After years of tweeting, a lot — too much for me, in fact, though some topics never get enough press, including the bicycle transportation news I citizen-journaled from one of my Twitter accounts — this year I’m experimenting with giving it up. Thus, so far in 2023 I’ve been saying less of what I think […]Read Post ›
This weekend’s reading included an essay from a 2010 issue of Poetry Magazine, which has been in a “to read” stack of books I’ve hauled around for a decade, but still hadn’t read. Grad school killed off reading for pleasure; the Coronavirus shutdown revived reading for pleasure; go figure. The essay, Why Live Without Writing […]Read Post ›
Yesterday, surveying the empty toilet paper aisle at my local Fred Meyer, I was reminded of this Bible verse I was once taught, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns… Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” One […]Read Post ›
Anna’s hummingbird, that I’ve ceased to feed sugar. Red-breasted sapsucker, leading me sidewalk-tree to sidewalk-tree in a May distraction display, like killdeer do. The nest isn’t in these stunted curb trees; more likely the old trunk of a wetland tree behind us. Crows swallow at something in the road, buoyant and ready to abort mission. […]Read Post ›
Yesterday was the Holiday Cheer book fair at the Oregon Historical Society. I was there with my book of poetry & Portland photography, and I can’t believe, after nearly 20 years in Oregon, more than 10 of which were in Portland, that I’d never been to OHS! Please go sometime, if you haven’t been—it’s a […]Read Post ›
My most respected poetry teachers and colleagues warned me away from writing “political poetry.” I secretly loved that these same individuals, while staying away from writing about politics—or at least masterfully disguising their political poems—happened to be quite willing to discuss the latest white house offerings and right-wing politician scandals, especially over dark beer in […]Read Post ›
Naomi Fast 