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144th Virtual Poetry Circle

April 7, 2012 by

Welcome to the 144th Virtual Poetry Circle!

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

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Also, sign up for the 2012 Fearless Poetry Reading Challenge because its simple; you only need to read 1 book of poetry. Please visit the stops on the National Poetry Month Blog Tour from April 2011 and beginning again in April 2012.

Today’s poems is from Jennifer C. Wolfe, author of Somewhere Over the Pachyderm Rainbow. She’s sharing a poem from one of her upcoming collections, Elegies of Vitriolic Harmony, and she is working on another collection, Reflections of Hostile Revelries, as well:

(Roving) Eye of Newt

Ah, Newt Gingrich—that alleged everyman, who cheated on
His first two wives, while they were hospitalized; sallying forth,
To marry his third voluptuous blonde bedroom conquest.

Yes, Newt Gingrich—that alleged “family values” supporter,
Who remarked that his first sick wife was not “young enough or
Pretty enough to be the (US) President’s wife.”

My, Newt Gingrich—that realistic pinnacle of chauvinism,
Self-righteously imagining a working scenario, where he would
Even be elected to the US Presidency, in the first place.

Watch out, current “Mrs.”  Calista Gingrich:
You’ve won yourself the equivalent of the garish stuffed animal
Nobody wants from the gambling midway at a State Fair.

What do you think?

***For Today’s National Poetry Month Blog Tour stop, check out Peeking Between the Pages.***

Filed Under: Events, national poetry month, virtual poetry circle Tagged With: , , , ,

103rd Virtual Poetry Circle

June 25, 2011 by

Welcome to the 103rd Virtual Poetry Circle!

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

Also, sign up for the 2011 Fearless Poetry Reading Challenge because its simple; you only need to read 1 book of poetry.  Please contribute to the growing list of 2011 Indie Lit Award Poetry Suggestions, visit the stops on the National Poetry Month Blog Tour from April.

Today’s poem is from Somewhere Over the Pachyderm Rainbow:  Living in an Elephant-Controlled 2010 Election Diorama by Jennifer C. Wolfe, which I reviewed earlier this month:

Recipe for Tea Party Iced Tea (page 36)

1 part frenzy, 1 part hatred,
1 part smugness, 1 part self righteousness,
1 part holier-than-thou arrogance, 1 part skewed eccentricity,
1 part lockstep agenda, 1 part self-aggrandized delusion,
1 part active hostility, 1 part non corroborated facts.
Add in believed-as-true conjecture,
Mixed with outright lies.
Stir liquid contents vigorously,
Until total frenetic vindictiveness has been achieved.

Serve well chilled with plentiful amounts of polarizing ice.

Serving size:
All who surrender their thoughts to the manipulation of close-minded,
Fanatical zealots imagining themselves as colonial-garbed super heroes.

Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.

I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles. It’s never too late to join the discussion.

Filed Under: virtual poetry circle Tagged With: , ,

Interview With Poet Jennifer C. Wolfe

June 17, 2011 by

I recently reviewed Somewhere Over the Pachyderm Rainbow: Living in an Elephant-Controlled 2010 Election Diorama by Jennifer C. Wolfe this week.  And I’ve had the delightful opportunity to ask the poet some questions about her collection and how it came to be.

Please welcome Jennifer:

1.  First, do you consider yourself a Democrat and how far do you lean to the left?  If not, what is your party affiliation and why?

I do not consider myself a Democrat.  I am officially registered as an “Independent” voter.  I do lean a bit left of center in some political areas, while a bit right of center on others.  I enjoy my official designation as an Independent, because I do not want to be tied down to any one party or party outlook.


2.  How long did it take you to amass this amount of poetry for a collection about the 2010 elections and the world it created in the United States?

It took me about three months to amass the amount of poetry for this collection; and the better part of a year, to bring it to print publishing fruition.  Whenever I needed to find new material, all I had to do was to either turn on CNN or FOX NEWS and soon my blood was boiling and my computer keyboard was frenetically being typed upon.

3.  Did you intend for these poems to read more like a diatribe against Republicans only or did you have a larger goal in mind?  And do you think you achieved your goal?

