We had a frantic morning on Thursday when the Colby Fire got much too close to our condo and we had to evacuate quickly.
Meanwhile, a little ways north of us, my poet friend Nicelle Davis was using The Gospel of the Bleeding Woman in two of her classes. She said, “Today! Katie Manning’s amazing book. We read it start to finish. One student cried.”
I’m so honored! (Also, we’re home now and all is well.)
I’m finding that in the midst of grief, I need to marvel at the wonders of my normal life: this morning I drafted a poem.
I didn’t get to spend much time writing last semester since I was teaching 4 classes with 110 students, but this semester I have half the number of students and 3 classes. I have a couple of mornings free to work in my office, and I intend to spend at least the first hour writing. How miraculous that I ever have the time and inclination to create. I’m working on a project that I’m tentatively calling All That Remains. It uses one chapter from each book of the Bible as a word bank, and the poems end up serving as strange retellings. I think. Part of the excitement is that this project keeps shifting, and I’m not sure where it will end up taking me. I started this project because I was angry with some people for taking biblical language out of context and using it as a weapon. I’m still angry about that, but the poems have turned into something less angry and more playful than I anticipated. I’m thankful that I get to do this work.
After my writing time, a dear friend stopped by my office on her way to work. She bought two of my poetry chapbooks for her cousin, and we chatted for a bit over Earl Grey tea and chocolate pretzel granola bars.
Now I’m going to prepare for tomorrow’s classes. I love teaching college students about poetry and language. I have no doubt that grief will attack me again before the day is over, but what a wonderful morning I’ve had.
“It is difficult / to get the news from poems / yet men die miserably every day / for lack / of what is found there.” – William Carlos Williams, “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower”
When I saw the photos and lines of poetry on this Women Poets Wearing Sweatpants page, I couldn’t resist sending something. Here’s a photo of me (with Elliott!) and the final line from my poem “A Whole Mother Story.”
http://womenpoetswearingsweatpants.tumblr.com/post/71793148031/katie-manning