No Help for That | Jackie Clark

I have to admit, poetry has been good to me in 2010.  I can’t speak to all the other things in my life, many of which have been disappointing, but poetry, yes, poetry has been a friend to me.

A few weeks ago I read Just Kids by Patti Smith.  I thought it was delightful.  It spoke to that (admittedly big) piece of adolescence that I still have in me, a sense of friendship, and most importantly, art.  I’m paraphrasing here but in the book Patti says that her mom always told her that wherever you end up on New Year’s (Eve vs. Day not clear, but in the same spirit I suppose) is basically what the year ahead of you looks like.  That’s why this year, for the first time (embarrassing, I know) I am going to go to the Poetry Project on New Year’s Day for their 37th Annual New Years Day Marathon Reading.  I never make it there for various reasons/excuses, but this year I feel it’s really important that I go.  I will most likely go by myself but I don’t really mind.  Sometimes you just have to make the space for things like this.  Actually I will most likely go to yoga first (the thing I am actually most thankful to have found this year), then to the Poetry Project.  New Year’s Eve I will spend among friends.

I hope that 2011 will continue to be full of friends and poetry.

The last POP of 2010 was recently published featuring an interview with Andrew Whiteman (of Broken Social Scene and Apostle of Hustle) by poet/friend Chris Tonelli.

Poets off Poetry also had a really good year thanks to all the interesting contributors and you, the readers.  This series means a lot to me and I’m happy to have as awesome a place as Coldfront to publish it!

Two poems of mine recently appeared in the new online journal Country Music, edited by Scott Abels.  Thanks Scott!

Oh, and also, Ben Mirov and  Amy Lawless did a mirco-write up of Office Work for this neat series they do call “Ben and Amy Read Chapbooks” on the Best American Poetry Blog.  This is so awesome and flattering.  It’s enough to make me emoticon 🙂

What else?

OH!  Here’s a sneak peek at the cover and contributors of LIT 19!

Launch party planning is in the works!  Friday, February 18 at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe!  Same as last year!  Featured readers TBA.  Stay tuned for details but be sure to save the date!

Also, LIT and POP will be at AWP in February.  Be sure to stop by and pick up a copy of LIT 19 and also a POP chapbook of poems published over the year!

Happy New Year’s friends.  Chin up, chin up.