Comment by Marika O'Baire Kark on October 20, 2012 at 7:41pm

Are there any poets in the San Francisco Bay area who would like to meet as a small group to write together and/or share work to comment upon?

Comment by Deborah Herman on October 20, 2012 at 11:21pm

Hi Marika. there is something call meet up. I have heard of people forming groups that way. I will look into it but if you get something started please set it up as an event on the site so others will follow your awesome idea. Welcome to the site.

Comment by Marika O'Baire Kark on November 13, 2012 at 10:29pm

Dear Deborah:  Thank you!  I have tried creating a Meetup group in the past.  This does not seem to work well in the Bay area as actually physically meeting is pretty challenging, given the traffic.  However I do live close to the Caltrain line (not too close) so the Palo Alto area and San Francisco's SOMA is doable.  I have been working on writing more poetry, working with several books other people may find helpful, i.e. The Poet's Companion by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, What is Found There: Notebooks on Poetry and Politics by Adrienne Rich who is a wonderful essayist, the monthly magazine Poetry from which many poets are chosen for Best American Poetry's annual edition, The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets Who Teach and The Discovery of Poetry by Frances Mayes.  They all offer unique points of view and delightful exercises to keep writing.  Lately I have been helping my husband through a couple life threatening cardiac events.  When he recovered, I have been returning to my three day a week work and teaching nurses how to write examples of their experience.  I LOVE to teach!!  Their stories amaze me every time.  I fall in love with the consciousness they come from.  Many of my poems are influenced by the patients I have taken care of, who allow me to be so closely a part of their lives and thoughts.  I am working on a second collection and need to know how to submit selected poems from the first collection, as well as the book itself.  What are your recommendations?

Comment