14 July 2011

Ellipses, exclamation marks, and cantilevered similes

I was introduced to the American poet Chelsey Minnis this week. Not personally, rather to her poetry. A whole host of local and local-ish poets gathered in the Betsey Trotwood this Sunday just gone, and one section of the day's readings was inspired by Minnis. She is a big fan of exclamation marks and ellipses. As am I. She writes in a surreal and personal and entirely compelling way. Lines like:

If anyone tries to comfort me I will vomit on the balustrade.

I want to put makeup on people's eyes so they can look like damned darlings...

It is sad like a pentacle when I see you. 

Read more of her here.

I've also been reading lots of Toby Martinez de las Rivas. Man, he uses such good words. He's rather the talk of the town at the moment, but I feel drawn to him as, after studying at Durham University, he moved to my own Northumberland. Northern soul right there.

So new poetry and speed-reading 'Norwegian Wood' and watching The Night Watch in the dead of night before falling asleep. On top of spicy Bloody Marys while doing an alphabetic poetry quiz, discussing drunken wedding behaviour over Italian hot chocolate, necking pints of Sam Smith's lager with a friend returned from gay Paris, and so many left over delegate sandwiches in the office I think I may have a yeast-brain. I also wrote a review of a poetry collection that I started out hating but then kind of liked for Eyewear. (Kirk on Fried, ha!). I wrote it instead of doing real work, which ironically is a whole lot less serious than the review really. Oh, and I had the best 'afternoon tea' ever. My flatmate baked scones, produced honey from her mother's bees, along with home-made strawberry jam (also courtesy of her mother) and clotted cream (courtesy of a supermarket) and made raspberry coulis with home-picked raspberries. I supplied the red wine (in place of strong-brewed tea) and chose the malformed scone to start our night-time lesson in etiquette. Such ladies.

Next, I'm going to the zoo for a Friday evening of boozy picnicking. And yeah, I'll probably just hang out with these guys the rest of the time. Same old.

10 comments:

mike said...

Your readers will worry about your liver! But at least you are eating properly...
Are exclamation marks and ellipses enough to qualify as a poet?

Anna said...

There are some words before the (admittedly rather prominent) punctuation, so yeah...

And you guys are the only ones who read this really, and it is your duty to ALWAYS have some concern over my alcohol intake. It was the finger in your wine as a bairn that gave me a taste for it.

Ned said...

I read this AVIDLY, yo!

Ma said...

And so do lots of other people - they just don't comment. Perhaps, unlike me, they don't procrastinate by reading blogs.............

mike said...

Actually, can all the lurkers, those who read without saying anything, put their hands up?
Come out in the open, all of you, stop hiding in the kitchen when there's a party...

Ned said...

lulz

Anna said...

O Ned! xx

EPSibley said...

hand duly raised.

Frances said...

I READ THIS TOO! X

franjapan said...

Lurk lurk lurk lurk