Saturday, 16 February 2008
Ornamental Featherweight
This is a collaboration between Steve Craig, Bob Dorsey, Philip VanDusen and myself.
Friday, 25 January 2008
Untitled
My last semester of my MFA degree has begun and things are going just fine. My new students seem great, I’ve been reading A LOT, and the first draft of my thesis is done. Cyrus and Nick have given me great advice, opening my thesis to some great possibilities. I’ll be working on these (mostly about structuring the book of poems) for the next few weeks, and then I’ll be sending the manuscript to Gerald Stern, my adjunct reader, for further comments.
See more progress on: Earn MFA in poetry
Review: Yes, Master by Michael Earl Craig
This is a review of Michael Earl Craig’s Yes, Master.
Saturday, 5 January 2008
Metamorphoses - KTB Version
Karmatoburn created a new version of Metamorphoses. This inspired me to re-record the vocals, with some new harmonies, and other elements, to better sync with the new vision of the song.
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Thomas Found His Home
Someone from our apartment building responded to our flier, saying her sister had lost the kitten when she was in the area. Thomas, if that’s his real name, has been returned. The woman’s father, who answered the door, could not tell us what his name is :p
Monday, 31 December 2007
Found Kitten
Found:
Yellow Tabby Kitten
He is about three months old and weighs less than three pounds.
If you are in the Austin area and he is yours, or you are interested in providing a loving home to him, please send an e-mail to found-kitten [at] estellaramirez.com.
Thursday, 27 December 2007
They Never Fell In Love
This is a collaboration between Bob Dorsey and myself. It is based on a song by michael2 called Unfinished, which Bob rearranged and to which he wrote lyrics. I then provided a melody and lead and backup vocals. I altered the lyrics to meet my artistic needs.
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Earning My MFA
I’m in my third and final year, writing my thesis. The thesis is meant to be a creative manuscript of my poems. The guidelines set it at 50 pages.
I gave about 25 poems to my adviser yesterday. He should be reading them and giving me feedback in a couple of weeks. These 25 are ones that either feel done to me or are giving me particular trouble. I actually have more like 60 to work with from my 2 1/2 years in the MFA program. I saved the rest to continue to work on because they’re bad, I know they’re bad, and I’m going to make them as interesting as I can before I start showing them to my adviser.
I’m also working on a narrative poem project for my Narrative Poetry class. It is a great challenge for me. I have two narrative poems in a draft stage. I think I’ll work on them today.
I’m reading Pablo Neruda and Federico García Lorca at the moment as part of my thesis work.
As part of my assistantship, I teach Freshman English Composition. So far I’m having lots of fun with it. It has taken me a while to find my current successful teaching style. I just keep trying to find ways to improve upon it. Sometimes, I take a step back and think, am I really the teacher? I’ve been a student so long!
It’s been a lot of work. Right now, I’m teaching two classes, which is just formidable when it comes to grading essays, but working with the students is rewarding.
See more progress on: Earn MFA in poetry
Saturday, 15 September 2007
Metamorphoses
Well, this is just my bongos (with some echo) and my voice. It’s about changes, as the title implies. Making great changes in order to feel. I happen to have nothing to say unless I feel tortured. And yet who wouldn’t make a drastic change to feel ecstatic? So, I’m never content.
