Quantcast

True Fairy Tale Award & More

May 6, 2009 by

I recently received The True Fairy Tale Award from Readaholic. The award is for the hopes that one day all your dreams will come true!! Because we all are still Cinderella’s at heart!

I would like to pass it on to the following bloggers:

Anna of Diary of an Eccentric
Dar of Peeking Between the Pages
Dawn of She Is Too Fond of Books
Bonnie from Redlady’s Reading Room
Gautami of Everything Distils into Reading
Toni at A Circle of Books
Kathy of Bermudaonion’s Weblog
Wendi of Wendi’s Book Corner


I also received the Diego Award from Naida at the bookworm, which she created using a photo of her new dog, Diego.

Medieval Bookworm
You’ve Gotta Read This
Violet Crush
LadyTink
Janel’s Jumble
The Book Resort
Fizzy Thoughts
ShannanLovesBooks
Book Chatter and Other Stuff
Jo-Jo Loves to Read

***Giveaway Reminders***

Giveaway for Eleanor Bluestein’s Tea & Other Ayama Na Tales short story collection, here; Deadline is May 6, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.

1 copy of Rubber Side Down Edited by Jose Gouveia, here; Deadline is May 15 at 11:59 PM EST

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: awards

The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C.M. Mayo

May 5, 2009 by

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Today is the day to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture, and what an appropriate way to celebrate with my review of C.M. Mayo‘s in-depth look into one of Mexico’s most turbulent times when its government was plagued by invaders (the Yankees and the French), in-fighting, and disease, like yellow fever.

The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C.M. Mayo and published by Unbridled Books is a historical novel that chronicles the short reign (about 3 years) of Maximilian, the undercurrent of political ambition, the clash of cultures, and internal familial machinations.

The novel opens in Washington, D.C., with Alice Green who meets and falls in love with Angelo de Iturbide, a secretary for the Mexican Legation. They marry and move to Mexico, where Alice (known as Alicia in Mexico) gives birth to their son, Agustín de Iturbide y Green. Leaving the Mexican shores, readers will journey across the Atlantic to Trieste, Italy, to meet Maximilian von Habsburg who reluctantly agrees to become the Emperor of Mexico. There are a number of nuances political and otherwise that can get confusing for readers unfamiliar with some of Mexico’s history, but these instances are easily overcome as the story unfolds. It is clear from the use of multiple perspectives in this novel that the main character is not Maximilian, Agustin, Alice, Angelo, the Iturbides, the French invaders under Napoleon III, or the Republican upstarts led by Benito Juarez. The main “character” of this novel is Mexico and its future and how that future is shaped by all of these players, their decisions, and in some cases their indecision.

“There are eleven passengers, packed tighter than Jalapenos in a jar. Before reaching the coast, how long will they be trapped in this wretched contraption, two weeks? Five? The roads, if they can be called that, are troughs of mud. Last week La Sociedad reported that, past Orizaba, an entire team, eighteen mules, had fallen into the muck and suffocated.” (Page 93)

Mayo is an impeccable researcher and craftswoman who fleshes out historical figures in a way that remains true to their historical actions and creates characters who are well-rounded and memorable for readers. Her ability to juggle multiple points of view is unparalleled–from the perspective of Agustin’s nanny to Maximilian himself.

One of the most captivating sections of the novel occurs between pages 147-153 in which Maximilian is preoccupied with matters of state and the Iturbide family’s sudden breach of a contract with the emperor with regard to their son Agustin. Mayo weaves in Maximilian’s frantic thoughts, rants, and arguments with his physical tossing about in his bed, as he mashes the pillow into submission, kicks off the sheets, and sits upright in bed as he determines the best course of action to save face and depict Mexico as a strong nation.

Readers will agree that her prose is poetic, as she notes in her interview, here.

“Out the window, birds were being blown about in the sky, and in the distance, rain clouds draped like a filthy rag over the sierra.” (Page 135)

Overall, this epic novel takes on a convoluted period in Mexico’s history and the complicated families ruling or eager to rule in the mid-19th Century. Mayo does exceptionally well with multiple points of view, description, and character development to create a vivid dramatization. The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire would make a great book club selection and discussion.

Check out these images of Maximilian’s Miramar Castle in Italy.
Check out these images of Maximilian’s Chapultepec Castle in Mexico.

Check out an excerpt from The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, here.

