F.D. Reeve, on dealing with problems by being a poet:
"I have to write. If you can solve your problems by drinking, do."
Reeve came to the school and gave a brief lecture. He also read some of his poems. He was down to earth. Refreshingly so - he didn't wax sentimental or poetic about being a poet. He didn't strike me as someone who was just literary, with no foot in the real world.
He has a sense of humor, he listened, was easy to talk to. You didn't feel like he was lording anything over you. There wasn't a trace of condescension when he talked, no pretense of knowing the great secrets of writing. He wasn't trendy.
His advice on overcoming writer's block was to drink, and if that didn't work, to translate something into English from another language. Weird. Fantastic.
I played racquetball for the first time the other day. I'm really bad at it, half comically, half irritatingly so. I have an embarrassing habit of lifting up one leg to counterbalance myself when I swing - it's very balletic, shades of the thirteen years of dance that were drilled into me since the tender age of three. I look silly. But it was fun. Nice to get away and just swing at that little rubber ball as hard as I could (usually missing it, always looking like an idiot). I like the sounds - lots of hollow pongs and hwocks, all echoing reverberations.
The plan is to play at least once a week. Found a partner, found a time. Should be fun.
The one hundredth post, today. Not that important, but a small achievement.
4 comments:
I like that quote. I liked it so much that I wrote it on an orange index card and put it on my bulletin board.
Also, his advice about writers block -
I hate to say this but drinking got me through the depths of my thesis, especially the personal narrative parts. It just lets you stop worrying and let go, just write. Also, everything you think and write is funny at the time, so you'll have to do some editing later.
Just know your cut off. If I drink too much and try to write, I get distracted way too easily.
I never pictured you as the raquetball type. I see you more as badminton. I would totally play badminton with you. :-)
you should post the reeve thing on the wc webpage
thanks - I'll see what I can do. maybe we can exact a trade...?
say...cute coffee bag for railroad photo...?
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