tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-212753992024-03-13T06:59:40.654-05:00J. Bruce FullerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-13113464395575679212013-12-16T10:37:00.002-06:002013-12-16T10:37:48.413-06:00Year in Review2013 is coming to an end and here I sit taking stock, two days before my 33rd birthday. It's been a good one. From a career standpoint, 2013 was the best year I have had so far. So many good things happened that I am afraid some things got lost in the shuffle, things that in leaner times would have gotten more airplay. I decided to try and recap (for myself as much as anyone else) the last year.<br />
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<h2>
<b>Poetry</b></h2>
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All told I put out four books this year (3 chapbooks and one edited anthology). It's a little mind boggling when I think about it. One thing you learn as a writer is that the things you are writing now seem so immediate, but the chances are that they won't see publication for many years. Turns out that poems are like the light leaving distant stars, and publication is us seeing that light much later here on earth. It takes a while. Of the three chapbooks, only one was written recently. That gives me a lot of hope for other poems that have yet to find a home. Below are the books I've done this year and a little more about them.<br />
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<i><b>Lancelot</b></i><br />
<a href="http://lazymousepress.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lazy Mouse Press</a><br />
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<i>Lancelot</i> was the chapbook that was written (technically) this year, but the idea for it, and some of the original poem sketches came a few years ago in grad school. I had conceived of a boy named Lancelot living in the modern south, with some references to the Arthurian legend interspersed throughout, and wrote about a dozen poems for a final project in a Medieval lit class. Fast forward a few years and my dear friend Stephanie Marker of <a href="http://lazymousepress.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lazy Mouse Press</a> asked if I would write a short Southern Gothic chapbook for her. She already had some amazing art by Dan Williams, so this ended up being an ekphrastic project for me. As I looked at the drawings, the image that is on the cover caught my eye and the idea of pairing it with the Lancelot poems seemed like a nice fit. Unfortunately, the original poems I had written were nowhere near good enough. I took four triolets from the originals and rewrote them to make four longish poems for the book. Without Dan's artwork Lancelot would have sat on my hard drive undeveloped, probably forever. I am now working on expanding these Lancelot poems for a section of my dissertation.<br />
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<b><i>Vision/Verse 2009-2013: An Anthology of Poetry</i></b><br />
<a href="http://yellowflagpress.tictail.com/product/visionverse-2009-2013-an-anthology-of-poetry-signed" target="_blank">Yellow Flag Press</a><br />
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This anthology collects all of the poems that were published as broadsides by Yellow Flag Press as part of the Vision/Verse Art and Poetry Exhibits. Vision/Verse was the event that led to the creation of Yellow Flag Press, so this book is like a retrospective of our first five years. Editing an anthology as well as publishing our first trade paperback taught me a lot of new things. The challenge was worth it, and I am very proud of this book. As we have decided to end our successful five year run of Vision/Verse, this book was bittersweet.<br />
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<i><b>Notes to a Husband</b></i><br />
<a href="http://www.imaginaryfriendpress.com/" target="_blank">Imaginary Friend Press </a><br />