For book clubs of 12 members or more, please check out C.M. Mayo’s guidelines for a telephone discussion with her.

Check out her book tour information to see if she’ll be reading and signing books near you.

Also Reviewe By:
Caribousmom
Rose City Reader
Drey’s Library
Devourer of Books

About the Author:

C.M. Mayo is the author of The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire (Unbridled Books, 2009), a historical novel based on the true story; Miraculous Air: Journey of a Thousand Miles Through Baja California, the Other Mexico (Milkweed Editions, 2007) and Sky Over El Nido (University of Georgia Press, 1995), which wonn the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. Founding editor of Tameme, the bilingual Spanish/English) chapbook press, Mayo is also a translator of contemporary Mexican poetry and fiction. Her anthology of Mexican fiction in translation, Mexico: A Traveler’s Literary Companion, was published by Whereabouts Press in March 2006.

Check back after May 17 for more goodies about C.M. Mayo’s reading in Bethesda, Md., and a possible giveaway.

***Giveaway Reminders***

Giveaway for Eleanor Bluestein’s Tea & Other Ayama Na Tales short story collection, here; Deadline is May 6, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.

1 copy of Rubber Side Down Edited by Jose Gouveia, here; Deadline is May 15 at 11:59 PM EST

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: historical fiction, purchased, Read in 2009, reviews, unbridled books Tagged With: ,

Interview With C.M. Mayo, Author of The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire

May 4, 2009 by

Today is the kickoff for my Cinco de Mayo tour of C.M. Mayo‘s latest historical novel, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, which is set in the mid-19th century when Maximilian von Habsburg became the Emperor of Mexico, a little boy became a prince, and a struggle ensues over Mexico.

Please welcome C.M. Mayo to Savvy Verse & Wit:

1. Between writing fiction, travel pieces, translating work, and running Tameme, you are a very busy woman. Which of these “hats” do you find most difficult to wear and why? And do any of these “hats” conflict with one another?


I hope I am a better writer because I also translate, and vice versa, and so and so forth. But of course, I sometimes have to make (even toe-curling) choices. Would that the day had 30 hours!

2. You’ve written fiction, nonfiction, and poetry throughout your career. Is there a reason why you haven’t published a book of your poems? And how is each genre different or the same when you are crafting your pieces?


It’s all poetry, I say. If not a book per se, I’ve published a book’s worth of poetry, individual pieces in literary journals and anthologies, most recently, Robert Giron’s Poetic Voices Without Borders 2. You can read that poem, here. Is there a reason I haven’t published a book of poetry? Same answer as to question #1.

3. What set you on the path of translation and how would you describe the path you took to get there?

I started translating Mexican poetry in the early 1990s, a few years after I came to live in Mexico City. I was writing my own poetry and short fiction at the time, and so the one informed the other. I was — and remain— quite consternated by how little Mexican writing is translated into English. So I always try to encourage others, poets especially, to translate Mexican works.

I should note that in recent years there have been a few notable translations, including my own anthology of 24 Mexican writers, Mexico: A Traveler’s Literary Companion (Whereabouts Press, 2006) and, most recently, Alvaro Uribe and Olivia Sears’s Best Contemporary Mexican Fiction (Dalkey Archive, 2009), which includes one of my translations, of a story by Alvaro Enrigue. Here’s an interview on National Public Radio, “Editing a Literary Tour of Mexico.”


4. Do you have any obsessions you would like to share?

Nope.

5. Do you listen to music while you write or is it distracting? If you could create a playlist of songs for The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, what would be the top 5 songs on that list?

For me, drifty, new agey music in a minor key works best for bringing on the Muses. There is a large literature about music and creativity. I offer a couple of blog posts (with links for more information) on this subject here and here.

Playlist of songs for The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire:

1. “La Paloma” and “Adios Mama Carlota”
This is the most famous song associated with the Emperor Maximilian– supposedly it was his favorite. There’s a documentary film about the song, which you can read about here. Here’s the protest song based on La Paloma, here.

2. Tritch-Tratch Polka by Johann Strauss; Popular Viennese dance music. This might have been played at one of the balls in Mexico City’s Imperial Palace. Here’s a link to an article by one of the guests, William Wells, “A Court Ball in the Palace of Mexico.”

