foodie porn and...er...food porn

I’ve been meaning to direct you all to a bit of foodie porn as of late. The pics at Canelle et Vanille so make me wish knew how to cook and was much less of a disaster in kitchen. (I have tried, dear reader, even if I’m doing well I tend to put things into the oven and manage to burn them when distracted by a cat, a phonecall, or the internets.) and, of course, I have no idea if all beautifully photographed food actually tastes as good as it is pretty. I’m a bit envious of my friends who can just whip things up (though I suppose having something besides three day old pizza, soy sauce, and soap in their fridge might help for impromptu cuisine.) My mother is an amazing cook, as is my sister, but it was apparently not a gene I inherited, terribly sad since I am definitely a girl who loves to eat. It doesn’t even seem to be an affliction endemic to poets since Bronwen is always posting lovely food pics.


On another note, I recently stumbled upon the Aussie import Feed, which I have to admit was the only movie that resulted in me having that look on my face throughout the entire film (you know the one that looks like one just stepped in dog poo). It wasn’t that the movie was horribly made. (it was pretty low budget but well-scripted and edited artfully.) but the subject matter was itself rather disturbing-—an internet crime division detective goes off in search of a man tying obese women up in his house and force feeding them to nigh over 600 lbs and taking odds on when they will die. I don't consider myself a prude by any standards, and always lumped the “feeders” in with all those other slightly odd sexual preferences, ie. furries, and plushies, and those people really like balloon animals, I have to admit I was a little shocked and disturbed by the film to the point where I almost turned it off a couple times. Amid the torture and cannibalism, there is a bit of statement about women’s bodies and weight standards, but admittedly it gets sort of lost in the disturbingness. I have a way of finding these movies and then sort of wishing I hadn’t.

dancing girls about town

Last night was a great time at the Danny's Indie Press reading. Kristen Orser was awesome, as were all the readers, particularly Patrick Durgan's collaborative reading of Hannah Weiner's work. We're gearing up for next week when dgp gals (Kristin, Stephanie Anderson & Susan Slaviero) are on the road to the Tuesday Funk Series, and then in October, at the 1st Fridays Series (I'm still working on the line-up for this). Also watch in the next week or so for a batch of new chaps as soon as I get things in order, as well as the much tardy Summer wicked alice (er...should I say the Fall Issue.) I was actually thinking yesterday that we've been online for 8 years now and how things have evolved both design wise and in terms of aesthetics, although I imagine it pretty much reflects my own own interests as a poet and how they've evolved in a more innovative direction (as well as some of the authors we've been publishing since the beginning as well.). I've always like to think of the editor as collector of interesting things, something I've been thinking about in the daunting task of wading into the morass of the dgp submissions come Sept 1st.

The last couple of days have hinted at fall, cool, cloudy, unusually windy. It's inevitable I suppose, winter and all the bleakness. On the plus side, I talked to the folks at GRP and girl show if all goes well will be out before the end of the year. So there is that to look forward to. Meanwhile, I am filling a gigantic bookstore order, making 6 pairs of earrings for bridesmaids (actually not my for my sister's nuptials, but an etsy sale to an impending bride) and secretly plotting holiday lovelies for the shop. I'm also getting ready for a big fall update (mostly because the USB cable on my camera is done for and I haven't been able to add the last few things I've been creating over the past couple of weeks--including collages, candles, necklaces, new notecard designs, and much more..stay tuned)

(pre-) occupied

bee happy by wickedpen featuring Roberto Cavalli

with books and new papery offerings. More soon, but for now, some random fashion & style loveliness.

Save the Remingtons...

Today was was a rather blissful day away from the library, the highlights of which were sleeping as late as I desired then fiddling with jewelry most of the afternoon (including a version of the ubiquitous asymetrical flower necklace everywhere on etsy these days, but I couldn't resist, trendy or not, some of them are really pretty.)I also re-stocked the lemon verbena soap and made some new typewriter key rings. In random internet oddness, yesterday I was accused, out of nowhere, by another vintage seller via e-mail of destroying typewriters to make my jewelry, which he/she implied, like all typewriter jewelry, were trendy peices of crap. While I agree it's dumb to rip apart a working typewriter, there are a million that are basically very large paperweights, just waiting to be dissassembled. I get my keys on ebay usually in some ferocious bidding wars. I replied to his/her rather snippy message very nicely that I have never knowingly violated a typewriter, that I actually have a small collection of 50's models myself that I'm very protective of, and that he/she should remove the Tori Amos box set from his/her shop since it is neither handmade nor vintage. Thank you.

I am seriously coveting that pink one, if I weren't saving up for this for the studio, that would be mine.

weekend

Much of this weekend was devoted to working on a few revisions of poems, a couple new pieces, and doing a little research for a new text/art project I've been hatching. There was also a bit of collage-work (I'm working on some new soap packaging hopefully), as well as some framed pieces, and some votive candle holders. I haven't ever actually made candles, which I will be attempting next week, but I suspect it is similar to soap except with..well, wax and a wick.

Meanwhile, we have had a spat of warm, overcooked temperatures, but today was cooler and stormy. Friday, I had an enjoyable afternoon off, a long lunch with R, a few hours folding books, then an open studio, which moved a few things out in terms of inventory. (I always waffle on whether or not to participate, but am usually glad when I do) I am on the verge of launching into super production mode in order to stock up for the impending holidays (yes, the retail calendar is a bitch like that, summers not even over and they expect us to be thinking about Christmas?))

