pOETRY & LIKable MISCellany

Lost & Found: 1990's Mississippi Review Publications

2012-01-21T18:40:00.002-07:00

Mississippi Review Online published a short story and poem of mine in the late 90s. At that time, I remember feeling a bit disappointed about only being published online and not in print. Online publishing was still a new idea to me. Now I think it’s brilliant: that print issue would be long gone while these links remain.

These links disappeared last year when Mississippi Review updated their website. I'm happy to find they have archived them under the name of Blip Magazine Archive.

The Cafe Patio is the only short story I have ever published. I've attempted many, but have only finished five short stories in my life (I'm always under the spell of poetry).

The poem Piscine Vision is also found there.

I had a great bio back in the day too!!

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Podunovich Nominated for 2012 Pushcart Prize

2011-12-31T10:35:00.006-07:00

For the second year in a row, one of my poems was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. FutureCycle Press nominated the poem "Restless" for the 2012 prize.

The Pushcart Prize anthologies are a wonderful mystery to be solved in terms of finding out who was selected for inclusion. I think I'll round up the 2011 edition and solve this mystery once and for all. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for me for the 2012 edition.

And, have a very Happy New Year!!

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Fear of Poetry by C. Scott Hagler

2011-10-21T09:43:00.000-06:00

In his latest blog post, C. Scott Hagler, director of 3rd Ave Arts and the Sacred Arts Festival talks about overcoming his fear of poetry. Scott attended my workshop last year and he speaks highly of the experience.

He says, "For as long as I can remember I have had a fear of poetry. Not reading poetry, mind you; only writing it. I’m not afraid of haiku, though; I think it presents more of a left-brain challenge that somehow short circuits the fear.

Imagine my surprise at discovering that there’s a word for the fear of poetry: metrophobia. Sounds like the fear of a big city. Or the subway, perhaps. According to Ask.com, Metrophobia, or the fear of poetry, is surprisingly common. Many people first develop this phobia in school, when overzealous teachers encourage them to rank poems according to artificial scales, break them down and search for esoteric meanings. Others simply feel that poetry is somehow “beyond” them, belonging only to the realm of the pretentious and highly educated...."

Read on about how Scott faced his phobia at his blog Arts Voice.

I am offering another workshop on the 2011 Sacred Arts Festival on Sunday, October 23 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 E. 3rd Ave. in Durango. Learn more here.

Poetry Writing Workshop: 10/23/11

2011-10-17T11:14:00.001-06:00

Writing Poetry: The Practice of Sacred Language

Writing poems can be a practice to deepen and express our connection to what is sacred in our lives. This workshop will provide contemplative writing exercises along with practice in basic poetic tools such as simile, metaphor, image, word choice and line breaks. All levels are welcome to attend this relaxed writing experience led by poet Renee Podunovich.

Sunday, October 23 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Registration fee is $20; preregistration is appreciated. Please mail your check with “Writing Poetry” in the memo field to 3rd Ave. Arts, 910 E. 3rd Ave., Durango, CO 81301.

Questions? E-mail Festival Director C. Scott Hagler, call (970) 247-1129 ext. 14 or visit www.sacredartsfestival.com

For more information on other events visit my website.

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StarBirds by Renee Podunovich

2011-09-29T18:51:00.000-06:00

Here is something new from my current body of work. Enjoy!

StarBirds

I. Night Narratives

stars speak words in her dreams.
she is lifted up in the cup of stellar hands
to the mouths of starbirds,
whispering to her that she is part of a vast galaxy
with unfathomable and limitless expanses
and that she is important within that cluster of dispersing space
and the condensation of particles.
In the day, she listens for her star heart
that spoke to her dream self.
it guides her like a ship
setting sail in full knowledge
of its own character.
At night, at sea—
the sky becomes the landscape,
strewn with exact locations
that can be relied upon for navigation
through the shadows and the shadow
selves.
she allows her path to be charted by that luminous structure,
sure and dazzling in the decadence of darkness
and the habit of forgetting
origins.

II. Light of Day

just one article of clothing, if removed,
would reveal her naked body,
standing upright in red rock canyon
where sunning lizards on sandstone
blink and alert her,
to stop putting her head in the night sky.
in bright daylight, each constellation
is reflected in the placement of these stones.
this moment is stone and heat on stone
and creatures seeking that captured warmth.
if she could stand to be alone, with no one as witness,
the ancient eyes of the canyon,
the vivid light of day,
the quantum blue atmosphere
would expose each factor that makes her unique
and yet totally and absolutely
common:

the persona becomes a scab
or eggshells. shed or otherwise
discarded.

