A Decade in the Life of a Chicana Author

Melinda Palacio

2010 Santa Barbara

2010: La Bloga Newbie
One of the best things about the past decade is finding my voice on La Bloga. La Bloga was the first online journal for Latino authors that I followed. This Chicana author was happy to have found a home here. It was a cold AWP conference for writers and writers programs in Denver where Manuel Ramos asked me to join. I remember being a little nervous about having something to say every Friday. The fact that I could write about anything or simply put up some photos made the decision easy. Why not? Eventually, Ramos came back to the fold and we share Fridays. This same year, Michael Sedano introduced the Festival de Flor y Canto de Atzlan reunion to USC, its archives span from 1973-2010.

2010 is also the year my first book was published. Folsom Lockdown, winner of the Kulupi Press Sense of Place award. The small chapbook represented a milestone. I visited my father in Folsom Prison the year before and over one weekend began writing the poems that would make up the chapbook. My father is now out of prison and we are less estranged than we were when I first went to visit him in 2009. The past decade has included more publications in journals and magazines and hundreds of rejections. If you want to be a writer, you need to celebrate the rejections and not let them create roadblocks to your goals.

2011
I took a trip with my sister and friend to Panama, where I met some of my father's relatives. Since I didn't grow up with my father, Panama was a place I never thought I'd visit, a mythical place that belonged to the world of my father. I'm glad my sister (whom I also did not grow up with) encouraged me to go.

Later in 2011, my first full-length book was published. Thanks to my connection to La Bloga's Daniel Olivas, who published a short story of mine in 2008 in Latinos in Lotusland, Arizona State University published my novel, Ocotillo Dreams, also found a literary home at ASU's Bilingual Press. Although the novel about immigration in Arizona is fiction, it was certainly a dream come true to see my book in print by a University Press.

2012
I was on a publishing roll the beginning of the decade. Tía Chucha Press published my first full-length poetry book. Earlier in 2007, when I was a PEN USA Emerging Voices fellow, I had the pleasure of getting to know Luis J. Rodriguez. I was more than thrilled when he accepted my manuscript for How Fire Is a Story, Waiting. Ocotillo Dreams was still in play as it won a PEN Oakland Josefine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature and the Mariposa Award for Best First Book at the International Latino Book Awards. I also had the pleasure of going to Cuba.

2013
I was happy to mentor students at the University of Arkansas in Monticello through their online MFA Program. Working with students online certainly had its challenges. I much prefer a one-on-one interaction, but I'd like to do more. Students have a way of teaching their instructors and mentors new skills. In 2013, How Fire Is a Story, Waiting was a finalist for the Milt Kessler Poetry Award and the Paterson Poetry Prize.

2014
The main thing I remember about 2014 is breaking my leg. If you ever get the urge to run down three flights of stairs carrying a heavy bag of books in each hand and wearing mule shoes with no straps, don't do it. The thought of the four months I spent in bed and that lighting pain moment of realizing my foot was facing the wrong direction sends shivers down my spine. Thank you Southern Orthopedic Specialists in New Orleans for putting me back together. I'm lucky I can walk, run, jump, and dance again. A positive attitude saved me from myself. It's easy to become depressed when your life is upended. I continued to read, write, and enter work for contests and publication. A poem that I wrote about my broken leg made it into the Coiled Serpents Anthology and I was a finalist in the Rita Dove Poetry Award and the Faulkner Wisdom Competition.

2015
With my recovery complete, I was free to jump back into writing and speaking. What I remember most about that year is having a poem chosen by the Academy of American Poets, the Praying Tree. In 2014, I broke my leg and in 2015 the house broke and we had some flooding that led to a long remodel. Sometimes it's hard to shake off an unfortunate streak, but at least the proverbial silver lining came in form of fixing up the house to how I would design it. Thieves also broke into the house that year, but only stole Steve's jars of quarters and one strand of pearls.

2016
One of the worst years was the year my grandmother died. I spent a month taking care of her before she decided that she had had enough of this earth. I remember very little else. I started and abandoned several projects. I didn't know it at the time, but eventually I would create something from the tragedy in the form of the poem, What the Birds Know, and a song, Bird Forgiveness for the project that would eventually become a book. Grief is never easy. When my mother died in 1994, I thought I wouldn't be long for this earth myself. Yet, I have survived my mother and grandmother, as most people do.

2017
A year after my grandmother's death, Steve surprised me with a trip to Tahiti. Tahiti has always been at the top of my bucket list and I fell in love with the place and the people. The Spring trip brought so much joy and a welcome reunion with our car. A month before the trip, our Honda Green Element was stolen from the driveway. Steve and I gave up on ever getting the car back. While we were at LAX, about to take off for Tahiti, a call came in from a towing garage saying that they had found and towed the car. Lucky for us, we were able to retrieve it when we returned from our trip.

