Chimera Song Mosaic
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Hold up: that is until a couple of months ago, when I re-started writing poetry in earnest. It's been going well, thanks; also I have been teaching/tutoring English one-on-one and to very small groups. I like it--much more than my old way of teaching twenty or so at a time. But it has cost my Spanish-learning. I was going strong, absorbing like crazy for three months or so, the first eight weeks were the best, total immersion, I entertained fantasies about giving up my native language forever and giving myself over to Spanish forever. I didn't know a single person in this city of half a million who spoke English (other than my husband), so if I wanted to talk (oh how I love to talk!), I had to speak Castilian.
So. That's the news. Plus I'm leaving Argentina this week; I'll be in Buenos Aires for a few days, then back in Houston. It costs me to leave Argentina. My house, my neighbors, my job, my friends, my work (writing), "my" streets and cafes, my garden and maybe most of all, my little puppy, Rygel (he's staying at "Boston Camp" in Buenos Aires for three weeks until Lance returns to Argentina at the cusp of the New Year). But now that Texas is near, I do miss it, too, and will glad to be back for a while. But not--I think--two months! I'll be staying for such a long time because I'm traveling to New York at the end of January for--perhaps you guessed it--AWP. That said, I'm keeping a list of books and poetry I'd like to get while I'm in the States:
AWP Buy List (subject to amendment):
Laurie Clements Lambeth, Veil and Burn
Laura Solórzano, Lip Wolf
Lara Glenum, Hounds of No
Aase Berg, Remain Land
Davis McCombs, Dismal Rock
PMS: Poem, Memoir, Story
Aufgabe #6 (Brazilian Poetry)
Conduit, issue 18 (on Film)
Court Green 5 (on Plath)
American Letters & Commentary, new (unless I still have a subscription)
Fence, new (subscription?)
Pool, new
W mags??? (what does this note mean, hmm???)
Obviously, I want more stuff, but I am seriously trying to limit the mental importation of modern American poetry since I now live elsewhere. Plus all that I physically import must go in a suitcase.