- Renee Podunovich, 2011

The Power of the Spoken Word: Podunovich reads on Lame Town Review

2011-07-10T20:43:00.001-06:00

Hear me read a new poem on the latest Lame Town Review podcast.It's a worthwhile way to spend 30 minutes, with a diversity of featured poets amidst a stellar mix of tunes.

It was recorded July 7th, 2011 in Tom Yoder’s backyard at dusk (crickets and mosquitos), around the picnic table (set with hors d'oeuvres, a bottle of wine and a mic) and became illuminated by candlelight as we surrendered to the night and the power of the spoken word. The almost famous Mouthful Trio (Renee Podunovich, Danielle Desruisseaux and Laura Thomas) is featured as well as Cannonball himself and a guest appearance by the long lost Lt. Hope. Tom’s 16-year-old, toothless dog accompanied us, howling his passions into the oncoming darkness. We were visited by the spirit of the poets themselves through the magic of their words as they were lifted off the page like Nighthawks by our humble human voices.

Read Tom’s sentiments about the evening at his Lame Town Review blog.

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Tom Yoder Speaks About His Podcast: Lame Town Review

2011-06-19T19:35:00.004-06:00

I like when I get to introduce my friends to other friends and I’m especially excited that you all get to meet my friend, Tom Yoder, producer of the radio show and Podcast, Lame Town Review. Let me simply say that Tom rocks.

Tom is a recovering archaeologist currently serving as the Programming and Media Director at KSJD Dry Land Community Radio in Southwest Colorado. He works tirelessly with other audiophiles, news junkies, and community builders to make KSJD the most dynamic, engaged public media outlet in the world. (Yes, he said the world!) Here is what he has to say about podcasts and public radio.

“Lame Town Review is a podcast that I started in 2005 with my best friend Jeff as a means to get music out to the world that I was not allowed to play as a DJ on FCC-regulated public radio. It started out as a semi-monthly review of music with interludes of commentary and clips from cult-classic movies, old commercials, and the pop culture world. Think Beavis and Butthead, Wayne’s World, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and South Park mixed with the freshest new music and older favorites. Jeff and I are both big fans of irreverent humor, satire, and all kinds of music. We featured everything from Steely Dan to Mos Def to Prince Far I in musical mixes that ranged far and wide. It was all good fun, and we even got our friends and neighbors involved (whether they liked it or not). Some of those early Lame Town Review tapings are just a blur in my memory, probably due to the buzz and constant laughter that seemed to permeate those late nights.

Podcasting was still fairly new back in 2005, and it was always a struggle to explain what podcasts were and how to listen to them (unfortunately, this is still a challenge), but given our subject matter, Lame Town Review worked quite well in this underground environment. It was all fun and games for a couple years but took a lot of work editing, collecting audio clips, conducting “interviews”, etc., so inevitably we floundered. By 2007 Lame Town Review podcasts started being produced every 3-4 months, then every 6 months by the end of 2009. The gleam was gone; life was busy.

Podcasting for me is all about a passion for music and putting together what amounts to a mixtape for the world that aims to entertain and turn people on to new music. I had been a volunteer DJ at KSJD, our local community radio station, for several years while working as an archaeologist and producing Lame Town Review on the side. My dedication to KSJD had taken me to a seat on the board of directors, engaging the community in new ways around media and public access to media. I was hungry to podcast more often, but time was scarce with work, family, and volunteer duties all competing. Then in 2010 I jumped at the opportunity to join the KSJD staff as the Programming and Media Director. It was a big scary jump from a 17-year career in archaeology, but it has paid off in ways I never expected.

Working at KSJD has brought me closer to a daily relationship with new music and audiophiles like myself who volunteer as DJs. To maintain airtime as a music DJ while also working behind the scenes at KSJD, I brought Lame Town Review to the radio as a traditional broadcast program on Friday afternoons from 1-3pm MDT(steam it live). My plan was to use a recording of the radio program to revive the podcast, simply using the recording to upload as a podcast each week. But it didn’t work. Two hours is much too long for a podcast (20-30 minutes, the length of an average commute, works best), and I was still hungry to get outside the boundaries of the FCC and restrictions of the newly instituted Millennium Digital Copyright Act. The Internet and podcasting still called to me as the beacon of freedom in broadcasting, and I had to take advantage of that freedom while it still existed.

