No Help for That | Jackie Clark

I think that I have more or less finally “returned” from vacation, from the idea of summer, from the brief respite the summer brings.  During this time Aphoria was lovingly reviewed by Douglas Piccinnini on The Volta.  You can read the review here.  It means a lot to me when unsolicited reviews like this pop up.  It gets difficult at times (in general and in writing) and being reminded that (my) poems make actual connections with readers is the type of gentle and warm encouragement that I sometimes need.

Also, I forgot to tell you that I was reading for Welcome to Boog City Festival 8 last week.  The reason I forgot to tell you is because the bf and I were on a beautifully epic trip (Big Sur, Santa Barbara, Joshua Tree).  We saw so much natural beauty.  It sounds silly but something about being in these environs woke up a slumbering part of my brain – at least for a short while, now that I am back in the routine I know it will be hard to hang on to it but I will try.  But just knowing, for example, that Joshua Tree National Park exists in all of its quiet expanse and just “is” is sort of a freeing feeling for me, especially when I get wound up from work and New York life in general.  Life is bigger than all that.  I know that is obvious, but something about hiking through the park made it feel more real to me than just me intellectualizing a fact.

I am going to try to keep this with me.

But you know, now that I am back in the swing of things I would be remiss to not tell you about all the Songs of the Week!  The second half of the belladonna* residency featured pieces by Mia Bruner, Krystal Languell, and Emily Skillings. Then we had some one off pieces from Erin Lyndal Martin and Nico Vassilakis. Up now is the Coconut Poetry residency, kicking off with pieces by Steven Karl and Carrie Lorig.

Otherwise, you know, I’ll be here just trying to keep the energy moving forward.  Wish me luck.