Tag: poet

Fall is upon us, providing inspiration to writers everywhere. Today is October 7, but this year the Harvest Moon was in its glory yesterday on October 6. It will be bright for several evenings because of its celestial positioning during the autumnal equinox. The Harvest Moon has always been a traditional time for celebrations, both in the West and in the East. For the Chinese, mooncakes are the center of celebrations. A close Chinese friend reminded me last month to be sure and order my mooncakes, so I have had two packages tucked away in my fridge since September 27. If you have never tried a mooncake, they are delicious!

As every season manifests its glory, I think, “Oh, this is my favorite season!” What I love about fall is the intense blue of the sky in Colorado, the days with perfect weather, the aspens turning gold, the maples turning red, the hackberries turning yellow, and the crunch of leaves as I walk. A fond memory is that of my huge Bouvier des Flandres chasing an immense, dry, and rattling leaf down our driveway in the fall. She was so proud when she caught it.

Fall is an energizing time, as mammals busily tuck away food for the winter, birds fly overhead heading south, students return to classrooms, and all the town meetings that took the summer off resume. I find the autumn a satisfactory time to read, write, and reflect as I enjoy the warmth of my fireplace in the evening.

What is your favorite fall pastime? Football games? Bike rides? Going to your local Oktoberfest? Shopping for warmer clothes? Changing your sheets from cotton to flannel? Stocking up on matzo ball soup? Whatever your favorite pastime is, don’t forget to take a walk and enjoy the invigorating air and the beautiful blue skies.

My Writing Goals for 2025

1. Continue to develop my poetry and connections with other poets:

Bardic Trails: The Talking Gourds/Bardic Trails is a monthly Zoom presentation of poets, followed by an open mic, which is broadcast from Telluride, Colorado. Today, Bardic Trails featured Ghost Stories told by Betsy Quammen. Some participants shared spooky ghost stories of their own.

Colorado Poetry Center: Each month, Beth Franklin, the director of the Colorado Poetry Center, hosts poetry readings at the Boulder Book Store. In September, the featured poets were Sheryl Luna, whose recent book, Magnificent Errors, received the Ernest Sandeen Prize at Notre Dame, and Stan Deetz, who read from his book Between….

Columbine Poets: The Columbine Poets Fest in September featured George Kalamaras, who was the poet laureate of Indiana from 2014 to 2016 and who is a professor emeritus at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Kalamaras has published twenty-four books of poetry. At the Columbine Poets Fest, my unpublished poem, There, Then Bare, was recognized. On September 20, I gave an in-person presentation for the Columbine Poets on the nineteenth-century French poet, Paul Verlaine.

I also attended an online workshop on Haiku, Tanka, and Cinquain forms led by Brenda Wildrick. During the workshop, I tried my hand at these three short poetry forms.

Cannon Mine Poets: The Cannon Mine Poets group in Lafayette, now hosted by Abby Seber, highlighted Larry LaVerdure in September. Larry read from his lifetime of inspiring work.

Celebrations of Poets: This month, I saw an early screening of Come See Me in the Good Light, a documentary about the local poet, Andrea Gibson, who died on July 14, 2025, of cancer. It was heart-rending.

• Continue to make progress on my draft novels:

Finish my first novel and query agents (IW): I bought a printer so that I could print the entire novel out and make revisions. Then, my writer friends told me it would make more sense to have it printed at the local print shop. I will take their advice.

Finish my second novel (G): I attended a Boulder Writers Alliance workshop presented by Asa Henderson and Nicholas Dunbar on Writing Richer Conflicts: Beyond Good and Evil, and applied their process to a character in my draft novel.

Continue to work on my third novel (PW): I combined my individual documents into one long document.

3.  Continue to develop a network of kindred spirits in the world of writing and publishing: 

Boulder Writers Alliance:  I hosted the BWA Poetry Circle in September. Our speaker was Lisa Berley, who spoke about writing “erasure” and “found” poetry—both methods that I would like to try out for myself.

