Tulsa Nimrod Annual Awards Contest

The 31st Nimrod Awards
The Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction &
The Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry

Founded by Ruth G. Hardman

First Place: $2,000, publication, and a trip to Tulsa for the Awards Celebration


FIRST PLACE: $2,000 and PUBLICATION

SECOND PLACE: $1,000 and PUBLICATION

Contest Rules

Contest Begins: JANUARY 1, 2009

Postmark Deadline: APRIL 30, 2009

Poetry: 3-10 pages of poetry (one long poem or several short poems).

Fiction: 7,500 words maximum.

No previously published works or works accepted for publication elsewhere. Author's name must not appear on the manuscript. Include a cover sheet containing major title and subtitles, author's name, full address, phone & email. "Contest Entry" should be clearly indicated on both the outer envelope and the cover sheet. Manuscripts will not be returned. Nimrod retains the right to publish any submission. Include SASE for results only. If no SASE is sent, no contest results will be sent; however, the results will be posted on Nimrod’s Web site. Submitters must have a U.S. address by October of 2008 to enter the contest. Winners will also be brought to Tulsa for the Awards Ceremony in October.

Entry/Subscription Fee: $20 includes both entry fee & a one-year subscription (two issues). Each entry must each be accompanied by a $20 fee. Make checks payable to:



NIMROD

Literary Contest--Fiction or Poetry

The University of Tulsa, 800 S. Tucker Dr.

Tulsa, OK 74104



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Nimrod Literary Awards 2008

The editors of Nimrod International Journal are delighted to announce the winners, honorable mentions, and finalists of the 30th Nimrod Literary Awards.


Nimrod Literary Awards: The Pablo Neruda Prize in Poetry


FIRST PRIZE: $2,000 Elyse Fenton, TX, “Clamor” and other poems


SECOND PRIZE: $1,000 Jude Nutter, MN, “Via Negativa” and other poems

HONORABLE MENTION: Andrea Thorsen, MO, “Monograph” and other poems



Nimrod Literary Awards: The Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Fiction


FIRST PRIZE: $2,000 Paul Mihas, NC, “This Is Not a Barren Place”


SECOND PRIZE: $1,000 Stephanie Soileau, CA, “The Camera Obscura”


HONORABLE MENTIONS: Anne de Marcken, WA, “Signs and Symbols”

Heather Jacobs, KY, “Semipalatinsk”
Miroslav Penkov, AR, “Letter”

Richard Santos, DC, “Charles and Irma”



Nimrod extends deep appreciation to all who submitted. There were 691 poetry manuscripts and 588 short stories submitted to the 2008 competition. Selecting poetry finalists and fiction finalists from these was a task that dominated the lives of 42 Nimrod editors all spring. They approached their mission with dedication and discretion, reading and rereading the final group, comparing notes, and speaking for favorites. The finalists’ manuscripts, without cover letters or names, were sent to the judges for 2008, Mark Doty, poetry, and Anthony Doerr, fiction. They chose the winners and honorable mentions from the finalist group.

The 2009 Nimrod Literary Awards competition begins January 1, 2009; the postmark deadline is April 30, 2009. We welcome your submissions, knowing that each year brings new discoveries, often from those who have submitted to the competition before.


Finalists Poetry 2008 (listed in order of number they received at check-in)

123, Susan Landgraf, WA, “Finding Light”

125, Joshua Wood, CA, “Nature’s Own” and other poems

138, Jude Nutter, MN, “Via Negativa” and other poems

166, Lenore Weiss, CA, “Tkhine in Sh’vat” and other poems

173, Patrick Moran, WI, “Hobo Poems”

177, Roseann Lloyd, MN, “April, Baby” and other poems

215, Mary Kay Rummel, MN, from “Like Blue Loves a Wing”

219, Daniel Becker, VA, “Bulkheads” and other poems

256, Jeff Simpson, OK, “Shrapnel” and other poems

259, Elyse Fenton, TX, “Clamor” and other poems

274, Andrea Thorsen, MO, “Monograph” and other poems

339, Steven Coughlin, MA, “The New Physics” and other poems

353, Kate Fetherston, VT, “Take Bitter for Sweet” and other poems

426, Angela Patten, VT, “Elements”

428, Glenn C. Shaheen, TX, “All the Evil in the Animal Kingdom” and other poems

473, Elizabeth L. Fogle, PA, “The Nazi Officer’s Wife” and other poems

498, Han-hua Chang, NY, “What is the Spirit of Thermopylae in the Modern Age?”

