Touched By A Monkey

Ladies, leave your labias alone. Not all girl things need to be pink.

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:18:00 +0000

“It burns if you put too much on, or use it other places.”

I learned this week that vagina tinting is a thing and
something fucked up has happened to Courtney Love’s face.
These things are/are not related. My mind cannot handle this.
Ladies, back away from the knife and the vamoose for your cooch.
How am I supposed to explain all of this to my son? I can sum up
the women’s studies class I took in college: Men think fucked up
things about women, and women think fucked up things about
themselves. Rah rah rah. Go laaaaaaaaaaadies! Which sounds
a lot like laaaaaaaaaaabias! Which all have to be pink now
even the lady parts of darker skinned ladies. You guys know
these things are made of skin and how skin works right?
Labia lightening, not to be confused with labia lightning, the
high voltage electrical discharge of a vagina storm. Beware.
That’s coming next, headed to a weather-vane near you.

Her name is Panic.

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:45:00 +0000

The ever-awesome Karyna McGlynn makes sense of AWP for you. As if Karyna has ever had to wonder who to eat lunch with. She's one of the cool kids.

Pint sized poetry machine

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:03:00 +0000

This 3-year-old kid reads poetry better than you do. Better than any of us. Though he's not actually reading. He's memorized it. IN HIS BRAIN.

If you enjoyed this (and you must have, otherwise I don't know where your heart is) then you should also check out this young fellow reading "The Eagle" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson while dressed as Superman, and "Walking Across the Atlantic" by Billy Collins in the company of a stuffed dolphin.

Via Videogum.

Maya Angelou is a punk

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:48:00 +0000

Maya Angelou Prank Show sketch from SNL. Super funny stuff.

Monkey see. Literally.

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:34:00 +0000

I know it's been a while since I've updated this blog, but this was worth coming out of hibernation.

Poet stamps!

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 13:40:00 +0000

Coming to a U.S. Post Office near you in March. Assuming we still have the post office then. Now go mail some shit.

Via Axis of Abraxas.

“Beat Poets, not beat poets.”

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:05:00 +0000

What? Motherfuckers shoved Brenda Hillman and hit Robert Hass? What the fuck is wrong with this country where the current priority seems to be beating up poets and pepper spraying students engaged in non-violent protest?

Poodle kisses monkey

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:51:00 +0000

They're Frenching. But in a totally platonic, non-icky way.

Via Cute Overload.

Laurie Saurborn Young is brilliant, but you don't have to take my word for it

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:37:00 +0000

The lovely and talented Laurie Saurborn Young gave a really great interview to The American Literary Review. It was one of the best poetry-related things I've read in a long time. Sure it doesn't hurt that I think Laurie is awesome or that we once hung out in North Carolina. Or that the string of airstream trailer lights she gave to me hang on my porch all year.

In the interview she says that she writes "to figure out the world and to discover a way to exist in the world. A way to explore science and the animal world. As I’ve continued to write, I’ve accrued more confidence. With confidence I’ve allowed more space to enter the poems, in terms of structure and form and also in terms of saying the strange things I am thinking and being able to marry them to the human condition. Places of commonality, if you will."

This is pretty much exactly the reason I love poetry, though expressed in an articulate fashion I am likely incapable of.

Her first book, Carnavoria, will be published by H_NGM_N BKS in 2012. I, personally, expect the wait to be excrutiating.

Taha Muhammad Ali has died

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 23:10:00 +0000

Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali has died. He was 80 years old. I saw him read a couple of years ago at UofM and it was one of the best and most moving readings I have ever been to. I can't help but think that if more people read his poetry then the Palestinians would have a much better chance at getting a state, at living in peace, at being seen as human, even. May he rest in a peace that did not exist during his life.

"Pledge of Allegiance" by Married to the Sea

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:52:00 +0000

Such a tough choice. Then again, to a lot of kids reading any poem would probably be considered punishment. Alas.

Why yes, that is a pretty good monkey

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:02:00 +0000

Toothpaste for Dinner: "haiku format"

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:17:00 +0000

"Epistle I" by Sheera Talpaz

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:22:00 +0000

A new poem from my friend Sheera at ink node. I especially love the last stanza.

Danielle Steele is "hungry / for your face"

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 03:31:00 +0000

In "The Poetry of Danielle Steel", Lamar Clarkson does a close reading of Danielle Steel's 1984 poetry classic Love.

"Subtract the daring enjambment and add a blinking laptop cursor with a voiceover and you basically have Carrie Bradshaw, 15 years ahead of schedule, but without those annoying egg-white omelets. Our narrator eats real eggs. (We know this because she is always making breakfast for men who may not return.)"

Via The Hairpin.

14 years later

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:43:00 +0000

Poetry posted "To You" by Kenneth Koch to their Facebook page this morning. It feels aimed right at me, or, really, from me to my wife, in light of our 14 year anniversary yesterday. Happy Anniversary, Babe! I love you.

This monkey is being kind of a dick to this dog

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:35:00 +0000

I know I don't update this much, but this is some quality content right here.

Gibbon vs. Dog from B. Leon (Singhto) Ponsart on Vimeo.

Via Videogum.

Anis Shivani's poetry dump

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Anis Shivani shits all over Sharon Olds, Jorie Graham, Louise Glück, and Philip Levine in the Huffington Post. It's like the 2 Girls 1 Cup of poetry essays.

"Curiosity Kills" by Joel Watson

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:52:00 +0000

Um, yeah. I can definitely see how curiosity could be a bad thing. Kids should really re-think the whole "monkey as pets" ideal portrayed in the Curious George books.

Philip Levine, please save us

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:52:00 +0000

With the current state of the U.S. economy, I can't help but find it sadly ironic that Philip Levine, "the voice of the working man," is now our Poet Laureate. Much deserved, mind you. I'm just feeling pretty pessimistic.

Here's an old interview with Levine that is worth reading.

Blair is gone

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:42:00 +0000

Detroit poet David Blair has passed away. I don't have any details as of yet, but I do know that there's a big hole in the world now. He was a friend to many people and a vibrant part of Detroit's poetry community. He will be dearly missed.

Maybe alpha male baboons need to do some yoga

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 04:12:00 +0000

"Fighting off underlings, pursuing females and maintaining one's social status appear to be more stressful for alpha male baboons than researchers had anticipated."

What? Really? That sound like a cake walk to anybody?

"Tea Party, meet your T. S. Eliot."

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Wingnut Camper Art Project Shares How-To Secrets For Sexing Obama

Free Neko Case show at the Poetry Foundation Open House

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:31:00 +0000

If I was going to be in Chicago June 25 this is definitely where I'd be.

I wish jungle exploration was really like this

noreply@blogger.com (D'Anne Witkowski) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:15:00 +0000

Buttersafe – "Exploring the Jungle."