The New Creativity Guru

Move over Jonah Lehrer, Austin Kleon is my new creativity crush! His book, Steal Like An Artist, has been on my desk for a few months, and it’s not going Continue reading →

How 30/30 Kicked My Ass…

…Ran Me Over with Its Car And (it doesn’t drive a Prius, it drives a lifted Ford F150) ITS NOT SORRY Right after I quit 30/30 I watched an episode Continue reading →

Keep Calm…It’s Only Day Eleven

It’s Day 11 of the 30/30 Challenge. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted! It’s time to quit altogether or recharge the batteries. And I was sitting at my Continue reading →

4 Awesome Things on Day 4

Steve Ramirez of Two Idiots Peddling Poetry is creating some devilish writing prompts over at poetryidiots.com. His day 2 prompt is Freud’s wet dream: Here’s a fun thing: Leave a Continue reading →

30 Prompts in 30 Days

Happy National Poetry Month! All month long we’ll be doing our part to keep you going on your 30/30 Challenge by providing a writing prompt a day for thirty days! Continue reading →

New Writing Exercise from Luke Salazar!

When I first read Luke’s writing exercise on the sonnet I thought to myself, what have I done!? Two weeks ago I asked Luke to preach on the sonnet, a Continue reading →

Day Two & Three @ AWP 2013

It happens like that. Day one done, it’s late but you’re still feeling human–you can still feel your limbs and you’re face doesn’t sag. Then you wake up Friday morning, Continue reading →

Day One @ AWP 2013

A promise is a promise. Today ends the first full day of the 2013 AWP Conference. I’m not sure if I feel relieved because it’s half way over or terribly Continue reading →

AWP Yeah!

What’s AWP, you ask? It’s the annual mega-conference for writers held by The Association of Writers and Writing Programs and their various co-sponsors. The conference moves every year in order Continue reading →

Haiku Battle in Six Movements

Before I unleash this salacious battle into your computer screens, allow me to provide a back story. Eric Morago is a wood nymph born in a wine barrel. Someone, somewhere Continue reading →

Privy, You’re Welcome

Privy. An antiqued, dare I say, pirate word? That means “sharing in the knowledge.” It also means toilet. But here, I’m leaning towards the first usage. Privy feels like exactly Continue reading →

Introducing The Poetry Lab: Self Interview

Earlier this week, I met with myself in the dining room to discuss this exciting new poetry venture. LITNIVOROUS: What is The Poetry Lab? POETRY LAB: The Poetry Lab is Continue reading →

Ideological Backpacks: On The Hidden Burden of Form

MICHAEL SHEA  |  What’s most troubling about typical free-verse verses formal poetry debates, like the shameful would-be invective by William Childress on the Virginia Quarterly Review blog in September, is Continue reading →

How to Have a Career Vs. How to Do Drugs and Have a Career

“Once you’ve truly begun, slow down. The difference between publishing two good books and forty mediocre books is terribly large.” – Sarah Manguso . Just stumbled upon “How to Have Continue reading →

Beat the Heat Like a Writer

Get down to your skivvies and take a dip with Kerouac, or relax on the beach with Hunter S. Thompson and a brewski. Why not grab your pole and reel Continue reading →

Free Verse Wrongfully Accused?

Here Michael Shea, MFA student at University of Mississippi, responds to a narrative by William Childress on the Virginia Quarterly Review  [found here] that asks “Is Free Verse Killing Poetry?” Continue reading →

Author of ‘How Creativity Works’ Accused of Having No New Ideas

UPDATE: A few months ago I posted my excitement over reading Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer. Now Lehrer is making headlines and sparking serious debate after he re-purposed Continue reading →

Covers Get Covered

Earlier this week, the Ploughshares Blog ran an article naming the top ten best graphic designed poetry publishers, called Books by Their Covers. To make the list, publishers had to Continue reading →

Understanding Poets

Think you had a hard time understanding poetry as a youngster? Try understanding a poet. We’re talking dark and twisty souls with narcissistic tendencies, unmatched socks, and zero social acumen. Continue reading →

Anne Carson v. Honey Badger

Anne Carson is like the Honey Badger: she don’t give a shit. But unlike the Honey Badger, she has a PhD in Classics, speaks Latin and Ancient Greek, has taught Continue reading →

WE Labs Needs Your Help!

Without WE Labs, there would be no Poetry Lab. The Poetry Lab is important. So are collaboration, community, and art. If you can afford to give a little, we will Continue reading →