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In 2007 I sat on my porch in Marengo Swamp and jotted down a few lines of a poem that ended up being "Note: What I forgot to say was this". I was intrigued by the voice and got to wondering what kind of person would say this. What kind of person would leave this note lying around for a lover to find? Over the next few days I wrote 12 more "notes." A narrative arc developed and I started to perceive these poems as being a chapbook. After 12 poems I lost the voice, and couldn't recapture it. Eventually I wrote 4 more, but 16 very short poems hardly make a manuscript. I never thought anyone would ever publish it. The manuscript was too short to enter into many contests, but I sent it out whenever I could, hoping that it would find just the right editor. My patience paid off because it did find exactly the right editor, Dan Nowak of <a href="http://www.imaginaryfriendpress.com/" target="_blank">Imaginary Friend Press</a>. I sent the book to him during an open reading period, and he called to accept it while I was mowing the yard, which seems fitting for such a domestic book of poems. Funny story: I never let my wife read the manuscript for the six years prior to its publication. I was afraid she would think I was writing about her. Couldn't be further from the truth though, as I made it all up. She did like it once she read it, after my contributor's copies came in the mail. C'est la vie.<br />
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<i><b>Flood</b></i><br />
<a href="http://www.swanscythe.com/" target="_blank">Swan Scythe Press</a><br />
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This book will be out in a matter of days, and it is the first contest I have ever won. I didn't think I would ever win a contest because of the long odds, and the fact that I rarely have spare money for entry fees. I am very proud of this manuscript which I began writing in 2007/08. Some of these poems helped get me into both my MFA and PhD programs. I worked really hard on it and I am very excited that it will be published.<br />
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<b>Other Publications</b><br />
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I had poems in two other anthologies this year, <i>The Gulf Stream: Poems of the Gulf Coast</i> from <a href="http://www.snakenationpress.org/product/gulf-stream-poems-of-the-gulf-coast/" target="_blank">Snake Nation Press</a>, and <i>This Is Not a True Story</i> from Nous-Zot Press. I got a few poems in several great journals including <i>burntdistrict, Canyon Voices, Tapestry, Harpur Palate, </i>and <i>Pembroke Magazine</i>.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<h2>
<b>Yellow Flag Press</b></h2>
We released a lot of new books this year. As I mentioned earlier, we will no longer be doing Vision/Verse, so I have had to make some adjustments to our publishing schedule and how we go about signing new poets. We are moving to publish more chapbooks and fewer broadsides. I am a little sad to see our broadside production decrease, but they don't sell worth a damn and without a vehicle like Vision/Verse to move them they sit on a shelf in the office. I will never stop completely producing broadsides, as evidenced by the two we released this month by <a href="http://yellowflagpress.tictail.com/product/amy-fleury-spiritus-mundi" target="_blank">Amy Fleury</a> and <a href="http://yellowflagpress.tictail.com/product/anthony-frame-everything-i-know-i-learned-from-lazarus" target="_blank">Anthony Frame</a>. It's a labor of love that goes beyond sales.<br />
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New chapbooks that are out now are: Katie Manning's <a href="http://yellowflagpress.tictail.com/product/katie-manning-i-awake-in-my-womb-pre-order" target="_blank">I Awake in My Womb</a>, Toby Daspit's <a href="http://yellowflagpress.tictail.com/products/authors/toby-daspit" target="_blank">Bar Coasters</a>, Bonny McDonald's <a href="http://yellowflagpress.tictail.com/product/bonny-mcdonald-kloster" target="_blank">Kloster</a>, Ashley Mace Havird's <a href="http://yellowflagpress.tictail.com/product/ashley-mace-havird-sleeping-with-animals" target="_blank">Sleeping With Animals</a>.<br />
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Forthcoming chapbooks include Amy Watkins' <i>Milk & Water, </i>and William Kelley Woolfitt's <i>Chorus Frog</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<b>School, Family, and the Future...</b></h2>
Oh yeah, and I'm still in PhD school.<br />
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Though, I have made some significant progress in my degree as I have finally finished my PhD examinations, passed oral exams, and am now ABD. It was a long haul on that part of things. I am still ahead of schedule in my degree though, and I have been working on my dissertation throughout comps. I hope to deliver it a full year early next Fall. That will give me some time before they stop paying me to look for a job. That should be a blast.<br />
