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Hey, no polished and perfect poems allowed in April! Let's just try to write every day and post on all or most of the days. I've participated at the Gaz for the past two years (in Karen's Pub) and I don't think everyone posted every day. Would rather have you here some of the time than none. I've only done this for the past 2 years, but both times, it's really helped to catapult me out of the writing doldrums -- into which I have, alas, sunk again.

Hey Lisa! Welcome back. We'd love to have you. It's going to be great fun. (I like all this build-up, maybe better than actually writing!!!)

Toni

Hey! No fair writing ahead. The point is to write a poem a day for the month. Hee hee. That's what makes it such a challenge.

I've been reading Kim Addonizio's new book, Ordinary Genius. (I'll be using some of her prompts in the daily suggestions.) One thing she stresses again and again (and we all know this from Stafford, too) is how we must write the bad poems, reams of bad poems. Anyone who has published good poems has 10 times as many bad ones behind them. The fun of NaPo is just doing it every day, picking up on one another's energy, and charging ahead. (Notice: I am just trying to talk myself out of panic at the thought of it!)

Hey Jude, I think you have the makings of a poem there! I don't worry about someone publishing the junk. It's not publishable. Perhaps I'll print out anything that should be saved and leave instructions for Tom to wipe my hard drive. (ultimate oblivion?)

I know what you mean, though, about all the books and papers and journals, etc. I have a lot of friends who are forever cleaning out and throwing away. I don't get it. But then, I get a great deal of enjoyment and comfort from my stuff, and think of it as an extension of myself. Especially books. (Clothes, too, though.) I keep a lot of printed matter that I always think I'm going to return to (or use for a poem) later, though that rarely happens. I have a hard time getting rid of journals -- either because I've loved them, or because I haven't read them yet, or because I spent money on them, or just because I love the covers (e.g., Tin House, The New Yorker)! Last weekend, I parted with years worth of New Yorkers (partly because I have them all on CD, as well), but not the box of old Story magazines or the box of Tin Houses.

Some Saturdays, I just sit on the floor and lovingly sort books.

I guess we've gone off topic. . . .