2018 was the year Steve and I celebrated ten years of marriage. I also became obsessed with playing guitar. In November, Steve bought me a Martin guitar for my birthday. Music also helps me roll with the punches and all those rejection slips. For every publication, fellowship and grant application, dozens of rejection notes follow, not to mention the ones that don't bother to let you know you didn't make the cut. Thanks to Andrea Watson at 3 Taos Press who published my poetry book Bird Forgiveness. This is the book that has its own theme song. I've since written a few more songs, but the Bird Forgiveness  theme song will forever have a special place as being my first song. Steve told me I should write songs because I'm a poet. I didn't believe I had the ability to write a song until the melody popped into my head. Another highlight was our trip to Ireland; there's so much more to say about all the places I was fortunate enough to visit this past decade, including the banana festival in Kentucky and Memphis on the way back.

The end of 2019 was last week. This is the year I think I've finally finished my next novel. Only an acceptance of publication will tell me that it is indeed finished. A wise person said that books are never finished only abandoned. Sometimes your editor takes the manuscript from your critical hands. I'm still looking for such an editor. I've written more poems, songs, and stories.

Meeting students who see themselves in my writing and who thank me for sharing my work is one of the most rewarding experiences. It fuels me during those dry spells of rejections. Recently, I've had the pleasure of also sharing my music along with my poetry and fiction. Here's to the next decade, and thanks to my online ukulele teacher for asking about my accomplishments in the last decade. Did I mention I started learning the ukulele online? I'm also taking singing lessons. There's so much more that happened this past decade, but my computer is running out of juice and I'm on the road, my eyes beg for sleep. Cheers and happy new year. Know your voice and vote count.

2019 Monterey 

Facing the Truth about Facebook 2018

Melinda Palacio





Before ringing in the New Year, I am taking advantage of the quiet everywhere to get some writing done. I realized only too late that I had not prepared a piece for this week's La Bloga. My New Year's Resolution will involve being better prepared and better organized. It's safe to say that a few of my husband's good habits have rubbed off on me. After ten years, I see the benefits of having less clutter and an organized closet. One change Steve has made in his life that I continue to resist is his decision to close his Facebook account for good. He has pointed out how FB has gotten rich over the concept of using people like me, people who regularly put up free content on a website that they get rich off of by selling my information and those of my 'friends' and reading my posts and messages and learning what I like and dislike and sharing that information with their advertisers. See the NYT article for 5 Ways Facebook Shared Your Data or yesterday's article which breaks down Facebook's rule book and how the company makes about $5 billion in profit per quarter thanks to our sweet posts and rants. The bottom line is Steve does not appreciate being used or manipulated and he values his privacy more than I do.

Earlier this month, La Bloga learned that Facebook had unblocked and restored all of our posts. Now, that have a platform again, I'm not eager to give it up. I suppose I can point to vanity of wanting to share that photo of me in Ireland or of me eating a fabulous meal or wearing a new dress that keeps me buying into the deal with the FB devil, all under the guise of being connected to over a thousand friends and of being a writer who will reach a bigger audience with this great deceit that we've all signed up for. In reality, every private message, every red heart or smiley face means data that the FB sells to other companies like Netflix and Yahoo. And if you think you're too savvy to fall into the traps of how FB is using you, think two words: President Trump. Sure, neither you nor I voted for the thing in white house, but a whole bunch of other people did and a whole election was stolen thanks to FB giving access to real and fake accounts in exchange for the product: you.

Before I was addicted to photographing my food and looking at random videos of people that I vaguely know, I viewed the internet as a source for useful essays and information that might help my writing. It was here on La Bloga, before I joined my fellow esteemed Blogueros, that began my day in anticipation of what I might find on La Bloga. After all, being a fan of Daniel Olivas's column led to my first published story, and eventually, my first published novel. I trust that there are still La Bloga readers who turn to our site before turning to the a highly curated website where users manipulate their reality and post what they want you to see. Better yet, I trust readers of La Bloga will choose to lose themselves in a book and wonder where the time went.

As 2018 comes to a close, I've published a a new poetry book, Bird Forgiveness (3: A Taos Press) two of the Bird Forgiveness poems were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Readers of La Bloga know I've written several journalism and personal memoir pieces on La Bloga, as well as poems in literary journals, the most recent in Fifth Wednesday Journal, a special issue, Fall 2018 Issue 23, coedited by Ana Castillo and Vern Miller with cover art by Claudia D. Hernandez. La Bloga's own, Amelia Montes, contributed an excerpt from her upcoming memoir that was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. The call for Fifth Wednesday Journal's special issue on immigration was earlier this summer before the deaths of two children: Felipe Gomez Alonzo and Jakelin Caal. I also found out about the call for entries through a message on Facebook.