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I taught two of my best classes ever this year, Contemporary American Poetry and The Literature of War. I hope to continue the streak with Southern Poetry next semester. Still can't believe they pay me to talk about poetry all day. Like Forrest Gump mowing grass, I would teach those classes for free (don't tell them that, though).<br />
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The family is good. My kids are growing up as kids are wont to do. Justin Jr. started French Immersion in kindergarten this year, and has only been to the principal's office twice in his first semester. <i>Mon fils</i>. Jade is slowly but surely becoming a tween right before our very eyes. Aside from all the One Direction around my house, things are normal.<br />
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The immediate part of my future will consist of me trying to publish my first full length manuscript, and finishing my second full length as the major part of my dissertation. I am happy to get back to what I love most which is writing books, publishing books, reading books, teaching books, talking about books, etc...<br />
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<i>Bon anniversaire à moi, et bonne année à vous.</i><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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J. Bruce Fuller<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-12893322501992386902013-10-06T11:51:00.002-05:002013-10-06T11:51:23.586-05:00Notes to a Husband now available<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7F1UYPcC9EdYCcn8zjch29mpuc5Hk4x7HifCrMwFib0J21Ur7AjMa0M2z0Iy_h7_m_aLFaNwMUaaIH2DymzVhTWVGZAEwMv9LvNKNgmH-bWr7NkeIggMD2lYh27t9OoJ7NjNYw/s1600/Notes+to+a+Husband+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7F1UYPcC9EdYCcn8zjch29mpuc5Hk4x7HifCrMwFib0J21Ur7AjMa0M2z0Iy_h7_m_aLFaNwMUaaIH2DymzVhTWVGZAEwMv9LvNKNgmH-bWr7NkeIggMD2lYh27t9OoJ7NjNYw/s320/Notes+to+a+Husband+cover.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
My third chapbook, <i>Notes to a Husband</i>, is out now from <a href="http://www.imaginaryfriendpress.com/2013/10/notes-to-husband-by-j-bruce-fuller.html" target="_blank">Imaginary Friend Press</a>. The book is only $7 (shipping included), and has an introduction by Amy Fleury. Click the link below to order.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imaginaryfriendpress.com/2013/10/notes-to-husband-by-j-bruce-fuller.html">http://www.imaginaryfriendpress.com/2013/10/notes-to-husband-by-j-bruce-fuller.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-70667770596520075902013-10-01T15:40:00.001-05:002013-10-01T15:40:43.815-05:00Notes to a Husband<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7F1UYPcC9EdYCcn8zjch29mpuc5Hk4x7HifCrMwFib0J21Ur7AjMa0M2z0Iy_h7_m_aLFaNwMUaaIH2DymzVhTWVGZAEwMv9LvNKNgmH-bWr7NkeIggMD2lYh27t9OoJ7NjNYw/s1600/Notes+to+a+Husband+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7F1UYPcC9EdYCcn8zjch29mpuc5Hk4x7HifCrMwFib0J21Ur7AjMa0M2z0Iy_h7_m_aLFaNwMUaaIH2DymzVhTWVGZAEwMv9LvNKNgmH-bWr7NkeIggMD2lYh27t9OoJ7NjNYw/s320/Notes+to+a+Husband+cover.jpg" /></a></div> My third chapbook, <i>Notes to a Husband</i> will be released in the next few weeks by Imaginary Friend Press. I will post a link when it is available, but for now, feast your eyes on the cover art!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-31374405218887935652013-06-12T10:35:00.000-05:002013-06-12T10:35:07.613-05:00On updating this once a year...Wow, last year about this time I noticed my blog had not been updated for a whole year. "What a loser" I said to myself, before vowing to not do that again. So I'm a loser. I did it again.<br />
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It's been a while since I posted on here but that doesn't mean I've been fallow, I've just been getting the news out in other venues. Primarily Facebook and Twitter (@JBruce Fuller), but also on my publishing house's blog <a href="http://yellowflagpress.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://yellowflagpress.blogspot.com</a>.<br />
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In the interim I have published in a lot of great places, had one chapbook released and sell out, and another in press. I edited an anthology which is doing well, and managed to finish another year of PhD school. I have updated the bibliography so y'all can check out some of this new material if you wish.<br />
