sections that explore various aspects of love – romantic love, love of nature, love of family, etc. If you’d like to see a model anthology that uses this approach, The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, edited by Robert Bly, is an excellent example.

Q: How do I know that my submission was received?

A You will be sent a confirmation email. If you have sent in work and did not hear back with a “Thank you for submitting” note, please resubmit.

Q: Is the three poem limit firm? I have more than three poems that fit the theme.

A For now, yes. After the 10/27/10 deadline, if we are interested in receiving more submissions, we may extend the deadline and allow MWA members to submit a limited number of additional poems.

Q: I write in a language other than English. May I submit a poem in written in my native language?

A: Yes, as long as you provide a translation in English. If your poem is accepted for the anthology, it will appear in the original language, followed by the English translation.

Q: I have never had a poem published before. May “amateurs” submit their work?

A: MWA members are established authors, students, beginners, and everyone in between. Our hope is that the anthology will reflect who we are as an organization. We would love to be your first – or just your latest -- publishing credit.

Q: Can MWA officers submit?

A: Yes. All MWA members, including officers, are welcome to submit their poems. Everyone’s work will receive equal consideration from the editor and/or an editorial panel.

Q: I’d like to submit poems that were published or are being considered elsewhere. Is that okay?

A: If the poems you are submitting have been published, please check that the rights have reverted to you. See the original “Call for Submissions” for details.

If the pieces you are submitting are being considered by another publication, let us know if they are accepted. Also, check for information on the publication rights.

Poetry Friday: Call for Original Poems

Happy Poetry Friday! I have big news to share.

I am editing a new anthology of poetry for the Maryland Writers Association.

The theme is love, in all its facets. I hope many of you will send original poems. The book should be out for National Poetry Month 2011.

I've already a poet ask whether the theme is intentionally broad. Yes. We're going to think beyond romantic love for this book.

To give you a sense of what "love, in all its facets" means, here is one of my favorite (non-romantic) love poems.

A Blessing

by James Wright

Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,

Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.

And the eyes of those two Indian ponies

Darken with kindness.

They have come gladly out of the willows

To welcome my friend and me.

We step over the barbed wire into the pasture

Where they have been grazing all day, alone.

They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness   

That we have come.

They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.

There is no loneliness like theirs.   

At home once more,

They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.   

I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,

For she has walked over to me   

And nuzzled my left hand.   

Read the rest at the Poetry Foundation.

Have a wonderful Friday. The Poetry Friday links are at Karen Edmisten's blog today. Thanks for hosting Karen!

For those of you who'd like to  submit to the MWA poetry anthology, here is the official call for manuscripts:

 

Maryland Writers’ Association

Call for poetry submissions

MWA Books, publisher of New Lines from the Old Line State: An Anthology of Maryland Writers, is seeking submissions from MWA members for its second book, a poetry anthology.

The theme is Love, in all its facets. Laura Shovan, winner of the 2010 Clarinda Harriss Poetry Prize, is editor. MWA members are encouraged to send 1-3 of their best poems on this theme, with a limit of 100 lines per poem, to MWAbooks@marylandwriters.org. All poetic forms will be considered.

Deadline for submissions: October 27, 2010

Notification:  December 15, 2010

Publication Date: National Poetry Month – April, 2011

Email submissions: send an attachment with cover letter and 1-3 poems. In the subject line please write “poetry anthology submission.” In the cover letter: your full name, pen name if applicable, street address, phone number and email address. Also include the title of each poem with line count, and a brief bio (approximately 70 words). The poems should be compiled as one continuous Microsoft Word, Rich Text, or Text file so your submission can be sent as one attachment. Include the poem title and your name in the upper right corner of each page you submit. Only electronic submissions will be considered.

Previously published work will be considered, provided it does not conflict with the original publisher’s reprinting policy and the author retains all reprint rights. Any work restricted by third party copyright will not be accepted. Submitting authors grant MWA and MWA Books permission to publish submitted work; otherwise authors retain existing copyrights.

Simultaneous submissions are permissible. Please contact us immediately if your poem is accepted by another publication.

Poets whose work is selected for publication will receive a copy of the anthology, an author discount on additional copies, and invitations to read at promotional events. Due to the high volume of submissions anticipated, we are unable to respond with specific feedback regarding your poems if you are not selected.