Making My Peace with Time: the Song

Melinda Palacio

Working on a new song, stay tuned for a video. 

Yesterday, I wrote a new song, my second effort. If this were the fifties I might have a complete 45 record with an A side, "Bird Forgiveness," and a B side, "Making My Peace with Time." I wrote the Bird Forgiveness theme song in March. This is the year I start writing songs. Last November, I started getting serious about playing the guitar and Steve bought me a guitar for my birthday, a beautiful Martin guitar no less. I'm still madly in love with both Steve and this fancy guitar of mine. It's no wonder I finished a new song on Día de Los Muertos. So far, both songs that I've written honor the women who have come before me.

A year ago, the idea of writing a song seemed like someone else's dream, not mine. For two years now, Steve has been telling me that I should write songs because I write poetry and I have a strong interest in music and learning how to play the guitar. Little did I know that learning to play the guitar would also come with learning how to sing and how to write my own songs.

What I've learned about song writing is that you don't know if you can do it until you sit and work with lyrics and add verses and music. Song writing is so much like writing a poem or a novel. A song begins with an idea, maybe even one line and you build around the mood or concept or story. My first song, the Bird Forgiveness theme song, was based on my poem, "What the Birds Know," from my latest poetry book, Bird Forgiveness (3: a Taos Press 2018).

Back in March when I wrote the song, I had that terrible feeling that most new writers have, that I might not be able to write another song, that it was some sort of fluke or accident and the magic of it all had been used up. A little voice inside me lacked the confidence that Steve had in me when he declared I should write songs.

It turns out the very act of doing and writing gives you the tools you need to finish the work. The work, whether a song or poem or story, always gets better with revision. The only way to work in melody and rhythm to your song lyrics is by trial and error, at least, that's how it worked for me. Decide on a key, try singing or humming the lyric, try a chord and if it sounds okay, keep it and move onto the next line or the chorus or bridge. The melody and rhythm determine how the song evolves and part of song writing is truly magic. At least, for my untrained ear and self, song writing involves a leap of faith.

My new song, "Making My Peace with Time" is about acknowledging the years that have been rolling by without my mother who died when she was 44. Now that I'm closer to the age she was when she died, I am at a stage in my life of acceptance. For so many years, I was in a mournful and depressed state. Now I celebrate life, the person my mother was and the woman I have become. 

Go vote!

Next stop on the Bird Forgiveness Tour include: The Louisiana Book Festival, November 10 at the Capitol Welcome Center Glass Room at 12: 15 pm in Baton Rouge and the University of New Orleans, November 14 at 8pm.

Drunk on Poetry

Melinda Palacio

Sporting one of my official Bird Forgiveness Tour outfits. 

As the sights and sounds of my magical vacation to Ireland start to fade like the voices in the movie set in Scotland, Brigadoon, I'm thrust back into the reality of my stateside life, which is not bad in itself. The last two weeks, I had two book tour events in New Orleans. The first, reading with the poetry buffet, I was joined by New Orleans Poets Valentine Pierce and Dennis Formento, and our poetess hostess, Gina Ferrara. Dennis reminded me of how our reading was a sort of literary reunion. Four years ago, the three of us read together in the 7th Ward, and Dennis secured a radio spot for us, leading up to the reading. These are connections I'm honored to make as an adopted New Orleans poet. The benefits of being married to a Southern man include an extended home in New Orleans, but California is where I am from and where I vote. 

Recently, a friend wondered if I loved to tour since sighting of the Bird Forgiveness Book Tour is heavily announced on social media. I don't mind running around from venue to venue. The best part of the book tour is sharing my work with newcomers. I especially love when people who say they aren't big readers or who have never been to a literary event, fall in love with my books. And, as my friend, Reyna Grande says, the books don't sell themselves. People enjoy hearing from the author directly. They want to hear the words in the poet's own voice. Recently, I received a phone call from someone who attended my reading at the Maple Leaf Bar last Sunday. She spoke about how much she enjoyed my presentation and also complemented me on my bird dress. Although I've seen plenty an author show up in frumpy clothes, my mother taught me better. It is from her that I get my aesthetic to show up properly dressed when speaking in front of an audience, even if that audience is made up of a handful of people. When I was a teenager, I was a slob and often went to school with shorts over my pajamas and a big lumpy sweater, while my mother, a teacher, was always dressed very nicely. Somewhere along my journey to healing from the grief of losing her (she was 44 when she left this earth), I took on the quality she had of putting some effort into my appearance and planning my outfits ahead of time. I still don't go all out the way she did. I don't roll my hair because it's naturally curly (she always wanted curly hair and I always wanted her straight hair) and I don't wear much makeup because I have allergies and I am always rubbing my eyes and sneezing (I am especially allergic to cats).