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers:  I read the newsletter and talked with friends who had attended the conference.

Women Writing the West: I am looking forward to the online conference on October 17–18, 2025.

4.  Document my writing progress through my blog and post it on the seventh day of each month, one blog per month in 2025:

Today is October 7, 2025. I am posting my tenth blog for this year. September was a productive month for me—something about the fall weather puts wind in my sails. I wrote several poems in September and also read some aloud at the open mic sessions that accompanied readings that I attended.

A Poem for October

Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872–1906, authored numerous collections of poetry and prose. Dunbar was one of the first African American poets to receive national recognition. I love this poem by Dunbar:

October

October is the treasurer of the year,
    And all the months pay bounty to her store;
The fields and orchards still their tribute bear,
    And fill her brimming coffers more and more
But she, with youthful lavishness,
    Spends all her wealth in gaudy dress,
And decks herself in garments bold
    Of scarlet, purple, red, and gold.

She heedeth not how swift the hours fly,
    But smiles and sings her happy life along;
She only sees above a shining sky;
    She only hears the breezes’ voice in song.
Her garments trail the woodlands through,
    And gather pearls of early dew
That sparkle, till the roguish Sun
    Creeps up and steals them every one.

But what cares she that jewels should be lost,
    When all of Nature’s bounteous wealth is hers?
Though princely fortunes may have been their cost,
    Not one regret her calm demeanor stirs.
Whole-hearted, happy, careless, free,
    She lives her life out joyously,
Nor cares when Frost stalks o’er her way
    And turns her auburn locks to gray.

The two greatest pleasures of my life are writing and gardening. I write every day of the week, every week of the month, and every month of each year. Every day, I write a gratitude and compassion journal, work on poetry, and edit and fine-tune one of the novels I have been working on. My monthly meetings with my critique partner are a pleasure and contribute to the development of my knowledge and proficiency.

Since I live in a summer/winter climate, my gardening is limited to the late spring and early fall but I have a huge flower garden behind my house and smaller ones on the north and east. My favorite flowers are sunflowers and zinnias, but my large garden is resplendent with perennials including iris, roses, columbines of multiple colors, lazy Susans, daisies, lavender, and marigolds. One of the glories of my landscape is an old and huge rhododendron bush with gorgeous lavender blossoms. I also plant a tiny vegetable garden in the summer and enjoy having fresh vegetables on hand.

Parallels that exist in these two different interests are profound. Both writing and gardening require consistency and commitment. They both require consultation and constant research and learning. Both writing and gardening keep me involved with talented and supportive individuals with whom I love to communicate. And, best of all, both writing and gardening contribute to my mental and physical health and stamina. My research, writing, editing, critique groups, readings, and conferences keep me informed and engaged in a community of writers. Bending over in the garden, pulling weeds, harvesting vegetables, and dragging a heavy, long hose from the front to the back of the house are activities that keep me strong and limber. Being outdoors cheers me up, clears my mind, improves my breathing, and assures my nights are spent in restful repose.

I encourage my readers to engage in what interests them on both a personal, group, and community level. Engagement leads to a long, pleasant, and fulfilling life.

My Writing Goals for 2025

1. Continue to develop my poetry and connections with other poets:

Bardic Trails: The Talking Gourds/Bardic Trails is a monthly Zoom presentation of poets, followed by an open mic, which is broadcast from Telluride, Colorado. The well-loved Art Goodtimes is the host. This month, the invited speaker was Juliana Aragón Fatula, who has been a writer in residence for the Colorado Humanities Writers in the Schools Program and who is a member of the Sandra Cisneros Macondo Foundation. The diversity of poets who read during the open mic is entertaining. I read one of my poems.

