Today is my last chance to update you on what I've been up to recently in September.

First, check out the most recent edition of my Faulty Mindbomb project. This edition features the poem "After a drink at the Tavern," by Caili Wilk.

Go to: http://faultymindbomb.blogspot.com/2007/09/fmb0030.html

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Second, I recently submitted some poems to the Atlanta Review. I'm always very pumped when I'm able to fit in a little time to get some kind of submission action going.

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Third, I'm getting some poems together to submit to a chapbook competition for Ohio poets. Almost done putting the final touches on that, and I think I've got until the end of October to send it in. Good stuff.

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Anyway, thought I'd let you know what I've been up to, though wish there was a bit more to report. :)

Okay, so maybe that's not technically correct. For instance, I buy new poetry collections about once a week. And I know poets who purchase collections of poetry on a regular basis. People do buy poetry, but it's not easy finding a good selection of poetry to buy.

There's a chicken and egg problem with poetry collections in the marketplace. Booksellers don't stock too much poetry, because poetry doesn't sell well. Potential poetry buyers don't buy poetry, because there's not a good selection (or sometimes, in my personal experience, I've had trouble even finding a poetry section in bookstores).

Would poetry sell better if it had more shelf space? I'm not sure we'll ever know, because it doesn't make good business sense for bookstores to take a chance on poetry. I don't agree with it, but that's how the bottom line works.

"Local poetry publisher BOA rises to national status," by Matthew Daneman for Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, profiles prominent poetry publisher BOA. Of particular interest, BOA estimates 43% of its revenue comes from book sales and 37% from grants and donations--illustrating just how hard it is to sell poetry.

Despite this despicable state of the poetry publishing industry, I feel very certain that poetry will never die. Readers do go out of their way to find poetry in the nooks and crannies of bookstores and flea markets and Web sites and anywhere they can find it, because those who read poetry are passionate about poetry.

So anyway, I just sometimes get discouraged about the lack of shelf space devoted to poetry. I'm sure other poets do too. However, I just want to remind everyone (myself included) that we don't write poetry for the money or fame; we write poetry, because we can't stop ourselves. What's wrong with us anyway? (Just kidding, I think.)

On Saturday, I received two rejections in the mail. And I was actually pumped up after reading them.

Really, the first one from Asheville Poetry Review is the one that got me excited. While I could see it was a form rejection letter, there was a handwritten note at the bottom from the editor Keith Flynn:

"Robert,

It was nice to see you in NYC--sorry this isn't better news, but 'Pride Park' did make it to our final cut--thanks for your interest and keep pushing.

All best,

Keith"

And when I looked at my returned poems, the one Keith mentioned had been marked a few times with his signature. So, naturally, there was a part of me that was bummed about coming so close, but then there was another part of me that was excited to make it to the final cut in a journal that publishes a lot of poets I read in those annual Best American Poetry anthologies.

To emphasize the point, my rejection from The Sun had no special note--just a form rejection letter on a small piece of paper.

So yeah, "Pride Park" is definitely going out again soonish, and I'm excited to ramp up my submission efforts for the final 3 months of the year!

Stumbled across the Library of Congress Poetry 180 site that offers educators access to a poem a day through the school year. That's right: 180 poems by poets, such as Billy Collins, Thomas Lux, and Dorianne Laux.

While this is great for secondary ed students, it's also a wonderful resource for all lovers of poetry. Just go to http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/p180-list.html to check it out.

Found an interesting interview with Tess Gallagher in Scotland's Sunday Herald. "Tess Gallagher: living proof of the power of poetry," by Alan Taylor, looks at Gallagher's ability to overcome an abusive childhood, many close deaths, and cancer to write her poetry.

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Check out other Poetry News.

Hay(na)ku is a very simple poetic form, and it's also one of the newest. It was apparently created in 2003 by poet Eileen Tabios.

Hay(na)ku is a 3-line poem with one word in the first line, two words in the second, and three in the third. There are no restrictions beyond this.

A really basic example:

Boys
chase girls
on the playground.

There are already some variations of this new poetic form. For instance, a reverse hay(na)ku has lines of three, two, and one word(s) for lines one, two, and three respectively. Also, multiple hay(na)ku can be chained together to form longer poems.

