Emu Eggs 🥚
Dears,
There are three big things we need to discuss right up front before we get to the goodies:
1️⃣ Image is alright! The community came rallying round like some Gwaihir and his Eagles and saved the journal! They’re not closing! They’re not even missing an issue. 🤓
2️⃣ A clarification. The Creative Writing MFA program is indeed being re-born out at Whitworth University and it is indeed going to be amazing 🤩, and I am going to work with poets there, but it’s a part-time, low-residency kind to program (ideal, I think, for working artists). So, my family is not necessarily moving to Spokane. I mean, we might, sometime, but that isn’t the announcement as yet and I still don’t know where I’m being lead re: next steps in my career.
3️⃣ I am leaving SPU in a month or so. You might want to update your address books accordingly. Contact me forthwith at mischawillett@me.com or via my website or on X, etc.
But you were saying something about goodies? 🍭🍬 I got you 👇🏼
Publications
My new poem After Bells, After Drums has just appeared (I mean, it didn’t just appear; I made it and they published it. As Prospero says, “this thing…I acknowledge mine”). In it, I’m thinking about the nature of faith and how people often say it’s difficult to have. I’ve always found the other stuff needed more difficult though. Also, I’m thinking about Marvin Bell, who used a similar structure in one of his poems 40-some years ago.
This thing came out in Rabbit Room. Perhaps you know them? They published an interview I gave with Ben Palpant last month (which is now free to read here).
Doing that was so fun that I also sent them this overview of recent poetry anthologies because, if you haven’t noticed, it’s a boom-time for versifiers.
Okay, but then I also did this other interview with Let Go the Goat, an (audio) podcast form. We talk about writing poems in high school, KJV, and I read two pieces from the new collection!
Finally, I appeared again on my favorite drive-time radio show at WORD-FM. We talk about getting over artistic hatreds, and I read a CS Lewis poem for Spring and another new one of mine.
Nota Bene
There’s a new book in the Poiema Poetry Series (where Phases appeared). Let’s welcome to the world Ponds by JC Scharl 🙌🏻 🎉
My colleague Bryan Bliss’ new book, Dispatches from Parts Unknown is just out and doing the numbers.
Upcoming
An announcement about our family’s impending move
An invitation to a farewell poetry reading in Seattle
A link to my review of Charles Taylor’s new book
New poems, naturally.
Oddments
Look at this great article about Scott Cairns’ new book in CT.
This is an essay on things I don’t bother much about: movies and video games, but it’s such a beautiful piece of thinking.
Emu eggs are green, adapted to be the same color as the grass they’re laid in. Amazing, right? Grow where you’re planted, people. 🌱