I primarily wanted the poems to read like a satirical diatribe against GOP dominance and arrogance, post Election 2010.  I also wanted it to have the larger goal of focusing scrutiny on every GOP platform and party officials I feel strongly about, including the Republicans’ meddling stepchild, the Tea Party.  The (so-called) “Grand Old Party” is not so grand; and I wanted this aspect to come through.  I do think I achieved my goal; although some readers might mistake some of my satirical material for straight criticism.


4.  How long have you considered yourself a poet and do your poems’ subjects always center on politics?  If so, what keeps you interested in politics to write about it consistently, especially given the apparent apathy inherent in American society with regard to elections?

I have always written poetry; however, I have considered myself a serious poet since 2008, when I earned my very first poetry credential—a poem “If” included within the Century College, White Bear Lake, MN literary magazine, Student Lounge.  I have had three political poetry eBooks published with BlazeVox Books, New York: Kick the Stones: Everyday Hegemony, Empire, and Disillusionment, October, 2008; Yukon Rumination: Great Fun for All in the Land of Sarah Palin’s Joe Sixpack Alaska, June, 2009; and Healing, Optimism, and Polarization, February, 2010, in addition to Somewhere Over the Pachyderm Rainbow: Living in an Elephant-Controlled 2010 Election Diorama.

What keeps me interested in consistently writing about politics is the fact that I feel I have something important to say.  My goal is to dissuade the apathy in American society with regard to elections.  That and to present political opinions that are from my heart.  I also have written non-political poetry, addressing everyday life scenarios.

5.  When writing poetry, prose, essays, and other works do you listen to music, do you have a particular playlist for each genre you work in or does the playlist stay the same? What are the top 5 songs on that playlist? If you don’t listen to music while writing, do you have any other routines or habits?

I do sometimes listen to music when I write, and when I do, the playlist is often as eclectic as the writing being undertaken.  I am mainly a rock, alternative rock, and heavy metal listener; and songs from all of these musical realms come into play.  I also listen to varied cable news TV channels, when I write on politics—searching for that tidbit of information or a concentrated story that will focus my thoughts.


6.  Do you see spoken word, performance, or written poetry as more powerful or powerful in different ways and why? Also, do you believe that writing can be an equalizer to help humanity become more tolerant or collaborative? Why or why not?

I see spoken word, performance, and written poetry as equally powerful mediums, in different ways.  Spoken word has a tremendous “go with the moment” mentality and it inspires with its often contagious enthusiasm.  Performance hones an individual’s poetry reading skills in a ways that make the words on the page come alive; while written poetry helps to define and clarify poetic aspirations in a private setting between the reader and the poetry being read.  I do believe writing can serve as an equalizer to help humanity become more tolerant and/or collaborative, because when an individual reads a story or a poem which becomes profound to them; it can often alter their mindset or attitude.


7.  What current projects are you working on and would you like to share some details with the readers?

Currently, I am working on a fictional novel entitled Far Beyond Driven that is part of a trilogy centering on a primary antagonist who works in intelligence.  The last book in the trilogy, The Five Words, was completed first and is currently being represented by Ms. Tracy Brennan of Trace Literary Agency.  The Five Words centers upon five friends and a five worded Internet prank gone awry to Homeland Security, told primarily in flashback by one of the friends who is testifying before a U.S. Senate Select Committee, looking into DHS civil liberties abuses.  Far Beyond Driven is the second book of the trilogy, as I work my way backward to the first novel, Fade Into Black.  All three novels tell the story of intelligence operative, Mark Graham and his psychological descent (spawned by personal tragedy) into an abusive monster, with too much U.S. “War on Terror” power in his hands.  All three works will be represented by Trace Literary Agency.  In addition, I also have completed an everyday life poetry manuscript, Reach for the Words, and am mulling the concept for a new non-political poetry manuscript, The Pain Behind the Smile.

Thanks, Jennifer, for answering my questions and for a highly discussable collection.

I would like to point out that Pantera, a heavy metal band, had an album called Far Beyond Driven; Perhaps she was inspired by their music one day when she was writing.

Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: , ,

Somewhere Over the Pachyderm Rainbow: Living in an Elephant-Controlled 2010 Election Diorama by Jennifer C. Wolfe

June 16, 2011 by

Somewhere Over the Pachyderm Rainbow:  Living in an Elephant-Controlled 2010 Election Diorama by Jennifer C. Wolfe, published by BlazeVOX, is a satiric look at the government today following the Republican take over of the U.S. House of Representatives.  However, readers with staunch Republican beliefs who do not have a sense of humor about politics are NOT going to enjoy this volume and may even be angered by it.  On the other hand, Democrats will nod their heads in agreement, while Independents will nod, smirk, and disagree with certain aspects of these poems, which read more like prosaic diatribes.  More than anything, Wolfe has written a collection of poems to get the nation energized and talking politics, just in time for the upcoming 2012 elections (because you know that elections are now tackled at least 12 months in advance, if not more).

The Alito, Kennedy, Roberts, Scalia, and Thomas Pledge of Allegiance (page 42)

I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of our America,
And to the corporations, for which it stands,
One nation, under our thumb,
Poor invisible,
With liberty and justice, as dictated by the 5-4
Conservative majority of our Supreme Court.

As in the above poem, Wolfe twists well known moments and sayings from history and creates a new narrative to illustrate the “horrors” she sees happening in today’s government and society.  Vitriol drips from each line as she slices through the Republican rhetoric and policy to uncover the intentions of their decisions and desires.  Wolfe is clearly angered by the prominence of Fox News and Sarah Palin, but those are not her only targets.  George W. Bush, John Boehner, Tim Pawlenty, terrorism, and the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords garner equal attention from Wolfe’s sharp pen strokes.

She uses clear language, current events, rhyme, and repeating refrains to maintain the attention of the reader, especially as she nears the point in which she’s ready to slice political platforms to shreds.  There are no puzzles to unwind and the approach to politics is as aggressive as commentary from Bill O’Reilly.  From flip-flopping on Second Amendment issues to hidden agendas in policies, Wolfe calls attention to the rhetoric that covers up the truth.  For instance, why is China our ally if they continue to ship toxic toys, food, and other items to the United States?  Is it related to the fact that they own most of the national debt?

Overall Somewhere Over the Pachyderm Rainbow:  Living in an Elephant-Controlled 2010 Election Diorama by Jennifer C. Wolfe is a jumping off point for further conversation, but it will leave some readers wondering what the references refer to as they lose their immediate meaning and newer events replace those within these pages.  Luckily, the Internet will enable everyone to look up some of these references, though many will wonder if this is merely a collection by a leftist angered by the victory of the right in a political election and what it, if any, significance, it will have on the political arena.  Only time will tell how this collection impacts thinking and action into the future or if it will simply fade into the background like the many scandals among today’s political figureheads.  Taken in small chunks, readers will digest the barbs in these poems and hunger for the next course.

About the Poet:

Jennifer C. Wolfe grew up in Maplewood, Minn., and studied fiction writing and poetry at Century College in White Bear Lake. Mississippi. Wolfe has five previous publishing credentials: a poem “If” included within the Century College (White Bear Lake, MN) Spring 2008 Student Lounge literary magazine along with three poetry manuscripts, Kick the Stones: Everyday Hegemony, Empire, and Disillusionment published as an eBook by BlazeVOX Books, New York, October 2008, Yukon Rumination: Great Fun for All in the Land of Sarah Palin’s Joe Sixpack Alaska, published as an eBook by BlazeVOX Books, New York, June 2009, and Healing Optimism, and Polarization, published as an eBook by BlazeVOX Books, New York, February 2010, and two poems “St. Patrick’s Day” and “Roller Coaster,” published within the online edition of Scrambler Magazine, Issue 39, June 2010.

 

This is my 17th book for the Fearless Poetry Exploration Reading Challenge.

 

This is my 26th book for the 2011 New Authors Reading Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, Fearless Poetry Exploration Reading Challenge, New Authors Challenge, poetry, Read in 2011, review copy, reviews Tagged With: , ,