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Here's another vow, we'll see how it goes.<br />
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JUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-7124583897160197962012-08-02T10:53:00.001-05:002013-06-12T10:42:12.645-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-72413663097802092312011-06-23T12:14:00.001-05:002011-06-23T12:14:40.219-05:00Darrell Bourque on the RadioFormer poet laureate of Louisiana Darrell Bourque will be reading the poems from Vision/Verse 3 on the KRVS (Lafayette-Lake Charles) poetry segment, "From the Poet's Bookshelf" which airs on Thursdays at around 3:30pm (can be 3:20 to 3:35 or so---they fit the segment into other programming) on 88.7 FM. The next series will begin with a couple of poems by Catharine Savage Brosman from a new work scheduled for release from LSU Press, and then the next 10 weeks will feature the poems from this year's Vision Verse project.<br /><br />Be sure to tune in if you live in the Lake Charles or Lafayette areas.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-81060549209782023752011-06-23T11:07:00.003-05:002011-06-23T11:19:18.048-05:00New PublicationsI have had a few new publications recently. My poem "Caernarvon, LA: 1927" will be in the new issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">Crab Orchard Review</span>. Their American South issue in which the poem appears will be out in September.<br /><br />Next month I will have two poems appearing in <span style="font-style:italic;">Trigger</span>, which is a new publication that explores art/writing collaborations. The issue will have my poem "Rayville, 1927" and a brand new poem written specifically for this project called "Traiteur Nocturne." "Traiteur Nocturne" was written in response to Ryan de la Hoz's artwork.<br /><br />Also, the newest issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Louisiana Review</span> is out now and has my poem "Crop Dusting: Late Season."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-58922077641319268822011-05-06T10:25:00.001-05:002011-05-06T10:27:13.899-05:00VideosAdded a video bar on the right side under Bibliography. You can watch videos without leaving the page. I will hopefully have a few new videos soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-39582099898613832392011-05-06T10:21:00.000-05:002011-05-06T10:21:39.862-05:00Annoucing "TRIGGER" from Status Hat!<a href="http://www.statushat.org/create/about-status-hat/trigger.html">Annoucing "TRIGGER" from Status Hat!</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-36255483864626732372011-04-27T12:23:00.003-05:002011-04-27T13:16:21.465-05:00The DecisionMany of you know that I have been applying to PhD programs this semester. I am happy to report that I have accepted a spot in the University of Louisiana Lafayette PhD program in Creative Writing. I will start my doctoral work this fall. It is looking like four more years of school until I am finished. I am excited to get started on this degree.<br /><br />This is all to say that I have successfully completed my MFA/MA program at McNeese. A few more loose ends to finish up and then graduation. It has been a crazy three years.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-20731000908764948792011-04-11T09:49:00.001-05:002011-04-11T09:51:30.530-05:00Interview at Swamp Lily ReviewA short interview with yours truly was recently posted over at <span style="font-style:italic;">Swamp Lily Review</span> as part of their "7 Every 7" series. <a href="http://swamplily.com/?page_id=667">http://swamplily.com/?page_id=667</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-89427726798866162192011-03-04T11:19:00.003-06:002011-03-04T11:23:25.873-06:00Videos!I am making a feverish run at You Tube these days, and videos of me reading poetry are popping up everywhere. Below are some videos to distract you from whatever work you should be doing...<br /><br />"Poetry's In Motion" Video from the Lake Charles <span style="font-style:italic;">American Press</span>...<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YvDbsJrguG0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />My full reading from The Porch, February 4th, 2011...<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Jc4fgg-9j4A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Part 1 of my reading at The Southern Writers/ Southern Writing Conference, Oxford, MS...<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LvquXWWLf-4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />...and Part 2...