Poetry Evolution » At Squaw Valley Poetry

At Squaw Valley Poetry

Filed under: Poet on the Road — Hari Bhajan at 7:31 pm on Sunday, July 30, 2006

Feels like I’ve been gone a month, or maybe an eternity. Time when you’re writing a poem a day and going to lectures, workshops and readings and picnics and socializing and writing some more…oh, and don’t forget an occasional meal or nap or walk or just chilling out, seems to flex in and out like a rubber band. At one moment you’re racing along and the next it’s so still you can’t find yourself. The whole week is a lot to digest and my metabolism is trying to catch up with all the fare offered. First, the Guiding Poets were wonderful–Sharon Olds, Robert Hass, Harryette Mullen, Dean Young and C.D. Wright. I had worked with Sharon before at SV three years ago and at an Esalen workshop. She creates a safe space in her workshops that allows the poet to always risk just a little more. Harryette was at Idyllwild two years ago when I was there, but I didn’t work with her. She has a great spirit and does an awesome reading. Dean Young was new to me and I loved how he approached each poem, looking for its "center of gravity." C.D. Wright has a real knack for carving a rough poem into a gem. Robert Hass is the director of the program and is always busy–from leading his daily workshop to organizing the softball game to consoling distraught poets to giving a craft talk that got a standing ovation on the last day. It was obvious he gave 100% and everyone loved and appreciated his efforts to ensure that the week went well for each and every one of us.

As for myself–I’m in recovery mode today. The altitude and climate change from the dry, heights of the Sierra Nevada to sea level, muggy L.A. has my head feeling like a canteloupe and my energy dragging. That said, I had a terrific time. There are a couple of poems I wrote during the week that are keepers, but more than that, way more than that, is the delight of getting to know so many great poets, of having the opportunity to learn from Dean, C.D., Bob, Sharon & Harryette, and of stretching myself poetically on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. It was a great time and I’ll be sharing more in the coming days. Oh, if you’d like to check out a blog by David Koehn (one of the participating poets) and his fellow bloggers you can go to The Great American Pin Up.

*************