The Colorado Poetry Center: In May, at the CPC in-person, evening session at the Boulder Bookstore hosted by Beth Franklin, Mary Crow, an American poet, translator, and professor who served as poet laureate of Colorado for 14 years read from her extensive work. Mary Crow has been recognized by the Arts and Colorado Council on the Arts, the Colorado Book Award, a Translation Award from Columbia University, a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to New York University, and three NEH summer seminars. Jack Martin also read that evening. Jack taught junior high and high school English for around twenty years. He is a graduate of the MFA program at Colorado State University and his poems have appeared in many magazines. Jack Martin also received the Colorado Council on the Arts Poetry Award. I enjoyed the open mic readings that evening as well and stepped up to read a poem myself.

The Boulder Writers Alliance Poetry Circle: In May, BWA featured Stan Deetz. Stan is a Professor Emeritus and was a President’s Teaching Scholar at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has been a featured presenter at Queer Art Organics and participated in open mic readings at Junkyard Social Club, Trident, the Coffee Stand, and the Colorado Poets Center Open Mics at the Boulder Bookstore. In 2024, Stan published a prose and poetry memoir Between….by TransGender Publishing.

Columbine Poets: I recently joined Columbine Poets and attended an online poetry critique group with the group this week. The poets in the group are knowledgeable and give inspired feedback and suggestions.

Cannon Mine Poets: Over the last year, I have also been attending the Cannon Mine Poets group in Lafayette which is hosted by Larry LaVerdure and also has an open mic session. In May, Connie Boyle, winner of the Colorado Authors League 2012 poetry award, presented a reading.

My poetry project goals: I managed to write a new poem every week over the last month and submitted one to a contest. I also attended the Poetry Rodeo in Denver this month and took an insightful workshop on writing poetry led by Julie Cumming whose work I admire.

2. Finish my first novel and query agents (IW): I went through all my files and moved them into different folders to create seven draft segments of the novel.

3. Finish my second novel (G): Nothing accomplished here.

4. Continue to work on my third novel (PW): Nothing accomplished here.

5. Continue to develop a network of kindred spirits in the world of writing and publishing:

1. Boulder Writers Alliance: I hosted the BWA Poetry Circle which featured Stan Deetz but missed the BWA Happy Hour because I had company from abroad.
2. Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers:  I read the newsletter and various emails. I also worked on a potential submission to the anthology.
3. Women Writing the West: I read the newsletter and listserv.
4. Document my writing progress through my blog and post it on the seventh day of each month, one blog per month in 2025:

Today is June 7, 2025. I am posting my sixth blog for this year. May, and so far June, have been extremely damp in Colorado. Rainfall on the Front Range has exceeded typical late May and June weather in Seattle and Portland—which may be a first. I took a drive this week and was astounded at the intense green of the fields and foliage in Boulder County. I don’t think I have ever seen such an emerald landscape here in our high-altitude desert. It made me wonder why green is not seen as the color of love.

A Poem for June

The Best Thing in the World

By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

What’s the best thing in the world?
June-rose, by May-dew impearled;
Sweet south-wind, that means no rain;
Truth, not cruel to a friend;
Pleasure, not in haste to end;
Beauty, not self-decked and curled
Till its pride is over-plain;
Light, that never makes you wink;
Memory, that gives no pain;
Love, when, so, you’re loved again.
What’s the best thing in the world?
— Something out of it, I think.–

The passing of Pope Francis has had a touching impact on people from all levels of society and all religions. He was a gentle and honest man who chose to live without ostentation or wealth. Although as pope, he had no special political power, during his lifetime he was welcomed by political leaders from around the world and by leaders of most religions. Thus, his funeral was attended by leaders, kings, queens, and other royalty as well as by many of his followers and admirers. Today the papal conclave began to choose the new pope as the world awaits in anticipation. At the end of the day, the smoke emitted was black, indicating that a new pope had not yet been selected. Even though I am not Catholic, I admire the life and work of Pope Francis and look forward to a new leader with a heart as big as his. Even after his death, his impact will be felt by the people of Gaza to whom he requested that his popemobile to be remade for medical service.

My favorite movie over the past year was Conclave which featured Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini. I thought the acting was splendid. The setting and the costumes were beautiful. I was disappointed that it didn’t win every category at the Oscars but appreciated that fact that the Screen Actors Guild awarded the cast The Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Award in 2025. If you haven’t seen Conclave, now is the perfect time to view it.

