the essential industry

I know I haven’t been blogging here. I have been so involved in so many things and in a way that feels good but on the other- blogging and surfing the web is a nice way to wind down and feed into my curiosity about things.

I have a stack of chapbooks and library books and unanswered correspondence (which I always get to eventually, no matter what!) and I have been sneaking in some mini-vacations here and there… Continue Reading »

In August I will be participating in the 2008 Poetry Postcard Fest, facilitated by Paul Nelson and Lana Ayers. (link for info)

The idea is to write one poem every day for the month of August, and send it to the person on the list under your name. And so on. Continue Reading »

So I decided to grab a crazy cowgirl hat and head to a good old fashioned county fair where I hoped to score a candy apple and a ferris wheel ride, even though candy apples are absolutely disgusting. I know. So we are all wandering around, wondering what to do next- when I see a sign to see “the world’s smallest lady”. I wonder if it’s real, and tell myself it is probably a video. I decide to check it out fully expecting a video when I walked in, absolutely not prepared to see a woman in a box. And then I felt really horrible. I had just paid a dollar to gawk at a person in a box. What the hell was wrong with me? I was stunned. How could they have a woman in a box? Like an exhibit, like the diarama I made in fourth grade of the Aztecs, in a shoebox… Continue Reading »

I will get caught up with all kinds of emails and things when I get back. I am not sure why things are escaping me so much lately, I am usually pretty good about that stuff even when I am far more busy than I am right now. Lately I have been in need of some alone time, and today I actually turned off my phone and went to the river to read. I am one of those people that feel irrational guilt about things like that, and spend the first twenty minutes thinking about the things I should be getting done and by the time I get settled- it is time for me to get back to wherever I need to be… Continue Reading »

I’ve been thinking a lot about these things lately, as I have been reading a lot of self published lit mags and ezines and “outsider” small press offerings. In fact, I just ordered a bunch of goodies to support some of my new favorites. But there’s a lot of confusion and disagreement about what an “outsider” is. Excluded, or rejected? Empowered or oppressed? Is an “outsider” somebody who chooses to be on the outside for “political” reasons or somebody barred from entrance by groups determined to maintain the status quo? Can groups keep artists and writers on the “outside” when anyone can transform the dynamics of the circle? How many people are inside but describe themselves otherwise? Is the idea that people can actually change the circle/power a lie? Is the answer to take the exclusivity and power away, or is the answer to emulate the institutions that are excluding- do what they do, but with different rules? Can we change elitism, regardless? Should we? Questions, questions…I have gotten pretty into “outsider” movements lately, from self taught artists to small presses to DIY to virtual galleries to collectives… some are people who would gladly leave “outsider status” if they could get that “big break” and some are people who feel that they can create on their own terms, with control over resources. Which is pretty cool. One thing is pretty clear: that outsider movement provide the networks and means for people to take charge of their creativity and get their work out there without many of the traditional barriers like money, commercial appeal, name recognition, formal training, credentials. .. Continue Reading »

So I’m reading the “news” (is this news?) about the people who are angry because the touch-screen iphone design discriminates against long nailed women. Apparently it can be quite difficult to use such devices that rely on the pads of one’s fingers, and using a stylus requires an additional purchase that short fingered folks are not burdened by. I can’t help but think that this whole thing might cause us to take pause and revisit what discrimination is and what it isn’t…. Continue Reading »

This has been on my mind, and it has been bugging me ever since I had the conversation. For some reason I really needed to revisit this a few times to really “get” what was bothering me about it so much. So here’s the situation: I’m talking to a male friend who has gotten divorced, with shared custody of their son. We’re talking about some of the details, like how often he gets to see his son and I am truly sad for him because I know how much he talked about her as “the one”. The conversation turns to health insurance and then I make some quick remark about how sometimes that is part of child support. He informs me that he has no intention of paying child support. I say nothing. He proceeds to get this smug voice and tell me how he is glad that they are adult enough to be above fighting about money, and it becomes some sort of backhanded indictment of capitalism or… something. Hippie children don’t need child support? … Continue Reading »

I was awake before five this morning, and since I wanted to be quiet I decided to stay in bed reading. That is when I realized that I am in the middle of like FIFTEEN books, more than half dry as hell and only one with any humor. I’ve got to get a life. I am not even sure what I am looking for with all these books. To settle on some sort of philosophy, to settle on some kind of way to make sense of the world? To find comfort in some “ism” that at last really speaks to me, that I can grab onto, that I can staple to my head so I can get on with other thoughts? … Continue Reading »

Deirdre Imus, writing in the Huffington Post, does an excellent job with her critique of the vaccination article in Time:

“Finally, a major periodical puts a spotlight on the most emotionally charged and inaccurately reported medical controversy in modern history. And what does Time do? Blame parents for a crisis in confidence created by public health officials. If you were hoping to learn the “truth” about vaccinations, you are not going to find it in this issue of Time. ”

Now my point here is not to get into the debate itself, but to point out the problem with it’s coverage as she writes about how parents are portrayed as clueless dolts while safety reassurances come from industry plants. Many times when I read about the vaccination controversy, I ask the same questions… Continue Reading »

One of the key differences between Clinton and Obama (although many claim there are no differences) is the health care dilemma and the difference between voluntary versus involuntary health insurance purchase. First- make no mistake here: forcing the uninsured, under penalty of fines, to buy insurance is NOT universal health care coverage. Calling it a plan that promises “health care for all” is a bit like forcing people to buy homes and calling it a “solution to homelessness”. .. Continue Reading »