Independent Study Book List

So, I'm super stoked for this opportunity to read some good first/early books and put together a sort-of manuscript, as I prepare for grad school.

Todd and I decided on the booklist this week. Here it is:

*The Man Suit by Zachary Schomburg: Still, I haven't read a Schomburg collection, though I love practically everything I've seen in journals. Excited to see how it all started.

*Four of a Kind by Mark Neely: Saved this one for the class. Neely is my professor, and I think the concept behind this chapbook is great. Excited to see how the poems are.

*Legend of Light by Bob Hicok: Not technically his first book, but an early prize winner for Hicok. Stoked to see his early work more.

*Smiles of the Unstoppable by Jason Bredle: I love Magic Helicopter Press, and though this is Bredle's third book, I wanted it on the list, as MH is a press that I would be interested in submitting to.

*The Cow by Arianna Reines: This list, I know, is dude-heavy and that's a little unfortunate. Hopefully, this suggestion by Daniel Bailey will help.

*THE SLEEP HOTEL by Amy Newlove Schroeder: Winner of the 2009 FIELD Poetry Prize; the contest looked real cool, and the sample poems were nice.

*Sweet Ruin by Tony Hoagland: Though I've read this before, I wanted a chance to study Hoagland's first book with Todd.

*The End of the West by Michael Dickman: Another I've read, but I love this book and I can't say why, so I wanna explore it more.

*The Situation of Poetry by Robert Pinsky: Todd wanted to add a prose-on-poetry book, and since this is Pinsky's first, he chose this one.

I'm excited for this class so muchhhhhhhh.

Five Dolphins Flippin' Out

1. That is Jumex. It is empty. The box promises it is 100% Nectar, but I'm not sure what all that entails. I know it is empty. I know it was delicious.

2. I just finished reading "Mantodea" from How They Were Found , Matt Bell's fabulous debut story collection. I don't remember ever reading this piece before, but man it is a hard hitter, there's some swallowing of nails, coins, etc., some bathroom sex, and a whole lot of obsession. Matt's stories do a nice job of building, taking odd/crazy/horrifying things and piling them atop each other. Once he lets the steam out at the end, I kind of feel dead, but like a good dead or something. I'll definitely write some kind of big response to this book once I get to it. I'm not sure why you wouldn't own this book, but here is a good place to get it if you don't.

3. I DONT WANNA BEG BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SUBMIT TO THE BROKEN PLATE.

4. Wednesday October 27th Blazers vs. Clippers on ESPN. That's the start of my NBA season right there. I haven't been this stoked for a Clippers game since....uh-oh.

5. Next semester, I'm doing an independent study poetry class with Todd, compiling "an undergraduate thesis/chapbook manuscript." For the class, I'll be studying/reading lots of first books and chapbooks, primarily ones that have won contests/awards, and working on my own manuscript. Probably an extra-ambitious project and super hopeful, but hey, I need another class and how fun does that sound: SUPER FUN. I'm looking for suggestions on books to read/study. THANKS.

Why do you read/write?

For my first class of my senior year, Creative Non-Fiction, we were asked to freewrite to this question. Here's my jam:

My style of writing often focuses on the experience, of myself, my characters, others etc., so I suppose I write to put those experiences that seem of value on the page. Also, writing helps to create new experiences, such as in class or with my various writing endeavors (Writers Community being a big one now), in addition to coming to terms with old experiences. I suppose too a part of me believes my experiences that I write about are important enough for others to know, as self-serving and self-important as that sounds. But really, I hope I write for the writing, the things writing can accomplish, like to further my and others' experiences here.

With my experience-oriented writing aesthetic, I read for similar reasons as well, like to see the experiences of other writers. Experience, I realize is a broad term, and I am okay with that. I suppose I go to different genres and writers to see a different definition of experiene. For instance, I would say I typically go to fiction/nonfiction looking for the experience of a story, to see what happens. In poetry, however, tracing and exploring the imagination seems most important to me. In critical essays, I find myself looking for the behind-the-scenes of others' writing/reading experiences, how others deal with experiences. Many of my peers say things about leaving a legacy or giving words of wisdom or whatever, but I feel like dealing with experiences is the important thing, so I guess I read and write for that reason. Cool.

Life Like Jello

1. School starts tomorrow. Okay. Cool classes on their way: Creative Nonfiction, Book Binding and Manifestos Senior Seminar, Spanish 3 (okay maybe not cool), The Broken Plate Literary Editing, and Experiments in Creative Writing. My head is filled with words and hands with paper.

2. Mary Miller has an awesome story called "Cedars Of Lebanon" up at The Collagist. She talked to me about it here.

3. Kyle Broyles has a nice little blog going, with a nice reminder to Muncie Drivers here.