Metamorphoses 2008!

Metamorphoses 2008 is here and available at the Cerro Coso Book Nook and at all Cerro Coso campuses! The 2008 issue is available for $5 to the general public. Students, faculty, and staff are eligible to receive one free copy. See the online order form or visit the Book Nook in person for details. You can also Download Metmamorphoses 2008 in PDF format (6mb).

2009 Submissions Open:
Met is now accepting submissions for the 2009 edition. Submit your literary or art work today!

I have three poems published in the 2008 Metamorphoses: Walking the Tree Streets, The Button Factory and October.

When I picked up my issue of Metamorphoses and reread my poems in book-form, my first thought was: I should write like this more often!

There's a lot of great poetry, short stories and art in this year's Metamorphoses! If you like literature and art, you've got to pick up a copy of MET. You can get one online, it's just a click away.

Labels: Cerro Coso Community College, Literary, Literature, Matildakay, Metamorphoses, Poetry, writers, Writing

  posted by Matildakay at 2:28 PM 0 comments

Popular Harlem Renaissance Poet
"Your world is as big as you make it."

~Georgia Douglas Johnson, popular Harlem Renaissance poet.

Labels: daily quote, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Harlem, poet, Poetry, Renaissance, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women

  posted by Matildakay at 10:06 AM 0 comments

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet
"The beautiful feeling after writing a poem is on the whole better even than after sex, and that's saying a lot."

~Anne Sexton, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.

Labels: Anne Sexton, beautiful, daily quote, poet, Poetry, Pulitzer Prize, Sex, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women, writers, Writing

  posted by Matildakay at 11:15 AM 1 comments

Prickly English Poet
"My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence."

~Dame Edith Sitwell, prickly English poet.

Labels: Dame Edith Sitwell, English poet, hobbies, Music, poet, Poetry, Reading, silence, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women, Writing

  posted by Matildakay at 10:26 AM 0 comments

Yosemite Writers Conference: Poetry talk
Kate Gale, editor of Red Hen Press out of Los Angeles, California, sat reading from a poetry book before beginning her workshop “Editing Poetry: Entering the process whole and coming out humming.” Her wet hair fresh from the Tenaya Lodge swimming pool was a metaphor for her no bullshit attitude about poetry.

Is poetry still being published? At another panel I heard someone say poetry was dead. According to Gale, poetry is not dead, but you won’t get rich publishing poetry. I for one was excited that there was a poetry workshop at this year’s conference for I am a lover of poetry.

Gale opened the workshop reading two poems, one from the book she had been reading by another poet and one of her own that she had been working on for a few weeks. Her poem was rich in imagery, emotion, insecurities, and fireworks, literally fireworks as she found a way to express a woman’s self-worth issues and her desire to receive recognition from her lover as a request for fireworks. I may not be interpreting her poem correctly, but I loved Gale’s voice. Her poem grabbed my attention and took me on a journey.

I found the poetry workshop very constructive and informative as Gale mapped out the process of writing and publishing poetry. She answered questions regarding publishing poetry in literary magazines and publishing collections of poetry that I have always wondered about.

She stressed the importance of reading poetry to get in a poetry frame of mind before writing. Of making writing a practice and a priority, good advice for any writer. How important creative writing workshops are that will give you rigorous feedback on your work. And what type of poetry is currently being published.

One thing Gale said that really stood out to me is, “Great poems are where the creative meets the intellectual.”

And really that is the type of poetry I want to read and write.

More on the 2007 Yosemite Writers Conference:

Mystery talk after David Morrell's big speech
2007 Yosemite Writers Conference: Brenda Knight Sidesteps the TVA man
Yosemite Writers and the Chukchansi bathroom break
Headed to Yosemite Writers Conference to talk writing for social change

Labels: Kate Gale, Noveltown, Poetry, publishing, Red Hen Press, workshops, Writing

  posted by Matildakay at 9:11 PM 0 comments

Rich Ferguson's 'With This Kiss'
With this kiss there are revelations tattooed upon our lips; revelations more easily read on account of this silent pact with recognition where I'm beginning to see that we are slowly becoming healed... ~Rich Ferguson

Los Angeles Spoken Word Poet Rich Ferguson has a new music video for his spoken word poem With This Kiss...



With This Kiss is one of my favorite's from Rich's spoken word album Where I Come From. (Buy your copy here)

I lose myself inside Rich's lyrical prose and discover unspoken nuances of my personality every time I listen to Where I Come From. Even physical therapy and my relationship with my deformed knees was illuminated through Rich's spoken word poem Bones.

