MINIVIEW OF GHOST TOWN POETRY ANTHOLOGY 2004 - 2014

Just finished my copy of Ghost Town Poetry Anthology, Volume Two, edited by Christopher Luna and Toni Partington, published by their Printed Matter in Vancouver, WA. What a wonderful job they've done. A solid production all the way through between kaleidoscopic covers. 

Read the anthology over a three day period, reading slowly and joyfully an hour or so each time, drawn in by poet after poet and disappointed that there were not more poems by each poet for my enjoyment, but that's the nature of an anthology—to give the reader a taste so that the reader wants more. A problem for this mini-viewer is that I can't begin to name one poet's work without feeling I've left out too many others. As I read, at first I jotted down names of poems and poets that most captured my attention, planning on mentioning them, but the list grew so long it might as well include all the poems in Ghost Town and this is only a mini-view. 

If I were a name dropper and began there, you'd be surprised, perhaps, by the number of notable poets who have been featured readers at the Ghost Town Open Mic in Vancouver and whose poems are included in the anthology. Then again, if you know Toni Partington and Christopher Luna, you won't be surprised by their contacts among the poets of this region and beyond. My reading of their publication was one long celebration between my ears and down to my dancing slippers so I backed off that plan and, instead, invite you to read for yourself the diverse, intelligent and emotionally engaging poetry put together by Chris and Toni in this anthology. 

Get hold of a copy of Ghost Town Poetry, Volume Two and read it. The anthology can be found at Cover To Cover Books and, of course, can be ordered at your favorite independent bookseller. Cover To Cover Books is the home of the Ghost Town Open Mic, the second Thursday of each month. A featured reader is always present in the midst of the opening and closing open mic celebrations.  

THE JOYS AND SORROWS OF THE POET

Making progress on rewrite of Angie's Choice. Deep into chapter nine after hangups in eighth. Entering a poem in a Gallery 360 art and poetry collaboration. Ten bucks entry fee, and if you're selected, you hang your poem upon the wall and offer it for sale among the fine arts.

Raul Sanchez and volunteer musicians

Was so inspired by the integrity and guts displayed at last night's Ghost Town open mic at Cover To Cover Books that I almost want to stop this novel rewrite and return immediately  to poetry. Raul Sanchez was the featured poet and his poems about his father and grandmother stimulated my imagination toward writing about my family relations which, however, would not be poetry of unconditional love as his were, but poems of confusion, ambiguity and ambivalence. As usual, perversity would be my muse, accompanied by self flagellation. 

Last night was one of the best open mic experiences I ever enjoyed. I also recall a Sunday night at Mootsy's in Spokane when my two sons were there, and I donned a ski mask and let rip a lengthy, hate-filled diatribe I call a poem. About that poem: I ripped off the final lines of Coleridge's "Kubla Khan". You know...the finale that begins, "Weave a circle 'round him thrice and close your eyes with holy dread?" My thievery so bothered me that I finally rewrote the ending not too long ago. 

Don't know how many times I've dashed back and forth between poetry and fiction. I have two writing degrees—poetry and fiction. I say these things, knowing full well that degrees mean absolutely nothing except that I was willing (or foolish enough) to throw away my money in hopes of landing a writer's in residence position at a university while trying to avoid a meetup with Mr. Manual Labor as long as I could afford to. Ah, the joys of entertaining the muse in your captain's quarters for a lifetime, eh, William Henley?

NO J.K. ROWLING, THIS SILENT BOOMER, BUT...OKAY!

It's Friday. Making progress this week toward my goal. Continued with the rewrite of Delinquent Lives, sent off inquiry to agent for Angie's Choice, participated happily in the Write To Publish meet up on Wednesday afternoon and attended the Ghost Town Poetry open mic on Thursday night, hosted by Cover To Cover Books and Chris Luna where I read two poems, one recently written and the 2nd scrubbed up from a series I wrote while living on the scabland outside of Cheney at The Hermitage. Some very interesting and entertaining poets there of all ages.

My Hermitage

At age 75, I'm feeling more comfortable about writing prose and reading aloud at open mics than at any time in my past. Finally, I accept I'm a good enough writer to be published, but the question of this blog is will that happen? If some of my efforts do end up, as is my goal, at a publishing house other than a self-publishing venture, the end result might be very interesting, but I'm remembering to enjoy the process rather than anticipate the end. 

No doubt what I'm writing will never be another Harry Potter series, but I'll settle for a smaller audience, and I don't have to become a millionaire, though it would be nice if I could send some additional money off to charity as J. K. Rowling has done. Should I promise, right here, that 10% of any profits I might make will go to a charity? 
                                    
The people at the Write To Publish were very accepting and positive about my novel, and I took all comments to heart and gave them considerable attention when I got home. As I said earlier, I've made several very acceptable major alterations in Delinquent Lives for the sake of clarity. Smart thinking about structure and style is everything I can hope for from participating with fellow writers in a workshop. Thank you, Linda Triling.

                                                                                     

CHRIS LUNA, COVER TO COVER BOOKS & RUSSELL MICKLER

Have been hard at work rewriting the novel which was my thesis for the Masters Degree in English with an emphasis on Creative Writing at Eastern Washington University. I have a goal of publishing it as an ebook with Amazon. I've got so much to learn about that process, but I was much helped by that inexpensive and informative 9 hour course with Russel Mickler called Blogging and Self-publishing. Rewriting is stimulating and fills in when original creative inspiration is flagging so it's good to have lots of old work lying around. 

MY HERMITAGE

I'm looking forward to the next Ghost Town Poetry reading on the second Thursday in April, organized by Chris Luna at Cover To Cover books. He's a local powerhouse when it comes to generating and publicizing things of value to local poets. My interest in that next opportunity to read generated two new poems. Then I dug up some poetry that I wrote in the late 1980s while I was living like a hermit in a farmhouse outside of Cheney. I think I published one or two poems from that series, but I lost interest in them as being too narrative and not as metaphorical as I had come to think was the best kind of poetry I could produce. In looking them over again, my interest in them was rekindled and I spent all day today, working away at them and dusting them off. I can see a chapbook length production in them. I was genuinely happy working away at them. They inspirited me, and I believe it is one or two of them that I'll read next at Ghost Town Poetry.

THE SILENT BOOMER READS ALOUD!

Two sketches of Carl in Mobile Alabama

I moved forward another step in my goal tonight of pulling myself out of obscurity and cowardice, reading four poems from my self-published books at an open mic event on St. John's Road, hosted by newly appointed Clark County Poet Laureate Christopher Luna at Cover To Cover bookstore. Full house. Many readers and many good readers too. One young man, Matthew gave a spirited reading that entertained everyone. His first reading. 

I felt good about my performance and the poems I read. Let me repeat that the names of my two poetry books are Tenderfoot and Gray House By Cold Mountain and both are at Amazon.com or Authorhouse. I also summoned the courage to leave a packet of my two books, with a promotional letter and Silent Boomer business card in the afternoon at Cover To Cover books. Progress. First poem I read tonight follows:

EXPLORATION BY CANOE

The savages had left them.

By accident, by searching, hidden
in bushes, we found them—
canoes of animal skin.
Where water was stillest, we pushed in,
then worked out where it ran swiftest.
Someone had lost our maps—
by a not knowing, we got along.

This river we've not seen the end of

empties to a sea we've not tested,
a sea horizon we must think beyond—
over its edge another place to go or,
up, an endless black the stars gleam through
like small hopes we feel inside of us that say, 
Yes. Our boats are working out a long journey.
From this river, the sea's imagination away
and beyond that the endless black or…
over the edge in our animal skin canoes!

Thanks for reading!