Category Archives: Working
Transcription errors in a conversation with Kris Sowersby of Klim Type Foundry
Unknown Speaker 31:54: A friend of mine, she wrote her first book by opening a book of chickens. Unknown Speaker 32:32: Animals initial animals. Unknown Speaker 14:17: She’s got my lower jaw. A lot of bone. Unknown Speaker 47:30 The pretentious line is to say … Continue reading
A week goes by. A year
The thing about writing is – I reckon – that it requires a lot of space where you don’t write. You think about nothing or one very small part of a poem you aren’t happy with. Hours go by, days … Continue reading
A THICK SKIN (part II)
This is the second part in a two-part post about criticism. You can read Part I here. I had a lot of fun putting this little thing together. Well. Is fun the right word? Maybe not. More that it was useful, personally. It … Continue reading
On breathing noisily, when puffed
I have decided to begin breathing noisily again when I am puffed, rather than trying to conceal the breathing. In the past, I must have decided that breathing noisily when puffed was a sign of weakness, and that anyone who noticed … Continue reading
Don’t you know who I am in my head?
Two or three years ago I taught a course in prose and discovered my students were watching the soap operas every morning and afternoon. I don’t know when they studied. So I watched two or three just to see what … Continue reading
Driven (A Poem)
I grew up in a small team and when I became leader I carried it with me, first on my shoulders, then in my hair, then knitted closely into my jersey. My internal organs provided support. My last post was … Continue reading
I love my leather jacket
I’ve been thinking about book covers lately, because I have a poem book coming out sometime soon, and I need to decide what kind of thing will be on the cover. I guess I’ve always been drawn to improvised-looking, expressive, … Continue reading
On carrying a notebook around
A recent attempt at “carrying a notebook around” Carrying a pocket notebook everywhere with me is my favorite hobby. – Person on annoying blog about being a better writer Take Care of Your Little Notebook Charles Simic, New York Times … Continue reading
“What’s the muck?”: An interview with James Purtill
via Animalarium I met James on a creative writing course at Victoria University in 2009. At our first workshop I was struck by his swarthy tan and his faraway squint, and his long pauses between words, as if he’d just … Continue reading
Year of the Abandoned Idea
by bisybackson For me, 2011 has been the Year of the Abandoned Idea. So many have lagged behind and have fallen: ideas for articles, essays, blog posts, poems, emails, and even – tragically – tweets. Only a few ever made … Continue reading