Where I Come From makes you think, makes you listen...

Rich Ferguson's spoken word is not boring poetry. N.L. described it as: "a spoken word masterpiece that blasts at you like a Robbie Robertson/Velvet Underground counterculture shotgun ripped from the hip." (Read N.L.'s review of Where I Come From)

Dive into Rich Ferguson's spoken word... it might just affect your life the way it did mine.

Labels: Bakersfield, Kiss, Los Angeles, N.L. Belardes, Poetry, Rich Ferguson, Spoken Word

  posted by Matildakay at 10:05 PM 0 comments

Bones
Yesterday evening, bones hurting, I walked into physical therapy a little slower in step than usual. It had been a long day of dealing with drama and I was tired.

“How’s Matildakay today?” ‘M’ asked.

“I’m here.” My mind was heavy, “My knee is hurting today.”

“What have you been doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Maybe that’s it, not enough activity.”

“I don’t know, its just hurting.” I said.

“Well warm up on the bike and we’ll see how you do.” ‘M’ said.

I climbed on the bike turned on my ipod and began scrolling through the music library. I was looking for something… I wasn’t sure what, but I wanted to be inspired. I ran my thumb over the ipod selection wheel in a circular motion as artists names flashed on the screen. I don’t know why, but I love that circular motion of the pad of my thumb lightly touching the ipod selection wheel, of skin touching technology. I love having hundreds of artists in the palm of my hand. I love being able to carry around my entire cd collection in my purse. Its quite freeing to whip out my ipod and pick a particular music to fit my mood at any moment, anywhere.

I scrolled through artist’s names waiting for one of them to jump out at me. And then one did. Rich Ferguson, spoken word poet and writer. It was fitting; Rich Ferguson had been on my mind most of the day. I love his work! I clicked on his name, started the timer on the bike and began pedaling.

My right knee was puffy. Navigating stairs had been hard that day and now it was screaming pain at me with every crank of the bike pedal.

“These bones are my worst nightmare come true” Rich Ferguson passionately spoke about bones loudly in the headphones pushed in my ears as my right patella slipped in and out over my leg bones grinding, screaming his words in unisom.

“I can feel them knocking against the doors of my flesh” How did Rich know my knee bones were knocking, knocking threatening to jump track at any moment?

“Can’t you hear ‘em moan bones?” I could.

“Torture bones” He spoke. I agreed and pedaled faster.

“Bones…” Are others as aware of their bones as I am?

My deformed knee bones have become second nature with their limitations, discomfort and pain. These are my bones. I know my bones better than most for they speak to me constantly.

“You get a new ipod?” ‘M’ asked.

“No. I’ve had it, I just brought it with me today.” I said. I had wanted to escape the usual classic rock or country radio stations Terrio plays and the other patients and fitness clients mindless social banter.

Physical therapy to spoken word poetry is quite a different experience. Each step, squat, extension, and weight had a word, a beat and a meaning. I kept pace with Rich’s passion. And so did my bones.

“Can I have ice and stem?” I asked ‘M’ at the end of my program.

“Your knees are really puffy, we’ll ice them both.” ‘M’ said.

He hooked my right knee up to the stem machine and piled ice bags on both my knees. Soon electric currents crawled up and down the muscles on either side of my right knee. My bones eased, relaxed.

I sighed.

“I wish I could take this machine with me.” Hooked up to the stem machine was the only time my bones slept instead of screamed.

“We have portable ones you could rent.” I watched ‘M’s finger on the increase current button pushing, pushing, pushing it up… he looked at me as if asking “when?”

It felt so good… I closed my eyes ‘M’ kept pushing the increase current button.

“Ok.” I finally said opening my eyes as my bones sighed.

Labels: Bakrsfield, Bones, ipod, Physical Therapy, Poetry, Rich Ferguson, Spoken Word, Terrio Therapy Fitness

  posted by Matildakay at 11:34 PM 5 comments

Trust
It came to me on the granite staircases of the Getty Museum.
With one leg extended, the other bent in painful descent.
It was a revelation.
I saw it clearly in my head in slow motion.
It was trust.
Trust was the relationship I had with my legs.
Not the naivety of first love,
but mature, like a lover betrayed.
I wanted more than anything to believe in them,
knowing all along they could fail me again.
Trust.
Awareness struck me in the face like a fist.
Made me off balance.
Trust was palpable...
I felt it in my bones as I continued down the granite stairs.
With every step I trusted,
like a woman in love
no matter how much it hurt.

Labels: Getty Museum, Love, Poetry, Trust

  posted by Matildakay at 9:45 PM 4 comments