Literary Roundup: Broken Noise

Yesterday I could hear the real ocean's deep white noise. Today, I'm back on my couch with laundry at my feet eating butter noodles because I'm too lazy to go to the store.  Someone found my blog by searching for "broken noise." Also, "cats from outer space." I'm going to use these fun phrases for titles.

This won't be about my awesome vacation. I'll write about that later (maybe).

I've been catching up on read the blogs of the lovely poets who I consider my tribe. The poets I run with, whose work I follow, names I notice in tables of contents, poems I reference when I want to grow. Many of them are more like mentors, people who I admire and strive to work as hard as. Some I know in person, some online. Maybe I will meet some of them in Chicago next week.

That's enough chit chat. Here's what's going on in my little poetry universe.

Find yourself flipping to the poems in your favorite lit mags? Hankering for some poetry-only publications? Diane Lockward compiled a helpful list just for you. Also from Ms. Lockward is this helpful list of sources for inspiration-fuel when your poet-brain is sputtering.

Over at SheWrites, Jeannine Hall Gailey shares her path to poetry.

Weave's seventh issue is out and selling well. We also have a new Reviews Editor, poet and teacher Thom Dawkins. Except great things to come.

Tiny Hardcore Press has published a fiction collection of five chapbooks, Shut Up / Look Pretty, by five amazing writers, include my friend Lauren Becker. Go get that.

Robert Lee Brewer published his lists of the Best Blogs for Writers 2011. Many of the poets from my tribe on there. Woot. Mr. Brewer also has this interesting post about the top jobs for writers. More obvious that I thought.

Some new/new-to-me journals to check out: Carbon Copy Magazine, Eleven Eleven Journal, and Creosote Journal.

Writer and Los Angeles Review Editor Kelly Davio explains the meaning behind the "status" changes to your submissions in Submishmash. Summary: they have little meaning. A worthwhile read if only because you'll make an editor super happy by not having to email them asking how to withdraw on Submishmash.

A lot of folks are talking about Amazon and books and indie book stores and the "state of publishing" and big stuff like that. Fiction writer Bridgette Shade weighs in saying, "Dr. Evil + the son of the Green Goblin = the metaphorical murder of print via 'books' which can only live on a 5x7 screen." She also tells you to smell your Kindle. Also, writer and librarian Karen Lewis will participated in a talk about Amazon and bookselling. Curious to see if she writes a follow up. The latest issue of Wired featured a profile on Amazon's CEO Jeffery P. Bezos. I'll share my two cents on this topic after I read the article.

Recuerdos de Puerto Vallarta

My only vacation-related note is about these amazing books of Spanish poesía I found at a little shop in Puerto Vallarta: two by poet Efraín Huerta and a collection of poems by Salvador Novo. Already started translating a few poems, but I've got to polish them more. Next phase: Spanish class.