We Have Achieved Skype (We Believe)

Plans are in place and equipment has been secured. We even have a technical advisor, our Lakeland College colleague, Head of IT, the ever-stellar Larry Marcus, who will be on hand Thursday evening to help us pull this off.

p.s.

And, I forgot something very important. We do have one contributor, Erin Wilcox, coming all the way from Arizona and one contributor, Ross DeRosier, who lives right here in sunny Sheboygan. They will not need ghosts to represent them. We also have three visual artists who are in Sheboygan. But so far none have indicated a desire to speak about their work. But that doesn't mean they might not step up to the mic on the night of the event.

Ghost Reading

First of all, let me say, I believe that this might be the first time I have ever posted something to the blog of my own volition, without our "Blog Mistress," Signe, encouraging me to offer some words on a given topic.

The Reading Rumor is True!

Yes, on Thursday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Paradigm Coffee and Music in Sheboygan, 1202 N. 8th Street, we will offer a reading of selections from the soon-to-be released Stoneboat 1.2. This event will highlight the fantastic contributions to be found in our second issue, due to hit the streets and the county roads on April 15, 2011.

Your Stoneboat editors hard at work

Rob, Signe, & Lisa. (Jim couldn't make it.)

We're pissed off about the Wisconsin Poet Laureate situation, naturally -- but we're also pissed off about so, so much more. Also? It's Rob's birthday. Happy birthday, Rob!

Making Lemonade

Okay, so along with all his other dangerous schemes, namely his plan to put an end to collective bargaining for union workers in Wisconsin, Scott Walker, our so-called Governor, has cut all funding to the appointment of the State Poet Laureate. This was a small pot of money (a whooping $2000 a year) earmarked in the state budget to support the travel expenses of the Poet Laureate, whose job it is to promote poetry throughout the entire state for a period of two years. Our first three Poet Laureates in Wisconsin were: Ellen Kort, Denise Sweet, and Marilyn Taylor. In November 2010, Marilyn Taylor’s tenure came to an end and Bruce Dethlefsen was named to the post by Governor Doyle. Although Scott Walker has jettisoned the Poet Laureate from the state budget, the actual poet is not going to go away!

What do I do now?

As of last week I finished student teaching sixth graders at Farnsworth Middle School. I must admit that I miss the children terribly, but I am now back into reading and writing mode. Being essentially finished with school, however, is incredibly disconcerting. There are no jobs in the area for teaching, so my options are limited.