My Writing Goals for 2025

1. Continue to develop my poetry and connections with other poets:
2. Bardic Trails: The Talking Gourds/Bardic Trails is a monthly Zoom presentation of poets, followed by an open mike, which is broadcast from Telluride, Colorado. This month, the presentation took place on May 6. Two poets presented their work: Ellery Akers who has published multiple books of poetry and whose A Door into the Wild won the 2024 Blue Light Book Award and a silver medal in the 2024 North American Book Award in Poetry and Benny Manibog who won the 2024 Cantor Prize for his poem, “Honeycombs.” I genuinely enjoy the Bardic Trails open mike session as the poets who read are excellent. This month, I read my poem “Winning Horses” in the open mike session.
3. The Colorado Poetry Center: In April, Michael J. Henry, who is the Executive Director of Lighthouse and who has published two collections of poetry, No Stranger Than My Own and Active Gods, and a book of nonfiction, Mountain Biking the Colorado Trail, read at the CPC evening session at the Boulder Bookstore. I enjoyed the open mike readings that evening as well.
4. The Boulder Writers Alliance Poetry Circle featured Lorrie E. Wolfe. Her second chapbook, The Language of Crows, won the Middle Creek Press 2023 Fledge Chapbook Award and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Lorrie’s work has been widely published in journals and anthologies. Lorrie was also named Poet of the Year at the Ziggies Poetry Festival in Denver.

• My poetry project goals: I managed to write a new poem every week over the last month and plan to submit one to a contest.

• Finish my first novel and query agents (IW):  I attended a BWA Silent Writing Group session and discussed my synopsis at my critique group.

• Finish my second novel (G): Nothing accomplished.

• Continue to work on my third novel, (PW: Nothing accomplished.

Continue to develop a network of kindred spirits in the world of writing and publishing:

1. Boulder Writers Alliance:  I was unable to attend the BWA’s Writers Who Read discussion of Butcher by Joyce Carol Oates, led by Gary Alan McBride. This was a difficult book for me to read. I had to reread the first three parts three times to make my mind focus on the story. It is rare that I dislike a book and almost throw it across the room but I did not like this book.
2. Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers:  I read the newsletter and various emails. I also started a draft of a potential submission to the anthology.
3. Women Writing the West: I read the newsletter and attended our critique group. I do plan to attend the online/virtual WWW Conference this year.
4. Document my writing progress through my blog and post it on the seventh day of each month, one blog per month in 2025:

Today is May 7, 2025. I am posting my fifth blog for this year. When I was a child, on May Day, we prepared little May baskets for older ladies in the neighborhood and left them on their doorstep as a surprise. It was fun to know that they didn’t know who left them. Once as an adult, I had someone leave me a May basket which was a pleasure and brought back memories of my childhood. I never discovered who left it! This month, I have had visitors from abroad which has been a delight.

A Poem for May

May Baskets

         —Annette Wynne

In other lands the children bring

May baskets for the first of spring,

And hang them on a lady’s door

To say that spring is here once more;

And when the lady comes to see

What all the sound outside may be,

She’s glad; that’s the way

The Swedish children keep the May.

But we can do kind things and sing

And tell our way the joy of spring.

We are one week into April and I have been humbled and pleased by the bravery of so many Americans across the country who have joined protest marches in support of democracy. While I have read that these protests have not been widely published about nor on the front pages of mainstream newspapers, they are covered quite well on Facebook, CGNTEurope is covering the protests. I have contributed some cash to some marches but have not attended one. Many of my friends have attended local and state protests and have found the process uplifting. It is also thrilling to observe the marches taking place in other countries in support of American democracy.

As we are living in a moment where democratic principles are being challenged and sometime ignored, I decided to review and comment on the key principles of our American Constitution.

