Ten Years Later

photo: Dan Whale via Unsplash

The first-ever Thing Written Down appeared on this blog ten years ago today.

Yeah, I know.

The intervening decade feels more like a lifetime. The world is changed.

I am changed, too. Very little of my life now resembles my life then. But I'm still writing things down, and I'm still glad you're here.

May Is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month

art by Lora Mathis

May Is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month.

No other disease in the history of medicine has been neglected in such a way.

--Dr. Rodney Grahame

I cannot think of a single illness that needs more awareness than EDS. It is not taught in medical school; most doctors have never heard of it. 

EDS is a genetic disorder that causes defective connective tissue. I was born with it, and started showing what would later be recognized as symptoms very young. 

I was not diagnosed until just before my 30th birthday.

In the intervening time, I was blamed for my illness. I was told by an allergist that I was making it up, that I was "doing it for attention". I was told by an emergency room doctor that "women just have pain sometimes." I was told by a neurologist that I was "performing illness" to cope with some suppressed childhood trauma. I was told that what I was experiencing was not real. 

My experience is not uncommon. The average time to diagnosis for people with EDS is ten years. Most of those people are women.

For you and your loved ones--because you likely know somebody who has EDS and does not yet know--just learn the basics.

I've written a little about the experience of living with EDS and its comorbidities in Pacific Standard, Luna Luna, and Quail Bell magazines.

This website is for my writing. But at times, my illness makes it difficult and even impossible to write, and I wanted you to know why.

Tomorrow Night!

Get your tickets while you still can! The show is almost sold out.

Good News, Everyone!

Big news, too: in collaboration with Grant of the Guild of Scientific Troubadours, I've set some of my poetry to music, and may even be dabbling in songwriting. Our first team effort is a spoken-word version of "Watasenia Scintillans Addresses the New Graduates."



Watasenia Scintillans Addresses the New Graduates
She clutches the podium with translucent arms.
She is older than her picture.
She closes her eyes slowly.
We all lean in.
"Life…" she says, tasting each costly letter,

"Life is short. Light your whole self up
every chance you get."



You can download the track over at Bandcamp if you're so inclined. Grant and I (collectively now known as Squid Pro Crow) have all sorts of good stuff in the works, so do stay tuned.

Blessed From Head to Toe (Finally, Some News!)

I'll be reading my poetry in the Tiber Creek Cabaret at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harman Hall on September 3. Tickets go on sale July 1. Click here for more information.

Hope to see you there.


"Light Crown" by Kelly Vivanco

Watching and Waiting

Good things are in the works. Stay tuned.




photograph by Jorge Rimblas

Warily Pleased

My poem "Laying Out a Yellow Dress the Night Before First Grade" has been accepted for publication in the brand-new Pitbull magazine. As one of the journals that accepted a poem of mine went under before printing that issue, and the other never seemed to go to press, I'm glad, but skeptical. It's nice that it's been accepted. We'll see if anything comes of it.




photograph copyright Vasilyeva Ekaterina

I've Tried Flint and Steel and Sulphur and Sunlight and Lenses and Gunpowder and Dry Wood and Straw and Concentrating Really Hard

But still nothing. No spark; no words come. With no other real option open to me, I'm going to take some time off from poetry, just until the words return. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know your favorite poem; I'm always glad to read new things, and there's no balm for the blocked pen quite like a good poem.

Stay well, friends. I'll be back.

(Not) Gone...

...Just checking in. I hope everyone is well out there in the ether. I've been completely devoid of any creative spark lately. Am I the only one? Is it astrological? Astronomical? Barometric pressure? Your guess is as good as mine.

In any case, I've joined a writing exchange and with luck that will prod me into my old, incessantly spewing self.

Can you believe summer is gone? It seems like a year has gone by these past three months.







photograph by Cari Ann Wayman

Help Wanted

Poetry Camp will be here before too long now, and I need to bring a little manuscript with me of pieces I want to workshop. I figure there's no point bringing anything but my best. Unfortunately, I have no idea what my best is.

So: Any favorites?







photograph by Kelsey Landsgaard

Next Year in Cannon Beach

Cassandra Barney and I will not be appearing at the Spring Unveiling in Cannon Beach, Oregon this year. Ernst & Ernst Collectors Gallery, our host from last year, has closed its doors. However, Cass has parlayed her relationship with nearby Bronze Coast Gallery into plans for next year.