607, Myrna Amelia Mesa, FL, “The Closed Mouth Fish” and other poems

638, Chad Sweeney, CA, “The Osprey” and other poems

651, Kelly Michels, NC, “What the Owl Knows” and other poems


Semi-Finalists Poetry 2008

006, Sally Allen McNall, CA, “After a flood”

051, Gail Peck, NC, “The Visionary” and other poems

057, Susan Berlin, MA, “Black Plumage, Croaking Cry,” and other poems

069, Terry Hertzler, CA, “365 and a Wakeup” and other poems

077, Taylor Mali, NY, “The Entire Act of Sorrow” and other poems

115, Scot Siegel, OR, “The Day Father’s Shop Burned to the Ground”

120, Michael Campagnoli, ME, “Penobscot Voices: Kikukus”

126, Marjory Stone, HI, “Joy of Flight” and other poems

129, Jessica Harmon, MA, “I Am I”

139, Jessicca Daigle, TX, “Inheritance”

141, Cheryl Dumesnil, CA, “In Praise of Falling”

142, Rosalind Pace, MA, “Snow in Paghman, with Wolves” and other poems

146, William Orem, MA, “five crucifixions”

148, Judith Barrington, OR, “Lost Lands”

149, Geri Radacsi, CT, “Greening the Blast Zone” and other poems

151, Erinn Batykefer, PA, “Snowmelt” and other poems

152, Mary Minock, MI, “Seventy-Eight Mostly Glossy Pictures” and other poems

163, Mary Van Denend, OR, “Carol at Eighty-Five” and other poems

169, Jim Tilley, NY, “Half-Finished Bridge” and other poems

174, Laurie Junkins, NJ, “Spilled” and other poems

176, Rhett Iseman Trull, NC, “Rescuing Princess Zelda”

189, Michelle Bitting, CA, “They Are Kissing, in a Pub, Under One” and other poems

233, Lori Stoltz, MN, “root beggars”

237, Carolyn Moore, OR, “Memento Mori Poems”

241, Jabez W. Churchill, “Orchid/Orquidea” and other poems

242, Patricia Clark, MI, “Splinter”

245, Rich Spencer, IN, “Hymns for Sailors” and other poems

249, Sarah Getty, MA, “As The Observer Wills” and other poems

252, Simon Peter Eggertsen, NY, “The Steep Path” and other poems

261, Ellen Wise, MD, “Snow Geese” and other poems

253, Katie Kingston, CO, “Bonilla’s Portrait” and other poems

264, Justina Boyd Wiggins, PA, “The Seventh Daughter” and other poems

281, Lynne Knight, CA, “The Dread Essay”

289, Meena Alexander, NY, “Flesh Rose”

336, Penelope Scambly Schott, OR, “Poor Dear” and other poems

338, Marilyn Ringer, CA, “Dea Abscondita”

340, Greg McBride, MD, “Music Lady” and other poems

375, Christian Teresi, VA, “What Monsters You Make of Them” and other poems

400, Robert High Guard, OH, “The Wife of Narcissus” and other poems

470, Rachel Morgenstern-Clarren, OR, “Superstition” and other poems

482, Tyler Moore, TN, “The Puerta America” and other poems

488, Karen Chamberlin, CO, “My Father’s Vise” and other poems

538, Kirsten Casey, CA, “The First Piece of Everything Else”

604, Douglas Goetsch, NY, “Nameless Boy” and other poems

622, Nan Becker, NJ, “At Last It Snows” and other poems

641, Fox DeMoisey, CA, “The Second Third” and other poems

645, Shane Omar, CO, “San Luis, CO” and other poems

652, Teresa J. Scollon, MI, “The Invitation”

653, V. L. Schwab, FL, “Rooms Like These”

655, Christine E. Black, VA, “Prayer for Andrea Yates” and other poems

656, Mark Wagenaar, VA, “Lamentation” and other poems

659, Christina Woś Donnelly, NY, “Love Song” and other poems

667, Elin Beck, MN, “For Nonny” and other poems

678, Jane Ellen Ibur, MO, “Mrs. Noah — 3:27” and other poems


Finalists Fiction 2008 (listed in order of number they received at check-in)