3. “Se fueran los los Yankis al Guaridame;” A children’s lullaby, probably from the 1850s and still in use in the 1890s. The text is in Fanny Chambers Gooch’s Face to Face with the Mexicans.

4. “Las Campanitas” (Mazurka), by J.D.R. Sawerthal; Sawerthal was a composer and band-leader who came to Mexico with Maximilian.

5. “Le Boudin,” a military song composed in 1863 for the French Foreign Legion, which fought in Mexico. You can listen to the song, here.


6. You’ve taught at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md., what has that experience done for your writing and what goals did you seek to accomplish through your workshops?

I believe teaching is an important part of being an artist— always, on multiple levels, a learning experience.

7. If writers want to use more than one point of view in a novel, how would you suggest they go about transitioning between the narrators? What tricks have you learned and are willing to share?


You need to cue the reader, give them something focus on, so they have a sense of where they need to put their attention in order to follow the narrative. You might have one character pass the other a cup of coffee, for instance. Sometimes, especially if it’s a whole new scene, just leave a space.

For me learning to transition from one point of view to the other was like learning to ride a bicycle— very difficult but, after a little practice, it becomes natural.

This is, in fact, one of the reasons it took me so long to write this novel. It has a Jamesian “roving central intelligence,” which is a fancy way of saying it dips in and out of a multitude of points of view. In early drafts, I kept trying to get rid of characters– but they did not want to go! And more kept popping up! Certainly it’s easier to sell a novel with one main character. It’s asking a lot of the reader to keep track of such a crowd. But I came to realize that all of these many characters are absolutely necessary for this story because the main protagonist is not a person but an idea: the prince is the symbol of the future of the empire— the idea of Mexico as an empire, Mexicans not as citizens, but as subjects. How does the story of the prince— the story of this idea—live, evolve and ultimately fail? We have to go into the minds of others to find out. There are a few important recurring characters, such as the prince’s parents, his nanny, Maximilian, and Charlotte, but there are also a maid, a cook, a bandit, a visiting Belgian aristocrat, General Almonte and General Bazaine, the U.S. Minister to France, his wife, a bookseller, soldiers, Prince Louis of France, a dentist, the widow of a Mexican politician, Father Fischer, Cardinal Antonelli, the Pope– yes! even Pope Pio Nono (Pius IX) — and so on. You’ll find a list of the whole crew, here.


8. How important do you think independent booksellers and publishers are in this age of digital media and do you see the paper-based book fading into the background in favor of an e-book or other format? If so, how would this change publishing for the better or worse?

Independent booksellers and publishers may confront economic challenges (certainly they are right now) but I believe they will always be necessary. They select and present— perhaps not always ideally what we might like to see or what deserves to be seen— but it is, nonetheless, an important service for readers. Also, writers may not have the wherewithal to edit, design, distribute, publicize, or sell their books— and that’s exactly what publishers and booksellers do.

What do I think will happen? I think we’ll see more options: in the bookstores themselves we may soon see vending machines that can print on demand, perhaps while you have a cup of coffee. You might have various options of varying cost: for instance, e-book, cheap paper, acid-free paper, or hardcover. I believe there will always be a demand, however reduced, for quality hard-cover books. We still have horses and candles, after all. Right now, with the crisis, there are probably more people going to libraries— and libraries need to have durable books, not cheap things that fall apart after 2 readings.

9. How do you stay fit and healthy as a writer?

Yoga, walking and sleep. It’s also very important to stay away from industrially-produced food and “diet” drinks, which are full of chemicals. What you eat ends up in your brain.


10. Most writers will read inspirational/how-to manuals, take workshops, or belong to writing groups. Did you subscribe to any of these aids and if so which did you find most helpful? Please feel free to name any “writing” books you enjoyed most (i.e. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott).

Here’s a link to a piece I did for ForeWord Magazine on-line column “Publishing Insider”

For the Novelist’s Bookshelf: One Dozen Books on Craft and Creating

11. What current projects are you working on and would you like to share some details with the readers about your writing space and/or routine?


I’m working on a new novel, but don’t have much to say about it yet. About space and routine, here are “10 Tools for Organizing a Novel in Progress,” here.

I want to thank C.M. Mayo for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. Stay tuned for my review of The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire tomorrow.

Also, C.M. Mayo will be in Bethesda, MD, promoting her book at The Writer’s Center on May 17 at 2PM for those locals interested. This is a free event.

