We're Smaller Than We Think We Are

And you can order it now.

Allyson Whipple is an amazing poet who also gives back--

For every chapbook sold through the 27th, she's giving $1 to BookWoman, Austin's feminist bookstore (and one of only 11 left in North America). The store always needs help, so this is a way for me to support a place that has supported her and her dreams for as long as she've lived in Texas.

So if you want to support her, support a small press, support poetry, buy a copy for yourself.

Here's a poem by her:

You can see the silence

It's still too hot
for the neighbors
to walk their dogs.
It's just late enough
for the children
to have gone to bed.
And on Sunday
nobody becomes
a raucous
poolside drunk.
I can't take much more
than the air
conditioner hum.
I've been driven from
the bedroom of my
musician, who never
stops playing or
listening. Raw
notes emanate
all night long.
I'm tempted
to step outside.
But this is Texas
where the stars
won't cool you down.
This is Texas, where summer
heat makes gossip
rise like dough.
This is Texas
where neighbors read
your business
from your shadow.

And a great interview by her here:

2. What advice do you have for other poets?

1) Write every day, but also know when you need some time off. The regular habit is very important, but it's also vital to know when you're burned out and need to direct your energies elsewhere. Don't beat yourself up if you need to take a break. You'll be better off for it.

2) You can fit poetry into your daily life. Even if you only get a 30-minute lunch break at your day job, that's enough to draft a short poem. You really will be surprised what you can fit even into fifteen minutes a day.

3) When revising, read your work aloud. That is the best advice a teacher has given me. Few people enjoy doing it, but it's essential.

Read the full interview here: http://www.poetonpoetry.com/2012/05/poet-of-week-allyson-whipple-allyson.html

~ Kells