The West Virginia Library Commission

I'm going to be promoting some of my newer material onto the website this week, having already peeled off several works and made some esthetic reductions. Still picking the pieces.

Made it through V-Day. Wrote some good stuff over the last week. Those of you who hang for my stuff at Author's Den...you've only seen the very tip of the tip of the iceberg.

I dropped a line to the West Virginia Library Commission three days ago, letting them know that any guidance they might give me in terms of connecting with libraries for National Poetry Month would be appreciated. It's eerie. When in California, I always had as many readings and public appearances as I could handle during that month. In Missisisippi, even though I was only a transient there, same story...including hosting duties at the Mississippi Gathering of Poets in Bay St. Louis and being a bookstore's guest at the Mississippi Library Convention.

Having been back in my home state for almost two years now...no sponsored visits, no school visits. Part of it is the subculture of the state's institutions...in particular, the schools...I have been repeatedly warned that schools tread lightly in having guest speakers. Makes some sense, but I also think there is that same insularity. God help a poet or artist in this state who doesn't use coal, railroads and mountains as part of their palette.

West Virginia is more than these things. One of the things that has held us back in this state from storming to the top of the power brokers economically, artistically and politically is this very provincialism. I'm not suggesting we redecorate, I'm suggesting we evolve, take the lead and embrace the notion that using the past as an anchor is a two-edged sword (talk about a mixed metaphor).

I am helping Anne Montague with her project to put together a concert and website to promote our troops' sense of home. Great project. But she told me the other day that, in talking with county organizers for it that some have said that the project is of limited appeal because in their counties there may be only "one or two" computers.

BAH! If there is any county in West Virginia lacking thousands (or in the case of some counties, like Pocahontas, with less than ten thousand residents, hundreds) of home computers, I will eat my fancy oriental jacket, with ketchup (and I hate ketchup). Leaders have failed to cotton to the fact that we are already wired to the universe, so that their illusion of control is complete.

Kids, the revolution, the renaissance, is already upon us. Wake up and quit hobbling the next generation with your insistence upon looking backwards while trying to walk forwards, it makes you stumble. Renowned visual artist Michael K. Paxton and I had a chat when he was in town for Arts Week last year, in which we marvelled at the retro-cultural imperialism we have both, at varying times in our careers, in the Mountain State. While merely frustrating to us sometimes, it is a garotting of our best and brightest. The democratic lawn of grass is best accomplished by mowing down those who are overly accomplished or talented.

For those of you unaware of Mr. Paxton's accomplishments as an artist, you should check him out, all over the web. Remarkable man, remarkable artist. Hmmm...maybe I should negotiate a book cover with him....

Nah...that would mean ceding control of my image to another, and I'm not good with that. That's one of my hobbles.