This is a short week, since I am taking a couple more days off from the library and making a long summer weekend before the insanity of the semester starts in a couple weeks..

things I read and saw and did and ate on my vacation..

Did: drove up to a lake we used to take the boat out a lot when I was kid. Visited the Swiss Colony outlet store in Monroe WI, bought a huge brick of swiss and subpar, undecorated petit fours. Went to thrift stores, threw a bridal shower, had a camp fire, made smore's, watched a thunderstorm. Stayed up til dawn, took afternoon naps, ate potato salad, wrote three new poems.

Read: Sandra Beasley’s Theories of Falling (New Issues), Carol Guess’ Tinderbox Lawn (Rose Metal Press), latest issues of Fence and Denver Quarterly, In the Birds Breath, Marcia Roberts (Effing), a rather trashy Wicked Game,(found in the spare room at home under the bed, don't remember author.)Bride magazines.

Saw: cows lining up orderly to cross a bridge in a field, a miniature train attraction, lots of horses, Zak and Miri Make a Porno ,a ridiculous number of reality shows centered around cake making.

thoughts on some thoughts on women's poetry

The Kings are Boring: Some Thoughts on Women's Poetry

I've been mulling over this essay this morning, but can't help but feel like perhaps the author just isn't reading the right books, and is missing out on something rather important by not reading her contemporaries. I agree everyone should read as much across genres/genders/generations as much as one can, but her view of female poetry seems severly limited. That bloodlessness she found could easily be remedied by taking a look around and finding more interesting, daring, and innovative women poets.

While I don't really write reviews, and by nature, think taste in poetry is an altogether subjective thing, I guess I do understand, at least in outside real life, that particularly female pressure be "nice." The idea that maybe tearing down the work of other female poets is somehow a chink in the wall of what we've sought to build. That we are somehow subverting sisterhood by tearing each other part even in the name of critical standards. But then again, that's hardly a reason not to express our opinions on what works or does not work, whether or not the author and I have the same chromosomes.

This however, sort of irks me:

If Glück is right, then to write as a woman is to exile oneself to poetry purgatory.


I've never seen feminine experience as some sort of "other" one writes toward, given that 50% of women poets are writing...well.. as women. How can we write as anything else? And why is the female experience looked at as something necessarily subversive rather than just a frame of reference that happens to vary from the traditionally male. And how can we possibly assume that something written by a woman with a female frame of reference is necessarily only be written for women? How does, as Gluck says, writing as a women poet exile one to purgatory anymore than writing from some other frame of identity--race, nationality, class, dayjob??

Certainly, I don't want to be a poet only women read, and I don't want to read poetry only about the experience of "being a woman" -- whatever that means beyond a bunch of clichés about the Madonna/whore dichotomy, the male gaze, or childbirth."

I have to admit this represents a frustratingly narrow view of the subject line of women's poetry. I can also say that maybe only one of the books dancing girl press has published in the last year has actually dealt with any of these topics and yet I would say 60% are dealing with female experiences, or are "shudder* feminist by their nature. Even the other 40% are, whatever their subject, by simply being written by women, are as well. I continually find it interesting that at least 65 percent of the people who purchase dancing girl titles are men, and we typically have more male subscribers than female any given year.

I doubt any of our authors set out to write feminist, or women-oriented texts, but even so, in the interest of being an example of women's letters, they turn out that way. I think it's impossible to erase, or get rid of that frame of reference nor do I think it's quite so neccessarily desirable to attempt it, even for Virginia Woolf (who couldn't quite wipe away those female handprints as much as she tried.. .)


More on this:
at Bloody Ice Cream

dishes, dresses, mirrors

I have made some serious scores in the thrifting department this week --some beautiful mustard toned floral dishes, a couple of pretty 70's dresses, a big faux gilt mirror, some mirrored vanity trays for display, and, if I decide to go back and get it, possibly an amazing 50's salmon colored loveseat for the studio (only $70). Otherwise, there has been dining out al fresco, big vases of gladiolas, lounging profusely, sleeping late, planning fall soap varieties (green apple and a sweet almond), and reading trashy books I wouldn't be caught dead with in public. I've also been slightly reordering the KD manuscript in light of a couple recent additions. Still not sure if it's contest bound or if I will hold on to it a little longer.

There is of course, high drama and quarreling in the wedding preparations which I am trying to stay neutral on, mostly involving lavender ribbons which will or will not be adorning the candy buffet, the money that the groom thought the bride had covered, who will pay for what and wheretofore. All of which firms up my determination that should I ever decide to get hitched, I'm Vegas bound in the middle of the night with no one the wiser.

idle

pure romance by wickedpen featuring J Crew

I will be off shortly for something like a vacation, or at least that's what it's called in theory. Whether it will be restful at all remains to be seen. The Printers Ball was even more fun than I imagined, though I may have had a bit too much beer (actually, a medium amount of beer but in too short of a time that left me a little loopy and out of it). I only managed to grab a couple of lovely papery things, but the goods were sort of picked over even a little ways into the event. It was like a big party with books and all your friends and I'm so glad I ended up going. See some photos here.