Day Four, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

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My poem “The Underbelly of This Seam” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). Many thanks to Ursula, who provided this title and also last year’s “Before We Knew.”

The Underbelly of This Seam

Slides beneath your gaze, unnoticed,
but the joining satisfies that particular

urge, combining two separates
into one whole, creating this new…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “The Bus Stops Here,” was sponsored by Jim Feeney, who also sponsored last year’s “Never Drink Anything Blue.”

While title sponsorships are steadily dwindling (about half remain), plenty of 3-word sponsorships are still available. And remember, you can combine sponsorships to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me..

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for supporting poetry! Only 26 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

17 thoughts on “Day Four, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016”

  1. Love the poem, but that’s a given. What I admire is the way you structure the post so that in order to read the rest of your piece you shine a light on the other Poets. Well done.

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    • Thanks, Michael. The month is about supporting poetry and poets, and it seems a simple matter to include the other poets participating in this frenzy. I’ve tried to emphasize, in my small way, “poetic outreach” – contact, encouragement, participation – whenever possible, because if I, poet and reader of books, don’t actively participate by buying books and communicating with other poets, how can I expect others to do so?

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  5. Oh I really like this one. Don’t know why it reminded me of when Django Reinhardt first jammed with Duke Ellington and Duke asked him what key he wanted to start in; Django said: “No key!” I feel like your poems must start like that, and where they end up is amazing. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I like that! No key! My process is a bit like that, as I generally have no idea where the poem will lead. But the 30/30 poems are a bit different in that I don’t have the luxury of time to follow multiple threads and eventually eliminate those that don’t work. With these I just grab onto the initial impulse and forge ahead.

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