Why I Love the Texas Poetry Calendar
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| Proudly Modeling My Contributor Copy |
Anyway, why do I like this little collection? Well, first off, poets from all around the state submit, from El Paso to Orange, from Abilene to Brownsville. The poems are loosely tied to a regionalisms, so needless to say, the collections full of "flavor." My poem this time around is an ode to Shiner-drinking women, which, maybe I fall into that category more often than I'll admit. I love Texas. I love Texas poetry. It's varied and complex and beautiful, but at the same time, there's this tough spirit to it.
What else do I like about the collection? So this part's a little more pie in the sky, but recently, I attended a panel discussion on the power of anthologies to build communities. This really struck a cord with me. I like to think the TPC works in this way, too -- to bring Texas poets together, to represent the best of what our state has to offer in terms of our verse, and to define what it is we do. The editors also set up readings throughout the state, so yes, the poets get to meet each other, read alongside each other, and celebrate, talk, mix. All good stuff, because, well, let's face it, Texas is frickin' huge and sometimes we can get isolated in our micro-communities. There's a bigger community out there of Texas poets, and that's a good thing.
And there's one more thing. I love this calendar because it gives me a "place" to only write dates about poetry :-P So, yeah, it's practical too.
Anyway, get yourself a copy. You can find them here: Dos Gatos Press
Or on Amazon. But please, buy from Dos Gatos, because they're really cool cats. Hah.
Oh, and how about a little caveat? I look terrible in my picture. I've been sick. Lemmie alone!
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