The Poem and The Poet

Okay, so. I really thought the poet had been canceled since no one should ever have to speak after Obama (except, maybe Rev. Lowery). But there she was, with a too-folksy poem (for me), and a cadence that sounded like stomping in new boots compared to Obama's speech. But I hope poets keep getting included in such rip-roarin' events. (And it was far better than Maya Angelou's fluttery fritterings....)

What did you think?

leap into prose

Been reading only poetry for awhile (and my favorites happen to be in the area--Susan Grimm and Mary Biddinger), but broke my fiction fast with the much-hyped, in-need-of-editing The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I liked much of it for reasons that don't really matter to anyone else, but it got me rolling on more fiction (which rhymes with addiction for a reason). Next up was The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud and described as a comedy of manners set in New York right before 9/11. Very ambivalent about this one. Then I gravitated to Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris, which contains a bit of viciousness that I liked. Last night I plucked from my massive, unorganized piles The Catherine Wheel by Jean Stafford, which I've tried to read before.

Anybody read these books? Although interesting, they are not helping me with writer's block.