150, Jessica Pitchford, FL, “The Pinch Hitter”

188, Stephanie Soileau, CA, “The Camera Obscura”

302, Benjamin Arda Doty, MN, “Velvet Wolves”

357, Heather Brittian Bergstrom, CA, “All Sorts of Hunger”

394, Heather Jacobs, KY, “Semipalatinsk”
472, Anne de Marcken, WA, “Signs and Symbols”

476, Miroslav Penkov, AR, “Letter”

548, Paul Mihas, NC, “This Is Not a Barren Place”

551, Rachel Hall, NY, “What Is Forgotten”

552, Richard Santos, DC, “Charles and Irma”

588, Teresa Milbrodt, OH, “The Shell”


Semi-Finalists Fiction 2008

084, Melissa Pritchard, AZ, “Pelagia”

140, Catherine Griffiths, NY, “Amplification”

266, Amalia Gladhart, OR, “Stones, Buoys”

286, Jill Widner, WA, “The Guest House at Old Camp”

305, Matt Mendez, AZ, “Twitching Heart”

325, John T. Biggs, OK, “Revival”

346, Joan King, FL, “Christmas Song”

400, K. D. Wentworth, OK, “The Snow Queen”

485, Leslie Pietrzyk, VA, “Just Another Abortion Story”

505, Leni Fleming, CA, “Signs and Symptoms”

522, Eleanor Swanson, CO, “Lucia on Fire”




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NIMROD International Journal of Poetry & Prose, University of Tulsa

2008 Poet Laureate

Kay Ryan was born in 1945 in San Jose, Calif., and grew up in the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. Her father was an oil well driller and sometime-prospector. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. Since 1971, Ryan has lived in Marin County. Her partner of 30 years is Carol Adair.

For more than 30 years, Ryan limited her professional responsibilities to the part-time teaching of remedial English at the College of Marin in Kentfield, Calif., thus leaving much of her life free for "a lot of mountain bike riding plus the idle maunderings poets feed upon." She said at one point that she has never taken a creative writing class, and in a 2004 interview in The Christian Science Monitor, she noted, "I have tried to live very quietly, so I could be happy."

In her poems Ryan enjoys re-examining the beauty of everyday phrases and mining the cracks in common human experience. Unlike many poets writing today, she seldom writes in the first person. She has said, "I don’t use ‘I’ because the personal is too hot and sticky for me to work with. I like the cooling properties of the impersonal." In her poem "Hide and Seek," for instance, she describes the feelings of the person hiding without ever saying, "I am hiding":

It’s hard not
to jump out
instead of
waiting to be
found. It’s
hard to be
alone so long
and then hear
someone come
around. It’s
like some form
of skin’s developed
in the air
that, rather
than have torn,
you tear.

She describes poetry as an intensely personal experience for both the writer and the reader: "Poems are transmissions from the depths of whoever wrote them to the depths of the reader. To a greater extent than with any other kind of reading, the reader of a poem is making that poem, is inhabiting those words in the most personal sort of way. That doesn’t mean that you read a poem and make it whatever you want it to be, but that it’s operating so deeply in you, that it is the most special kind of reading."

Ryan’s poems are characterized by the deft use of unusual kinds of slant and internal rhyming–which she has referred to as "recombinant rhyme"–in combination with strong, exact rhymes and even puns. The poems are peppered with wit and philosophical questioning and rely on short lines, often no more than two to three words each. She has said of her ascetic preferences, "An almost empty suitcase–that’s what I want my poems to be. A few things. The reader starts taking them out, but they keep multiplying." Because her craft is both exacting and playfully elastic, it is possible for both readers who like formal poems and readers who like free verse to find her work rewarding.

John Barr, president of The Poetry Foundation, said: "Halfway into a Ryan poem, one is ready for either a joke or a profundity; typically it ends in both. Before we know it the poem arrives at some unexpected, deep insight that likely will alter forever the way we see that thing."

Ryan has written six books of poetry, plus a limited edition artist’s book, along with a number of essays. Her books are: "Dragon Acts to Dragon Ends" (1983), "Strangely Marked Metal" (Copper Beech, 1985), "Flamingo Watching" (Copper Beech, 1994), "Elephant Rocks" (Grove Press,1996), "Say Uncle" (Grove Press, 2000), "Believe It or Not!" (2002, Jungle Garden Press, edition of 125 copies), and "The Niagara River" (Grove Press, 2005).

