Writing to keep my mental house in order--

Huzzah, I got it done!

I've been dabbling as a poetry collection reviewer for not quite a year now, and I have found that I really enjoy the challenge. The books are widely varied, and I have been really humbled and gratified to hear that the poets are pretty pleased with how I approach reading, thinking, and writing about their work. I'm a scholar, first and foremost, and over the years, my inquisitiveness has been trained by a fabulous pantheon of working poet-teachers I've met. Only one book has challenged me too much; yes, I wrote the review, but the publication that set the task for me ended up not wanting the essay. I don't mind; I didn't really like the book, as I found it pretty inaccessible. 

That all said, the one I just finished reading, thinking about, and finally, writing about was delightful to read. I love a good ekphrastic poem, and this collection was full of 'em. Add to that a really skilled poet who is able to bring the reader along from external to internal landscapes, working from the universal to the personal and back again... this book was a good one to dig into. Due to the family exigencies and work and so on, I had to keep moving my deadline for the essay, though, which made me feel anxious and inept. I'd made promises, and the editor (bless her) was fully understanding about why I could not meet the ever-elusive timeline I'd proposed. Yesterday, though, while Holly napped, I was finally able to put brain and words into form, and I got the review written. 

I feel most myself when I'm writing analysis; I love going deeply into a text and seeing what it has to tell me, and whether I agree or disagree with both craft and subject matter. I love finding little "hidden gems"-- not hidden meanings, but sneaked peeks into the how of it, the deft moves that the poet uses to present a beautifully turned phrase or surprising image. 

This is probably the most "normal" I've felt in weeks. A good stretch of thinking and writing, then revising and editing, helps keep my mental house dusted and in working order. I'm so glad I could do that, it's almost beside the point that the essay is done. I needed to be "me" for a couple of hours. 

I can be a whole lot calmer now, I think. One, a deadline is finally met, and two, my brain is not fuzzy and buzzing as much. 

Have a good day, folks. 

C