***Giveaway Reminders***

5 Joanna Scott, author of Follow Me, books giveaway, here; Deadline May 4, 11:59 PM EST.

Giveaway for Eleanor Bluestein’s Tea & Other Ayama Na Tales short story collection, here; Deadline is May 6, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.

1 copy of Rubber Side Down Edited by Jose Gouveia, here; Deadline is May 15 at 11:59 PM EST

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With:

Mailbox Monday #28

May 4, 2009 by

Before we get to the Mailbox Monday for this week, I wanted to announce that the blog is undergoing some changes. I’ve moved to the blog to its own domain: http://www.savvyverseandwit.com

Blogger insists that everyone will be redirected from the old blog address, but to be on the safe side, please update your subscriptions and readers.

That’s not all, work is underway on a new look, and I should be unveiling that soon. Stay tuned for that!

Also, many of you may know Gautami of Reading Room blog and that her blog was deleted due to malware issues. She’s started up a new book review blog, everything distils into reading. Please stop by and support her switch over and encourage her to continue reviewing and contributing to the community.

Onto the latest edition of Mailbox Monday, sponsored by Marcia at The Printed Page. My mailbox received fewer books this week, but that is a welcomed sight.

1. School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, which I won from Bermudaonion’s blog; she’s got a great photo of the cover, here.

2. Fodor’s New York City 2009 guide, which I received from Shelf Awareness (Yes, I broke down and joined)

3. Painting the Invisible Man by Rita Schiano, which I received from Bostick Communications

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

***Giveaway Reminders***

5 Joanna Scott, author of Follow Me, books giveaway, here; Deadline May 4, 11:59 PM EST.

Giveaway for Eleanor Bluestein’s Tea & Other Ayama Na Tales short story collection, here; Deadline is May 6, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.

1 copy of Rubber Side Down Edited by Jose Gouveia, here; Deadline is May 15 at 11:59 PM EST

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: mailbox monday

Writing Goal Week #17

May 3, 2009 by

Ok, I know I’ve been lax in reporting my weekly writing goals, but I think that I’ve been a bit consumed by Writing Goal Week #14, in which I accepted the challenge of writing one poem per day based upon prompts posted at Poetic Asides.

I now have 30 poem drafts to work from for the month of May. While I didn’t write each day, I did make up days I missed by sometimes writing between 2-4 poems in one day. This is a huge accomplishment for me. I did post these rough drafts as part of my tribute to National Poetry Month; I hope you enjoyed them.

So, for Writing Goal Week #17,

I will work on these 30 drafts to polish them for submission. If I happen to work on new poems that will be great as well.

What goals have you set for yourself or achieved?

***Giveaway Reminders***

5 Joanna Scott, author of Follow Me, books giveaway, here; Deadline May 4, 11:59 PM EST.

Giveaway for Eleanor Bluestein’s Tea & Other Ayama Na Tales short story collection, here; Deadline is May 6, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.

1 copy of Rubber Side Down Edited by Jose Gouveia, here; Deadline is May 15 at 11:59 PM EST

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: writing goals

7 Anecdotes About Reader-Me

May 2, 2009 by

I snagged this wonderful Meme from The Boston Bibliophile; read her post here.

1. I often bite off more than I can read when I accept review copies, but I am getting better and I will be catching up on these over the summer.

2. I am happiest reading new-to-me contemporary poets, who should definitely receive more publicity than they receive.

3. I love to browse bookstores, mostly chains near me. I can spend hours looking in the poetry section, mulling over which volumes to buy. That’s in addition to the hours I’ve spent at the front of the store with the best sellers and the new fiction.

4. I remember many of the books I’ve read from high school until now, though on many occasions the title will escape me.

5. I love using those post-it tabs for passages I plan to use in my reviews, and I always end up with way more of them sticking out of the book than I planned on, which makes choosing the passages I do use all the more difficult.

6. I have a ton of bookmarks, most of them free, and they are usually in one book or another on my selves, in the review piles, or in books that I love and reread passages of after the book spends several dormant years on the shelf.

7. I love to read, but sometimes my reading is interrupted and it makes me irritated. My hubby hasn’t quite learned to steer clear if I’m reading, and then he gets a tongue lashing when he interrupts. I still love him anyway.

Tell me 7 things about you as a reader.