The five key principles include: the separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and popular sovereignty. The separation of powers deliberately divides governmental authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent a single branch from becoming too powerful. The principle of checks and balances allows each branch of the government to limit the power of the other two branches. The concept of federalism divides the power between the federal government and the state governments. The fourth principle, popular sovereignty, states that the government derives its power from the people. And, the fifth principle, limited government establishes that the government’s power is restricted by the Constitution—the government must not act arbitrarily.a

So, if you support our democratic procedures and the separation of powers, now might be a suitable time to let your thoughts and voices be heard. Writers Unite: Take Up the Fight!

My Writing Goals for 2025

1. Continue to develop my poetry and connections with other poets:
2. Bardic Trails: The Talking Gourds/Bardic Trails is a monthly Zoom presentation of poets, followed by an open mike, which is broadcast from Telluride, Colorado. This month, the presentation took place on April Fool’s Day but suffering from the fool’s part of the day, I forgot to log on.
3. The Colorado Poetry Center: The poet who read at the CPC session in the middle of March, Christina A. Bejan, is a local. She presented with professional actors several scenes from her anthology of plays: “Finally Quiet: Four Plays from Bucharest to Washington DC.”
4. The Boulder Writers Alliance Poetry Circle featured Gregory Seth Harris who read from his impressive narrative poems. Seth has recently published an audio book of his poetry book, A Black Odyssey, on Spotify.
5. My poetry project goals: I managed to write a new poem every week over the last month and plan to submit one to a contest.
6. Finish my first novel and query agents (IW):  I attended a BWA Silent Writing Group session and managed to make some progress over this month on this novel.
7. Finish my second novel (G): Nothing accomplished on this manuscript.
8. Continue to work on my third novel, (PW): I read and corrected several pages of notes on my topic.

Continue to develop a network of kindred spirits in the world of writing and publishing:

1. Boulder Writers Alliance:  I attended the BWA’s Writers Who Read discussion of Burma Sahib by Paul Theroux—an informative and engaging read. It is a novelized biography of Eric Arthur Blair whose penname was George Orwell, the author of Nineteen Eighty-Four. Curiously, the beginning sentence of the novel is: “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

2. Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers:  I read the newsletter and various emails. I also started a draft of a potential submission to the anthology. The RMFW Gold Conference takes place this year in September: https://rmfw.org/conference/

3. Women Writing the West: I read the newsletter and attended our critique group. The WWW Virtual Conference this year takes place October. If you are interested, you can check it out at:

Conference

4. Document my writing progress through my blog and post it on the seventh day of each month, one blog per month in 2025:

Today is April 7, 2025. I am posting my fourth blog for this year. April is, of course, tax month so I have devoted many hours to tax preparation and submission. However, I have also had time to write. After having new snowfall on the ground over the weekend, today I took a drive and was thrilled to see white blossoms on some trees, white trees with red blossoms, pale green baby leaves popping out on bushes and trees all along the way, and tulips tipping their tops in the breeze. Spring is finally here!

Some Lines from a Favorite Poem

The Waste Land

            —T.S. Elliott

April is the cruelest month

breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain”…

In the Boulder foothills, March came in like a lamb—not like a lion. The first day of March was a beautiful, sunny day with blue skies, and the temperature reached 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Later that week, the temperature topped out at 35 degrees with snow. Wherever you live, these drastic March weather variations are likely to be commonplace.

Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, “Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.” His quote is reflected not only in fluctuating meteorological conditions and in our personal lives, but also in current local and national events. This month my usually reliable writing time was shortened with the need to spend three days buying and setting up a new computer, then shortly thereafter having it compromised by hackers, and having to spend more than a week clearing up the resulting mess with my bank and various other financial groups.

Likewise, since January 20, national events have felt like March weather—difficulties, surprises, and shocks. The whole country is upset. There has been an explosion of local marches in every state of the union, as well as protest marches against fascism in other countries. Citizens in the USA are protesting current national policies that are destructive to individuals, businesses, and freedoms which we all value.

