2014

2014 was a momentous year in my life.

The overriding event, of course, was the death of my (only) sister Amy.  I'm the oldest of four.  Amy was the next oldest (2 years younger than me).  It's rare for a day to go by without thinking of her.

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In publishing terms, it was a good year.  My Dipstick (Diptych) was published in April by Marsh Hawk Press and was the winner of the 2013 Marsh Hawk Press poetry prize.  That same month I read at the book launch at Poets House in New City. That was the first time I'd read in NYC for over 20 years.  I hope it's not the last time.  I'm not taking any bets on that though.

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The end of 2014 marked the 3rd year since I retired from the Health Department where I spent 34 and a half years as a generalist sanitarian doing an absurd amount of underappreciated work.

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In 2014 I continued working on Appearances: A Novel in Fragments, a project first conceived of in 2011.  No work on it was accomplished in this past week because I was down with the flu, but I'm within striking distance of finishing the rough draft--only 19 fragments to go!

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I'm grateful to all of the poetry friends who have lifted my spirits in various ways in the past year.  A big thank you, with cyberhugs all alround to these stellar folks, in particular: Thomas Fink, Eileen Tabios, Rebecca Loudon, Jean Vengua, Richard Lopez, Mark Young, Marton Koppany (sorry to leave off the accent marks), Alex Gildzen, Sheila E. Murphy (your annual poem is always a highlight of any year) and la bella Anny Ballardini.

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