***Giveaway Reminders***

5 Joanna Scott, author of Follow Me, books giveaway, here; Deadline May 4, 11:59 PM EST.

Giveaway for Eleanor Bluestein’s Tea & Other Ayama Na Tales short story collection, here; Deadline is May 6, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.

1 copy of Rubber Side Down Edited by Jose Gouveia, here; Deadline is May 15 at 11:59 PM EST

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: meme

Rubber Side Down Edited By Jose Gouveia

May 1, 2009 by

Jose “JoeGo” Gouveia’s Rubber Side Down: The Biker Poet Anthology is one of the best contemporary poetry anthologies on the market. These poems will appeal to not only deep thinkers, but also readers looking for detailed aesthetics. While most of us will never know what it’s like to be hounded by cops, some of these poems will allow readers to live the biker life vicariously.

Bikers tend to be like brothers, easily accepting of their members no matter what location they find themselves in. These poems signify the lonely road these poets travel, the hardships they face, and the beauty of the road.

“Harley United” (Page 36)
by Richard Vagnarelli

Not to them
Do tortured tones
Of twisted two stroke
Twins appeal;
Racer’s crouch
Grand prix attire
Bright plastic
Wheel to wheel.

Who can deny
The virtues
Of obsession
In a marque,
Symbolic of
The freedom
Sought by those
In dark glasses.

Seated low
In upright posture,
Arms held high,
Feet to the fore,
Proud to live
Astride a legend
Rooted deep
In biker lore.

And in common
With like riders,
Who in the aura
Have delighted,
They remain an
Elite brotherhood,
Alike,
Harley united.

In addition to the poems celebrating brotherhood and connection, some of these poems celebrate famous bikers like Evel Knievel, the evolution of bikes, and women enchanted by the biker life. Some of these poems rhyme, and rhyme well–with an easy rhythm. These poems have a life of their own, and many of them will make you want to read them out loud for emphasis like in “Highway Poets (theme poem)” by K. Peddlar Bridges (page 80) where the lines read: “We’re motorcycle riding/Engine blasting/Line chasing/Gravel chewing/Bug spitting//HIGHWAY . . . POETS!”

Others are simply laugh-out-loud funny, readers should buy a copy simply to read “The Six-Legged Moose.” (I’m purposefully not including this poem in the review to entice you to get this anthology.)

Rubber Side Down is a compilation of witty verse dealing with a number of issues including how bikers deal with aging and the prospect of no longer riding and the freedom of riding and how it makes it difficult to settle back into a “normal” life. Moreover, Rubber Side Down is set up in a format that provides readers with poems and photos of actual bikers in alternating sections, which enables readers to ponder the poems while examining the visual context of these poets’ lives. Each of these biker poets knows poetic style and form and how to break convention without losing their audience, and Rubber Side Down will appeal to more than just bikers and their families.

“WTHEFM” (Page 99)
by: Susie Howard

No, it ain’t a radio station,
but I listen to it like its playing my favorite
moldy oldies, yeah,
I know the words, snap my fingers
to its back beat I can use it,
the rhythm of too many days
turned in or out, a place named
for itself, like “KCUB its a Bear”.

No, it ain’t the style on my FM dial
I heard over there when home was
for away and dry was a dream cause I sat on my helmet
in the hole, my feet turning to sludge in my boots to
keep the same from happening to my ass,
nodding off to the memory of her
soft thighs, the bow from her bra.

No it ain’t the voice from the box,
that bitch, Hot-Jane-Barbarella,
the Stones or little miss
sunshine Hanoi Rose harmonizing
with, “Have decided to
mid-Tet Offensive cease-fire.”
Its all beaucoup okay, G.I.,
tallRoundEyeCharlieScreamingEagle.

No it ain’t the drone of all the
shitty jobs I’ve had, been laid
off from, kicked out of, walked
on since I got back till my best
friend is the guy at the Port Authority turnstile
booth who lets me through
for a warm night on the benches,
so long as I move now and then.

No it ain’t the sweet sing song of
my kids, scared of me at night when they tried to
climb in my bed but
I freaked out, ready to kill, with
demons before me where my kids
should have been, cause she took
them to hide which was right.

No it ain’t the buzz in my brain
when I hear, the 60’s–
remember when Little Anthony was Imperial,
when my best friend checks in for methadone treatment,
(after forty years, it ain’t
no treatment), when they say,
“Son, we’ve got PTSD”.