<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3VALqB5agNI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-28460639420433163432011-01-28T08:44:00.004-06:002011-03-04T11:18:11.187-06:00Time for an update...I've been busy finishing my degrees, applying for PhD programs, and trying to write two books by April, but there have been a few career developments lately.<br /><br />First my poems "Flood," "The Gentle Knock," and "A Lot like Venus" have been published at <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.swamplily.com">Swamp Lily Review</a></span>. They are free to read so check it out...<a href="http://www.swamplily.com">http://www.swamplily.com</a><br /><br />Also, this past Tuesday night I was the guest speaker at the <a href="http://writersguildacadiana.org">Writers Guild of Acadiana</a>'s monthly meeting in Lafayette, LA. I talked a bit about blogging and the pros and cons of MFA programs. Thanks to the WGA and Chere Coen for inviting me.<br /><br />Myself and poet William Lusk Coppage will give a reading on Friday February 4th at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/ThePorchCoffeeHouse">The Porch Coffee House</a> here in Lake Charles, LA. Hope to see you there...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-52997030160834683432010-10-04T16:10:00.002-05:002010-10-04T16:13:20.862-05:00New PoemsA couple of new publications to post...<br /><br />My poem "On the Levee, Greenville, MS" will be in the next issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">You Must Be This Tall to Ride</span>, <a href="http://youmustbethistalltoride.net/">http://youmustbethistalltoride.net/</a><br /><br />My poem "Crop Dusting: Late Season" will be in the 2011 issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">Louisiana Review</span>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-80469411940226561102010-08-24T10:46:00.000-05:002010-08-24T10:47:12.778-05:00New Poem at RougarouMy poem "Jugs on the Shelf" is in the new issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">Rougarou</span>.<br /><a href="http://english.louisiana.edu/rougarou/currentIssue/jbFuller.html">http://english.louisiana.edu/rougarou/currentIssue/jbFuller.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-74878622199141597222010-08-24T10:41:00.000-05:002010-08-24T10:42:34.619-05:00McNeese MFA BlogMy program has started a new blog, check it out...<br /><a href="http://www.mcneesemfa.blogspot.com/">http://www.mcneesemfa.blogspot.com/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-64083623414370103122010-07-21T19:13:00.002-05:002010-07-21T19:15:56.641-05:00Blog Tour 2010 - #3My next blog tour stop is over at William Lusk Coppage's blog. We recently made a trip to Mississippi for a poetry reading at the Southern Writers Conference at Ole Miss. These are my thoughts on what turned out to be an epic journey.<br /><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/b6YJS2">Taking the Long Way 'Round: A Reading with William Lusk Coppage</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-32339900497345608122010-06-30T10:01:00.003-05:002010-06-30T10:05:24.585-05:00Blog Tour 2010 - #2My next stop on the blog tour is over at <a href="http://janridernewman.blogspot.com/2010/06/writers-newest-tools-blogs-twitter-and.html">Beyond Acadia</a>, which is writer Jan Rider Newman's blog. I gathered my thoughts on how social networking can benefit writers and be used to grow their readership. Thanks to Jan for the soap box...<br /><br /><br />Blog Tour 2010 - #2<br /><br />"A Writer's Newest Tools - Blogs, Twitter, and Facebook"<br /><a href="http://janridernewman.blogspot.com/2010/06/writers-newest-tools-blogs-twitter-and.html">http://janridernewman.blogspot.com/2010/06/writers-newest-tools-blogs-twitter-and.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-70657857193042918982010-06-29T10:24:00.005-05:002010-06-29T10:33:48.482-05:00When the Levee Breaks - Levees, Literature, and Symbolism of the South, by William Lusk Coppage<span style="font-style:italic;">My good friend and classmate William Lusk Coppage has answered my call to trade posts during my summer blog tour. The following post is his view on levees and southern poetry, among other things... J</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">When the Levee Breaks – Levees, Literature, and Symbolism of the South</span><br />by William Lusk Coppage<br /><br />I came over to check out J Bruce’s blog, and I noticed one very<br />important characteristic. Both him and I have a picture of a body of<br />water. His picture portrays Lake Pontchartrain, and my picture shows<br />the Mississippi River Bridge (old and new) between Greenville, MS and<br />Lake Village, AR. Each of these bodies of water has levees around<br />them. I would like to think that is more than a coincidence. This<br />made me start thinking about the symbolic power of the levee. Since<br />both J Bruce and I are from the south, he being from the New Orleans<br />region and myself from the Mississippi Delta region, we both have<br />close ties with the Mississippi River and its levee system.