The Maple Leaf Bar's back patio

When people compliment me on my presentations and my appearance, I know she is smiling on me. Last Sunday, at the Maple Leaf Bar, was no exception. A friend in the audience asked if I had noticed the gigantic Monarch Butterfly that graced my reading. How could I not notice the larger than life creature, a blessing indeed. The Maple Leaf Bar can be a tough venue because some people don't necessarily show up for the poetry, but to throw back a few drinks in the outdoor patio. While one or two inebriated people were a little loud in their applause or praise for my poetry, I was not thrown off and I steadily and professionally delivered each poem. At the end of the day, I sold and signed more books than I had expected and won over some new fans, drunk or not. 

Poet Charles Baudelaire, asks us to be drunk, "But on what? Wine, poetry or virtue, as you wish. But be drunk."  "Enivrez-Vous. Mais de quoi? De vin, de poésie, ou de vertu, á votre guise. Mais enivrez-vous. In New Orleans, The Soul Rebels Brass Band suggests: "Drink A Little Poison Before You Die." 

If you're in New Orleans the second week of November, don't miss a chance to experience the Louisiana Book Festival, beginning with a cocktail party at the State Library Friday, November 9 and a full program of literary events Saturday, November 10. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the best literary event in Baton Rouge. Your poet will read from 12:15 to 1pm at the Capitol Park Welcome Center, Glass Room on Saturday. 

Bird Forgiveness Book Tour: Sights, Sounds, and Video

Melinda Palacio

I love it when people wear their bird print clothing.
Monica Fitzgerald, Melinda Palacio, Sandra Sarr, Nicole LeBlanc-Savoie.

An invitation to read in the heart of cajun country should be at the top of the list for any poet or artist looking for a friendly venue with a superb set up. Breaux Bridge and the Teche Center for Arts wins the prize, at least in Steve's opinion. I have fun reading poems and telling anecdotes about the making of the poems wherever I go. Since I often travel with my own roadie, I try not to bore him with the same set. And there was something extra special about reading in the crawfish capital of the world.

Melinda and Steve

This month it's been very easy choosing which poems to read. For the New Orleans launch at Octavia Books, I hit a few of the favorites, the title poem and the ekphrastic poem based on the cover of the book, the visual helps sell books. For the reading at Trinity's labyrinth, I chose my more devotional and sacred set. I've had people tell me that my readings feel like a prayer. With poems, such as the Praying Tree  (listen to this poem at the Academy of American Poets) and Beneath the Devotion of Doves, there's a sacramental and sacred element to Bird Forgiveness that I didn't connect with before being asked to read in a church in between organ pipe music, a favorite event for me. For the reading in Breaux Bridge, I performed a longer set, about 40 minutes. I made sure to read from each section of the book. Poet Laureate Emeritus of Louisiana, Darrell Bourque introduced me and his kind words about my work made me want to cry, but I held it together, professional poet that I am. I was impressed by the variety of people who attended, one of whom had never been to a poetry reading. I'm so honored to be the first to bring poetry into her life. I'm still basking in all the nice things people said about the reading. Director of the center, Sandra Sarr wrote a lovely post on social media:

"Sometimes magic happens. Melinda Palacio and her poetry had the audience spellbound as she read from her new book, Bird Forgiveness at TCA last night. Our special guest, Louisiana Poet Laureate Emeritus Darrell Bourque introduced our featured poet and we are so grateful to him for his always insightful words. Artist Kelly Guidry provided his beautiful bird sculptures, hummingbirds of wood and metal, as the perfect backdrop for Melinda’s Bird Forgiveness reading. The room was filled with brilliant poets and poetry lovers and the magic lingers."

Here's a clip from the reading for you to hear samples of the poems for yourself. If you want to read more of Bird Forgiveness, order the book online at 3: A Taos Press or from your favorite bookstore. 

                                                 Bird Forgiveness, video of the last bit of the reading.

Darrell Bourque

Signing books at the Teche Center for the Arts in Breaux Bridge

Melinda Palacio and Margaret Simmons

Earlier in the month, I was interviewed by non-other than Steve for the Figure of Speech show on WRBH's radio for the blind. Steve has many hats, techie, roadie, and now radio personality. Hear our interview on Soundcloud. It helped that Steve sat in on my interview with Susan Larson on NPR's WWNO, a wonderful radio experience. Listen to Susan Larson interview me, along with Louis Maistros. 



