A Beltane Offering for Craig Arnold May 9, 2009: Flowers for Craig Arnold.  Flowers drifting down from the edge of the cliff where his footprints end.  Tropical flowers and temperate flowers.  Flowers.  And stalks of angelica.  And yet more flowers. (more...) by Annie Finch

Craig Arnold May 8, 2009: 5/13: According to the Associated Press, "a team from a Japanese climbing group called Canyons will descend the steep, vegetation-covered slope where Arnold was tracked.... the climbers have committed to search for two days, starting Thursday morning in Japan." Via Find Craig Arnold: Our dear friends and family, Though Craig himself has [...] by Don Share

Tubers Dripping May 8, 2009: Soon after I arrived in Maine, I was given a small green bag of dahlia roots by then-state-poet-laureate Baron Wormser.  Absorbed in all the work of settling in, I let the bag sit for months and months before I finally got them into the ground.  No matter, he told me, just soak them for 24 hours.  I did, and scrabbled holes in the soil and [...] by Annie Finch

Robin Blaser (1925-2009) May 8, 2009: Robin Blaser, the poet of The Holy Forest, has died.  The Globe and Mail has an appreciation here, and The Quill and Quire has theirs here. Further tributes from: Charles Bernstein Possum Ego Damn the Caesars Chris Vitiello Stan Persky John Sakkis Please post any new information in the comments, and I will follow up [...] by Travis Nichols

I Am Looking for Anapests, Please May 7, 2009: Dear Harrieteers, for reasons I'll be blogging about later, I need a few great serious anapestic poems—classic or contemporary.  I have Swinburne's "Song in Time of Revolution" and Teasdale's "I Would Live in Your Love."  I don't need any light verse, even Carroll, or children's verse.  I know there are some serious gems out there waiting [...] by Annie Finch

Accidental Poetry and What to Do with the Stuff May 7, 2009: Archie: You ain’t yet explained to me what’s all the attraction with the Catholics? Edith: They have lots of interesting things – like those confessionals right in the church. They’re like telephone booths to God. Gloria: Ma, that’s very poetic. Archie: What the hell’s poetic about it, I didn’t hear nothing rhyme? (more...) by Jason Guriel

Poetry in the Community: The Police Poetry Project May 7, 2009: One of my more unusual poetry-related projects this winter was a gig as one of five Portland poets who were paired up with police officers and told to produce poetry together.  This daring effort was part of Art at Work, an ambitious project brainstormed by playwright Marty Pottenger to improve government through art.  The project was a [...] by Annie Finch

Mujeres poetas de Venezuela/Women poets of Venezuela May 7, 2009: I received an unanticipated package early this week. Each month, enough packages containing books or journals show up in my box that I tend to be unfazed when an unexpected package arrives. Often, when such books arrive, I take a cursory glace at the cover and the table of contents, register interest, then set the book aside, promising to return [...] by Camille Dungy

UbuWeb Featured Resources: David Toop & Pauline Oliveros May 6, 2009: UbuWeb Featured Resources, May 2009 Selected by David Toop 1. Henri Michaux: Images du Monde Visionnaire 2. Yves Klein: Anthropometries of the Blue Period & Fire Paintings 3. Jacques Lacan: Télévision 4. Yukio Mishima: Rite of Love and Death 5. Chris Marker, John Chapman & Frank Simeone: Junkopia 6. Ethnopoetics: [...] by Kenneth Goldsmith

On the Pleasure of Hating May 6, 2009: Over at MAYDAY Magazine, there's a contemporary criticism roundtable spun-off from Jason Guriel's "Going Negative" (and tweaked a bit by Matthew Zapruder's "Show Your Work!"). The back and forth begins with Kent Johnson, who states in a letter to the editors of Poetry ". . . so here's a vote for Guriel's call that the 'negative' spirit [...] by Travis Nichols