You must be an MWA member in good standing to participate. For more information, to renew your membership, or to join now, visit us at www.marylandwriters.org.

This project is funded by the Mildred Werba Fund, gifted to the MWA for use in supporting poets. MWA thanks the Fund and Werba family for their generosity.

 

It's a Dance Party, Hon!

I'm dancing today. The children don't find it amusing. Maybe if I put on my streamer headband, they'll play along.

It started with happy feet.

Fellow Maryland children's poet Kerry Aradhya -- who happens to be a real dancer -- just started a new blog: Picture Books and Pirouettes.

Kerry will be writing about dance-related picture books. I know my daughter went through a huge Angelina/ballet phase. It began at age two and didn't end until she found out she couldn't join her dance school's "Company" unless she was willing to miss soccer games for dance rehearsals. Commitment to your art is a lot to ask of a six year old.

Please help me encourage Kerry to join us for Poetry Friday when she's got a verse PB to share.

The happy feeling crept along, until I was shaking it like a beehived Baltimore Hon.

Next week, the fabulous Shirley Brewer and I are speaking to the Maryland Writers Association, Howard County Chapter. We'll be talking about preparing your work for readings, and about fear and bravery in the writing process.

Shirley's got enough inner glow to light up Charm City, and the accessories to match.

I've been a huge fan of her poetry since we took a class together years ago. Come see us at Howard Community College, Thursday, August 19 at 7 PM. We've got some tricks up our sleeves! Both of us are selling and signing books. Meeting info is here.

Finally, I had a huge smile dancing across my face this morning.

Today, JMWW Journal posted a poetic conversation between me and Barbara Morrison -- also a local poet. 

Barbara and I sat down to talk about putting together a chapbook, writing in the voices of characters, using poetry as an entry to prose and using poetic form as a means of revising poems.

She also asked me about my experience publishing a chapbook with CityLit Press. I hope you'll visit the JMWW Blog and read my answer (putting the book together was an amazing experience!) will encourage you to submit to the 2011 Harriss Poetry Prize.

I'm determined to finish my MG novel-in-verse this week. It's undergone a huge expansion and some surprising discoveries about the characters. I hope the kids take that caution sign to heart and give mom some work time.

See you on Poetry Friday!

Question & Answer

I'm about to leave for a group reading at the Writers' Center in Bethesda. Reading poems out loud to myself, stop watch ready.

One of the poems I'll be reading is my most widely published...a persona poem called, "Brother." (An odd choice for me, as I'm not a conjoined twin -- but you'll see why I loved Stephenie Meyer's The Host so much.) Most recently, it was published in the Maryland Writers' Association anthology, New Lines from the Old Line State.

Re-reading this piece, I realized that it has themes in common with May Swenson's "Question," posted for this week's Poetry Friday.

Here is "Brother":

Brother “Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim – who had been joined at the top of the head – were separated… after neurosurgeons finished dividing the boys’ venous systems and brains.” CNN, October 13, 2003 When did I become aware of my brother? I can feel him only if we stretch our arms overhead at once, our fingers touch. From above my eyes, I hear laughing, crying, words not my own. An echo self? Are there two of me? No. Not me exactly, but me. We are a continuous line, a human palindrome, my twin doing a headstand on my skull where people imagine light bulbs or dark clouds reside I have myself again, but not myself. Has God melded us, or has he never unmelded? Those dancing mitochondria swaying apart have never stopped holding hands. I have been given a word for the voice beyond my sight and would like to face my brother. I have never seen him, except at night when I walk my feet up the crib slats and he walks his feet up the other side. If I raise my eyes almost to their lids I can see – are they his toes? -- moving. And I have no sense of moving them.

I'll be busy this week prepping our regional SCBWI conference, but look for a classroom lesson on writing the persona poem.

Writing Exercise: Show 'N Tell

Recommended for High School and up Poetry & Non-fiction/Memoir

I took a wonderful class with Baltimore poet Kendra Kopelke a few years ago. One exercise she gave us – write down 50 early memories. You might use Michael Z Murphy’s “Show 'N Tell Disaster” to jog your memory or for inspiration. The first 10-20 items, easy! The next 10-20, more thought required. By the last 10, you’re reaching. That’s a good thing. (I've heard some writers extend the exercise to 100 memories.) You’ve done the show part. Put the list of 50 memories away for a few days. Then read it again. What’s on the list that makes you say, “Why the heck do I remember that?” Then tell us why.

