State of the Madness Update

(Photo of William F. DeVault by E.J. Trelawny) Three reasons why I hate this recent photo: 1) I look deranged. 2) It doesn't show off my new and more luxurious than ever ponytail 3) I look deranged. I had actually just quit laughing and was trying hard to compose myself to look serious, instead, I just look deranged.

Now to the status of things:

***Writing Projects:

*theocricide (poetry) due in March of 2006

*(top secret project - non poetry) due in December of 2005 (did I say it's a secret?)

*Cage of Words (novel) due in August 2006

***Non-writing projects (yes, many involve writing, but not "writing" as I define it):

*Proposal development for Camp Sunshine - Mountain Lakes Thanks to Bob Wasson for the edit catch!! (Woodmen of the World are working towards cloning the very successful camp for families of children with life-threatening illnesses in Maine and plaing it in Flatwoods, WV - I am right now their grant proposal developer)

*Thank You, Plain and Simple - I have found myself attached, mysteriously, to this multi-media project, the brainchild of Anne Montague, which is to produce a concert, DVD and website to show the Mountain State's appreciation to our servicemen and women. In addition to working design and QA for the website, I have been asked to emcee the concert next Spring.

*Editing/forewarding "Midnight Muse in the Convenience Store" for Daniel S. McTaggart.

*Include in that the holding of a day job, the ongoing search for a job through which I can actually pay off the mountains of debt accrued during my second marriage and my work for and with Arts Monongahela and the Appalachian Education Initiative (all of it with no compensation) AND trying hard to be a father, in absentia, to my sons.

Stress level: It goes to 11 (Spinal Tap reference)

Oh yeah, finally got around to donating copies of The Morgantown Suite Poems and The Compleat Panther Cycles to the Morgantown Public Library. Let's see how long it takes them to shelve those suckers.

Maggie, sorry I haven't called...have not been in a social space, please forgive.