find a poetry class or workshop to give me a kick in the pants

The workshop has been packed with stimulating presentations, readings, & classes. I have some clear direction now for revising a couple of my Colombia poems, important ones that haven’t yet been published. I also have some clarity about how to put them together into a book. In-class writing exercises have already produced two new keeper poems.

And the teachers & my fellow participants—what an amazing group of people! One old radical does some amusing name-dropping: “what happened when I introduced my girlfriend to Joan Baez,” “Wendell [Berry] was going to stay in my cottage while I hitchhiked around the world, but the ceilings were too low for him,” “yeah, I met Martin Luther King several times,” etc. It could get annoying, but I take it as pleasing background.

Fortunately we have tonight off. I am replete & appreciating the chance to spend some quiet time alone without all the stimulation. I signed up for a double room but have it to myself so far! Just lovely.

from Demetria Martinez, who will facilitate my two-week workshop in June:

Poets are citizens first, lucky enough to be literate, and therefore part of a global elite. That brings with it a special responsibility, and that is to help bring forth voices that are silenced. Our gift – the imagination – allows us, if we choose, to write out of a place of empathy for those who are suffering – often as a result of our nation’s own policies (NAFTA for example) and those of massive corporations.

We are also compelled to imagine a world that is healed, made whole. What would that look like? I think the poet Martin Espada is a good model of poet as prophet – denouncing evil, and proclaiming a new vision . . .

Here is a sample of her poetry. I am thrilled.

I’m in—yay!

Now I have to reserve housing & buy my plane ticket.

This is a pretty big deal for me: the first time I’ll have left home for a chunk of time (two weeks) & paid tuition, housing & travel just to work on my poetry.

“In short, XXXX and our annual workshop are both a hub and a sanctuary for writers coming from all over the world: people who have fought in wars, protested wars, and all who have survived to bear witness.”

It’s going to be awesome.

I would guess I’m in (I’m sure the workshop isn’t prohibitively selective—after all, they want to make money!), but I need to know for sure because (1) by May 10 I would want to cancel my June train pass, (2) housing would need to be reserved, & (3) there would be a plane ticket to buy!

I just sent an inquiry to the director.

I have applied to participate in the workshop in Boston in the second half of June! They are supposed to reply within another week or so; I’m holding off buying my ticket till then, but I’m pretty sure I’ll get in. I have contacted the neighboring university that offers room & board; am hoping those costs will be reasonable.

As it turns out, Martin Espada is NOT doing a week-long class; the link that made me think he was goes to a page from years past. Obviously the program is lacking web-savvy helpers. But Espada will visit the workshop & lead a session, as will several other excellent poets, & the ongoing class sounds challenging in a good way.

whether Martin Espada’s workshop still has space (that is an optional part of the poetry track, & it is limited to 10 people). Then I need to apply online & send five poems—so apparently admissions have at least a degree of selectivity.

But if I’m admitted, I’m planning to go! We have agreed that it should be a priority for me. This was underlined for me by a recent dream in which my son was hunting boreal rodents.

Heehee—I think I’ll leave it at that. I’m going to mark those days off as RuthG vacation days on the shared calendar at work!

what I have my eye on now. It looks SO GREAT! And I will have vacation days saved up. Will just have to see whether it works with other commitments. If I go I will need to fly straight to L.A. from Boston afterward, for my niece’s wedding.

I hope it works out!

The prospect of being away from home & extremely busy during Holy Week just did not feel right, though the festival itself, on a different date, would have been very appealing.

The personal retreat/vacation has higher priority, as exhaustion & financial pressures have taken their toll on me this winter.

So I’m not going to register for Split This Rock, & I have notified my friend from church that I’m available to participate on Good Friday.

But I am going to keep an eye out for other opportunities to deepen my heart & hone my craft as a poet giving witness against war & injustice.

Here’s the dilemma that I’ve been mulling over for months: Split This Rock, the DC poetry festival celebrating “poetry of provocation & witness,” is timed to coincide (roughly) with the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, which is extremely appropriate . . . but this year that is also Holy Week on the church calendar. Last fall when I first got excited about attending, I didn’t notice that conflict.

For months I’ve been dithering: How can I afford to miss the festival, given the amazing opportunity to learn from so many poets I admire, & to hear them read their work? & to participate in a wonderful public action against the war in Iraq?

But how can I bear to be away from my church family & my nuclear family for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, the annual culmination of our life together? The festival schedule takes no account of the Christian calendar; events are crammed into nearly every minute, so if I took off to participate in church services (which I will do if I attend the festival), I would be missing some key readings & workshops.

The cost of registration for the festival goes up after March 10. And if I’m going I need to buy my plane ticket soon.

We are on a very tight budget. If I go, I will need to beg lodging from my sister-in-law, & she will already have opened her guest room to my husband/her brother this month, since he’s going to DC tomorrow for 10 days of conferences & lobbying. I will feel a little uncomfortable . . .

And just now I got a phone call from the person organizing the Good Friday drama at our church: I’m her first choice to read Mary’s part. That may sound silly & unimportant, but these services nurture our church community for peacemaking & following Christ in our neighborhood & the world; it’s hard to put into words how important they are in our shared life.

I told my church friend that I would make up my mind & call her back by Wednesday . . .

Oh, one more thing: I entered the Split This Rock poetry contest, & the winner must attend the festival. Supposedly the winners will be posted on the website any day now. I don’t expect to win, but this is yet another factor in my dithering.

OK, all the dithering is now public instead of just inside my head. Now some more listening prayer is in order. I’ll post again after I make up my mind.

I’ve done this: FOUND the events to attend. I’m so tickled that I’m ending up with two!