Next Stop, I join a fabulous line-up at Avenue 50 Studio, Sunday August 26 from 2-4pm, 131 North Avenue 50, Highland Park, CA 90042.


 


Upcoming readings: September 6 at EP Foster Library in Ventura and back in New Orleans October 6 for the Poetry Buffet at the Latter Library and October 14 at the Maple Leaf Bar at 3pm

A Wave of Santa Barbara Book Events: The Bird Forgiveness Tour

Melinda Palacio

This week, I’m doing little experiment and posting from my new Ipad. In theory, I should be able to do everything my laptop does. However, it’s much clumsier to work on this device and I will keep this post short and simply announce this week’s readings, where you can catch the Bird Forgiveness tour and other events before they fly away. The first stop is today, the official start and book launch party. A dear friend is throwing me a party for my new book. I’m blessed and grateful to have such generous friends.

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 14, I put on my novelist hat and join three fiction writers at the Camarillo Library, Lida Sideris, Kim Troutte, and Sheila Lowe for a panel discussion on using real life events in fiction. Check it out at 2pm, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, CA 93010. I’m looking forward to this event. It’s also near the outlets and the Marie Callender’s restaurant, a childhood favorite for their pies, cornbread, and pot pies. The panel is from 2-3pm.

Later in the evening, my friends from New Orleans, Jonathan Klein and Gina Ferrara are visiting and will be reading together at th Core Winery in Orcutt. Gina’ return to California is long awaited. She and Jonathan were supposed to read at the tasting room last year, but had to cancel. I had the pleasure of filling in for them. Core Winery is the center of the one-street town. Michael McLaughlin runs the monthly reading series, Live from the Core Poetry Series.

On Sunday, Gina Ferrara joins me the Poetry Zone. I’ve had a long relationship with Santa Barbara’s Poetry Zone. I was once the hostess of the series. I’m glad to see that it is still going strong. Sojourner Kincaid Rolle will host. If you love artificacts and old letters and papers, you’ll want to allow extra time to peruse the museum’s collection. Although the name says library, the Karpeles is more of a museum than library. As usual, our reading at th Karpeles includes refreshments and an open mic. All of this week’s literary offerings are free. The only one that is not open to the public is the private book launch party.
July 15 Poetry Zone Santa Barbara, Karpeles Manuscript Library 21 W Anapamu,
2pm, with Gina Ferrara

Finally, on Tuesday, I will be reading and signing books at Chaucer’s. Come and support a local bookstore.
July 17, Santa Barbara Chaucer's Books 7pm, Loreto Plaza3321 State Street, Santa Barbara

Next stop: July 25 at Octavia Books in New Orleans, 6pm. The Bird Forgiveness tour continues.

Bird Forgiveness: the Box Landing and Tour

Melinda Palacio

The birds have officially landed. I've received a box of author copies of my new poetry book, Bird Forgiveness. When my publisher requested a photo of me opening the box, I sent several stills and I also took a video to post on the feisboo (the big FB will most likely ban this post as well). I noticed that the ritual opening of the book box is a social media tradition that allows readers to share in the big moment when the author finally views the finished copy of books that will go out into the world. I'm thrilled to share this moment with La Bloga.

Will the birds land in your area?

For bookings and to bring the Bird Forgiveness Tour to you: contact melindapalacio@gmail.com or 3 Taos Press

Bird Forgiveness, the new poetry book.

Bird Forgiveness Tour  2018

Summer

June 17-22, Santa Barbara Writers Conference

June 21 panel, June 20 workshop

June 26, interview new orleans

July 14, Camarillo Library panel   2-3pm 

July 15 Poetry Zone Santa Barbara, Karpeles Manuscript Library 21 W Anapamu, 2pm, with Gina Ferrara

July 17, Santa Barbara     Chaucer's Books 7pm, Loreto Plaza3321 State Street, Santa Barbara CA 93105

July 25, New Orleans, Octavia Books, 6pm,

August 3, Teche Center for the Arts, 210 E. bridge St., Breaux Bridge, Louisiana in the heart of Cajun-Creole Country, 6pm.

Fall

September 1                Santa Barbara Paseo Nuevo 2-4pm

September 6          Ventura, Topping Room EP Foster Library, 7:30 pm,  Ventura, 651 E. Main Street       host Phil Taggart

October 6          Poetry Buffet with Valentine Pierce and Dennis Formento, New Orleans Latter Library  2pm

October 28    Maple Leaf Bar, New Orleans 3pm

November 10              Louisiana Book Festival      Baton Rouge TBA

November 14, University of New Orleans CWW with Neil Shepard   New Orleans, 8pm

2019

February 9, Core Winery, 7:30 pm, Orcutt Tasting Room, 105 W Clark Ave., Old Orcutt, CA, corewine.com

March 27-30 AWP Portland

When Poems Fly: Adventures in Songwriting and Bird Forgiveness

Melinda Palacio

I wrote a song. Not only did I write a song, but I came up with the chords and lyrics all on my new guitar, something that impressed me and my friends. My husband, Steve, was the only person who was not surprised by my sudden interest in all things musical. He's the one who took me guitar shopping for my birthday last November and he's the one who kept saying, 'you're a poet, you should write songs'. Every time he'd mention the songwriting idea, I simply chuckled to myself. Thinking, I can't even sing, let alone write a song.

