2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for the Sue Boynton Poetry Contest blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 18,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals.

Thank you for your visits, your Likes and your Comments. If you haven’t subscribed, please do. If you have suggestions or events/readings for the NW Lit Events page, please send them (in any Comment field). See you in the New Year!

Click here to see the complete report.

Happy Birthday, Patti!

“Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please don’t abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book.” Patti Smith
. . . . .
Patti Smith performing at TIM Festival, Marina da Glória, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ekphrasis, unfurled

Art is often a source of inspiration for poets — a process known as ekphrasis. In the December 29, 2012, issue of The Wall Street Journal (page C13 and online at the link below), John Wilmerding considers a sort of reverse ekphrasis in his article, “Poetry in Motion, Expressed in Paint.”

In this case, the poem, The Great Figure by William Carlos Williams (above left), inspired the much-celebrated painting, The Figure 5 by Charles Demuth (above right). Read the article and the poem and see the painting.
. . . . .
image sources: William Carlos Williams, Charles Demuth

on poetry…

“Any good poem is an act of taming the savage or savaging the tame.” Tony Hoagland (also here)

Cirque’s up…

Check out the brand-new edition of Cirque, A Literary Journal for the North Pacific Rim. Volume 4, Number 1, includes a number of past Boynton winners and/or committee members (Luther Allen, Susan J. Erickson, Sheila Nickerson, Timothy Pilgrim and Jeanne Yeasting) as well as familiar local names (Matthew Brouwer, John Morgan, Keith Moul) and many others. Available now to read online and to buy, soon, on Amazon.

poetry walk…Chicago

Chicago bound? The Poetry Foundation invites you to explore the Windy City’s great poetry and poetry greats with a downloadable walking tour, complete with map, artwork, photography and voice recordings. Not bound for Chicago? Take the tour online.

For a list of what’s on tour, view the credits page. Then go to the Chicago Poetry Tour page to start your tour or download.
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Chicago skyline

home for the holidays…

Season’s Greetings to you,
wherever this holiday season may find you.
Thank you so much for visiting these pages, for your Likes and your comments and your inspired ideas.
. . . . .
holiday house words and graphic © j.i. kleinberg

on poets…

“Poets are like aerialists: the wire they walk stretches from history to eternity, fact to dream, language to silence. When they get across we feel rapture. They’ve taken us with them.” Margo Jefferson, New York Times

your winter getaway…

When the short, cold days of winter are really taking their toll on your good cheer, why not head for Melbourne, Australia, and the Poetry in Film Festival (PIFF)?

“Entrants in the festival are given a piece of modern poetry. From there they are free to interpret the poem in the form of a 4-7 minute short film however they see fit.”

There are judges. There are awards. There is a screening, at Palace Cinema Como in Melbourne, Sunday, February 24, 2013 (screenings in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in March). And of course, there are after-parties.

Don’t let the Northwest winter get you down. Learn more about PIFF.

poetry resource…

Colin John Holcombe began his career as a geologist. These days, from his base in Chile, he methodically explores and mines the world of words to build the engaging resource now known as textetc (formerly poetrymagic). A published poet, Holcombe found himself collecting information to broaden his own understanding of poetry. In textetc he has transformed his notebooks into a sprawling (and well-organized) investigation of poetry craft, criticism, theory and resources.

textetc is a wonderful place to get lost. Discover it for yourself. A few suggestions: read the introductory text on the home page, which will get you oriented to the site’s intent, design and tone; see further explanations and a more detailed profile of Holcombe on the about page; visit the site plan; try one of the composing exercises on the workshop page; have fun.