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Here are some links to other hay(na)ku sites:

• The Hay(na)ku Verse Form, a 21st century poetry form, by Joan Zimmerman
• HAY(NA)KU POETRY blog

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Check out other Poetic Forms.

Good evening/morning (depending on your Saturday night party attitude)!

For me, it is early, early morning. I've been attacked by a cold all weekend and am having trouble with that sleeping thing I try to do every night. I took my Nyquil, and I've stayed hydrated--hopefully, soon my eyes will get sleepy from typing this post (fingers crossed).

Anyway, I usually find myself writing weird, nonsensical poetry at this time of the night/morning when I'm sick. In fact, I was guilty of such stuff again just minutes ago. Writers write--even when they're sick.

I'm usually not happy with the writing later on, because sometimes it doesn't even make sense to me. But I think writing while I'm sick helps me get through the illness and still feel semi-productive. I think the writing can even act as a distraction, at times, from the discomfort my body is feeling.

Not sure that I have a point with this post--just sharing some of my experience as a poet.

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Also, I don't want to be a tease about the bad stuff I write when I'm up early/late and sick. Though I'll probably regret it later, I'm going to share some of what I've written just minutes earlier. For context, I took my boys to two different festivals Saturday (Ohio is filled with them this time of year). We did hit up the Preble County Pork Festival parade. Woo-hoo!

candy kids collect
scraps from the street
shove them in bags
and accept stickers
from every political
candidate who wants
their parents' votes

candy kids cover
their ears when bands
march through with drums
counting off steps
to the county festival

candy kids covet
time to enjoy
their sweet treasures
and want pop and
balloons and toys
and everything

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p.s. As you tear apart the writing above, please keep in mind that it is only a draft. Also, I'm sick and medicated.

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p.p.s. Hope everyone's sleeping better than me! :)

That's right! Check out an interview with me, Robert Lee Brewer, editor of Writer's Market and blogger-extraordinaire at http://writerunboxed.com/2007/09/14/interview-robert-brewer/.

Thank you, Therese Walsh, for the opportunity!

"Renaissance served cause of poetry well," by Michael Hickey for Naples Sun Times, gives a brief overview of the Renaissance and poetry.

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"Computer Poetry Pushes the Envelope," from Science Daily, asks, "What happens to poetry in the Digital Age?" Swedish researcher Maria Engberg: "The way digital poetry experiments with language raises questions and challenges conceptions of literature that were formed by printed books."

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Check out other Poetry News.

As a runner, I love this time of the year. The temperatures are starting to cool off. The air always seems a little fresher. (Is it possible to have a fresh smog alert?) And soon, the foliage will be turning brilliant colors to contrast with the usual bright blue autumn sky.

As a poet, I love this time of the year for a different reason: This is when the university-run literary journals typically open up their submission reading periods. While reading periods change from journal to journal, most open up around the beginning of September and run through the end of April.

So the time is perfect for both running and submitting here in Southwest Ohio. I've got a new pair of running shoes and a copy of 2008 Poet's Market (edited by my blogging cohort, Nancy Breen). I love this time of year!

I don't know if you had a chance to read it, but Nancy's post "Haiku on September 11" was really something worth reading and pondering.

While scouring the Net this morning, I found "In wake of 9/11, poetry helps lift us out of suffering," by North Carolina poet laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer. In the piece, she examines what poetry can accomplish in the midst of disaster.

...on MySpace!

I've created a Poetic Asides profile on MySpace and will be glad to befriend and communicate with all the readers of the Poetic Asides blog. While our blog entries will be handled here, I do realize that many people (myself included) would rather ask questions in a one-on-one setting. And I know y'all want to be friends with me.

If you have a MySpace profile already, just go to http://myspace.com/poeticasides and request me as a friend.

If you don't have a MySpace profile already, just go to http://myspace.com and create a new account (they're free and only take a few minutes). Then, go to http://myspace.com/poeticasides and request me as a friend.

Leave comments, send messages, have fun. 'Nuff said. :)

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O yeah, and have a great weekend!