Here's my response to the prompt:

Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone The mountain is taller than I, halfway to the ceiling of our new living room. This is how carpets are delivered, piled in long, round rolls. Put a penny in your mouth and you’ll smell them: acrid and heavy and new, sour and exciting. With my brother I skate over the wood floor in socks, try to crash the mountain of carpets. Climb it and we are king and queen of a log pile. We cannot fell or budge them, though their sandy undersides mark geometrics on our knees. These logs have no rot, no rings to mark the fire or flood. The disasters are all ahead of us. When Dad is away we eat fast food, French fries at the new stone hearth. In two years our brother – the child my mother is carrying – will bang his chin on this stone and nearly sever his tongue with his teeth. There will be blood on the rug, the salty taste of it in the air. But tonight the scent of salt and oil is good. Furniture is scant. We gather on the floor around the fire. The young painter stands by the window. He has stopped rolling the walls and joined us for dinner. My mother is somewhere in the room. The painter watches her. He has dark hair and the youthful, slender form my father has outgrown. I watch the way his mouth moves when he looks away from my mother. The muscles of his back are taut with longing. Less than ten years in this country, her accent still fits like an egg in her mouth. He is not the first to mistake her round, elegant vowels for virtue. I want her to take offense, to fire him. But she is as kind and inattentive to him as she is to anyone. Angry for her sake, I begin to love my mother with a viciousness the painter can’t know. I pull her to sit with us by the fire, meals spread on our knees, and let the warm salt dissolve on her tongue, until it burns there like a pungent kiss. Laura Shovan

“Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone” appeared in the Jewish Women’s Literary Annual, 2004, Volume 6. You can also find the poem in the new Maryland Writers Association Anthology, "New Lines from the Old Line State."

Amok in Announcements (Again)

News! My family adventure article is finally up at Baltimore's Child online. http://www.baltimoreschild.com/articles/index.cfm?fuse1=detail&ArticleID=1024 Look for a "shout out" to Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series.

Just got news my children's poem "Alphabet Soup" sold to Shoofly Audio magazine. It should be published in 2009-2010. I love this magazine's concept. No print copies -- you get an MP3 file or a CD. A great option for LD kids or those with sensory issues. Visit the magazine at http://www.shooflyaudio.com/ A poem I posted a few weeks ago, "Driving Home from the Poetry Festival, 1996," will be appearing in the next issue of Little Patuxent Review. The theme is "Turning Points." You still have time to submit work to this beautiful journal. The deadline for "Turning Points" in November 1. More info at http://www.littlepatuxentreview.org/. There are usually a few (wonderful) group readings when the issue is launched. Look for those announcements in a few months. Save the date: I just scheduled a group reading for 3/31/09 at Howard County's Central Library. A group of contributors from the Maryland Writers Association anthology, "New Lines from the Old Line State" will do a short reading and panel discussion. We'll also be selling the book. If you can't get to the reading, you can buy the book here: http://marylandwriters.org/publications.html. Two of my poems are among the entries. Last, a great writing opportunity for kids. Last November, I participated in my first NaNoWriMo (that's National Novel Writing Month, an annual event). I crossed the finish line with my YA suspense novel clocking in at 50,000 words -- about 75% of a complete draft. Woohoo! It felt like a real accomplishment. NaNoWriMo has an awesome program for young writers. Less focus on word count, more on, "Just write it!" Here's a blurb from the very kid-friendly website: "The Young Writers Program of National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a novel by midnight, November 30. The word-count goal for our adult program is 50,000 words, but our Young Writers Program allows participants who are 17 years old and younger to set reasonable, yet challenging, word-count goals. The only thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly." This is a great idea for kids who love to read, but hate school-writing (the dreaded BCRs come to mind). There's a ton of online encouragement and support during NaNo month, November. Check it out at http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/ywp I promise to get back to the Dodge Poetry Festival soon. Festival Assistant Michael Murphy will be on the hot seat, giving us a behind-the-scenes view of the event.