Carolee Bennett –> poet. artist. crankypants.
It’s surprising, even to me, that I’ve spent 50 years (so far) on this planet and somehow missed Patti Smith fandom entirely. Until recently, in fact, I’ve known her only as the “Because the Night” singer and as someone frequently mentioned in the same sentence with “poet” and “punk.”
The boats are heavy. My hands are soft. The portage “saves us” from a series of rapids and falls but is so taxing I joke that, next time, I’m just going for it.
I took the summer off, almost entirely, from any of the familiar measures of writing productivity. Here’s what I did instead.
These kids have ripped me open in the most painful, fascinating, delightful way, and it’s given me a strength I didn’t know I had: learning to be OK with what’s raw and unfinished and uncertain — both as it makes an appearance in my mirror and as my boys experience it for themselves.
POETRY PROMPTS / Simple, straightforward prompts to use as inspiration for this year’s poem-a-day extravaganza!
MORE THAN 50 LIST POEMS / I love reading list poems. I love writing them. And when it comes to getting poem drafts started quickly (a big help when doing poem-a-day challenges), they’re lifesavers.
POETRY PROMPT / I introduce three poems by Ruth Madievsky — “Electron,” “Wormhole” and “Tuning Fork” — and invite you to use them as inspiration for your own drafts.