Catching up

Just as a side note - 

this was written as an e-mail to a pen-pal of mine - you know who you are 

(and yes, I changed a bit of it  because as we all learned from presidental canidate HC, private emails are just that... private) 

I do call him a pen-pal because this is how we communicate.  We are writers.

PS
If you want to pen me a note- just post below in the comment section. The above certificate does read "others" and not just one person. Technicalities, schmechcanallities.Tomato / Mater... Perhaps just by you reading this and you are a poet, you could comment and that would merrit "outstanding."    

Catching up- A letter.  

Hello. Things are good here.  I nothing much to report.  No breaking news.  I am pondering - "What are verizon reward points and what do I do with them?"  but other than that....   Share your knowledge if you have a clue as to what they are.  

I'm reading a lot.  I hate to sound un - read... is that a thing? In my spare - est of time, my new pastime is not candy crush.  My ADD meds kept me playing and I realized I had a real problem when I was playing openly and not in secret like all addicts do when addicted to crack.  

My new hobby is the magazinge periodical known as, Oxford American. I have always been an avid reader but I've taken it to a whole other level!  If you haven't read it or subscribe -  you are missing out on some delicious reading.  

At the library, where they hold my copy, I am ridiculed a lot for looking studious when reading it.  (you would not think that librarians would ostrasize someone  READING in a library, but this is the deep south- and they know I only have a 3.75 GPA from twenty years ago- It's tough to get that 4.0 when reading is so discourged) From my experience, just by being seen reading Oxford American in public will make you appear much more intelligent.  

In the beginning of each issue there are snippets of information about the contributors.  I bide my spare-est of time making a list of these people to internet stalk, then bookmark their .com's for further reading.  (essays and what knots where they have articles in other well known publications like The New Yorker ,Readers Digest, Food, or GQ which you may be familiar with) Next ,I make a list of books in my memo pad on my phone and harass the librarians since their high tech web card catalog is ALWAYS on the blitz  and make them order said books, if not in circulation and not yet read by all of us not so bright red-necks.  Then I check out (3) three - no more than that because in order to keep the lights on at the two new libraries we have just built in our metropolis, they have shortened the check out time to two weeks instead of the usual four.  I have to pay a late fine if I get more than three books.  Reading does interfere with my stalking, so I have to do it in a timely manner.  

Back to my original topic of being "un- read", in said magazine they sort the contributing authors.  Alphabetical, which is standard but to my surprise they have no less than (4) four contributors that are poets.  POETS.  POETS who have published BOOKS.  This would be your tribe.  I struggle with poetry.  It would be my literary killer if that existed.  

Killed by poetry. - future obit of the Daily Panic.   

When web stalking the authors I came across these poets because they are on the list and my curious mind read some pieces.  I wondered if some of these poets were chosen to fill some status qou in publication or what the level of good is determined in poetry, but It wasnt all sparkly to me, at least not enough to override my ADD meds and I looked away and found something else interesting. But you, my friend________,  ( If you are poetic, you may insert your own name here)  Poets are your tribe.  You might find them a tasteful read or kitty litter enough to know you write better than they (no offense to contributors) and get to serious work and get published or find your niche with that publisher who has been looking for you since there is an opening in the literary world for one more poet.  

I hope you know my tone is encouraging not wise - *ss  because I know it takes more than a writing workshop to make someone a writer and not all of us can write erotica.  Follow your star!   Keep rhyming or whatever iambic pentamiter or octagon it is that poets write by! 

I hope to find my words again too.  I have some novels to write, especially when I finish doing all this reading or no longer need the ADD meds.  They are helping me shed a few pounds so it's a win win WIN.  

Have a great weekend and tell ________ ( insert the name of any signigicant other or your sister) hello from me!  Let her know the book I am currently reading is "The Dinner" by Herman Koch.  It is sumarrized on the back cover as, "chilling, nasty, smart, shocking, and unputdownable" by the author that wrote "Gone Girl," Gillian Flynn.   Maybe one day some one will say that about our publications.I have to read it so I know what I'm up against, if I am to have any chance in writing something "unputdownable." 

Your pen-pal 

(we might have to change it to keypad pal? or  Southern correspondent pal? I only write with a pen when I have to sign the back of my big ol' paycheck) 

- Daily Panic