Post Xmas Bits

Red wall and red eyes!
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It's so easy to make young children laugh. I had my nephews and niece rolling on the floor each time I said, "I pooed a little pony!"
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Did I just admit that?
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My favorite gift? Season six of The Golden Girls on DVD.
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My hometown has radically changed in less than a year. We now have a Target, a Dillards, a Petsmart, a new state-of-the-art movie house, and a bunch of other stores are near completion. This is the first time we didn't drive to Phoenix/ Tempe to Xmas shop.
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Arizona Bits

Back home.
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What's the first thing I did? Get sick.
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There was snow on the ground when I left Hamilton. Here there's only dirt.
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And saguaros.
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And dust devils sweeping the earth like the sleeves of...No, I must move away from simile. I must develop new muscles.
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Joda!
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ANDRÉS MONTOYA POETRY PRIZE

Winner receives a book contract with University of Notre Dame Press
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$1000 prize
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Invitation to read with final judge
at the Performing Arts Center
University of Notre Dame
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Final Judge: Martín Espada.

Complete Guidelines

I'll take poets with dirty shoes for 100, Alex

7 things you should know about: being a poet

Early Morning Bits

Joy! James Hall will be blogging for two weeks here.
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I will be reading in Palm Beach, Florida. When? February 2008.
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So what exactly does one do with a Chicano/Latino studies degree?
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Maurice Manning is hot.
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Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.
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A review of My Thieves by Ethan Paquin.
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A poem by Louise Mathias.
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Mr. Schroeder said: Gosh, you'd think they'd solicited you and then turned you down...

My response? I don't argue with The Have Nots.
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Interview with Kristy Bowen.
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Two new poems by Li-Young Lee:
Little Ache
Secret Life

Bit

Yesterday was my last day with my Intro to Poetry students. One young lady came to class with homemade cupcakes. These weren't ordinary cupcakes! With pipe frosting she scribbled a phrase or image from student work on top of each cupcake.

Wow.

Slutwitch Becky

My name is Slutwitch Becky, although some people call me Slut Witch Becky. But Witch isn't my middle name. Slut is. It's actually Becky Slut Slutwitch. I would blame my parents, but I was actually conceived of by some really twisted people at an NPR News Quiz show called Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. I'm pretty sure they regret it now.

Slutwitch Becky has a MySpace page! Visit her.

http://www.myspace.com/slutwitchbecky

Call for Submissions

COME TOGETHER: IMAGINE PEACE, edited by Ann Smith and Larry Smith in the Harmony Series from Bottom Dog Press. We are seeking poems (1-3) and short prose (up to 500 words) that image peace, nonviolence, reconciliation, compassion, hope. We believe it essential for ourselves and our children to keep this image alive and before us. We look for writing grounded in the world yet positive and visionary. Fine examples can be found throughout literature: Wendell Berry's "The Peace of Wild Things," James Wright's "The Blessing," the many Nature poems of Mary Oliver, W.S. Merwin, the compassionate works of Denise Levertov and others. Come together to share your image of peace and caring. Send typed work (reprints okay if documented; no e-mail submissions) and SASE to:

Bottom Dog Press--Imagine Peace/ PO Box 425/ Huron, OH 44839 by Feb. 14, 2008.

Payment is 2 copies, $10, the world's thanks.
Guide: It can have images of War, but it must have an image of peace as well.

Sunday Bits

This is my last week of teaching. I'm going to miss my students.
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I head off to Arizona on the 12th of December. I will stay there for about a month then head back to Hamilton to start my second semester.
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My favorite Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! panelist is Adam Felber. His jokes are always the funniest and the smartest. And I think he's handsome. Paula Poundstone is my second favorite panelist. She's also handsome.
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I count over 20 bloggers in this upcoming issue. Way too much! Enough of this nepotism!
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Did you catch this week's Wait Wait..Don't Tell Me!? My favorite part of the show: Slut Witch Becky.
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I wonder how many bloggers are going to submit to this new online journal?
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I've decided to no longer apply to fellowships that don't come with teaching responsibilities. No Stegner or P-Town applications this year.
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