February 2012
23 posts
“So I just finished reading your book. I think I was beaming. I think I held it...”
– Poet Warsan Shire on The Letter All Your Friends Have Written you by Caits Meissner and Tishon (via caitsmeissner)
PANK MAGAZINE review of The Letter All Your... →
“Like two birds in flight, their patterns are varied, their wingspans diverse, yet the tempo between these two poets is an opera, formed from contrasting sounds, blended together to make whole the orchestra of shared experiences… I had to put it down and walk away. I had to catch breaths in the pocket of the ladies room at work, before I could come back to these words and allow...
“That’s right, I am a book kisser. Maybe that’s kind of perverted or maybe it’s...”
– Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
(Alexie just has the best quotes, no?)
“2. At a poetry reading, you are approached by an attractive stranger who claims...”
– Which Poetry Editor Are You?
Over at the Poetry Foundation, Lucy Ives muses about the job of a poetry editor and makes up the best internet quiz ever.
(via ecantwell)
Your Guide to Literary Tumblrs →
Happy Friday Lovers! For the Tumblrati among us, The Millions just blew our minds with this uber-thorough list of literary tumblrs you simply must follow. We didn’t make the list this time, but we’re about that Tumblr stuff too. Follow us, then follow them, then tell us if they’ve missed anyone we should be following.
andreablythe asked: Do you think there's a chance Caits and Tishon might reach the West coast for some "The Letter All Your Friends Have Written You" readings? (I'm selfishly thinking of San Francisco specifically.)
My Skin Don't Matter Because I Was Born Here →
caitsmeissner:
Persona poems about the Civil War Era by the American History 11th Grade Class at Urban Assembly Institute for Math and Science, in collaboration with Urban Arts Partnership. Led by Caits Meissner and Brodie Crawford. Book designed and edited by Caits Meissner.
3 tags
January 2012
40 posts
A Review: The Letter All Your Friends Have Written...
booksmatter:
The distinguishing feature of this poetry collection is not, in fact, the poems—though they are good—but the book’s genesis. As Tishon and Meissner explain in the introduction: “…we’ve been friends for roughly five years. In those five years we’ve shared countless letters. These letters aren’t letters in the true sense of the word. They are poems….” Born from the intimacy of...
A little whisper in your ear... →
caitsmeissner:
Ah, dear lovers of words and good natured folks,
This is the last reminder from your friendly neighborhood Caits! Our book (see exhibit A) will be celebrated this Tuesday at 7pm. The show is at Housing Works Bookstore, and it is free. Totally free! We have an amazing line up to accompany us…
“I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound or stab us. If the...”
– Franz Kafka (via troubled)
Such Magnificent Taste and Texture and Feeling: A... →
An interview with Caits and Tishon on Used Furniture Review: Why they write, why they chose to do a book together, and why call it The Letter All Your Friends Have Written You
Book Boroughing: NYC Literary Events Calendar →
Hey NYC! There’s a new literary event listings site for anyone looking for lit-stuffs to do pretty much every day of every week until the end of time.
10 Universities Offering Free Writing Courses... →
writingsbycrscott:
Are you an aspiring writer who would love to take some university courses on writing, but don’t have the money to spend on classes?
Well don’t fear. Here is a list of ten universities who are offering free online writing courses to anyone who wants to through a program called the OpenCourseWare Initiative.
Though on their own they won’t give you any official credits, the...
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s List of Things for His... →
“I keep a hotel room. I have everything taken off the walls, and I bring in...”
– Writers’ Routines: Maya Angelou
Yusef Komunyakaa: An Argument Against Simplicity →
sweatbtwn:
Some good news: if you can’t make it to the book release party, Caits Meissner and Tishon will also be reading this month at the Greenlight Poetry Salon on January 25th alongside Tara Betts & Adam Falkner!
“But as he grew older, he learned that a word was a powerful thing. An insult...”
– Jodi Picoult, The Tenth Circle (via teachingliteracy)
Daughters of Dilla: from How Mavis Staples Healed... →
caitsmeissner:
A clip from the poem, excerpted for the book page, here. Thanks ladies!
daughtersofdilla:
by Caits Meissner
Under headphones, Mavis Staples crawls into the hurting parts. She is awkward, but persistent, squeezing her round maternal body into the tiny cracks. Shimmies up the pipe of my heart. Stomps her feet against the wound. Rolls her eyes. Says, toughen up, mama, this...
How do authors pronounce their names? NEVER BE... →
Here is a Well&Often key for our authors, just in case you find yourself needing it:
Tishon Commonly misprounced as TY-SHAWN Actually pronounced: TISH-AWN
Caits Meissner Commonly mispronounced as CATS MESS-NER Actually pronounced: KATE-S (like, two of them) MICE-NER