Erin Coughlin Hollowell
I’ve been thinking about how the poetry world has changed, is changing. When I was in my early teens and began to be seriously interested in poetry, my only resource was a two-volume set of the Viking Book of Poetry … Continued
I am amused that the last time I sent out a newsletter or posted something on my blog, it was May and I was talking about balance. As if suddenly, I was going to become proficient at balancing work work/at … Continued
The seasons in Alaska make balance particularly elusive. Winter is dark, cold, and interior. Summer is bright light, intense, and frantically exterior. Case in point, gardening. First weekend in May usually heralds trips to the local greenhouses and planting things … Continued
It’s always good to examine your strong emotions. Recently, I’ve read two poems that feature Alaska written by poets that have only visited for less than a week. Two poems that are in anthologies and being publicly lauded. They are … Continued
Yesterday, I was doing the things that you do when you’ve been gone from your home – cleaning, laundry, getting ready to start the garden seeds. In between, I was reading the latest issue of Poets & Writers, looking at … Continued
I lost a friend. She chose “intelligent euthanasia” in Switzerland because she wanted to live her life on her terms, right down to the terminology of her final choice. She was the kind of playful person who’s hard to forget, … Continued
One of the beauties of winter is the dampening of sound, the narrowing in of possible activity. I have friends who get so stir-crazy that they fly to warmer climes where walks in the desert, or drinks on the patio, … Continued
2024 has entered with wet, wild winds. Ice everywhere underfoot. The world is slippery and precarious. This kind of weather isn’t unheard of on Kachemak Bay at this time of year, but it is unwanted. It tarnishes all the brightness … Continued
There is a small flame inside each writer that becomes a little brighter when a reader takes the time to respond to their work. I was lucky enough this week to have my new book Corvus and Crater reviewed in … Continued
The road from spark to book is long. Longer than you would guess. For some writers, that moment from inspiration to finished book can span decades. My newest collection, Corvus and Crater, was a year in the writing and revising. … Continued
