Little Poem Appearing Now in Blackbird

This morning I woke up to an email announcing the publication of Blackbird 8.2. I wasn't sure in which issue my poem would be appearing, so I clicked on the link to check and see. Yep, I was there...right after...gasp...Larry Levis...I had to do a double-take. My little poem was sitting right there in the shadow of one of the giants of my poetry world. I never got to meet Levis, but I know people who studied with him and were changed by him, and his work has influenced me in ways I can't even count.

After I caught my breath, I read the list of poets appearing in the issue more carefully and almost came undone again. There are too many to list here, but I'll give you the highlights with annotations.

Sherman Alexie--one of the first writers whose work inspired me after my undergrad years when I began reading on my own
Larry Levis--see above
Alison Pelegrin--fellow Arkansas MFA, in fact one of the first people I met in Fayetteville, she welcomed me with all her Southern grace and charm, her poems make me wish I were truly southern
R.T. Smith--who published the second poem I ever had accepted at a national journal in Shenandoah
Gerald Stern--uhm, enough said
Katrina Vandenberg--also an Arkansas alum, but graduated before me, always delighted when our paths cross at conferences, and a huge admirer of her work
Jake Adam York--well, I've written before about how much I like Jake's work, and in this issue he packs a wallop, also one of the great editors of Copper Nickel, my newest favorite journal

That is just a hint of the issue, and I haven't even looked at the prose yet.

I am so humbled to be included with these amazing writers. Thank you to the editors for plucking my poem from the submission pile and finding value in it.

If you have the time and the inclination, please check it out.