Our area had its own protest this week because staff positions were slashed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA is the national group that builds, as their website states: “… a Weather-Ready Nation by providing better information for better decisions to save lives and livelihoods.” The weather information our cell phones display comes from NOAA. Given climate change and the increase in flooding, fires, and other dramatic weather events worldwide, firing experts endangers the lives of Americans and individuals elsewhere. Laying off so many workers undermines the economy. People need salaries to pay their rent, buy food, and pay taxes.

As I post this blog, we are only one week into the month; the Ides of March will soon be upon us. Most folks know the expression “Beware the Ides of March” but do they know to what it refers? Shakespeare wrote the line, a warning spoken by a soothsayer, into his play Julius Caesar. Caesar ignored the fortune-teller’s portent and was subsequently assassinated on the fifteenth of March—the middle of the month. This year, March 15 falls on a Saturday. I am always extra careful on the Ides of March, while at the same time being happy that spring is creeping closer.

Given the current political situation, I encourage writers to make their viewpoints known and support democracy: Writers Unite; Take Up the Fight!

My Writing Goals for 2025

1. Continue to develop my poetry and connections with other poets:
2. Bardic Trails: The Talking Gourds/Bardic Trails is a monthly Zoom presentation of poets, followed by an open mike, that comes out Telluride, Colorado. This month, Teow Lim Goh presented her poetry which focused on Chinese workers in Wyoming during a period when they were harassed, murdered, and had their settlement destroyed by local white men. Goh illuminated a shocking period of Western US history that was unknown to me.
3. The Colorado Poetry Center: I didn’t make it to a CPC reading this month but did attend an exceptional reading by the Irish Poet, Pádraig Ó Tuama, at the Denver Public Library. I purchased and enjoyed reading his book, Kitchen Poems.
4. The Boulder Writers Alliance Poetry Circle featured Brenda Wildrick, a Colorado poet who has published several poetry books including On the Train for Somewhere Else and two coloring books, The Color of Hope and Seasons of Resplendent Color which feature a haiku poem with each image. Brenda’s poetry ranges from the poignant to the political.
5. My poetry project goals: Despite the interruptions, I’ve managed to write a new poem each week so far this year.
6. Finish my first novel and query agents (IW): I had no new pages in hand to share with my critique group but I provided feedback on the pages presented to me.
7. Finish my second novel (G): I had no time to work on this manuscript this month.
8. Continue to work on my third novel, (PW): I discussed drilling accidents with a knowledgeable person.

Continue to develop a network of kindred spirits in the world of writing and publishing:

1. Boulder Writers Alliance:  I attended the BWA’s Writers Who Read discussion of James by Percival Everett, led by Gary Alan McBride. Everett’s use of diction to demonstrate differences in position and power was impressive. I also joined our February BWA Happy Hour for an engaging and informative discussion with other writers. I appreciated Brenda Wildrick’s riveting poetry reading for our BWA Poetry Circle.

2. Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers:  I read the newsletter and various emails. The RMFW Gold Conference takes place this year in September: https://rmfw.org/conference/

3. Women Writing the West: I read the newsletter and attended our critique group. The WWW Virtual Conference this year takes place in October: https://www.womenwritingthewest.org/conference/

4. Document my writing progress through my blog and post it on the seventh day of each month, one blog per month in 2025:

Today is March 7, 2025. I am posting my third blog for this year. After a frigid February, it is nice to have lighter skies, longer days, and intermittent warmer temperatures. I have enjoyed the talented poets and writers that I have met with this month.

Some Lines from a Favorite Poem

My academic degrees (BA, MA, PhD) are all in French Literature. Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918) has always been one of my favorite French poets. Here are the opening lines of one of his poems in French, followed by my personal translation of these lines of his poem into English:

Sous le Pont Mirabeau

Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine
  Et nos amours
     Faut-il qu’il m’en souvienne
La joie venait toujours après la peine

           Vienne la nuit sonne l’heure
           Les jours s’en vont je demeure

Under the Pont Mirabeau

Under the Pont Mirabeau flows the Seine
And our loves
Must I remember
That joy has always appeared after pain

Let the night come and the hour ring
Days drift away yet I remain.