November/December

Hello, Hello!

This comes to you on a very nice sunny, 50 degree winter day. What what?! This is very unusual for us here in Eastern WA. but I’ll take it, and I’ll take it all winter long, but I know that’s wishful thinking.

In my last blog we discussed Hispanic Heritage Month, and selected poems. I hope you found a few favorites.

This month let’s celebrate Native American Heritage Month. 

We can honor Native American writers with this selection of poems from Poets.org. 

“The Hunter’s Wooing” by Ruth Muskrat Bronson
“From the Desire Field” by Natalie Diaz
“Grace” by Joy Harjo

“Compass” by Joan Naviyuk Kane
“The Reservation” by Adrian C. Louis

“A Benign Self-Portrait” by N. Scott Momaday

“Autumn” by Alexander Posey

“Smuggling Cherokee” by Kim Shuck
“Ȟe Sápa, Five” by Layli Long Soldier

“What an Indian Thought When He Saw the Comet” 

        by Tso-le-oh-woh

“Carrying Our Words” by Ofelia Zepeda

Recently I was asked to assist local teachers in sharing, and instilling the love of poetry with, and in, a group of students. Helping with this was made easier by sharing this link with educators which provides material for teachers so they can incorporate these lessons into the classroom. Thanks for asking!

Here is an excerpt from Poetry.org:

“Since Robert Frost encouraged our founder Marie Bullock to “get poetry into the high schools” in the 1960s, we’ve been assisting teachers in bringing poetry into the classroom. Here you’ll find poetry lesson plans, poems for kids and for teens, essays about teaching, a calendar of teaching resources for the school year, a glossary of poetry terms, and more. And our lesson plans, most of which are aligned with the Common Core, have been reviewed by our Educator in Residence with an eye toward developing skills of perception and imagination.”

From now, until December 15th, all 3 of my books are on sale for $10.00, AND, with free shipping. This is the perfect time to stock up for the upcoming holiday gift giving. This sale comes from my allotted inventory used for book signings, so I can autograph, and write whatever special note you’d like. This sale, and free shipping is for U.S. only. Contact me, and take advantage of this great deal!

Thank you all ever so much, for your continued support, in purchasing my books, sharing my work, and supporting all my social media platforms. Without you, there is no me. So thank you!

I leave you with this cozy, little romantic Diddy ..

Until next time, be happy, true to yourself, and full of love.

September/October

Tada! And it’s fall.

I hope all of you thoroughly enjoyed your summers, (for those of you on the other side of the world, your winter!)

I want to jump right in with a very big THANK YOU for all your support. The post office doesn’t ask anymore what’s in the packages. I am humbled, and grateful to you for all the signed copies I send out weekly. xo

Typically these go out Friday, so if you still haven’t received your signed copy, or you’d like to give one as a gift, hit me up!

In the poetry world, September 15-October 15, is Hispanic Heritage Month. Browse this beautiful collection, full of rich poetry tradition.

Let’s play a little trivia.

1) What poet wrote the following lines?

”FROM fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die.”

I’ll give you 5 minutes to think. No googling!…. time ticking…. still waiting :)… OK time’s up.

William Shakespeare wrote these lines in his first sonnet:

FROM fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory;
But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.
Thout that are now the world's fresh ornament
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content
And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding.
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.

Nothing like Shakespeare xo

Taking submissions for my next blog, to feature YOUR work. Send them in!

On a personal note, since none of my grandchildren live very close, I have been on a mission to spend time with all of them before the snow flies. 3 out of 5 visits in. There is nothing better than grandchildren!

I leave you with a season changing Haiku. Until next time, be happy, content, and full of love.

July/August Blog

Hello, Hello, Hello!

How’s life? Having a great summer? How ‘s your writing going? Are you finding the time to work your passion? I truly hope so. I have to admit, mine has slipped a bit this summer, but that’s OK, as I was probably an overachiever anyway.

Thank you so much for the kind messages you leave me here through the contact tab. I greatly appreciate it. Such kind words, and in some area’s tips to make things better. Thank you!

