write a book of poetry

I haven’t updated this goal in more than three years. A lot has happened. I graduated from college with a BA in history and English. I entered graduate school for creative writing with the intention to write poetry and ended up writing a memoir instead. I’ll be graduating with an MFA in January (knock on wood). I moved from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania to New York City and back to Los Angeles, where my parents live.

That said, I’ve continued to haphazardly write poetry in the margins of notebooks and on my hands in moments of inspiration, but I think I should read more poetry to be able to discern better what “good poetry” is… so that I’ll have an aesthetic.

Does anyone have a poem (or book of poems) that they would recommend? I’d like to read some from various sources to get a feel for what’s out there. Any (inexpensive) suggestions?

...but am going back at the end of May, so I may be able to see her then. Got a poem published in Writers Notes Magazine (http://www.writersnotes.com) for $$$!

Must find a grad school (or a few grad schools) to which I can apply that will likely (or possibly) take me for an MFA in poetry.

I have a professor (of poetry) who, after not seeing her for almost an entire semester, catches me walking to class and says she’s been thinking about me and would like to chat with me sometime soon. I could tell it was about poetry.

Could this be a good sign?

I’ve got a pretty good system down for typing up all the first drafts of poems.

1. Carry a pad of paper around to write poems down.
2. At the end of each day, type all poems written that day.
3. Tear up and throw out the hand-written poems.
4. Print out all typed poems and put them into a special folder for editing later.

It works for me! It could work for you, too!

I’ve got poetry… I need to sit down and decide which poems I like enough to have other people read! [cries]