I am currently reading a phenomenal manuscript for an upcoming book. It's simply stunning, and it has me thinking about the "style" of my second manuscript nervously. In any case, I'd like to be more wild, less organic in my work next time around. I'd like to play more with surprising language and yes fragmentation, maybe the language of trauma doesn't have to be flat. Someone has just shown me this oh so vividly. Not sure why I lean towards narrative, but I do. Perhaps this is why several friends I admire write fiction and not poetry. I have leanings towards narrative, holistic pieces with a beginning, middle and end, which is so out now. :(

I am so glad to be conversing with poets after Canto Mundo. I have somehow though managed to promise a total of five reviews, one will be a novel, so I am somehow suddenly busy again, but free, so free to explore and dialogue with other writers. A very exciting time in my life. The problem is the excitement today is overflowing, and I don't want to bombard folks with email. Therefore, I blog. Wish I could go sit in a coffee shop with poets! Canto Mundo has spoiled me for this Denver isolation. I will reach out to other poets here? We'll see.

I am in some ways concerned about the lack of strong vocabulary exhibited in my own work. Being home in El Paso, I'm surrounded by Spanglish, Spanglish which at times I am now unable to decipher, especially that coming from my 98 year old grandmother. She does have dementia, so it's just difficult to decipher what exactly she's saying sometimes, but sometimes she's very, very sharp still. I'd like to make it to El Paso for her 99th birthday this October. Medicare won't pay to replace her pacemaker, due to her age (?) so she will likely not make it to a hundred. But basically, my upbringing seems to be with this Spanglish which consists of code-switching and animated physical gestures, not the language of academia!

Washed the car today and the rain came down with the sunlight. I love the desert!

A beautiful last day in Texas.

Canto Mundo was wonderful and I'm still dizzy with stars. I head back to Denver tomorrow.

Goals for the next year in Denver:

Apply to and be accepted to a residency program which pays for my stay.

Heal from traumas and thrive in a manner where I can help others.

Get the second collection accepted with contract.

Walk for health reasons.

Stay quit from smoking.

Begin writing phenomenal poems!!!!

Get in a more permanent apartment living situation.

Read more.

Love more.

I want to submit more poems to magazines.


That's about it for now.

Back in El Paso, having a great day with family. I head back to Colorado on Thursday.

Grrrr. I feel good.

I met some geniuses in Austin!

I'm still outside Austin! Canto Mundo was/is wonderful! Awesome! Spectacular!

Blessings to all.

I have a good feeling about this stuff, a real good feeling. Community in action! Yeah!

The first day of Canto Mundo was great! Lots of good people here! The drive wasn't too bad from Dallas, but boy am I glad mom will drive the trip home.

Hope to get the sense of community I came away with last year. Meeting a lot of new and known poets. It's very exciting.

Unfortunately, I'm feeling a little under the weather, but that shouldn't effect the way I feel about being here as I'm very happy to be here. I'm not contagious, just stomach aches.

Went to pops in the park in Big Spring, Texas and it seemed the entire town came out to watch the fireworks.

Headed to Dallas tomorrow afternoon.

I'm driving to Big Spring, Texas tomorrow to visit my brother. We'll stay a day or two and then head to Dallas to visit with my sister, and then I'll head to Canto Mundo while my mother visits Little Lucy in Austin. I hope to have dinner in Austin with a friend, and get motivated about writing. I studied with Ben Saenz for my MFA, so I have no doubt his workshop will be great, and I'm looking forward to attending the other workshop led by Naomi Ayala.

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I think if Canto Mundo goes well that I will apply for some residency programs next winter, possibly.

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El Paso has been great at 108 degrees. I met with the Carmen and saw Amit and Chacon, among other people associated with Bordersenses magazine. I met with my aunt and uncle, and although I didn't make it to their gallery, I got some good sound advice about the life long journey of being an artist. Very excited to see my bro and sister! Yay!