Transcontinental 💺

a quick blip about upcoming jaunts

Right right right now where were we?

So, after the wrap, the year began, as it had to, and with it, our growing boy, coming into the fullness of his face…delightful cheeks, really..and also my new undergraduate course (first one at Whitworth) on “The Noble Art of Metrical Verse,” which is going swimmingly.

[oh and welcome to you new subscribers. We’re all thrilled you’re here. Feel free to drop a line of introduction if you like; this is a kind of family affair]

Also, I’ve embarked on a fairly major translation project. I really love the Italian poets: Eugenio Montale, Giacomo Leopardi (a pair of his translations are in the Elegies), and Salvatore Quasimodo are among my favorites anywhere, so I was pleased to discover recently the work of Alessandro Parronchi, a Florentine poet who just died in 2007, but whose work—not a single poem, it seems— has ever been translated into English.

So I’m doing it. I made one, and liked it, and then another, and now I have a handful to send around as a sample to magazines and presses: who knows, maybe we’ll make a full volume! This was a fun season though, both reading them, writing them, and getting in touch with his Italian press and then his heirs to aquire permission for translation rights, which I now hold. I’ll keep you posted on this. Meanwhile…

MFA Updates

We are almost entirely full for our opening class,and have even overloaded a bit. Amazing! A huge number of applicants have put “Word of Mouth” under the “How did you hear about us” field, so THANK YOU! There’s room left for one poet, if you know anyone. After that, you can still tell others to come over; they’ll just have to wait till Winter term. Huzzah 🙌🏻

Program alumna Haley Hodges’s debut collection Eros Rex has just come out on Orison Books and it’s 🔥.

Also, icymi, and you might have, with everything going on in the world, another program alumnus, Michael Dechane published his debut poetry collection The Long Invisible just 2 years ago now, but it isn’t too late! Poetry is “news that stays news,” so you can still catch up.

Invitation

I’ll be at AWP Baltimore next week repping the program and chatting with other writers, publishers, and admins. If you’re attending (which you should consider doing), I’ll be singing books at Booth 515 on Friday 12:30-1:30. NB: this book fair requires a ticket (but, stay tuned just a minute here..)

We’re also hosting, with Rock & Sling, and open-to-the-public Reading and Reception on that Thursday night in a slick little wine bar in the Fells Point neighborhood. We’re calling it One Poet, One Poem about which, more below 👇🏼

If you’re a long-time reader, or are MFA-curious, come say hello and hear from those mentioned above, in addition to— just added (!): Jen Grace Stewart, Jennifer Pons, Marci Johnson, and the-hits-keep-coming (if you RSVP, we’ll buy enough wine)

I have more things to invite you to, but don’t want to confuse the issue, so let’s just leave this and you can expect to hear from me again soon.

Reading

• This essay by David Lindrum about learning to be a better reader

• This essay by Paul J. Pastor about a revival in Christian poetry

• I’m also super excited about the new Selected Poems of Larry Levis. Levis is sort of a poet’s poet, in that, while I’ve never met a normal person who knew his work, I’ve also never met a poet I admire who didn’t adore him. Run, don’t walk.

Listening

• When I was young enough to care—swayed by every wind of teaching—about such things, I’d have described this as “cringe,” probably, but now I just think its unapologetically great. Petra (my favorite band from the 80’s) has a new record our this year. The lead singer is 76 years old! I only hope I’m still going that strong when should I reach such a term. Anyway, it’s big and blustery fun.

• Honestly, more than anything else I’ve been listening to Claude Thornhill’s 1941 record, Snowfall, while Im waiting for new Iron & Wine and Jose Gonzales records to come out.

Oddments

• MFA poetry mentor Laura Reece Hogan is running a funded cohort of literary writers interested in participating in a dialogue about faith and writing and AI in sunny CA I’d love it if some of our people won. Apply/ learn more here

• Did you see that Image will be hosting the Glen Workshop in San Diego this year? Do you have tickets yet?

• Did you further see that Mockingbird is hosting its annual NYC gathering soon and that it’s called, awesomely, I think, WOW to the Deadness? I’m not speaking this year, but that is no reason you should sit out in protest. Kind of you to suggest it though. 😏

• That’s it for now. I’ll see some of you in B’more (is this what ppl call it? idk; I’ve never been. Seems they should), and others just..around in these digital wilds.

Bon iver, and blessings until then,

MW