Lame Town Review is now back as a bi-monthly podcast that supplements the weekly radio show. It has grown up a little bit, but still holds true to the irreverent, satirical tone of its origins nearly 7 years ago. Recent episodes have featured new music from Mayer Hawthorne, Katchafire, and Fleet Foxes, old school hip-hop from De La Soul and the Beastie Boys, and spoken word from slam poet Paulie Lipman. All of this is surrounded by sound bites from physicists, failed news and sports commentary, and ridiculous political observations. I think it works pretty well, and it never ceases to amaze how well these audio clips of cultural ineptitude fit so well with the music and its varied messages.

The world is moving fast towards a decentralized, accessible media environment where blogs, social media, and podcasts are the new standard for entertainment and news. Relationships that were impossible 10 years ago are the norm in this new environment, and I feel fortunate that Lame Town Review plays a role in bringing new music and hopefully some honest laughter to people that I will never meet face-to-face (the latest episode, posted on June 11th, has been downloaded 40 times in the U.S., Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia so far). If you have never checked out a podcast, I encourage you to do so by searching the many podcast distributors out there such as Podomatic, Podcast Alley, or iTunes. The most popular podcasts are simply companions to established shows from major broadcasters in radio and TV, but I would persuade you to go digging into the so-called “amateur” podcasts like Lame Town Review. What you will find may be surprising, unique, and full of individualism and freedom.

Footnote:
I’ve known Renee Podunovich since I was about 11 years old, when she and my big sister would torture me growing up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Some 29 years later, I am fortunate to call Renee a close friend and inspiration through her poetry, dedication to the arts, and terrific sense of humor."

Links:
www.facebook.com/lametownreview
www.lametownreview.podomatic.com
www.ksjd.org
On Twitter at cannonball71
Subscribe to the Lame Town Review podcast in iTunes by searching in the iTunes Store

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Meet Writer, Editor and Awesome Person: Robin Stratton. I think you'll like her!

2011-05-31T16:29:00.020-06:00

Sometimes in the course of shameless self-promotion and trying passionately to get your work seen by someone, you meet a person who stands out and becomes an ally. Robin Stratton has been such a person for me. I like her writing and I like her spirit of encouragement. She made an authentic connection with me through my work and continues to collaborate and support me. (Notice how when I asked her to write about herself, she starts out saying nice things about me!)

I asked Robin to say a bit about what she does and here is what she had to say:

"Renee, thanks for the opportunity to participate in your new blog. Isn't the internet great for promoting the writing community? I just love it.

To fill people in on our history... Renee submitted two wonderful pieces to my magazine, Boston Literary Magazine, and I snapped them up and they appeared in our summer 2010 issue. Next I reviewed her amazing chapbook, If There is a Center No One Knows Where it Begins. Renee, as many of you know, is not just a gifted poet, but she's lively and fascinating, and I knew I wanted to stay in close contact with her. When my second chapbook, Interference from an Unwitting Species was due for publication, I asked Renee to write a blurb for the cover, and she said yes right away. I absolutely loved what she wrote - writing a blurb isn't easy, it takes a lot of skill... you probably don't know this until you've written one! Anyway, here's what she wrote:

“Stratton's collection is a feast of engaging narration that illustrates the absurdity of the human predicament, yet never disregards the reality of heartache. With a bit of wit, quirkiness, courage and vulnerability all rolled into one, these poems tackle the matter of mortality. Her words are 'unafraid of the black, unpredictable night' as she explores the unexpected, unknown and transitory quality of life.”

It's no wonder I was thrilled with it! Interference from an Unwitting Species was such a departure from my first collection, Dealing with Men which everyone called "sassy" - a description that flattered me because it was exactly the voice and tone I was going for as I navigated my way out of one very long-term relationship (13 years) into a new one. The new guy was the complete opposite of the old guy, and it was like learning about men all over again... the rules of the game, and where to draw the line between trying to impress him and staying faithful to your own personality. As someone who has been tethered to one boyfriend or another pretty continuously since college, it's sometimes hard to maintain an identity that isn't who I am in relation to a man. Dealing with Men was my attempt to strike that balance. Interference, on the other hand, was written during a tumultuous year as I neared age 50, both parents were battling cancer, and one of my best friends was dying. It was also around that time that I was getting in touch via Facebook with people from the Wilmington High School class of 78, and I was fascinated by how different everyone's life turned out from what we all expected, and reminded me of how I lost touch with all Best Best Friends as soon as they got married. Interference is sort of a coming of age collection that I actually sent to my mom before publishing it to see if she thought it was too sad! But she, like Renee, felt that the humor throughout kept the tone upbeat.

