Novel manuscript formatted, Fairfield packets sent off, NYU portfolios read and graded. And tomorrow we're headed to New Orleans, where Mark is Poet-in-Residence at Audubon Zoo, and where I'll reportedly get to go behind the scenes. By this I mean, get to meet the creatures up close, possibly... elephants? More, obviously, to pass on in a day or two, but in the meantime two things:
Kathy Graber, whom some might remember as Arden's favorite animal sitter in Dog Years, has an excellent poem, "The Drunkenness of Noah," in the May 17th New Yorker.
And Bindu Wiles' interview with me went live on her blog today. I hope you like it. It was good to get to talk about genre and truth and animals and things l usually don't get to talk about.
The pictures above, by the way, were taken in the backyard out in Springs today. A cold dry sun on the leaves, a very good weather for raking, weeding, pulling, sweeping. Then, off the ocean, a wind so moist it almost had a taste in it. Even the maple out front shuddered.
6 comments:
Paul
great pics- thank-you
the luminous peace of Springs!
nice!
the gardens here in Montreal aren't quite as far along, but the pup and I were out there first thing this morning as the sun rose over the rooftops.
thanks again Paul
Thanks very much, David. I think Springs is much further along than it usually is in May--voluminous Spring rains, more than a few spells of heat, even though SE New York State is probably as cold as Montreal today.
Hi Paul - the Springs you speak of... do you mean Saratoga Springs? One of my favourite parts of Upstate New York is Saratoga Springs - esp. in Spring or Fall. I picture you and Mark there, but you may be referring to an entirely different place!
I do love coming to your blog - it's a gentle, welcoming space.
Thanks - I'm off to read your interview now.
Claire
Hi Claire, our Springs is out on Long Island's East End, on the north (bay side) of East Hampton village and Amagansett. It's about three hours east of NYC by car/train. (Back in the day, de Kooning, Jackson Pollack, Frank O'Hara, and Jean Stafford lived there.)
Yes, Saratoga is lovely place. I was just there in March.
Hi Paul - your Springs sounds like a wonderful place to live and work, esp. with the echoes of those other creative voices lingering . . .
Your interview with Bindu Wiles was rich and satisfying; it was lovely to read more about your writing process, your care for animals (we have much to learn from them), your compassion for people and the environment. I have sent the link to several writer friends here in NZ, knowing you will inspire them, too.
Thank you - and enjoy your 'Zoo Times' with Mark! Claire
Thanks very much, Claire, for the kind comments and for passing on the work. I hope you're having a wonderful week. P.
Post a Comment