So! Next year, in Cannon Beach! And with all this time to collaborate, you had better believe we're going to put together something fierce.

Hey, Universe? Thank you.

In the midst of what is admittedly not the most awesome time of my life, I get today's news:

"The Werewolf's Wife Confesses" has been accepted for publication by Poetica Magazine.

WIN.





photograph of some of the Denishawn School's first pupils from flickr Commons

Daylight Savings.

I got in.

Isotope

Heard more from Isotope this week. No word yet on which issue my poem will be in, but they did mention that as part of my payment I'll be able to order copies of that particular issue at a discounted rate. The magazine itself is not something you'd find in the newsstand or at Barnes & Noble; I don't even know where you'd get it, aside from their website.

So: If I ordered a few extra copies of the magazine, signed them and mailed them to you, would anyone be interested? Your cost would probably be about $9 per copy.

I'll have to order soon to get the paperwork in the mail, but there's no point in having a bunch of copies of the magazine around if nobody wants them. That's just sad. That's like sitting-in-your-high-school-bedroom-staring-at-your-football-trophies sad.

So. Any takers? I will not be offended if there's no interest. $9 could buy a lot of donuts.



Moleskine watercolors by Lucinda Sweets

Cross Those Digits, Kids.

On the recommendation of the program director I just submitted my application to Skidmore's Summer Writers Institute. If accepted to the master class, I'll spend two weeks this summer studying poetry--one week with Deborah Digges, and one with Robert Pinsky.

Let me say that again.

Robert. Pinsky.



Wish me luck.

photograph by flickr user martian_hemoglobin_x

A Sorely Needed Pick-Me-Up

Just found out that my poem We Get New Cells is going to be published in Isotope magazine. Not sure which issue yet, but I'll keep you posted.



photograph by Rachel Papo

A Good Start

To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.
Jean-Paul Sartre


Thank you all for a nourishing and energizing year; let's do it again.




algae cyanotype from flickr Commons

Well, braid my hair and call me Betsy!

Remember Cassandra Barney? Hero of the last entry? Well it turns out the feelings are mutual. She has presented me with a Kreativ Blogger award, this website's first official recognition. Well, "official". In any case, thanks, Cass! I'm so excited!

Here's how the award works:
1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 4-5 blogs.
4. Put links to their blogs and
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

P at What Possessed Me
Purveyor of both fine fashion photography and fuzzy pandas. Who could ask for anything more? Oh, and also well-directed rants on everything from city life to Christmas decorating.

Lolo at Vegan Yum Yum
Fresh out of college, Lolo bought a camera and some dishes and started cooking. Three and a half years later, the girl is a cooking and food-photography superhero. I've de-veganized a number of her recipes for my cheesophile family to marvelous effect.

Sarah at Saipua
Heart-stopping floral arrangements, the best tips on where to eat in the city, and a healthy dose of good, old-fashioned swearing.

Sarah at The Tomb of the Unknown Fangirl
Before it's an Internet sensation, before all your friends have e-mailed it to you and you're sick of hearing about it at work, Sarah has smacked it and sent it to bed.

And I know they won't appreciate this, but the boys over at The Closet Moderate are just too cute not to mention. And by "too cute" I mean "always prepared with thoughtful, incisive commentary about...deep stuff."

Well, Jiminy Cricket!

Ever been to a face-melting-ly wonderful poetry reading? Now's your chance. Come join me at The Torch Club at Waverly Place in Greenwich Village, this Friday, December 5 at 6pm. I'll be reading a few of my more recent works, as will six other students in NYU's SCPS writing program.

An Experiment, or, Trolling for Fodder

An Experiment.

Leave me an anonymous comment pouring your heart out. Say anything. Tell me your stories, your secrets, those things no one ever asks but you're dying to tell. Tell me about your love, your hate, your indifference, your joy. Tell me about what's inside of you when you read these poems, and tell me why you continue to come back here. Tell me anything. Anything.

Post anonymously. Speak honestly. Post as many times as you like.

CAVEAT: Your confession may become a poem. Nobody, including me, will ever know it's yours, but please beware that poem-ization is a distinct possibility.