But my true passion has always been writing novels, and I was thrilled to finally sign a contract in January with Blue Mustang Press for my book On Air. Having self published several books (back in the early 90s, long before anyone had even heard of the internet) I know what it's like to have cases of books that you can't sell. And even though On Air is being published by a reputable company, the task of promoting it lies with the writer. So I started a group on Facebook to track my steps as I come up with ideas to get the word out. My hope is that writers can use it as a tool to help them sell their own books. I also think that having to report on what I'm doing will motivate me to keep coming up with ideas. If anyone reading this would like to join, I would love to have you! The name of the group is On Air by Robin Stratton... the dumb thing is, you can't just join, you have to contact me and ask to be invited. I think we have to be FB friends, too, but I'm not sure. But certainly all are welcome!

Okay, everyone go back to your writing. Thanks, Renee, for letting me stop by!"
www.RobinStratton.com
www.BostonLiteraryMagazine.com
www.BigTablePublishing.com

Upcoming Cyanotype Workshops with Heather Leavitt Martinez

2011-05-21T18:48:00.011-06:00

Spending the day at Willow Tail Springs with Heather Leavitt Martinez was a highlight of my summer last year. I attended a Botanical Cyanotype Workshop she taught and it was my second experience with her in using the process of ultraviolet light and water to expose and develop photographic images. Cyanotype was the first print out process in photography and as an amateur photographer, I feel at home with it. It feels impossible to mess up (since Heather has the supplies ready to go) and the process is so fantastically interesting and engaging to produce that with each one I gained further insight into what I could do next. Heather's integration of the local landscape gives the work a place-based and organic quality. We spent time collecting plants, flowers and found objects to expose using treated paper, glass, sunlight and water. I was intrigued that this simple process could elicit continuing creativity from participants. People became more and more enthusiastic as their idea of what was possible to produce with this medium kept evolving. It was a day of shared inspiration, fun and relaxation.

I highly recommend the upcoming workshop. Peggy and Lee of Willow Tail Springs are wonderful hosts. The day begins with a tour of their amazingly intact Juniper/Pinon forested land, lush gardens (including a bowling ball collection that doubles as garden sculpture), and handcrafted buildings and artist studios. Their aesthetic and love of the southwestern landscape will seep into your bones and ignite your creativity just by being around them. Heather is a fine teacher and her humor and energy are contagious.

Beginning Botanical Studies:
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011

Advanced Film and Toning
Saturday, June 25, 2011

Featured Article on Suzanne Tyrpak's Blog

2011-05-20T15:04:00.004-06:00

This week on her blog, author Suzanne Tyrpak featured a short article I wrote about writing poetry and also my first poetry chapbook.

Suzanne is an inspiration in terms of indie-author savvy. Take time to check out her new book, Vestal Virgin, sure to be a great summer read.

Suzanne Tyrpak--Who's Imagining All This?

FutureCycle Poetry

2011-05-15T14:22:00.004-06:00

I have two poems published by FutureCycle Poetry.
You can read, comment, like and share them.

I like that these two are published together. I like their contrast.
Click here to go to my bio at the site.
Or go straight to Behind the Wind and Restless.

SW Colorado Arts Perspective Magazine Articles

2011-05-14T19:46:00.005-06:00

(photo by Heather Leavitt Martinez)

Here are links to two of my articles published by a local arts magazine out of Durango.

The first is about my experience with SOMA bodywork, which is deep tissue work in the Rolfing tradition.
"Reshaping the Body in Collaboration", SW Colorado Arts Perspective Magazine.Winter, 2010

The other is about the photography of Mark Montgomery (he also took many of my portraits featured on this site).
"Mark Montgomery: Juxtaposing Land and Figurative Image", SW Colorado Arts Perspective Magazine. Fall, 2007.