When we went guitar shopping, I noticed there were several people who like to hang out at guitar shops and show off their skills. Then there was me; I'd pick up a guitar and play the handful of open chords I knew very well. At Jensen's in Santa Barbara, the small shop is very laidback and the owner, Chris Jensen, showed me all of their inexpensive guitars before busting out the big guns. Even before hearing the Martin Road Series, I knew it would be a guitar I would be super happy with. The beautiful rose wood had a dark red body. It was love at first strum. The guitar sounded just as rich as it deep mahogany color, like a fine wine and chocolate all rolled up in one perfected instrument. Last March, I wrote my first song on that guitar.  

Poem: What the Birds Know by Melinda Palacio

You're probably wondering just how did that magical moment happen. I had been putting the final touches on my latest poetry manuscript, Bird Forgiveness. It was a Saturday when I walked down to the Santa Barbara Roasting Company. That coffee shop always has a long wait. You could do an errand while you wait for them to pour your coffee into a paper cup, but Steve likes it. While I was reading Casa Magazine, the first lines of the chorus floated before me. I took out my pen and wrote the lines on the magazine. I had no doubt that I was writing a song, partly because I heard the melody in my head. The words were familiar to me because they were based on my poem, 'What the Birds Know' from my new book. Because the poem is now associated with the Bird Forgiveness book, the line I kept hearing was, 'because forgiveness begins with a bird, flying high, flying high, waiting for a lonely hand to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye'.

Bird Forgiveness, the song by Melinda Palacio

I had a chorus and two versus. Now, what? Steve advised me to grab my guitar and work out the chords, something that sounded like a very tall order, but ended up working out like a charm. I chose the key of D because I was learning a Bob Dylan song in the key of D, 'Don't Think Twice'. Because I heard the song in my head and had chosen an easy key with all open chords, when I finished the song, I recorded it and wrote everything down to make sure I wouldn't forget it. Two months later, I recorded myself playing my song on my new guitar. It's a great feeling to see one of my poems turned into a song. I look forward to writing more songs. I know I will be able to write more songs because I had the same anxious feeling about writing my first poem. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to write another poem. Three books later, I can assure anyone who wants to write or learn guitar that secret is daily practice.

Special thanks to Susan and Dennis Chiavelli for hosting the location of these videos and for their hospitality. Although I'm noticing several hiccups and mistakes in both the video of the poem and the song, I'm leaving them here for viewers. How many poetry books have their own theme song?

Bird Forgiveness, new title from 3: a Taos Press

Praise for Bird Forgiveness

As a lover of birds, I am a lover of Bird Forgiveness.  As a lover of poetry, I love these poems because though beaked and winged, in pain and in joy, they also take flight out of their occasion. With a focus on birds, the world is renewed, and the poet reminds us it is we who need forgiving. Melinda Palacio's birds touch us everywhere they fly: from the drowning of a homeless woman in Audubon Park to the oil spill damage to a duck. Like the birds she loves and mourns, Melinda Palacio migrates her songs between two coasts, Gulf and West, Latino and Anglo—and she asks for the poetic freedom birds have. Sometimes the poems appear as near sonnets, sometimes in utterly free shapes, but always this is a book of fierce mourning for the birds that fall at our feet and for a grandmother who dies under her watchful care while caged birds quarrel. In the end Melinda Palacio sets all her birds free, and we remember what birds and poets have most in common—their wild song. 

—Rodger Kamenetz, To Die Next To You

How wonderful to think that Melinda Palacio is writing poems so delightfully human, so unexpected in their movements  from wit to profundity, so uncompromisingly honest. Who else would recognize a bluebird as Elvis? Who else ask birds for forgiveness? Her finest book yet, Bird Forgiveness is a work of great modesty, invention, and abiding respect for all the living world.

—Rodney Jones, Village Prodigies

Bird Forgiveness is a deeply nourishing and exquisite book about living. Melinda Palacio

masterfully explores confinement, liberation, freedom, and flight. Abundant joy and wonder run through the poems—from the harpy eagle, to a bluebird named Elvis, to instructions on how to wash a duck—and they examine human behavior and relationships with wisdom and grace. This is a delightful, unforgettable book from a marvelous talent at the top her game.

