Category Archives: Writing

Nick Cave: What are your plans for the corona pandemic?

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Jeff

Nick Cave (of the Bad Seeds) writes a blog, The Red Hand Files, answering questions from readers, usually several at a time. I don’t know his music, but I like how he thinks. I’m writing an essay on “How I’m … Continue reading →

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Order & Chaos

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Jeff

These are two heavy duty words. My definition of order for the purposes of this essay is predictability. In an orderly world, actions have predictable results, not necessarily the same every time, for example, the result of throwing dice is … Continue reading →

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Six Questions For …

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Jeff

As I look for new places to submit my work, the Six Questions For … blog is helpful. Every week Jim Harrington posts an interview with the editor(s) of a literary journal. The last question is always, “What one question … Continue reading →

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Corona Creatives – Austin History Center

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Jeff

The Austin History Center is soliciting materials for their “The COVID-19 Files: Austin Responds to a Pandemic” archives. Their archivists encourage you to keep a journal, write poetry, pen a script, draw or paint, start a video or audio blog … Continue reading →

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C-19 Pandeme

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Jeff

In a recent open mic, Geoffrey Hall, an Austin poet, proposed a new poetry form, C-19 pandeme: 100 words in 19 lines. He read two fine examples. C is the Roman numeral for 100. Pandeme is not an English word. … Continue reading →

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Visual Rhyme

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Jeff

One thing new I’ve learned from on-line Open Mics is visual rhyme, also called eye rhyme. During a recent on-line open mic, the poet shared the word processor screen as he read the poem. The first three lines all ended … Continue reading →

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What to Write

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Jeff

Writing in the Time of Global Trauma looks like it might be a topical blog post about the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a timeless meditation on what to write, what calls to the writer, grounded in the author’s life and … Continue reading →

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Don’t Read Poetry, by Stephanie Burt

Posted on December 29, 2019 by Jeff

Back in the 80s, I lived and worked for a month outside London. Weekends and a few week nights I’d ride the train into Waterloo Station, hop on the Underground, ride part way, then walk the rest to a museum, … Continue reading →

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Agenda

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Jeff

As my practice deepens, my agenda deepens with it. What I do and what is off the table is key. For rank and file cloistered monastics this is not a question. A higher-up or the tradition decides when they rise, … Continue reading →

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Rituals

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Jeff

Most creatives have rituals to get them started. Steven Pressfield blogs on the writng process. He writes fiction and creative fiction, but most of his advice applies to any creative endeavor. His latest, “Get Up! Begin Your Day!”, details his … Continue reading →

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