Also, thank you for all of your purchases! Many, many of my books went out this summer for gifts, summer beach reads, and book clubs! Awesome! I so appreciate all of your continued support.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to purchase one of my books, but would like to, you may do so right from my website, or, Amazon, Barnes & Noble online, iTunes, and Google Play . Or if you’d like a signed copy, use the contact tab above, with your request, and I’d be happy to get it on its way. You choose!

I found a new website to share with you, that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. It’s Poetry Daily. It’s an anthology of contemporary poetry, taken, from various, books, magazines, and journals. New poem everyday! They partner with the George Mason University. It’s almost your one stop read, and knowledge for poetry. Daily poem, news about poetry from across the world, book features, and what’s hot off the press. In addition to searching archives, and links to follow them on other social media platforms. Enjoy!

Hey, hey! I have two brave souls this month that are willing to share their writing. First one is by Dhebi DeWitz. Author of The Messenger Within. Wonderful enlightening book, if you haven’t read it yet, please do so! Please enjoy one of her Haiku’s. Love it!

Deviled eggs beware,
one-by-one they disappear.
I eat them with joy.

Yay Dhebi! Love that one.

My second guest writer is Craig Weeks. He’s one of my closest friends, and had a large role in the writing of my last two books. Please enjoy one of his pieces.

Throughout life’s seasons,
everyone’s relationship
has ups and downs.
We work, because we have
always danced in the rain,
or took shelter together.

Truly, a romantic at heart, and very talented writer. Thank you Craig!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you, and yours are well. I leave you with this wish of health.

Haiku

Sprinkled rays of health.
Infuse, and seep through my skin.
Eyes closed and resting.

Until next time, much love.

May/June Blog

Happy summer!!

Guess what today is? Are you thinking? I’ll give you a couple more minutes. Figure it out? No? Well, 200 years ago today, Walt Whitman was born. He’s always been one of my favorite poets. Organizations across the world are celebrating his work. Click this Walt Whitman link to learn more about this iconic man, and read many of his poems, and essays.

I would like to honor, and showcase a new poet, who obviously has a natural born talent. Please enjoy the following three poems written by Dhebi DeWitz. Her love of the Japanese style form, Haiku has intrigued her enough to give it a try, and she did brilliantly.

Warm sun shining down
Spending time doing nothing
I sit and day dream.

Mari Haiku:
Lying on the deck
Mari snaps at sky-raisins.
Silly dog who eats flies.

Firefly Haiku:
Full moon shining down
fireflies begin their dance
magic fills the air

Thank you Dhebi, for being brave, putting yourself out there, and allowing me to share.

This truly is a beautiful time of year! My yard is bursting with color.

One rose bush in a row of 20! I can’t stop looking :)

You know how I love my grandkids, well, I just had a 5 day visit from my youngest granddaughter, Harlow Rain, who will be 3 next month. What a sweet, sweet girl. We had so much fun, so much love to give.

I continue to ship signed copies of my books weekly. Thank you for all your support. You can use the contact tab at the top of my website, or contact me on any of my social media platforms to request signed copies. Such great gift ideas!

Which is your favorite?

Oh I almost forgot! I’m a birdie mommy, they are so cute! (Finally, not so much at the beginning)

She built her nest on top of a supporting beam of my deck, at the bottom of my stairs to the yard. I can hardly go down the stairs, or into my yard without both mom, and dad freaking out.. They look close to being able to fly the coop.

Have a wonderful May, and June. I hope you are all doing well. Keep the love of the written word close to your heart, and thank you again for your continued support! See you on social media until next time!

April National Poetry Month

It’s that’s time again!

Follow this link to find out about activities this month, and enrich your appreciation for the poetic written word.

February/March

Little buck in my yard next to the deck.

Peekaboo!

Hello Everyone! Welcome to “almost spring” for most of us. We’ve sprung forward like many States did, but we had quite the snowfall just yesterday. It’s coming, it’s coming, I know it’s coming!

First I want to THANK YOU for all of the Haiga poems you sent my way! They were fantastic. Big question though? Why are you so reluctant to let me share them here? Come on, let’s get brave. You can do it! Because you ARE doing it! The next thing you know, I will be buying one of YOUR books. Keep up the good work.

Once again I was blessed with little ones in my house, twice, since I’ve last talked to you.

Little Miss Harlow Rain.

Mmmm she made the best brownie cupcakes. Only problem with this is grandma had 12 in one day. Yikes! Sugar coma.