Her awards include the Gold Medal for poetry, 2005, from the San Francisco Commonwealth Club; the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize from The Poetry Foundation in 2004; a Guggenheim fellowship the same year; a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship as well as the Maurice English Poetry Award in 2001; the Union League Poetry Prize in 2000; and an Ingram Merrill Foundation Award in 1995. She has won four Pushcart Prizes and has been selected four different years for the annual volumes of the Best American Poetry. Her poems have been widely reprinted and internationally anthologized. Since 2006, she has been a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.

Poet Laureate - You May Have Heard The Term, But What Does It Mean?

The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress serves as the nation's official lightning rod for the poetic impulse of Americans. During his or her term, the Poet Laureate seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.


The Poet Laureate is appointed annually by the Librarian of Congress and serves from October to May. In making the appointment, the Librarian consults with former appointees, the current Laureate and distinguished poetry critics. The position has existed under two separate titles: from 1937 to 1986 as "Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress" and from 1986 forward as "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry." The name was changed by an act of Congress in 1985.

The Laureate receives a $35,000 annual stipend funded by a gift from Archer M. Huntington. The Library keeps to a minimum the specific duties in order to afford incumbents maximum freedom to work on their own projects while at the Library. The Laureate gives an annual lecture and reading of his or her poetry and usually introduces poets in the Library's annual poetry series, the oldest in the Washington area, and among the oldest in the United States. This annual series of public poetry and fiction readings, lectures, symposia, and occasional dramatic performances began in the 1940s. Collectively the Laureates have brought more than 2,000 poets and authors to the Library to read for the Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature.


Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg
in the Library of Congress' Whittall Pavilion

May 2, 1960


Those interested in reading a more detailed history of the poetry consultantship at the Library of Congress should refer to William McGuire's Poetry's Catbird Seat: The Consultantship in Poetry in the English Language at the Library of Congress, 1937-1987 (Washington: Library of Congress, 1988. LC Call No.: Z733.U6M38 1988).

Each Laureate brings a different emphasis to the position. Joseph Brodsky initiated the idea of providing poetry in airports, supermarkets and hotel rooms. Maxine Kumin started a popular series of poetry workshops for women at the Library of Congress. Gwendolyn Brooks met with elementary school students to encourage them to write poetry. Rita Dove brought together writers to explore the African diaspora through the eyes of its artists. She also championed children's poetry and jazz with poetry events. Robert Hass organized the "Watershed" conference that brought together noted novelists, poets and storytellers to talk about writing, nature and community.

Chapbooks ~ What They Are and What You Can Do With Them

I have a rather long poem I've written titled When Summoned I Will Say Farewell. I like the poem and will eventually include it in my next book of poetry; but until then what do I do with it? Most poetry contests limit the length of a poem you are allowed to submit. So, I decided to make this particular poem into a chapbook on its own. What is a chapbook you asked?

A chapbook is an inexpensively-produced thin booklet. It gets its name from the chapmen, or peddlers, that sold these booklets as early as the 16th century. Chapbooks are small in size and often fit into pockets. Chapbook is a catch-all term as the material in the booklet can be anything from religious tracts to nursery rhymes. Some chapbooks may contain political prose, while others hold poetry.

A basic 16 page chapbook can be made by taking eight sheets of standard sized paper, folding them lengthwise and then placing staples in the center fold. You would double the amount of pages to make 32 pages, the maximum of most chapbooks. Some booklets may be as thick as 64 pages, but this are rare for chapbooks.

Chapmen went door-to-door selling the booklets and also sold them at fairs and other public events. They usually received each chapbook on credit from the publisher and then would go back and pay for the printing of each of the copies they had sold. The early chapbook was not only produced in Britain, but also the United States and some parts of South America.

Today the chapbook is mostly associated with poetry and can be inexpensively self-published. Some people self-publish recipes this way also. Cookbook covers in a modern chapbook format are often laminated. Today's computer software programs make it very easy to produce chapbooks. Chapbook author-publishers sometimes sell their books for a few dollars each on their websites, at poetry readings or perhaps even at an independent bookstore.

