Literary Roundup! Jake's Rocks Style

This post won't have much to do with Jakes Rocks, except to mention that someone found my blog by searching for "Allegheny National Forest Jakes Rocks," which is pretty cool I think. If you've never been to Jake's Rocks, it's better seen than than described, but I'll give it a go. Basically, it's a trail with really big rocks. Big, huge rocks that you can climb in, up, on, between, alongside, and under along with the beautiful trees and addictive mossy scent of Pennsylvania's forests. I went there as a kid with my family. That was also the first time I saw a wild bear. The second time is a funnier story that I'll save for another time.

Before I get to the roundup, I have something confess. I'm lonely. I've been lonely for a good few months now. I've actually progressed beyond lonely and wandered into forlorn, embracing my solitude in a not-so healthy way and become hermetic, reclusive, and withdrawn (thanks Thesaurus.com).

I've been in San Francisco for a little over eight months and I only feel at home in the apartment. When Sal leaves for work, I get really sad and anxious because he's my best - and only - friend here, at least the only friend I see on a regular basis. He's so supportive. I've told him it will just take time.

I try to make plans with new friends, but most of the time I flake out. Sometimes because this city is just too much. Sometimes because I want to be around people who already know me well. Who I can be a total mess with. Who I don't have to leave the apartment to see. So, if you are a new friend of mine from the San Francisco Bay Area, maybe you'd like to come over and watch a movie with me? My couch is comfy and we have a big television.

Now that I got that out of the way, on to some way cool word-related stuff!

Sweet Lit accepted a poem of mine yesterday, which is awesome. What's also awesome is their chapbook series. Scroll to the bottom and read the descriptions. Love it. Also, last April's issue has a really moving Letter from the Editor.

Kelli Russell Agodon is spearheading the Big Poetry Giveaway 2012. I participated last year and I will this year too. It's really fun and a great way to give someone a book they might never have bought otherwise.

Three book reviews to check out: Full of Crow reviews Karen Lillis' Watch the Doors As They Close, a novella from Spuyten Duyvil; Fiddler Crab reviews Iris Dunkle's Inheritance (Finishing Line Press 2011); The Scrapper Poet, Karen J. Weyant, reviews Amanda Reynolds’ Heinz 56 (Main Street Rag, 2012).

There are SO MANY poems I want to share! I'm just going to link each poet's name, so click click click. You won't be sorry. Onward, linkitivity!

• Robyn Campbell
• Iris Dunkle
• Sally Rosen Kindred
• Dorianne Laux
• Sandy Longhorn
• Catherine Pierce
• Susan Slaviero
• Sarah J. Sloat

The 2011 Best of the Net is up. Check out the whole thing. Worth it.

I want to go to there. Sadly, I cannot. You should though, if you can.

Some interesting ripples caused by the VIDA Count. Good did a byline count for more mainstream publications that are popular with the "millenials," a generation of which I am happily not a part. Michelle Dean shares her two cents over at The Rumpus. That article lead me to this essay by Rebecca Solnit. Both are must-reads.

I went through my bookshelves this week and discovered that I own much fewer books by male poets. I decided to read two books at once, one by a lady-poet and one by a gentle-poet. I'll let you know how it goes.

Finally, I share a great video from this post over at The Storialist, aka Hannah Stephenson. Watch her write a poem in fast-forward. It's kind of revolutionary.