I'm testing today to see if anyone is paying attention. Writing about my undergraduate English professor on Monday got me thinking about my college days. I was lucky enough to fall in with a group of friends who were tolerant of various types of … [Read more...]

Everything important I know about poetry and writing and literature came from Millsaps College, and mostly from Greg Miller. There is really no better place on earth to learn about writing than Jackson, Mississippi. The rest of the country might like … [Read more...]

Another angry woman poem from my college days. But still delicious. I read a biography of Millay a view years ago that was fascinating in the level of complete and total dysfunction in her life. And yet, the poetry. Still, if I had to choose … [Read more...]

Trees are the primary reason I woke up this morning unable to breath out of one nostril. Trees are making my eyes itch so badly it takes all my willpower not to scratch them out of their sockets. Trees are why I look like a drug addict today with my … [Read more...]

Tonight, an original. Put this poem in your pocket! A poem for Madison on a late night before a storm To the people sitting on the step outside Boonie's At 11:00 at night With your baby in a stroller Yelling down the street as if he's lost … [Read more...]

Today, if I say any more, I will say too much. So here's a Rumi poem a friend sent me when I told her about the poem in a pocket idea for National Poetry Month. Why not carry poems around in our pockets, just like cell phones? It's just possible we … [Read more...]

Yes, I missed yesterday. I hope I can be forgiven. I had six hours worth of final oral exams to give, and this quickly turns your brain to mush. Then, it was hard to think of poetry yesterday after events in Boston. But maybe poetry is exactly what … [Read more...]

Did you know that you can sing most Emily Dickinson poem's to the tune of The Yellow Rose of Texas? It's true. Give it a try with the poem below. I've never memorized all of this poem, but the first two lines are emblazoned somewhere in my brain. … [Read more...]

Here is what I have not been doing for the past couple of weeks: obsessively checking the statistics for my blog on Google Analytics. This is more life-changing than you might think. The nice thing about having a blog is that you can get some … [Read more...]