There are several places on the Internet where you can find out how to create a chapbook if you're interested. It makes a fun rainy-day weekend project for you to do with a friend, or family member. Even your kids will enjoy working on it with you. You might even create a chapbook of your child's drawings or a poem; your spouse's favorite recipes; a sample chapter of that novel you've been writing; or anything that might be a fun keepsake.

I use my chapbooks as give-a-ways to entice people to buy my books.

Try your hand at creating a chapbook. I think once you complete one, you'll want to do more. Have fun with it, and I'll see you in the bookstores.

~ J

"Just the Facts Ma'am." as Joe Friday would say...

Last night's final debate between Obama and McCain was probably the most interesting debate they've had in my opinion. If I had to pick a winner...I'd say McCain won. (Uggg....saying that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.) Yes, I'm a Democrat and will vote for Obama, not because of straight political lines but because I truly believe he is the best candidate for the job. That aside, McCain did come out swinging last night. He needed to very much because currently he's losing ground in the polls.

One thing that last night's debate did do was make "Joe the Plumber" the talk around the water coolers the next day. Who is "Joe the Plumber"? He's someone Obama met along the campaign trail and McCain adopted him as his "Buddy" although he's never met him. McCain mentioned Joe numerous times during the debate. So what has this publicity done for "Joe the Plumber"?
This morning he has his own "Joe the Plumber" website. Type in "Joe the Plumber" on your computer search engine and several "Joe the Plumber" hits come up. It's made Joe an overnight success as far as notoriety. Gee I wish Obama had met me, "Jim the Writer"! I'd be famous this morning.

Anyway, both candidates fought hard in last night's debate, but were all the facts they were slinging at one another true? The following is an article by Associated Press Writers Calvin Woodward and Jim Kuhnhenn this morning on the true facts of what was said last night. I think it's quite interesting.

Warped facts in last presidential debate by CALVIN WOODWARD and JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press WritersThu Oct 16, 3:23 AM ET

The final presidential debate was a last hurrah, of sorts, for tall tales told before a large national audience by Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.

The two took familiar liberties with facts in a matchup that also gave viewers a brand-new head-scratching exchange over a man McCain called "my old buddy, Joe, Joe the plumber."

Each candidate again twisted his rival's health care plan. McCain told a golden oldie about the U.S. buying oil from hostile countries. Obama gave a squishy answer about abortion. And they criticized each other's advertising in ways that lacked precision about what's really going on.
But it was Joe the plumber who threatened to steal the show as McCain — who doesn't know the guy — used him as an example of how average Americans could be taxed to the max by the Democrat. He was referring to Joe Wurzelbacher, a Toledo, Ohio, plumber who wants to buy his own plumbing company and complained to Obama on Sunday that he'd pay more taxes under his plan.

McCain made plumber Joe sound perhaps too much like an average Joe: "What you want to do to Joe the plumber and millions more like him," he told Obama, "is have their taxes increased and not be able to realize the American dream of owning their own business."

The company Wurzelbacher wants to buy earns more than $250,000 a year, which would make him decidedly above average in income. But McCain was right that Wurzelbacher's tax load would probably increase, because Obama proposes to raise taxes on income over that amount.
Also in the debate:
___
OBAMA: Said that if families get a $5,000 tax credit for buying health insurance and the insurance then costs $12,000, that's a loss for them.

THE FACTS: The tax credit offered by McCain is more generous for the vast majority of people than the current tax break, which they would lose, according to the Tax Policy Center. Now, people don't pay taxes on the health benefits they get from work. Obama's statement gives the impression that $5,000 is all that workers will be getting to help them pay for a health plan, but that's just what the federal government will provide. Economists say most employers would still contribute to their workers' health insurance. The Lewin Group, a health care consulting firm, found that by taxing health benefits but providing a tax credit, the average family would come out $1,411 ahead.
___
McCAIN: "We have to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much."

THE FACTS: This is a reference to U.S. spending on oil imports. McCain has repeatedly made this claim. But the figure is highly inflated and misleading. According to government agencies that track energy imports, the United States spent $246 billion in 2007 for all imported crude oil, a majority of it coming from friendly nations including neighboring Canada and Mexico. An additional $82 billion was spent on imported refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and fuel oil. A majority of the refined products come from refineries in such friendly countries as the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, Trinidad-Tobago and the Virgin Islands.
___

OBAMA: "One hundred percent, John, of your ads — 100 percent of them — have been negative."
THE FACTS: The statement is mostly true when it comes to McCain's current commercial spots. But by saying McCain's ads "have been" 100 percent negative, Obama ventures into misleading territory. A recent study by the Wisconsin Advertising Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that in the first week of October "nearly 100 percent" of McCain's ads were negative. The study also reported, however, that to date 73 percent of McCain's ads have been negative and that 61 percent of Obama's ads have been negative.
___
McCAIN: "Sen. Obama is spending unprecedented amounts of money in negative attack ads on me."

