Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Blogging in the Wee Hours

Warning: insomniac post!

Well, Robert and his wife are off in vacation mode, but I'm stuck in the fog. Today I had an excuse to go downtown, and it was blissfully sunny. You have no idea how much that can mean unless you are stuck in this relentless gray grayness day after day all summer. Wait! It did clear last Saturday, but that was almost wasted, for me, 'cause with John (and our car) around, I can go in any direction and join the sunny world. It's only here, within view (hah!) of the ocean that summer does not exist.

I had thought to go up to Napa for some of the winery readings, which are open to the public--C. Dale's or Brigit Kelley's. But the logistics were too complicated, and I decided not to. I'll probably regret it. But it would have meant rescheduling two appointments tomorrow and working all day from John's San Rafael studio--not a terrible idea, re the above, but I don't want to be in the way while he is working. Then we would probably want to eat someplace nice in Napa and that would dent our budget. And there was Greta (dog), who really likes poetry but doesn't like sitting in the car. All these excuses seem pretty lame as I type them, though, I admit.

Tomorrow I'm going to get my manuscript printed and off to Tupelo in time to make their July open submission deadline. Oh ye poets out there, wish me luck. Damn manuscript has been close but no cigar lotsa times...and then not even close more times, and really, it's just as good as a lot of 'em out there, but at this rate it's going to be published posthumously. Seriously, I really want to get beyond book one, I am beyond book one. Well, maybe this is it. When I gave my radio reading on J.P. Dancing Bear's show, he said (unprompted) that he thought he could see Tupelo publishing my work; it seemed to fit their line. (Those weren't his words, but his meaning. Do publishers have a "line"? I can't think, at 2:00 in the morning.)

Maybe I should attempt to get some sleep.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting post. Just a question, how do you know it's as good as many of them out there? Is one ever fully aware of where one's manuscript sits within the greater sphere of manuscripts or published first books? Maybe the act of never thinking it is good enough is what makes a truly marvelous book?

Unknown said...

Sure, Anonymous, then why attempt to publish ever? You will have your truly marvelous book that no one will ever read.

I think my book is as good as what's out there because I read, I have the capability of making judgments, many of my poems have been published in quality journals, writers I respect have told me it's a good, even very good book, and the book has been a finalist quite a few times. I'm sure one could perfect it, continue to work on it--and I do. But I know it is ready for the world.

Anne Haines said...

Oh, best of luck to you! Tupelo has been putting out some wonderful stuff. I will cross my fingers for you.

Unknown said...

Thanks Anne. Good luck to us all.

I just heard today that I'm to be included in that Best New Poets anthology that UVA is putting out (I was nominated for it by the folks at Nimrod). So maybe my luck is changing.

Pamela Johnson Parker said...

Congratulations and best wishes for the MS.