If any of you are in Oregon you may be interested in attending the 2019 Association of Writers, and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference and Bookfair. This is being held March 27 - 30th, where you can meet the Chancellors, listen to readings, other panels, and pick up your free 2019 National Poetry Month poster, along with copies of American Poets magazine. Click on the link above for further details. I hope some of you can make it!

Speaking of National Poetry Month, yep, that’s right, it’s next month. There are many activities planned for the month, as outlined by Poetry.org, including my favorite, “Poem in Your Pocket Day” which is April 18th. Click on the link above, to see all possibilities, and to see if there are activities taking place in your area. I can’t wait to see how you participated.

Biggest of thanks for all your support, with my books, and interaction with my social media accounts. I can’t thank you enough for all your do, and your enthusiasm when it comes to writing, and poetry.

I get asked often about signed copies. YES, I can do that for you. I have allotted shipments just for that purpose. So use the contact tab above on my website, or send me a message on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and we’ll work out the details.

I leave you with a poem, words to contemplate, and wishing the best for you all.

December/January

Hello from snowy Eastern Washington!

Photographer: Craig Weeks

To be honest, we haven’t had much snow. I’m good with that, but truly I wouldn’t mind getting ONE day of skiing in. My granddaughters on the other hand, had no problem finding powder. They are dare devils, and ski where I’d never have the courage.

Tiera 14, Maizy 12. Climbing because chair lifts don’t go this high. YIKES!

Photograph by Zebulon Groff A.K.A. Daddy of girls.

And yes of course I had a little grand baby time. Such sweethearts!

Adriannah 14, Maizy 12, Tiera 14. Love my girls

And my youngest granddaughter Harlow Rain. I just want to kiss those cheeks!

Are you into Podcasts? I have four that I listen to on a regular basis. One that I enjoy very much is The Poetry Magazine Podcast. I listen on my iPhone, but you can download from whichever device you’re using. Search for The Poetry Magazine Podcast. It’s truly a delight. It’s very helpful in dissecting poems, and understanding the true meaning of them.

I have had such positive feedback on our little teaching episodes here, on writing poetry. It appears I have a few photographers out there as well, and so this is what we are going to do this month - “Haiga”. In the past we’ve talked about Haiku, Senryu, and Tanka’s. Haiga is another form of Japanese poetry, and is very similar to Haiku, and Senryu. The only difference is it’s combined with a photo.

Haiga originated in china in the 7th century. Historically it combined a painting, and calligraphy. Modern Haiga artists combine digital photos with either a Haiku or Senryu. Remember, a Haiku, and Senryu format is 5-7-5 in syllables. They relate to something you can experience with your senses, and usually indicate a certain season. Please see an example of one I wrote. Then give it a try, and send me your results!

I have thoughts running wild on a fourth book doing just this. :)

Photograph by Craig Weeks. Poetry by P.S. Rowland

I want to thank all of you again for your continued support of my art. It’s a beautiful feeling going to the post office with a box full of signed copies to mail out. You can always order from Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, iTunes, Google Play, and your local bookstores, but if you’d like a signed copy, please let me know by contacting me via the contact tab at the top of my website. www.psrowland.com

Until. next time, be well, happy, true to yourself, and keep writing!

Obedient October/November Blend

Obedient… hmmm, not always me; for instance, like me missing to write a blog in September! So sorry. I love you dedicated souls that reminded me. You are very precious. Evidently people DO care about my personal life, and learning new writerly tidbits, thank you.

I have been enjoying our beautiful fall colors, and I’m sure some of you have even observed a little snow, while my readership on the other side of the world is teasing me with beaches and surfs. What one wants, the other has.

I sat in one of my favorite spots contemplating why the L is worn off on my keyboard haha! Must be all those LOVE and LIFE poems that come tumbling out.

A little walk does the soul good, and clears the mind, especially in such a beautiful place as this.

As you can see I’ve had the opportunity to fully enjoy the beautiful colors of the seasons.

I also had the chance to have a little one on one time, with my youngest granddaughter Harlow Rain. What a pure delight she is. Children make your soul young again.