<br /><br />It is safe to say that the levee that surrounds the stained coffee<br />brown water of the Mississippi represents security, but in writing<br />what is its higher function? Many poems that both J Bruce and I write<br />use the levee as an image. And while we might attack the image from<br />different ways, I believe the core imagery is there. The levee<br />represents power, but this power has many different faces.<br /><br />Many of J Bruce’s poems deal with the 1927 flood. When the levee<br />broke, the remnants of Southern farming/way of life at the time were<br />in jeopardy. The breaking of the levee introduced a new angle to the<br />power struggle of the farmers and their “workers.” Horror stories<br />exist of levee camps built on the little land that existed on the<br />levee tops. The farmers were afraid there workers would leave the<br />delta and not return; therefore, against the workers will, they were<br />held to stay and put the land back together. So looking at the<br />levee’s imagery shows a tension of slave/master, but it also goes<br />beyond and represents not only the struggle, but almost as a totem of<br />achievement.<br /><br />The levees are the power of the South. Without the levees, the land<br />would be washed away and uninhabitable. Therefore, they also<br />symbolize control and order. The river that runs right next to them<br />is a demon. The current is rough, whirlpools are visible and the<br />water is a dense murky fog of anger. The levees keep a watchful eye<br />and keep order.<br /><br />One aspect that the levees represent in my own work is the safety of<br />experience. Growing up right next to a levee and in a port town, the<br />levees allowed the “uncontrolled” youth of the area to congregate.<br />These were the days of testing boundaries, and while I am blessed that<br />I survived, the levee provided a mystic atmosphere. For those that do<br />completely not understand this, think of whatever “Strip” you drove down as a<br />teenager. The levee was outside the city limits and<br />allowed us to think we were adults and exude reckless power for a<br />brief moment.<br /><br />And in that same vein, the levee offers escape. Growing up, and still<br />to this day, driving on the levee clears the head, just like a<br />meditation or a walk. In high school, the levee was “home base” where<br />I could get away from everyone. When I visit home now, within the<br />first hour, I am in the passenger seat on my father’s truck. We drive<br />the levee to our hunting land. He points out the changes in the land,<br />and we get to pause from the rest of the world and talk.<br /><br />The levee is a multi-faced beast that holds so many meanings. I want<br />to take a moment and show what others have said about the levee.<br /><br />• <span style="font-style:italic;">It was a special place along the Mississippi (River) behind the<br />levee where everyone went to have fun.</span> –<span style="font-weight:bold;">John Magnie</span><br />• <span style="font-style:italic;">Our worst fears came true. The levee will breach if we keep on the<br />path we are on right now, which will fill the area that was flooded<br />earlier.</span> –<span style="font-weight:bold;">Barry Guidry</span><br />• <span style="font-style:italic;">We need this levee. We respect it.</span> –<span style="font-weight:bold;">Gerard Roper</span><br />• <span style="font-style:italic;">The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering<br />skill can persuade it to do otherwise...</span> –<span style="font-weight:bold;">Mark Twain</span> in <span style="font-style:italic;">Eruption</span><br /><br />I want to leave you with a verse from the song “When the Levee Breaks”<br />by Kansas Joe McCloy and Memphis Minnie. The song was also<br />popularized by Led Zeppelin.