The Laurel Review

The Laurel Review has accepted two of my newest poems, "Consequence" and "See Also All of Us" (the second of which may become the title poem to my current manuscript when it's all said and done). My point in this post is not, however, simply a matter of my poems, but largely to praise the Laurel Review for what seems to me like a fine "makeover" undergone in the last 7 or so years (since I was an intern at one of their "sister" journals, Tar River Poetry. At that time, the lead editors of the two journals published each other's work and reviews consistently, and I believe, were good friends). Bottom line: at that time I was slightly bored with the journal. Now, after checking it out again last year, it excites me. It seems John Gallaher and the folks there have done some great things bringing that journal into the 21st Century. I'm happy to be a part of one issue.

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Here's the info on the latest issue. Buy it!

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New fiction, poetry, essays, and reviews by: Rae Armantrout, Wendy Barker, Juda Bennett, Molly Brodak, J.D. Chapman, Melissa Dickey, Michelle Disler, Jehanne Dubrow, Albert Goldbarth, Mark Halliday, Jerry Harp, Gretchen E. Henderson, Noelle Kocot, Susanne Kort, Jay Ladin, David Dodd Lee, Rachel Loden, Erin Malone, Holaday Mason, Clay Matthews, Jennifer Militello, Kathleen Ossip, Anne Panning, Chad Parmenter, Emily Perez, Kathleen Peirce, Stephany Prodromides, Stan Sanvel Rubin, Reginald Shepherd, Kevin Stein, Mathias Svalina, Bradford Gray Telford, Amanda Traxler, Dara Wier, Ryan Wells, Jon Woodward, Dean Young, among others . . .

Liam Rector, Our First Day At Bennington

Memorial for Liam Rector

1949–2007

Saturday, September 22, 2007

2 p.m.

St. Marks Church In-the-Bowery

131 East 10th St.

New York, New York 10003

Liam Rector's Suicide

Rest in Peace, Liam. I realize now that so much of what you wrote and said in your several capacities had a touch of your leaving (this way) in it. Now I'm thinking of your poem, "We colored your leaving," etc etc. I also think of your Ronald Beaver ("beavering"). It took your suicide obituary for the world to know your given name was Ronald.

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I shared a number of cigarettes with Liam after a number of one-on-one meetings regarding my poems and later manuscript (he was the first teacher to tell me that my work held a "there" there, so to speak, and the last one to advise me on the final manuscript). Sometimes he would describe the sensation of smoking a cigarette while hooked up to the chemo machine, and that it was actually incredibly satisfying. All in all, I'll remember the many mix Cd's he sent me (which were always surprising), and how he would send tapes of HIM reading MY poems aloud--something that struck me as a useful pedagogical tool. He once said the he'd never heard a poet read too slowly. I agree. We had an intermittent email correspondence going in the few years since my MFA, but I recall the last thing he said to me in person: "That's a sharp haircut. If I've taught you anything at all, Chris, it's the importance of a good haircut."

My favorite Liam workshop lines: "Discipline is the religion of the uninterested" (he always saw the systematic, and often spiritualized the secular. He did love Emerson). The other favorite point was this: "Every poem says, essentially, the same thing: My heart aches."