We talked in the past few blogs about new writers. There are those of you that are learning to write, getting the nerve to share your work, and take it seriously. Again, makes me so proud of you. There is a poetry book club site that you may find helpful. Take a look around, there are interviews with different authors, including myself. You can read some of their work, and find great books that will help you. They also have a link to “My Word Wizard Poets.” Definitely worth the look. I have pieces published with them as well, but you won’t know its me, as I write under a secret name for them. :) PLEASE submit some of your work to me. I’d love to share it.

This month one of my favorite writers was nice enough to showcase one of his pieces. Please enjoy the following poem by a very talented man, Rob Lam.

Life Awake

What comes before
Fades away water
through my hands

Future is now
Still unknown
just beyond my reach

My Great Adventure
The Big Unknown
Who I am, who I become

Looking in, looking out
What will remain
When I fade away

Beautiful, just beautiful! Thanks Rob!

I appreciate all of your support so much, with your interactions on my different social media’s and book sales, plus word of mouth business. You’re the bomb! So with that being said, the answer to your most recently asked question, is yes! I do have a shipments of all three of my books, that I would be happy to sign for you personally, and as gifts for your loved ones for the upcoming holidays. Use the contact tab, or send me a private message on one of the social media’s and I’ll handle that for you. Thank you!

Your choices.

Wishing all of you, peace, beauty and happiness until we chat again.

Absurd August

Absurd is right! We missed a good six weeks of summer here in Eastern Wa, as did many around the state due to wildfires, and dense smoke. Third week of July we got socked in with "hazardous" air quality index numbers, and it just lifted yesterday. Phew! 

From my deck

Sun mid day from my deck (sorry lousy quality)

We had a few days where finally we couldn't smell too much ash. Which allowed me to attend our yearly family camp trip, but wearing a mask most of the time. This year was held at Sun Lake Resort Dry Falls. Eighteen in attendance, and lots of fun.

Kind of took over the place. 

My youngest granddaughter "Harlow Rain" sitting with grandma. 

Goofy Harlow Rain

Second youngest granddaughter Maizy Pepper

Left and middle are my two oldest granddaughters Tiera Genesis, and Adriannah Alyse, and their friend Maddie.

My girlfriend Cheri, and I at "Wine Down Wednesday"

I also managed to sneak in a couple weeks at our local winery for music, great wine and friendship.

This months blog is more personal as I appreciated all my family in the past few weeks, and the love that surrounds me. 

Wishing you all the best! Enjoy your friends, and family. They're what makes the world go round. 

Joyful July

Hi Everyone!

I'm barely slipping in here to talk to you this month. Summer has hit hard, with our weather being in the triple digits daily. That makes for a joyful time for me! Sun, fun, sun, and more fun. 

Last month I taught you the structure of a Tanka poem. I loved your feedback, and enjoyed reading your work! Very, very nice. If you are brave enough to allow me to post them, let me know, I'd love to! 

So, you've been telling me you'd really love to write poetry, and work towards publication. But, you feel no one will take you seriously because you haven't had any formal training. You asked if I took classes before starting my career. The short answer is no. I have not attended any 'Residency MFA Programs.' I don't hold a MFA (Masters in Fine Arts). I hold a Masters in Healthcare Administation. However I've been reading, and writing poetry since I was very young.  As I grew older, I also read books on 'How to write poetry', have worked with other poets and writers in groups, and attended writing conferences.  

Many, many poets have never had any formal training. I found an interesting article interviewing various poets, asking their option on this issue. My personal opinion is NO, you don't need formal training. Writing poetry is a natural born art. I feel if you write what's in your heart, and it's your passion, and you are true to yourself in what you write; meaning you are writing what YOU want to write, not what you think people want to read or hear, you're on the right track. I have read many works from schooled poets, that never touched on any of my senses, and I have read poetry from writers that don't even know they are writers, can't spell, use terrible grammar, and yet their poems are epic! So do yourself a favor, if you want to write, write! Because if you feel it, others will too. Take a look at this article '27 Writers on Whether or Not to Get Your MFA'.  You're going to find that even those with an MFA don't think you need it. 

Here's a poem I wrote last year for you.

To The Artist

And since when did others
around you become the expert
on your life, or how you work your craft?
They haven't, so carry on. 

So get busy and fulfill your passion.
Wishing you the best until next time!