Spider Solitaire?

No, it’s not a game of spider solitaire, but my next poetry manuscript begging me for some attention (along with one of my cats, Roy--he’s “helping” me). This is, apparently, my method for organizing a book...

Most of my energy has been focused on In the Kettle, the Shriek...there’s a release party planned here in Columbus (on August 3rd! If you live nearby, you’re invited!), and the #kettleshriek contest has been in full swing (just one more day to get those entries in).

I’m loving all of these fun projects this summer, although I’m not good at working on them all simultaneously. Instead, I just rotate my energy on one at a time (two hours on one thing, an hour on another). I envy all the talented multi-taskers of the world!

Any tricks for toggling between projects? What are you working on this week?

Bookmarks List/Bedside Table

Currently reading and enjoying:

• A Cartoonist’s Diary, over at The Comics Journal.
   
• This great article by Alyssa Rosenberg: “‘The Bling Ring’, White Privilege, and the Appropriation of Hip-Hop” at Think Progress. Such a smart analysis of this film! I love  Rosenberg’s point that “The Bling Ring is a movie about anesthetizing yourself through repetition...” It's an interesting, disturbing movie.
   
• The Tiger’s Wife, by Téa Obreht. An entrancing, mysterious, beautifully-written story. I loved how the book looked at the collision of folklore and personal belief...

Don’t forget about the #kettleshriek contest. I’m accepting entries until the July 12th, so make sure to submit your images/Vine videos. I want to give away some copies of the book!



Have a wonderful weekend...

Contest: #kettleshriek

To celebrate the release of my book, In the Kettle, the Shriek, I’m holding a contest.

THE RULES:

1. Read the 8-line poem (the title poem of the book!), found below.

2. Take a photo or short video that somehow responds to a line, word, or idea from the poem.

(For example, the whale in the above video refers to the second line, "In smooth gums, the teeth.")

3. Share the photo or video (through Twitter, Instagram, Vine, or YouTube), with this hashtag: #kettleshriek.

If you post the image/video to your own blog, post the link here in the comments. (Feel free to include the part of the poem you’ve chosen in your post--but you don’t have to.)

You have until midnight, July 12 to share what you create, as many entries as you like.

I’ll pick three to receive a signed copy of the book (I’ll get in touch with you and ask for your address), with special surprises tucked inside (woohoo!). I’ll also feature some of the posts here on The Storialist.


THE POEM:

In the Kettle, the Shriek

In the kettle, the shriek.
In smooth gums, the teeth.

In a heart, the hole.
In the flat page, the fold.

In the skin, the scar.
In quartz or flint or granite, the spark.

In juniper, the gin.
In the shut window, the wind.


***
Happy creating! The video above is my silly example (silly is good).

Sooner Rather Than Later

Guess what will be available a bit sooner than I'd originally thought?

           

Yup, that's right! In the Kettle, the Shriek can be held by your hands on August 1! (Confetti explosion!) (Can you hear my cat meow in the video? She had to make her presence known.)

It's also available for pre-order right now. 

Be ready for a contest announcement in the next couple of weeks. (MYSTERIOUS confetti explosion...silver confetti and fog).