Search This Blog

Monday, May 4, 2009

First Anniversary of BP!


It's the 365th day of Blue Positive, the blog. In looking things over, it occurs to me there's a reason why I don't always get papers turned back to students as soon as I/they would like. 

That said, I hope that my "you have to read this!"es, noticings, and updates about the writing life have entertained, encouraged, motivated, amused, or enlightened you in the past year. Or done whatever blog posts are supposed to do. 

Interviewer: So, having blogged for a year, what do you have to say about it? 

Martha: Blogging is fun. My purpose is not to slander, slam, ask "why is so-and-so getting so much attention? is he/she/it really worthy of all that attention?" Instead, I'm aiming to be less about poet bashing, and also less about self-promo, and more about disseminating this and that about other poets and writers (and craft ideas and cricket behavior, too, of course). Next year I will be augmenting what's available here to include monthly blog tour interviews.

Interviewer: But what would Elizabeth Bishop say about blogging?

Martha: She would probably think it was horse manure with a twist of lime, but she also had issues with her creative output and preferred writing letters, did she not?  Maybe if there'd have been blogging back then she would not have written Write it! in a poem cuz she'd already written it in her blog, but that is not very likely, is it? She probably still would have written Write it! in a poem and written more chatty stuff on her blog (called Exiled in Brazil), at least that's my opinion, and maybe increased her poetic output, cuz she wouldn't have had to spend so much time writing letters to individual poets (but you can always post a comment if you disagree). 

Anyhoo, with that I'm dedicating this anniversary moment to Emily Dickinson. May her impulse "to dwell in possibility" inspire us all as we strive to put our best words in the best order.


I dwell in Possibility--

A fairer House than Prose--

More numerous of Windows--

Superior--for Doors--

Of Chambers as the Cedars--

Impregnable of Eye--

And for an Everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky--

Of Visitors--the fairest--

For Occupation--This--

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

To gather Paradise--

Thanks for all your support, dear readers! 

6 comments:

seana graham said...

Many congratulations! And keep it going!

Tom C. Hunley said...

Congrats on one year of blogging!

I like that line, "horse manure with a twist of lime." Is that from one of Bishop's poems?

So, I guess I'm sort of a blogger now, too. Who knows how much time I'll have to devote to it. Probably very little, but if I can use it for prewriting and what not, maybe it will be cool. Maybe you can add this blog to your roll. Here's my first blog post, which consists of notes toward a possible book review: http://theplumblineschool.blogspot.com/

Martha Silano said...

Thanks for the congrats.

Tom, I added you. Great blog name, and interesting content. I love how you described both Hamby's and Duhamel's work, two of my fav poets for the reasons you mention.

Sheila said...

Martha - Nice to see you at Plumbline and congratulations on your anniversary. I think Elizabeth Bishop would have made a great blogger. There are four days of poetry prompts for her national Poetry Month posts in 'Little Exercise' alone, and for the rest of the year "when it gets dark she will remember something
strongly worded to say on the subject," whatever the subject happens to be.

Peter said...

Happy Blog-iversary!

Joannie Stangeland said...

Happy anniversary! (a couple of days late).

I always look forward to reading your posts.