THE FACTS: Obama is spending unprecedented amounts of money on ads, period — negative or otherwise. Obama is outspending McCain and the Republican Party by more than 2-to-1 in presidential ads. At one point in August, 90 percent of the ads Obama was airing were against McCain. The study by the Wisconsin Advertising Project found that about 34 percent of Obama's ads are now negative.
___
McCAIN: Said of Obama's running mate Sen. Joe Biden: "He had this cockamamie idea of dividing Iraq into three countries."

THE FACTS: Biden actually proposed dividing Iraq into three semiautonomous regions, not separate countries. He was a prime sponsor of a nonbinding Senate resolution that called for Iraq to have federal regions under the control of Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis in a power-sharing agreement similar to the one that ended the 1990s war in Bosnia.
___
OBAMA: Said he would be "completely supportive" of late-term abortion restrictions "as long as there's an exception for the mother's health and life."

THE FACTS: Obama leaves himself a lot of latitude in this answer. A woman's "health" has been so broadly interpreted that it can include conditions, including psychological conditions, that are difficult to diagnose or prove. Anti-abortion advocates say that makes the ban meaningless, because it leaves too much subjective judgment in the equation.
___
MCCAIN: "Sen. Obama, as a member of the Illinois state Senate, voted in the Judiciary Committee against a law that would provide immediate medical attention to a child born in a failed abortion. He voted against that."

OBAMA: "If it sounds incredible that I would vote to withhold lifesaving treatment from an infant, that's because it's not true."

THE FACTS: As a state senator, Obama opposed three legislative efforts, in 2001, 2002 and 2003, to give legal protections to any aborted fetus that showed signs of life. The 2003 measure was virtually identical to a bill President Bush signed into law in 2002 — a bill that passed before Obama was in the U.S. Senate, but one that Obama said he would have supported. The state of Illinois already had a law to protect aborted fetuses born alive and considered able to survive. Among those opposed to the state effort was the Illinois State Medical Society, which argued that the bill would interfere with the doctor-patient relationship and expand civil liability for doctors. Critics said the proposed legislation would have undermined the landmark Supreme Court case on abortion, Roe v. Wade, in ways the federal law would not.
___
McCAIN: "Senator Obama talks about voting for budgets. He voted twice for a budget resolution that increases the taxes on individuals making $42,000 a year."

THE FACTS: The vote was on a nonbinding resolution and did not increase taxes. The resolution assumed that President Bush's tax cuts would expire, as scheduled, in 2011. If that actually happened, it could mean higher taxes for people making as little as about $42,000.
___
OBAMA: "We can cut the average family's premium by $2,500 a year."

THE FACTS: If that sounds like a straight-ahead promise to lower health insurance premiums, it isn't. Obama hopes that by spending $50 billion over five years on electronic medical records and by improving access to proven disease management programs, among other steps, consumers will end up saving money. He uses an optimistic analysis to suggest cost reductions in national health care spending could amount to the equivalent of $2,500 for a family of four. Many economists are skeptical those savings can be achieved, but even if they are, it's not a certainty that every dollar would be passed on to consumers in the form of lower premiums.
___
McCAIN: "Vouchers, where they are requested and where they are agreed to, are a good and workable system, and it's been proven."

THE FACTS: McCain's education plan proposes more private-school vouchers for only one jurisdiction: Washington, D.C. It's unclear whether the four-year-old Washington program is actually working. So far, the Education Department has found little if any difference in the test scores of kids who got vouchers to attend private school.
___
McCAIN: "We can eliminate our dependence on foreign oil by building 45 nuclear power plants right away."