—Lee Herrick, Scar and Flower

****

Happy Saturday. If you are reading this today, May 19, come to the La Bloga panel at the Pasadena Lit Fest at 5:30 pm at the Andalucia, 686 E. Union St. Bring any comments or questions. 

Building Bird Forgiveness, the Book

Melinda Palacio

Preview of my new poetry book, Bird Forgiveness

            Over the past four years, I've been working on two writing projects at the same time, a new novel, which remains in progress, and a new poetry book, Bird Forgiveness. Although I've been working on the novel longer than the poetry book, the poetry book won out and is in the final stages of editing and production. I wouldn't recommend working on two different books at the same time. I somehow always give into the myth of multitasking. Perhaps, multitasking is a genuine way to get more done at the same time. I don't really know anymore. Sometimes life forces you to get excited about more than one thing. The downside is rooms with piles of books and paper and other scraps of projects left undone because it's challenging to work on multiple items and get them all done to my satisfaction. Add to that a family tragedy like your grandmother dying a slow death to make all of your projects seem overwhelming.

            The moment when finishing what you've started seems overwhelming, Anne Lamott's 1995 book, Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life, still holds true. The big takeaway from Lamott's book is the scene when she describes her ten-year old brother having a meltdown because he had put off a report on birds that was due the next morning. He knew he didn't give himself enough time to finish the project and her father helped him out, sat down beside him and put his arm around her brother and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird'. I'm sure glad Anne Lamott shared that story with the world. The concept is about taking baby steps, breaking a big project down to smaller, more manageable chunks. Take the writing of a novel, for example, and look at it scene by scene, chapter by chapter, sentence by sentence, word by word. This is how a book comes to those traditional lovely last words, The End.

With my book, Bird Forgiveness, the idea of finishing the collection bird by bird doesn't apply only to the writing of the poetry collection, but to life in general. I wasn't concerned with taking on poems about the many different birds. This is a collection of poems that is as much about doing right by birds and the environment as it is about people and human relations, as the title poem suggests. And what has made all the difference is having an editor and publisher, Andrea Watson from 3: a Taos Press, champion this book without putting pressure on me to have a certain amount of poems finished by a particular deadline.

Being passionate about multiple types of writing and projects is a good thing. Once a book is finished, you simply can't shelve it and move onto the next project without giving the book another thought. There is still marketing, readings, and workshops to offer in connection with the last book, all the while working on the next book, as well as new poems and stories. However, I can shuffle my tortillas and get my novel to a stage where I am proudly displaying a cover and endorsements. For now, I'd like to share some of the words from three poets who were kind enough to send in their reviews for the book while the manuscript was still in progress and on its way to becoming the forthcoming book, Bird Forgiveness from 3: a Taos Press, coming soon to an independent bookstore near you (alert your favorite bookstores).  

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Endorsements for Bird Forgiveness:

As a lover of birds, I am a lover of Bird Forgiveness.  As a lover of poetry, I love these poems because though beaked and winged, in pain and in joy, they also take flight out of their occasion. With a focus on birds, the world is renewed, and the poet reminds us it is we who need forgiving. Melinda Palacio's birds touch us everywhere they fly: from the drowning of a homeless woman in Audubon Park to the oil spill damage to a duck. Like the birds she loves and mourns, Melinda Palacio migrates her songs between two coasts, Gulf and West, Latino and Anglo—and she asks for the poetic freedom birds have. Sometimes the poems appear as near sonnets, sometimes in utterly free shapes, but always this is a book of fierce mourning for the birds that fall at our feet and for a grandmother who dies under her watchful care while caged birds quarrel. In the end Melinda Palacio sets all her birds free, and we remember what birds and poets have most in common—their wild song.  

—Rodger Kamenetz, To Die Next To You

How wonderful to think that Melinda Palacio is writing poems so delightfully human, so unexpected in their movements  from wit to profundity, so uncompromisingly honest. Who else would recognize a bluebird as Elvis? Who else ask birds for forgiveness? Her finest book yet, Bird Forgiveness is a work of great modesty, invention, and abiding respect for all the living world.

—Rodney Jones, Village Prodigies

Bird Forgiveness is a deeply nourishing and exquisite book about living. Melinda Palacio

masterfully explores confinement, liberation, freedom, and flight. Abundant joy and wonder run through the poems—from the harpy eagle, to a bluebird named Elvis, to instructions on how to wash a duck—and they examine human behavior and relationships with wisdom and grace. This is a delightful, unforgettable book from a marvelous talent at the top her game.

