No Help for That | Jackie Clark

Well, here we are, another year. They do seem to feel less eventful as they accumulate, don’t they? Or maybe they are eventful except they stop really feeling that way? Or maybe it’s just me?

I forgot to tell you about some poems that got published in December. The Elephants, a new-ish press and journal, published a short sequence called 9-5. You can read it here. I’m really happy these poems found a home where they did.

Some exciting new too: Dancing Girl Press accepted my chapbook Depression Parts. The chapbook should be out in the fall of 2018.

Otherwise, I have some manuscripts and some poems out for consideration. Maybe 2018 will bring with it bountiful returns. Or not. Who knows.

Even though I feel a bit in the winter doldrums, I should remember that there are things to be grateful for in 2018. I got a new job at The New School in May that has really changed a lot of things for me. Even though I’ve been in the new job for nine months I still feel as grateful as I did on day one. I think I am still emerging from a six year long fugue state.  Even though I knew how dark things were I don’t think I really understood just how dark until I started to wake up from it.

Plus I just got a last minute class at New Jersey City University for the spring. I taught there for the first time in the fall and it is just the sort of situation I have been hoping for. I am teaching a creative writing class and the school is about a 15 minute drive from my house. It’s really wonderful and definitely helps to combat the administrative day job.

Also, I will be reading some new poems in the Red Room at KGB on Friday, February 23 if you are so inclined.  Facebook invite here.

If you want poems before then you can always go to Amy Lawless’ and Anglea Veronica Wong’s joint book party at HOWL Happening in the East Village on January 21.  Facebook invite here.

Otherwise, 2018, here we go.