Giving up

After two years co-poetry columning with Jennifer Still, this is my last review. We decided to give it up for Lent.

Neither of us is Catholic but it was a definitely a voluntary sacrifice writing the column.

So many months it felt like torture condensing my thoughts on a book and the years of thinking and feeling behind it down to 150 words. And then doing it again three times.

But at the same time, I was so grateful to be forced to read. And I felt so goddamn current: short-lists would come out and I'd have read/reviewed at least half.

It'll be a sacrifice to not be writing the column. I was SO proud to be writing the column, given the example of Alison Calder and Maurice Mierau. And it was good for me to have poetry stuffed up my nose month after month.

I'll miss it but I'm glad it/we're done. And Jonathan Ball, who will be taking over as of September, will do a bang-up job.

And if he doesn't, it's none of my concern! HA!

My thanks to Books Editor Morley Walker and to Jennifer Still, who will be touring that new book of hers this fall to points east.