Jodi Hottel
Anais Nin said, “We write to taste life twice, in the moment, and in retrospection.”
Her statement captures one of the reasons I am a poet. My poetry, whether in response to a personal experience, a work of art, or a slice of history, usually comes into being through an emotional experience that I want to taste again and allow my readers to sample as well.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
I am pleased that the editors at Unlost nominated my cento, "One Big, Outrageous We" for a Pushcart Prize. Here is their message:
The editors at Unlost have nominated “One Big, Outrageous We” for The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, “published every year since 1976… the most honored literary project in America – including Highest Honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters” (see more at http://www.pushcartprize.com/nomination.html). My fellow editors and I went through our two issues of Unlost that were published in the calendar year 2023 (issues 30 and 31). Of the 43 poems published in that period, your poem was one of six selected for nomination.
Here is the link to the poem:
https://www.theunjournals.com/unlost31
A RECENT POEM:
Reasons to Keep Writing
because the world needs more poetry
because there are so many em dashes—
and so little time
because every dog should have a poem written about her
and every person needs a love poem
because it requires all of your attention
because it keeps you sane
[and no one will be able to live with you if you don’t]
because all your friends do
because the best people are poets
because there are clouds
because it gives you a reason to take a walk
because you want to remember
because you need to call on rain
to grieve
to rejoice
to create music
to use your breath
because it’s legal to repeat, break all the rules
because writing is infinitely inventive
because you can join tradition
repudiate tradition
invent a new form
because it’s so lucrative
because you’re getting cranky
just to see the reaction you get when you say,
I’m a poet