Three Things . . .

One thing: You may have noticed, if you are/were a friend of mine on Facebook, that I've disappeared. That's by design. I've also emptied the feeds in my Google reader. Those are my two biggest time wasters on the internet, and so, for a time, at least, I'm going to see what life is like without them. I'm always amazed and grateful that I'm able to write at all--being an artist at any level of recognition is a blessing--but this year is the first in three or four that I've honestly felt I could/should have written more. I wrote a poem a day for a good little stretch early this fall; I want to get closer to that year round.

Another thing: You should read George R.R. Martin. You really should. You should also buy local and American-made stuff. And you should send some real hard-copy letters through the USPS this year.

And a third and final thing: Atticus Review was kind enough to nominate my poem "The Everyday Parade" for a Pushcart. It's always an honor when a publication believes your work ranks with the best they've received. And especially one like Atticus Review, which is doing really cool and interesting work.