No it ain’t a radio station.
When it doubt, you got to dance.
Its just a backward glance.
A trip from then to now.
A long lost life since Hell.
I’m over the comments.
What The Fuck Moments.
Wanna make a request?

Rubber Side Down packs a punch and made me want to get that ape hanger I’ve always talked about and go for a ride.

Want to go for a ride with these bikers? Here’s your chance; I’m offering to buy one copy of Rubber Side Down for one commenter. (Yes, this is international)

1. For one entry, comment in the form of a poem (no, it doesn’t have to be great; or I might have mercy on you and count your comment as an entry even if it isn’t in poem form.) about why you want to read this anthology.

2. Follow this blog or if you are a follower tell me in the comments.

3. Spread the word about the giveaway on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. and leave a comment here with a link.

Deadline is May 15, 2009, 11:59 PM EST

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

Also Reviewed By:
Minds Alive on the Shelves

***Giveaway Reminders***

A giveaway of The Mechanics of Falling by Catherine Brady, here; Deadline is May 1 11:59 PM EST

5 Joanna Scott, author of Follow Me, books giveaway, here; Deadline May 4, 11:59 PM EST.

Giveaway for Eleanor Bluestein’s Tea & Other Ayama Na Tales short story collection, here; Deadline is May 6, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: giveaway, poetry, purchased, Read in 2009, reviews Tagged With: ,

Calling All Poetry Book Reviewers ***Sticky Post***

May 1, 2009 by

This is a ***Sticky Post***

Do any of you bloggers read poetry books and review them?

How often do you review them?

Or do you want to review poetry collections?

I’ve been thinking about making a list and posting it somewhere on this blog to collect the site names and contact information of bloggers interested in reviewing poetry books.

If you want to be on this list, please email me your URL, name, and preferred contact information.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: announcements, poetry

Poem #30, PAD Challenge 2009

May 1, 2009 by

I cannot believe it. I wrote one poem for each of April’s 30 days. I am beaming with pride…that’s not too terrible I hope. Anyway, let’s get to it, shall we?

Today’s Prompt is to write a farewell poem:

Endings

Off in the distance
You’re small.
Almost an ant on my picnic blanket,
the one with the pink butterflies.
We used to take it to that park
on the corner of Western Ave. and Main.
I know it wasn’t much of a park,
but the grass was soft,
so green.

You’re standing on asphalt,
the blanket disintegrated in the dryer
lint balls scraped away into the basket.
It reminds me of our final days
when the voices pitched high
fists and fingers flew at the air between us.
We made Swiss cheese of oxygen.

There is no sunset on the horizon,
more like high noon
in the O.K. Corral, guns blazing.
Only we never dropped
to our knees in that kitchen
Or here as the cab drives away.

What did you write today?

For more information about the challenge, go here.

Did you participate in this challenge or other activities for National Poetry Month? Please share links, experiences, events, new poets, old favorites, what you liked about the poems I produced this month.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: national poetry month, poem-a-day challenge

Asian American Writers

April 30, 2009 by

In response to May’s designation as Asian Heritage Month, C.O.R.A. Diversity Roll Call is asking participants to discussion their favorite Asian or Asian American writers and their works.

Regular readers should remember my numerous posts about Arlene Ang, but here’s a roundup of those posts here. I know that she lives in Italy, but her family is from the Philippines and she’s a poet. Poets need more face time in my humble opinion. So here it is, a bit about the Philippines I found on Wikipedia:

Manila is the capital of this Southeast Asian nation, which is officially called the Republic of the Philippines and consists of more than 7,000 islands. More than 90 million people live in this nation, which is a former Spanish colony. While the main religion on the islands has been Roman Catholicism (one of only 2 nations in Asia where Catholicism dominates), there are many other religions represented including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. Check this link for some ecology information.

Check out Arlene’s poem in 42opus, It Could’ve Been a Centerfold and A Setting Sun. Or her five poems in Identity Theory.

Check out these current giveaways:

A giveaway of The Mechanics of Falling by Catherine Brady, here; Deadline is May 1 11:59 PM EST

5 Joanna Scott, author of Follow Me, books giveaway, here; Deadline May 4, 11:59 PM EST.

Giveaway for Eleanor Bluestein’s Tea & Other Ayama Na Tales short story collection, here; Deadline is May 6, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: poetry Tagged With: