Post Questions you Have for Patty Seyburn's Interview

Hey all! So I am super excited for Formaldehyde's first interview with my mentor, teacher, poet extraordinaire, Patty Seyburn! How the interview will work is you, blog readers and followers, will get to ask questions! Post them as comments to this blog and in one week, I will close the forum. I will compile these along with some questions I have come up with and send them to Patty.

This is very exciting to have such an amazing woman and poet as Formaldehyde's first interview. Patty and I look forward to your questions and I will keep you all posted as to when the interview will be posted.

Patty Seyburn received her BS and MS in Journalism from Northwestern University and her MFA in Poetry from UCI and her PhD in Poetry and Literature from the University of Houston. She has three books of poetry, Mechanical Cluster, Diasporadic, and her most recent, Hilarity. Her poetry has been featured in The Paris Review, Crazyhorse, Cimmarron, Seneca Review,Poetry and Prose, and many, many others!!!! She is the Co-editor of Pool: A Journal of Poetry and has taught at USC, University of Houston, UCI, and others. She currently teaches at California State University, Long Beach.

Here are a few links to her poetry and book reviews. We hope to post her work directly on the blog with her interview.

~ http://thediagram.com/9_6/seyburn.html

~ http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=238288

~ http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=238606

~ http://poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20650

~ http://thediagram.com/7_4/seyburn.html

~ http://www.lafovea.org/La_Fovea/patty_seyburn.html

Use the link below to see the review of Patty's new book Hilarity in the New York Times

~ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/books/review/McHenry-t.html

You can also find articles on poetry written by Patty at www.poetryfoundation.org

~ http://foggedclarity.com/2010/01/the-poetry-of-patty-seyburn/

2.25.10 Poetry Lounge Reading at Soroptomist House at CSULB

I was not able to stay for the entire event, but what I did see was an amazing crowd/group of readers!!!! Eric Morago, LA poet, coach for CSULB Regional Champ Slam Team, and host for the Poetry Lounge, has established an extraordinary reading venue with fabulously talented features that pull in an equally so open mic. Tonight, feature Derrick Brown, gave a hilarious, enticing, imaginative performance of poems delving into relationships and overcoming heartbreak, to paint with broad strokes. The first half of the open mic consisted of great readers ranging from first timers, MFA graduate Luke Salazar, 3 of the Slam Team members, who proved why they deserve 1st place at Regionals! And LA poet extraordinaire (and host of the open mic at Barnes and Noble on PCH/2nd in Long Beach every 2nd Tuesday of the month), G. Murray Thomas. It was a great reading and encourage you all in the area to check it out; with live music, snacks, a welcoming and excited crowd, what more could you ask for for an open mic!

Check out poetix.net for more So Cal readings!

Alicia Adams Feature at The Cobalt Hosted by Rick Lupert 2.23.10

It was a fun night and I was glad to support a great writer and friend, Alicia Adams. Last night she delivered her first solo feature at The Cobalt Cafe in Canoga Park! Her upcoming chapbook, Orchard of the Poison Apples, proves to be a collection of work with great imagination and craft. With startling images and great inventiveness, each story and poem invoke surreal creativity in a dark world Dali would love to play in.

This was a diverse reading with feature Alicia Adams, an open mic, which I participated in as well, and host Rick Lupert sharing his work also. He was such a riot to listen to! Long involved in the LA poetry scene, and long time host of the Tuesday night reading at The Cobalt, his hysterical sense of humor and wonderful poetry really add to the atmosphere.

It was a great dynamic, mixing open readers with a talented feature and an established LA writer like Rick. No one can say Cobalt doesn't spread the love!

Check them out at http://poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt

Formaldehyde, the inspiration for this creepily titled blog

Ok, so Formaldehyde, a little creepy to some I realize so for my first blog I thought I would discuss the inspiration. Your feedback is not only welcome, but encouraged! Have a blog yourself promoting poetry? Let me know! I support all things poetry, unless you are unnecessarily mean, and who needs more of that in the world. :)

Happy Reading and I hope you enjoy!

Formaldehyde is the title poem to my manuscript. This may be unclear how the inspiration came about but here's a brief explanation. For me inspiration comes in many forms but most often in my direct life. Everything I write is inspired by my life or something that occurs in it. For this piece I wrote from the first person perspective, and wrote as myself, which I have been told one shouldn't disclose but I've never been very good at following the rules.I have often been accused of wearing my heart on my sleeve, being a little too open and honest, and in the worst of cases, having no censor. For me, this poem culminates that and my inability to, and my lack of desire to close myself off to anyone or anything in the world. This may be a dangerous way to live to some, constantly being open and vulnerable to the world, but no one will ever say that I held back; this should also give some insight into this blog as well. Although through this blog poetry is preserved as it is held in a Formaldehyde form, everything here is still a living organ continually pumping blood, open and raw to the poetry world just like an open heart on someone's sleeve.