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"> Oh cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do no good<br /> Oh cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do no good<br /> When the levee breaks, mama, you got to lose</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://williamluskcoppage.blogspot.com">William Lusk Coppage</a>’s poetry has appeared in <span style="font-style:italic;">Blue Earth Review</span> and<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Mikrokosmos</span>. He was raised in the Mississippi Delta, but was lucky<br />enough to travel the globe in the United States Air Force. Currently,<br />Coppage is back in the South completing his MFA in poetry at McNeese<br />States University in Lake Charles, LA. For more information, please<br />visit him at <a href="http://williamluskcoppage.blogspot.com">http://williamluskcoppage.blogspot.com</a>. You can also<br />follow him on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/WilliamLCoppage">http://twitter.com/WilliamLCoppage</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-32637202831100418502010-06-26T16:41:00.002-05:002010-06-26T16:44:24.792-05:00Blog Tour 2010 - The First StopOkay, so technically this wasn't part of the "tour" but it did just recently come out and is a nice starting point for my blog tour. I recently did an interview with Jess Ferguson on her blog and it is still available to read. <br /><br /><br />Blog Tour 2010 - #1<br /><br />Jess Ferguson interviews me for <span style="font-weight:bold;">Louisiana Saturday Night</span>.<br /><a href="http://jessyferguson.blogspot.com/2010/06/louisiana-saturday-night-with-poet-j.html">http://jessyferguson.blogspot.com/2010/06/louisiana-saturday-night-with-poet-j.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-41737763449073142372010-06-26T16:28:00.002-05:002010-06-26T16:37:13.518-05:00Blog Tour 2010Prompted (and educated) by my friend D.B. Grady, I have begun to plan for a blog tour. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a blog tour is a series of posts on other people's blogs which helps bring new readers to both the writer and the host blog. D.B. Grady wrote an informative article on blog tours here: <a href="http://bayouwritersgroup.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-blog-book-tours-blog-tours-are-all.html">http://bayouwritersgroup.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-blog-book-tours-blog-tours-are-all.html</a><br /><br />So for the remainder of the summer I will attempt to write for as many blogs as I can. I am not making any hard and fast goals, but I will hopefully be able to do at least a half dozen. I am also offering my blog as a soap box to any of you who want to trade posts. The first such offering will be a post by the poet <a href="http://williamluskcoppage.blogspot.com">William Lusk Coppage</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-32497124091783748562010-06-26T09:10:00.001-05:002010-06-26T09:14:33.313-05:00Singapore AnthologyI have had two poems, "Roses and Heat" & "A Case Study in Tectonic Boundaries," accepted to an anthology of poetry that will be released in Singapore later this year. I will post more information when I get it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-35079825825258239302010-06-19T10:50:00.002-05:002010-06-19T10:51:30.274-05:00Interview with Louisiana Saturday NightI did an interview with Jessy Ferguson's blog,<a href="http://jessyferguson.blogspot.com/2010/06/louisiana-saturday-night-with-poet-j.html">Louisiana Saturday Night</a>. Go <a href="http://jessyferguson.blogspot.com/2010/06/louisiana-saturday-night-with-poet-j.html">HERE</a> to read it...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-39270128201334439962010-05-19T11:06:00.002-05:002010-05-19T11:08:48.288-05:00The Joy Scantlebury AwardI have recently received the third place prize in this year's Joy Scantlebury Award for Poetry at McNeese State University. The contest was judged this year by the poet Cody Walker, so thanks to him.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21275399.post-80903343893056585732010-04-22T21:00:00.002-05:002010-04-22T21:02:20.151-05:00Yankee Pot RoastTwo of my poems, "Andy and the Puma" & "Hippies, Hair Metal, and How I Learned to Stop Watching Television," are now up at <span style="font-style:italic;">Yankee Pot Roast</span>... <a href="http://www.yankeepotroast.org/archives/2010/04/poems.html">http://www.yankeepotroast.org/archives/2010/04/poems.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0