Mama Kat Prompt: Love to Chocolate

The prompt I picked suggests writing a poem to your favorite food:

You roll across my tounge
and linger on my tastebuds,
as my ears savor your sweet snap.

All things at once,
dark , sweet, milky, bitter, creamy
Perfect alone or paired with a companion

The perfector,
the finishing touch to any dish,
the happy ending to every meal.

My first love

Kettle Bottom by Diane Fisher

I've read this book twice. It was required summer reading for my freshman year of college and I added it to my senior seminar reading list because of the influence it had on a segment of my final project.

Fisher's collection of poetry presents the tale of a small coal mining town in West Virgina. She transitions between several characters in the town and touches on all of the aspects of peoples lives that coal mining reaches- cleaning, sex, education, death, marriage, parenting.

I love this colllection. I think that switiching speakers really helps to present the full view of the town. I especially love this book because although its poetry there is an underlining story that connects all of the pieces.

I was so inspired by this book that I've begun to write my own series of poems called Westbound Hope, about a woman (Hope) whose family is traveling west (think oregon trail) at the insistence of her husband. So far the series is only a few poems long and is mostly from Hope's point of view, with one poem from her husband's. I'll let you know if the series ever makes it anywhere.

Anyway, if you like poems, but aren't big on having to "dig deep" to decipher..er find... the meaning of things then add this book to your reading list. If you're like me its a mile long already.

Get your copy here:

ATM Favorite

Yeserday was my last day with my ATM favorite poet/poetry professor Peter Meinke. I've really learned a lot in his class. Before the class I was very skeptical about my poetry writing abilities and he has helped me, not only to grow more confident but to pick up new skills as well.

I've listed his book Contracted World: New & More Selected Poems (Pitt Poetry Series). Its the book he taught us out of and its got some really great poems in it.

A New Widget for my ATM Favorites

I freqently post about my ATM Favorite things, many of which happen to be products. I've decided to place an ATM Favorites Widget at the top of the page. I hope to update it about once a week, and the updates will be accompanied by a post telling you what I think.

Here are the current ATM Favorite Products:

1. Real Simple Magazine   - I love  this magazine. Its got great organizing tips, planning tips and recipes. I love to just flip through the and look at the beautiful and clever ads. I was able to score a one year subscription for $5. It was my birthday present to myself

2. Wedding Planner-- I bought this the other night at Barnes and Noble. It looks like the sticker price is cheaper at Amazon, not sure about once you add shipping and handling. I was amazed by the variety of wedding planning books. There were books, bigger, smaller, pinker, gother, DIYer than this one. I loved that this book breaks down budgets, to do lists, and a monthly checklist of things to be done.It even has color pictures and descriptions of typical wedding flowers. I browsed through a book at Barnes and Noble about how to twist wedding traditions to fit your style, but it didnt include any worksheets, which is really what Iwas looking for,

3. Darius Rucker's History in the Making-- I'm really loving this song right now. The line 'this could be our last first kiss" really struck me the other day, when I realized that I've had my last first kiss. Its a really bittersweet, tingly feeling. Details? All you get is that it was at the movies.

4. Recipe Organizer- a gift from my roomate for my birthday. She knows I'm cooking challenged and included a few of my favorite recipes of hers. I can't wait to fill it up with recipes I learn.

5. Classic Bride Wedding Planner-- also a gift from my roomate. No worksheets in this one, but thats not what she was aiming for. Its got some great ideas,as well as expectations and explainations of traditons.

6. Last but not least, I got some window markers in my Christmas stocking. My roomate and I have had a blast doodling on our floor length mirror. We turned the bottom half of the mirror into an aquarium. The top half we made into the world of Ella and Lyric, two invented characters. Lyric dress like a kindergarten teacher and sings "I'm on a Boat". Lyric looks like she was drawn by a kindergartener, sports a crown and sings  "If all the lemondrops were gum drops and....jellybeans?" She also thinks she is part spider monkey.

I have an ATM Favorite Poem: It's Peter Meinke's "Email from Tokyo" and you can find it here. Its about having children, and how parents pass on bad habits, but its never NOT worth it. Its an answer to a poem by, Philip Larkin who is answering a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Letting the Creative Juices Flow!

This week has definitely put my creativity in gear! I had my first masterclass with Peter Meinke on Wednesday. Last year I dreaded my night classes but I'm loving this one! Meinke is so witty and open. He really makes the class enjoyable.

We have one class a week, and then a one-on-one conference with Meinke. Mine was great. Meinke had read my poems in advance. He had me read some of them aloud for practice, which made me feel good. I mean, if I'm practicing now then maybe some day I'll be reading them for real, with an audience. He then went through my poems and told me what he really liked and why. Which gave me an awesome feeling as well. He then suggested a few (minor!) changes and wished me luck! I'm really looking forward to this Wednesdays class. Check out his website at: http://www.petermeinke.com.  I've  read poems from his book the Contracted World and really enjoyed them.

Friday, I took myself to Hallmark on a research trip, so that I could get in the right frame of mind to work on my internship application. I spent an hour in the store just reading cards. And then I took a break and found a really cool "something blue" themed wine glass, that I really want! It has  handpainted blue swirly roses, and a real garter along the top of the glass! Totally adorable! I also went and saw a free showing of  500 Days of Summer at my favorite library.

Today I woke up and went to a seminar given by the wonderfully talented, Sarah Kennedy. I own a copy of her Witch's Dictionary and love it! So it was amazing to be able to attend her seminar. In the seminar we learned about dramatic monologues and how to write in the voice of another speaker. I wrote parts of poems there and came home and expanded further on them . I also wrote the first fifth of my internship portfolio application.  I see some card making in my future!

Better Get Writing, Annoying Bitches and My Engagement Ring

Better Get Writing:

I'm taking a poetry class this Janterm and it looks like its going to be a really great class. I love to write. Although, I am new to poetry. The class only meets twice a week. And as good as that sounds, its got a downfall. My calendar minded self sees lots of free time  to sleep in, scrapbook and hang out with my friends. I need to learn to make myself sit down and do some writing every day. I'm hopeing that going to a poetry reading tonight will help jumpstart my urge to write. I'm also hopeing to make it to a "make n take" tomorrow at a local scrapbooking store that should help me boost my creativity levels.