I did not think death had undone so many

The scoop.
It isn't the worst case scenario. Thankful for that. But we aren't out the woods. There weren't six figures of folks in the Superdome, maybe only a third of that. Today the authorities are rescuing people from roofs and attics. The dead bodies are being pushed aside. Let go of the old, make way for the living. NOLA East (9th ward) is flooded. French Quarter started flooding today as the 17th Street Canal broke. My apartment is more than likely fine, but again, who knows. My girlfriend's family's and grandparent's houses are almost definitely partially submerged.
I may need a new college for the upcoming semester. Undoubtedly this will intefere with normalcy and academia. Kristen, what's Loyola Chi look like? Anyone else near a Jesuit Uni? I speculate that they will either transfer tuition to another Jesuit school or refund or carry over until next semester.
I am ok, my family is ok, and most of my friends definitely made it out.
The important thing to remember is that New Orleans (or any other city) is not made of the structures but of the people. We will rebuild. The city will take care of itself.

Yours,
-CL, Imagiste

Rhino Lovers Everywhere

My friend Halli subscribed me to the Word-a-Day service, where I get (duh) a new word delivered to my email box each day (lucky or not). Thought you rhinoerotica freaks would love this:

rhinorrhea (ry-nuh-REE-uh) noun: A runny nose. [From Neo-Latin, from Greek rhino- (nose), -rrhea (flow).]Another word with the same prefix: rhinoceros. Another word with the same suffix: logorrhea (excessive flow of words:talkativeness). So what happens when you combine these two words? You redefine rhinorrhea: a rhinoceros who talks too much.

So much fun.

exit strategy

I'm all disco. I am riding the storm in Jax, MS with my girlfriend and her family. It will only be a category two when it hits. New Orleans, on the other hand may have a harder time for wear, with what--twenty foot storm surge could mean twenty big ones of water in the city for what could be weeks, but who knows for sure. There are something like 100 grand in the superdome right now, and probably some that haven't left. If you have a direct line to God or whatever you like, please give him my regards and maybe a teensy plea to spare the prodigal city.

Thanks for your thoughts Amanda, and those of you who've called. It means enormous.

I'll update in the aftermath.

Yours
-CL, Imagiste

Katrina

Chris: I'm thinking about you and hope you and your family will be safe from this horrible hurricane! You always have a place here in Houston if you need it (though from what I hear, I-10 coming this way is gridlocked). Be safe and please post as soon as you can so we know you're all right.

post from Katie re: anthology boo-boos: please read & respond

Folks,

I let Katie know that there were errors in the anthology, and I'm posting the message below on her behalf.

-Ron

"hey, if anyone sees other problems in the anthology, tell me!
i'm going to fix this stuff and get a snazzy, reprinted, corrected,
new-and-improved version from administrative services.
so this is your chance to see other mistakes. here are the three
that i'm fixing already:
1. emily clamen's name
2. the hybridization of an evan poem with an amanda poem
3. the mysterious disappearance of the second half of shep's poem"

YOU LOVED ME BEFORE, DO YOU LOVE ME NOW?

Sorry for the long-ish absence from communication, everyone. I'm really terrible at 1) computers and 2) keeping in touch with people I adore, so you can fill in the blanks yourselves. (My next mission: adding myself to the facebook community, which has also proven a little difficult for who knows what reason.)

I was chagrined to find Pittsburgh in exactly the same condition as I left it--full, in other words, of surly ex-boyfriends working at all my favorite coffeeshops. And humid. So humid my sunglasses fog up as soon as I go outside.

But I do have good news: I now have a job. I'll be an artist in residence in the Beaver County School System, just north of Pgh. I'll be teaching a few days here and there, depending on how often schools want to bring me in, and the rest of the time I'll be teaching at a cyber school. (Did I somehow end up in a mid-'80s vision of what the 21st century would be like? Needless to say, I am thoroughly bugged out about this, but will forge ahead.) If anybody has experience with teaching poetry in a cyber school, I'd love to talk to you about it.

In other news: the most popular song on the jukebox at Ritter's, Pittsburgh's best diner, is "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, and I rely on this information daily.

By the way, I request permission to make giddy phone calls during Steelers games.

X
Sarah

The Ego Has Landed

The book thing is now, like, official and stuff. The book cover and sample poems are available on the publisher's web site:
http://www.cherry-grove.com/

The ISBN is 1933456051, if you're into that kind of thing. It's not up on Amazon yet but soon will be, and it can be ordered through bookstores by way of Ingram.

The tour in support of this thing will start at the Midwest Literary Festival (www.midwestliteraryfestival.com) on 10-11 September in Aurora, Illinois, not far from Chicago.

The authors there will include Stephen J. Cannell who, when he isn't writing hard-boiled fiction, is being producing television shows and such. He was the creator of The A-Team. I'll get to meet royalty.

In other news, it 5 p.m. at the end of a work week at the day job, and I could really go for a couple of cold beers.

Peace,

John

Anthology Greatness & Evan

I just got my copy of the 2005 Anthology today and I'm enjoying reading through everyone's great work! I miss all of you so much. It's been nostalgic around here (I also just had my class reunion this weekend-- scary!). Evan, notice anything odd with your first poem? Yup, they took my last 2 stanzas from "Elegy" and put them on yours. Ack!

Side note: send me poems or else. I've "saved" space for you lovely Bucknellians.

Want to know what I've been up to? Can't wait to see everyone in October. Who is going?