—Lee Herrick, Scar and Flower

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Where I'll be tomorrow: Beyond Baroque, February 24 for the Nasty Women Poets anthology reading at 4pm. If you're in Venice, say hello. Peter J. Harris follows at 8pm. 

Sheryl Luna Does Not Shy Away from Tough Questions

Guest Post by Sheryl Luna, winner of the inaugural Andrés Montoya Prize for her 2005 Pity the Drowned Horses. Her latest poetry collection is Seven (2013 3: A Taos Press).

Students from around the country wrote me after two of my poems came out in the April edition of Poetry Magazine.Chinyere, Shannon and Gene wrote me with specific questions about my motivations for writing. A few other high school students around the country wrote me as well. The initial poem “Shock and Awe” deals with sexual trauma, and the second poem “Lowering Your Standards for Food Stamps” deals with the speaker working at 7-11 and observing violence in the parking lot. The poem deals with the shame of being on public assistance in this country. Most of their questions seemed to circle around the poem about food stamps. One young single mother wrote because she had recently had her food stamps slashed. She wrote an emotional email thanking me for exploring such a difficult topic.

The students from the Illinois Math and Science Academy also asked challenging and intriguing questions. They have given me permission to use their questions and my answers for La Bloga.

Here are a couple of email exchanges we had.

Hello Ms. Luna,
Our names are Chinyere, Shannon, and Gene. We attend the Illinois Math and
Science Academy. We are emailing you to inform you that we have picked you
as a candidate for our Poet Laureate Project. In this project we research
American poets who we believe will be worthy of the title Poet Laureate.
As a part of this project, we would like to ask some questions. We were
wondering where you got your inspiration for your poems? We also wanted to
know whether or not you feel that your poems represent American ideas and
values. We feel that your poems and background are very strong
representatives of recent America, making you a candidate for this
project. We hope you contact us back.

Thank you for your time, and our most sincere compliments to your work!
-Chinyere, Shannon and Gene


Here is my response to their initial email questions:

Hi Chinyere, Shannon and Gene,

Thank you so much for reading my poems!

I suppose I get my inspiration from living. I also learn about life from others, and it is through learning that I hope to grow as a person. It is that life journey, and our humanity towards one another, and even or our inhumanity towards one another that leads me to write I believe. It is my hope that we learn to treat ourselves well, and treat one another well.

The poems in POETRY magazine deal with public assistance and trauma and recovery, and yes, I see this as being representative of a large chunk of America and American ideas of fairness, equity and freedom.

I’ve heard 1 in 3 women are assaulted in this country. PTSD is prevalent as well after Afghanistan and Iraq. Many in society maneuver through a difficult bureaucracy, such as single working mothers, disabled people and the unemployed.  So yes, in terms of recovery, resiliency, and overcoming adversity, I think they represent American ideas.  My first collection and parts of my second collection deal with cultural diversity, which I think is central to American ideas and values. We are learning to value the various cultures which make America America.

I hope these answers suffice. Feel free to ask any questions that may arise.

Best Wishes,

Sheryl

Another group of questions they asked a few days later address community work and what one would do as Poet Laureate.I thought the students asked thought provoking questions, and their interest in what the poems were doing got me interested writing an essay on Post Traumatic Stress. Also, I found many of the questions by other students to be centered around the sexual trauma described in the poem “Shock and Awe.”

Ms. Luna,

Thank you for your timely response! We do have some follow up questions
for you, and we hope you can give us as many answers as possible (its a
bit extensive).

Besides your website and publications what do you do to help share poetry
with your community? And how would you do this for the country if you were
nominated as poet laureate?

Also, can you tell us a little about your past; how you came to writing
poetry and more about what writing poetry means to you?

And as a final question (it's a broad one); what would motivate you to
serve as our national poet laureate?

Thank you for your time and effort once again. I'll be awaiting your
response.



Here are my responses to those questions.

One thing I do to help share poetry with community is that I volunteer at a local mental health center where I help teach a creative writing class. I think tying the creative arts, including poetry, to mental health centers is a great thing because it allows people to express themselves and their observations of the world and validates those experiences.

I came to poetry through a creative writing class I took as an undergraduate at Texas Tech University. I wanted to be a novelist, but the professor told me I was more of a poet.

What would motivate me to serve as national poet laureate? Wow. Well, I think I would like to share the joy of poetry with people of all ages. Encouraging others to read and experience the joy of writing would be a goal. Poetry writing is a means of sharing, surviving and thriving, so I would like to help implement community oriented venues where people can discover the healing power of art. I think this goes for young people as well as incarcerated people, the elderly, the disabled, middle aged individuals and families. I think oftentimes we are overly materialistic, and poetry can help us see the intrinsic value of creativity and art. So promoting poetry is promoting health and healing.