Queen of a Rainy Country

I've been on a reading streak latley and though unplanned, I picked and read Linda Pastan's newest collection of poems, Queen of a Rainy Country, a finalist for the 2007 Paterson Poetry Prize. I've written about it on Good Reads here.

poetry letter

**This is my annual April letter. If you'd like to be on the mailing list, do let me know. *

Greetings,

Last year this time, I was finding my footing here in Montpelier, looking for work and figuring out my future trajectory. I've been occupied as a barista, office assistant and artist model. I'm still getting used to this full-time working schedule. Outside of that and making friends, I haven't been as prolific in producing poetry as in years past.

That is, until this past September, when I participated in a small group poetry postcard project with some friends of mine in which I had to write and send off a poem a day to someone in the group. It was an invigorating exercise and one I'd like to continue. In that vein, I'm inviting you be on my postcard poetry roster for this year. Let me know by e-mail or post if you (or someone you know) would enjoy a one-of-a-kind poem written on a postcard sometime this year. (I'll need your snail mail address for this.) I can't guarantee when it will arrive, but it will between now and May 2009. No charge, just for kicks.

Since I was uprooted early last year, I didn't get around to writing my annual letter last year. For that, I heartily apologize.

This past year, I've conducted two after school poetry workshops at Brattleboro Area Middle School for the BEAMS enrichment program, which resulted in some wonderful collaborative poetry. I am so glad to have met these young writers and sincerely hope they continue on with their craft. I've also blogged occasionally, which you can read by going to my website: www.phayvanh.com. The site, surprisingly, still receives quite a bit of traffic each month. I've also got poems in the April issue of Bakka Magazine

This summer I look forward to writing again with friends on a couple occasions, including at Soul Mountain, a poetry retreat in CT hosted by the poet Marilyn Nelson. It has been a while since I've participated in a writing community, and I miss it so much. I'm really looking forward to this one particularly.

Many of you noticed I've been away from the stage. Please note I'm working on a new show. I'll keep you posted.

All the while I think of you and am grateful for your continued support for my endeavors. Thank you so much for you kind words and thoughts, your suggestions and connections. My heart is swollen from
all the love I've received thus far.

Until I see you again, do stop by the Tea Lounge in Brattleboro to pick up the current Quarter Poems (or I can send them, if you're away). Keep in touch as always. Here's one dedicated to that frilled shark they found off the coast of Japan last year.

Eulogy

for the bone cold dark

for the silent slick of millennia

across your unseen skin

for the needle sharp dark

for the unheard piercings

of your hundred teeth

for the cradle comb

for the throwing net

the hands of man finally descend

for the dwindling dark

for the tired triple lids

now seeing first light

~ Phayvanh Luekhamhan

* PO Box 1224, Montpelier, VT 05601 * www.phayvanh.com

4 poems

I have four poems in the April 2008 issue of Bakka Magazine. The journal itself is chock-full of great reading and art this month. Do check it out. Some of you might recognize a couple of poems from the Quarter Poems series, though they have gone through a few changes.

Happy National Poetry Month!

4 poems

I have four poems in the April 2008 issue of Bakka Magazine. The journal itself is chock-full of great reading and art this month. Do check it out. Some of you might recognize a couple of poems from the Quarter Poems series, though they have gone through a few changes.

Happy National Poetry Month!

Dreams 57 - 60, Love 61 - 64

Dreams 57 - 60, Love 61 - 64

Quarter poems have been shipped out. Some of you subscribers got your January (Dream) poems before they arrived at the Twilight Tea Lounge. I hope you’re enjoying them. The February (Love) issue should also be reaching you within the next few days.

And since it’s 2008, why not add a little flash? They $1 packets include new color inserts for a slicker package. Check it out and tell me what you think. That’s 4 poems for $1. A pretty good deal.


In case you’re keeping track, the series list continues as such:

#57 [dream124]
#58 squids and disappearances
#59 [dream 907]
#60 for my parents (comic with Colin Tedford)
#61 your wings, how they carried me
#62 in 10 years I will leave you
#63 it’s not you, it’s me
#64 in the beginning

I haven’t updated the list on the website for a bit, but soon it will reflect the record.

bookstore moment

Disclaimer: I can be a little snooty as a bookstore customer, having worked in a bookstore before.

The store clerk did some looking up on the computer. “Do you know the name of the book,” she asked. I shook my head. “Sorry.” Whatever it was, I already knew they didn’t have it--I’d already checked on the shelf. She reaffirmed this.

“Is it even out yet,” I asked.

“And you don’t know the title?” She said this a little disapprovingly.

“I’m sure you can just look up his name and find out,” I suggested.

“What’s his last name,” she asked.

“Um, you had it under L,” I said.

“I mean, is Li his last name, or Young Lee, or Lee..?”

“I think it’s Lee.”

She typed it in and scrolled through the list, shaking her head.
“It’s just such a common name,” she said, still shaking her head.

What? A common name?

All this time, her co-worker was hovering behind her, ready to jump in and help if it was needed.

“Anything I can do,” he asked.

“The last book he write was Breaking the Alabaster Jar,” I offered, trying to be helpful. “I know you used to have that one. I don’t want that one.” She found that title in the inventory.

“She doesn’t want that one,” the co-worker said. “She wants the next one.”

“Should I look on the internet?” It was a good thing I had time.

Turns out the co-worker couldn’t tell if it released as a book, or just a CD or combination of both. So I said I’d do some more research. I didn’t think they were up for calling their rep or the publisher for more info.

The female clerk was still scrolling through the inventory list, shaking her head, and her co-worker looked on.

“It’s just such a common name,” she told him. And he muttered some sort of agreement.

I’m sure they didn’t hear the irony in that statement. Here in what has historically been the whitest state in the union, they’re saying a name like Li-Young Lee is so common as to make their work harder.

calendar

Instead of posting new events, I've created a Google calendar, which you can subscribe to or simply view as you wish. I've posted a link on the left sidebar of this blog.

Oh, and I got bored with the layout and the title of this thing, so it's changing. Don't let it throw you. -p