THE FACTS: For nuclear power to lower oil dependency would require a massive shift to electric or hybrid-electric cars, with nuclear power providing the electricity. No new U.S. nuclear reactor has been built since the 1970s. Although 15 utilities have filed applications to build 24 new reactors, none is expected to be built before 2015 at the earliest. Turmoil in the credit markets could force cancellation of some of the projects now planned, much less spur construction of 45 new reactors, as reactor costs have soared to about $9 billion apiece.
___
AP writers Tom Raum, Libby Quaid, Lolita C. Baldor, Kevin Freking and H. Josef Hebert contributed to this report.

New Release From Billy Collins

From the former United States Poet Laureate and bestselling author of "Nine Horses" and "Sailing Alone Around the Room" comes a dazzling new collection of poems.


A Billy Collins poem is instantly recognizable. Using simple, understandable language, notes USA Today, the two-term U.S. Poet Laureate captures ordinary life-its pleasure, its discontents, its moments of sadness and of joy. His everyman approach to writing resonates with readers everywhere and generates fans who would otherwise never give a poem a second glance.
Now, in this stunning new collection, Collins touches on a greater array of subjects-love, death, solitude, youth, and aging-delving deeper than ever before. Ballistics comes at the reader full force with moving and playful takes on life. Drawing inspiration from the world around him and from such poetic forebears as Robert Frost, Paul Valery, and eleventh-century poet Liu Yung, Collins drolly captures the essence of an ordinary afternoon:

All I do these drawn-out days
is sit in my kitchen at Pheasant Ridge
where there are no pheasants to be seen
and, last time I looked, no ridge.

I could drive over to Quail Fall
and spend the day there playing bridge,
but the lack of a falls and the absence of quail
would only remind me of Pheasant Ridge.

Collins reflects on his solitude:

If I lived across the street from myself
and I was sitting in the dark
on the edge of the bed
at five o'clock in the morning,

I might be wondering what the light
was doing on in my study at this hour
yet here I am at my desk
in the study wondering the very same thing.

And he meditates on the effects of love: It turns everything into a symbol like a storm that breaks loose in the final chapter of a long novel. And it may add sparkle to a morning, or deepen a night when the bed is ringed with fire.

As Collins strives to find truth in the smallest detail, readers are given a fascinating, intimate glimpse into the heart and soul of a brilliantly thoughtful man and exemplary poet.


About the Author
Billy Collins is the author of eight collections of poetry, including The Trouble with Poetry, Nine Horses, Sailing Alone Around the Room, Questions About Angels, The Art of Drowning, and Picnic, Lightning. He is also the editor of Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry and 180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day. A distinguished professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York, he was Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003 and Poet Laureate of New York State from 2004 to 2006.

An Interview with Kim Addonizio

Kim Addonizio is the author of three books of poetry from BOA Editions: The Philosopher's Club, Jimmy & Rita, and Tell Me, which was a finalist for the 2000 National Book Award. Her latest poetry collection, What Is This Thing Called Love, was published by W. W. Norton in January 2004. A book of stories, In the Box Called Pleasure, was published by Fiction Collective 2. She’s also coauthor, with Dorianne Laux, of The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry (W.W. Norton). And her new novel, My Dreams Out in the Street, has just been published by Simon & Schuster.
Addonizio’s awards include two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, a Commonwealth Club Poetry Medal, and the John Ciardi Lifetime Achievement Award. She teaches private workshops in Oakland, CA.

JJ: When did you first start to identify yourself as a writer?

KA: I remember my first unfinished work. I wanted to write a novel when I was around nine. I wrote ten pages. It was a mystery, I think. I don't remember why I stopped -- probably because it was too hard. I remember writing a short story at fifteen and being eager to show it to my dad, who was a sportswriter.

JJ: Do you remember what drew you to writing poetry?

KA: I wrote down my feelings in lines in high school and after, but it was hardly poetry. I seriously started trying to write it in my late twenties. I think poetry drew me to it -- I think I was always meant to find it.

JJ: How has your creative process changed since then?

KA: When I was younger, poorer, and raising a kid, I had a lot less time for consistent creative work. So I was less connected to my own process. I feel I'm able to tap in a lot more often now.

JJ: How does the way you approach poetry compare to the way you approach prose?

KA: I don't really have an "approach" to different genres; it's more a feeling. I have a "poem feeling" and a "prose feeling." I like the "poem feeling" best, and when it's there I want to read and write poems. I think if I let it, it would overwhelm the prose -- ideally, I think I'd like to kick back and write poems exclusively. That's how I think of it. It's a great pleasure. But the prose (along with teaching) has enabled me to survive as a writer outside of the university. I think having to take a university job would kill the poetry in me forever.

