Brevity, an online journal of (brief) creative nonfiction, has just posted its new issue, guest-edited by Susanne Antonetta, Joy Castro, and Barrie Jean Borich, focusing on female writers. Lots of good stuff, but I was especially taken by Laurie Lynn Drummond’s piece about getting ready to go on duty as a cop in 1981 in Baton Rouge, LA:
Decide whether you’ll wear your bulletproof vest tonight, the one your mother purchased because the department doesn’t supply vests. What are the chances you’ll get shot or stabbed tonight? Think about Linda Lawrence. Think about Warren Broussard. Slip the vest over your head and pull the two straps on either side tight. Try to ignore the slight gap between cleavage and vest; they haven’t yet started making women’s vests. Try not to remember that gaps between skin and vest can kill you from the impact, even if the vest stops the bullet. Try not to think about bullets that penetrate Kevlar.
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This sounds like a great class, offered by the fabulous and smart Kim Roberts:
"Poetics of Place: How Local Writers Depict DC and Environs"
Read and discuss contemporary poems about familiar places in Washington, DC with Kim Roberts
Three Monday evenings:
Read and discuss contemporary poems about familiar places in Washington, DC with Kim Roberts
Three Monday evenings:
October 29, November 5, and November 12 from 7:30 to 9:00 pm
Join us as we read and discuss contemporary poems. Discussions will help us develop both a detailed vocabulary to analyze and interpret literature, as well as a better understanding of how poetry can deepen our connection to this place we call home. Readings will be from the anthology, Full Moon on K Street: Poems About Washington, DC. Participants can read poems from the course pack (included in the class tuition) or opt to buy the book at the first class (for an additional fee, made available at a reduced rate from the normal cover price). No prior experience or specialized knowledge is necessary, just a love of reading.
Kim Roberts, the instructor, is editor of Beltway Poetry Quarterly, and co-editor of the web exhibit DC Writers' Homes. She is the author of five books.
$35 fee. Advance registration required.
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD. (301) 493-8300. http://www.cedarlane.org
Join us as we read and discuss contemporary poems. Discussions will help us develop both a detailed vocabulary to analyze and interpret literature, as well as a better understanding of how poetry can deepen our connection to this place we call home. Readings will be from the anthology, Full Moon on K Street: Poems About Washington, DC. Participants can read poems from the course pack (included in the class tuition) or opt to buy the book at the first class (for an additional fee, made available at a reduced rate from the normal cover price). No prior experience or specialized knowledge is necessary, just a love of reading.
Kim Roberts, the instructor, is editor of Beltway Poetry Quarterly, and co-editor of the web exhibit DC Writers' Homes. She is the author of five books.
$35 fee. Advance registration required.
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD. (301) 493-8300. http://www.cedarlane.org
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Any day is a good day to be reminded of this Samuel Beckett quotation:
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
Probably in my mind because I plan to do some revising this afternoon!