Poetry Reading

2010-10-03T10:41:00.002-06:00

Thursday, October 7, 2010
Cortez Public Libarary
7pm

An evening of poetry with poets from the Four Corners region. I will be reading with David Feela, Tina Deschenie, Michael Thompson, William Root and Pam Uschuck.

Heart Filter

2010-07-17T15:25:00.006-06:00

I've updated my website recently with links to published works that are available online.

I've been submitting work to lots of journals this year and have some new publications. I am still submitting my manuscript "The Hidden Largest" and have a new collection in the works.

Below is a poem "Heart Filter" from my book "If There Is a Center No One Knows Where It Begins". I have it listed at poemhunter.com, but aren't their ads totally annoying?! It is a handy site though as a way to find poems and copy them to something else with out having to type the whole thing in yourself (in fact, I just did that to post it here).
I like too that I am listed just before Edgar Allan Poe
(only because it is alphabetical)!

Heart Filter

There is light inside of every thing.
If I were a transparency,
a vapor, a mist, a pane of glass,
it would travel from its universal source
straight through me
and shine upon you.
You would feel its warmth.

The shine of the sun blazing, burning, glowing yellow
has journeyed all this way
traveling upon, yet contained within
space enormous and thick.
Travels a wide open course
until it is intercepted by the manifest world,
caught in the web of living things.
The filter of the branches of the Redwoods
catches the light in its airy net
so that it reaches the ground in small patches-
as if these diffuse rays are just enough
for fern, shamrock and coastal jay,
as if this canopy protects us
from being utterly consumed by the searing
sun passion love fire whose combustion
warms us from the inside
and out,
whose effusion from source into matter
is a miniscule point
exploding with no limits
other than the filter of our hearts
and this canopy of silent leaves.

Light falls like snow
suspended in the air
reflected on droplets of mist
in filaments, figments, facets,
floating, flittering, flying,
hovers upon the breath of the ancient forest community-
a glimmering reflection of life before the last ice age,
its secret revealed in the pattern of this illumination,
every day writing the memoir of itself.

Poetry Corner Presents - A Regional Poetry Reading

2010-02-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 5th, 7pm at the Cortez Public Library

Six regional poets from the SW are featured at The Poetry Corner Presents monthly poetry showcase . Poets include Renee Podunovich, Danielle Desrusseaux, Laura Hawes, John Peters Campbell, Kimberly Williams and Gloria Emerson.

I will be reading from my new work on structure and space, my current manuscript "The Hidden Largest" and my book "If There is a Center, No One Knows Where It Begins".

Here is a sample of what you might hear:

If There is a Center, No One Knows Where it Begins

The obsidian morning.
I hurl my heart out
into this incomprehensible starscape
and there it will reside a burning fire orb,
blazing and consumed
by the intensity of its aliveness.

Things are so far apart-
light years and galaxies,
your life and mine,
yet this morning,
everything is suspended in the prehistoric dark
the thick lagoon of the cosmos,
aquatic universe, sparkling stillness,
quiet. Nothing
but the churning mind,
nothing to do but sit as witness
to the rising and falling
the clinging and letting go
the chronic bubbling up and drifting away
of awareness.

If there is a core, a nucleus, a source,
Gaugy saw that some souls reach toward it,
some are stunned, frozen in reverence,
some contemplate the inferno from within,
others move away from the white heat of essence.
This morning, some are being born,
some are dying,
some are casting a net of forgiveness over
the sea of despair.

The sea like a tear
holds what is precious,
impossibly huge, I drink it
with a straw.

Burning from Within

2009-08-30T11:02:00.002-06:00

This poem will appear in my new book of poems "The Hidden Largest". I sent 200 booklets containing this poem to the Burning Man Festival, 2009. Maybe you got one?

Burning from Within

The glow of the fire,
fissured wood now breathing,
breath against the ear,
tongue in the mouth seeking,
sure to find the lava of being alive
of burning from within.

I’m not cold, I’m not the fire—

some heat that welds proton
to nucleus also fastens me to
this body, I don’t have to do anything
about it, spontaneous, not even
craft the matches used to start this campfire
my awareness the lichen on river stones
encircling the perimeter—
strike stroke straight into spark
surrender shifting core of coals
sweating sure of strength of mass
muscle and melting movement merge
substance ignited and igniting
imagine.

Ash is left
after passion,
infused in a base of rose oil
rubbed onto the heart.