JJ: In your creative process, do you have any techniques or habits that you've found help you tap your creative side?

KA: Clearing the decks, in all ways. Shutting out the world, cleaning the room, not answering the phone. I used to write late at night. It's a good time because no one is expecting anything from you. I have writing days now; I load up on the errands and other responsibilities on different days, so I can get up in the morning on a writing day and feel it stretching out ahead of me. A feeling of spaciousness is crucial. Ideas come from reading, experiences, TV, looking at art, dreams, eavesdropping. Living in as many directions as possible.

JJ: What else inspires you?

KA: Anything and everything. If "inspire" is the right word, a lot of poems lately have been inspired by the sorry state of the world and by ongoing romantic illusions and difficulties. Great writing always inspires me. Having a challenge inspires me -- could I do X in a poem? Could I write a novel entirely from one character's point of view, or write a historical novel? Could I write something for voice and blues harmonica that would work as a word/music piece? Trying to work out an idea, to take it from some place in my head and make it real in the world of forms.

JJ: Is there anything that helps you get to work and stay focused when you're feeling uninspired?

KA: I either slog through, or I quit and come back later. Sometimes if you slog, you end up finding something interesting. Plus it makes you feel like you've gotten points somehow -- you stayed there when the work sucked or didn't go anywhere. And on the other hand, it's good to leave it alone sometimes and come back later. I know I'll come back. I know by now that the problem will shift. Right now I'm avoiding a novel that has some problems I don't feel I can solve, but I intend to go back and work on them; I have a lot more faith now than I used to, when I failed consistently. Fear of failure is the biggest thing that blocks creativity. It makes you give up too soon on a project, or on a writing life.

JJ: What have you worked the hardest to achieve in your writing?

KA: Music, depth, skill, all of it. For a long time the language in my poems was pretty flat, and I struggled to make it less so. Trying to get beyond a certain self-conscious, mannered style, loosening up. In fiction, structure has been difficult, and so has texturing the language enough -- I always have to do what I call "the comb-over," go back through the sparse descriptions and add. Usually I have one sentence where I need four or five.

JJ: Is there a piece of work that stands out as the most challenging project you’ve tackled?

KA: Jimmy & Rita, my verse novel, was very challenging because I started with one poem about these two people and got the idea to write a whole book of poems about their lives, and I had to figure out who they were and what happened to them. Some days I'd just type "Rita, talk to me" on the computer or "Jimmy, what are you doing now?" -- trying to channel them. And the other big challenge was writing a novel. So I guess long, sustained, narrative projects are the hardest for me.

JJ: What do you think has gotten you through those kinds of projects?

KA: Sheer obsession and a dogged refusal to quit. Though I did quit writing fiction a number of times, because it was too hard. But I always ended up a year or two down the road going back to try again.

JJ: In your writing workshops, are there key lessons that you find yourself consistently emphasizing?

KA: Oh, yeah. I'm always hammering on the same things. Sufficient clarity and context for a reader. Understanding your intent, on a holistic level, so you can reshape the poem accordingly -- that is, figuring out the core of the poem, making conscious to yourself the ideas and themes as far as possible. Keeping the writing fluid and trying out several strategies for revision, not just one.

JJ: What gets you excited about other people's writing?

KA: Surprise, intensity, musicality. Syntax. And I'm a sucker for a sexy metaphor.

JJ: How would you describe your relationship with language?

KA: Constant, ongoing, happy, fraught, erotic.

JJ: Has anything surprised you about your creative life?

KA: That I've been able to have one. I mean, have one in a semi-public fashion, in addition to having one privately.

JJ: Is there any other advice you'd offer on the creative process?

KA: What I've learned is simple: if you nurture it, it will expand, and it will nurture you in return. I have also learned that it is a kind of salvation. Sometimes it's more than enough and sometimes it's not enough -- by that I mean one's own creativity. If you can truly tap in to the creative process, you know it's there all the time, and then you probably don't need saving.

Resumed Writing

After a couple of weeks away from writing, I finally got back to it and have written three more chapters. Once I start writing, I find it easy to continue. Sometimes it's the sitting down to start that's the problem. Anyway, the book is coming along pretty good. I'm pretty pleased with it so far. Already have some ideas for the re-writes.

~ J