teenage angst has paid off well
Nirvana & NaPoWriMo & some other stuff
Kurt Cobain died thirty years ago today, so today I’ve been making my way through Nirvana’s complete discography. So far I’ve listened to Bleach and Insecticide, and now I’m on to Nevermind. What’s wild to me is that I can go actual years without listening to Nirvana, but I still know all the songs so well. What’s even wilder is that the songs still sound as fresh, as good, as they did when I first heard them. And it’s not purely a function of nostalgia. Yeah, I’m the world’s most nostalgic motherfucker, but there is plenty of music I loved as a tween and teen that just didn’t stand the test of time. You’d have to pay me to listen to Matchbox 20 at this point. But Nirvana? Yeah, Nirvana still rule. Just listen to the version of “(New Wave) Polly” from Insecticide (‘cause I think it’s superior to the Nevermind version), and tell me it doesn’t shred.
Yeah, I’ve been rocking out to Nirvana all day. I’m also dressed vaguely grunge/’90s alternative (though, let’s be real, that’s not like, a new style for me), and I was listening to Nirvana while pasting up the newest mini-issue of my zine, and it hit me, again, that I’ve been making zines for thirty years now. I always tell people I started making zines the year Dookie came out, which is true, but I also started making zines the year Kurt died. Then, I was an angsty t(w)een, now I’m bored and old. Haha. Actually, I’m not that bored. But I’m still pretty angsty, and I still make zines and listen to alt-rock.
Now, here comes the song I love so much
Makes me want to go fuck shit up
Now, I got Nirvana in my head
I'm so glad I'm not dead
Nirvana and ‘90s nostalgia aside, it’s NaPoWriMo, and once again, poetry is my life.
The biggest news this month is that I’m participating in Tupelo Press’s 30/30.
I almost always participate in a 30/30 during the month of April—but I don’t always post each poem publicly, and the poems I do post wind up on my personal blog. This year, I decided to recommit to my poetry practice and to sharing my 30/30 publicly, and helping Tupelo Press while I’m at it. You can find my poems here throughout the month (the most recent is always on top; scroll down to see previous days). The poems will only be up on the site for two weeks after the month ends, so be sure to read them while you can. My poem for today is about Kurt!
Also, if you have the means and desire, please consider donating to my Tupelo Press fundraiser. My goal is to raise $350 this month, though any amount beyond that would be even better. I am offering some incentives for those who donate:
For any donation $10-$35, I will send you a postcard featuring an original tanka (written by me) + my original artwork.
For any donation $36-50, you will receive the postcard + have the opportunity to help select one of my poems each week, which I will then incorporate into a video featuring a reading/performance of said poem.
For any donation $51 and above, you will receive the postcard, the input on the videos, and at the end of the month I will send you a mini-zine/chapbook featuring a selection of my poems from throughout the month.
And, of course, whether you can personally donate or not, if you’d consider boosting my poems and fundraising page throughout the month, that would be much apperciated.
In other poetry news:
Just like last April, I put together a bunch of new poetry prompts and exercises. Unlike last year, it’s not a whole book—but it is a nine-page .pdf! You can download it here, for pay-what-you-want, starting at $0.
I have a track on the Hello America Stereo Cassette Spring 2024 comp, and a poem in issue #18 of Paper & Ink zine, both of which should be forthcoming soon-ish.
I’m going to be the featured performer at April’s online Grassroots Open Mic. (Sunday, April 14, 6 pm Central Time.) It’s free and open to anyone, and as previously mentioned, it’s online, so you can watch and/or participate from anywhere in the world. More info is available on their website.
And one last thing: I just finished up March’s mini-zine for all my zine subscribers. (It’s the one I was pasting up today.) Yeah, I know, I’m a bit behind, but I have a lot of other stuff going on, and I’m trying to take my time with everything so I don’t burn the fuck out. In any case, it’s done now, and I’ll be sending it out within the next few days. This one’s about Poor Things.
