Whew, Wow, and Women!

Where to begin? Well, with a "Whew!" and a "Wow!" I attended many panels and readings at the AWP Conference in Chicago over the past couple days, learned a lot, and came home inspired and exhausted. I was reading journals on the train home--Thin Air, containing poet Jannett Highfill and essayist Leslie Pietrzyk, several print issues of Arsenic Lobster--and sometimes just leaning back to ponder the experience (and to discover that my seat cushion was detached and could serve as a flotation device...).

I came home to the warmth of family wamily, my son coming down with a cold...and had to send a sick boy back to college on the train this morning, so it's a Blue Monday, but with blue skies and a built-in train nap for him!

So in Blue Monday mode, and because March is Women's History Month, I'll begin with the new all-women issue of The Medulla Review, just out, guest edited by Mary Stone Dockery, who was blue at not being able to attend AWP this year. The fabulous cover art is by Kathryn Renee.

I have 2 poems in this issue, "Doorknob" and "Biopsy," and by chance "Biopsy" just recently aired on WGLT Poetry Radio with music by Matt Flinner. You can hear a podcast of it here.

And I had the thrill of reading with other women poets for Adanna Journal on Saturday night at AWP at an on-site reception, meeting Sandy Longhorn, Debra Bruce, and editor Christine Redman-Waldeyer, and hearing the work of many fine poets, present and not present (but graciously represented by Christine!).

Keep an eye on Adanna's submission guidelines, as I think the next themed collection will be on how women grieve, already represented on the featured poets page here. And thanks to Wikipedia, as usual, for Amelia Earhart!

Look for more AWP debriefing here on tomorrow's Fat Tuesday! And probably all week.