No, These aren't The Rules of Writing, this is an exultation, dude: Writing Totally Rules. Like that. Just got back from one of those crazy-fast trips. Went to Phoenix. I was gone from the house well before dawn, in AZ by lunch time. Gave a talk to 400 of my bestest new friends. Signed a bunch of autographs and got a bunch of hugs and heard confession from six or seven sinners and posed for the requisite Chicana prom date snapshots. All because I thought it would be really cool, once upon a time, in my teens, to write 977 bad poems about the wonders of my sweetie, Colette. Girl taught me to write! Taught me to kiss, actually. But THAT taught me to write!

I hope some of my new pals from Maricopa are checking this. Big love, amigos! I am starting to rev up the motors for the Return of The Perpetual Book Tour. (Can you hear the reverb?) I've been staying put since our Central American jungle adventure. But I'm heading out again. Watch out. Back to AZ soon for the Tucson Festival of the Book. To TX, to CT. Paperback book tour is kicking off soon. And some cool event in England.

Thank you, as ever, for reading my work. I'll be looking for you out there.

Here's a little bit of how I feel about all of it:

I want to give myself
utterly
as this maple
that burned and burned
for three days without stinting
and then in two more
dropped off every leaf....

--Jane Hirshfield



Ever Yrs.,
L

# posted by Luis @ 4:37 PM