Playlist! Hidden Cathedral poets!

Back from five weeks in the Carolina mountains, and the 24 videos of poems by various poets made for The Hidden Cathedral Poetry Celebration are now up as a public playlist on youtube. Thanks to those who followed the Cathedral Arts blog (subscribe here) and the celebration--finale on the 22nd with Malcolm Guite.

A singing bird for The Hidden Cathedral Poetry Celebration

A little nesting bird from The Cathedral of All Saints, Albany

If you liked the prior post with videos from The Hidden Cathedral Poetry Celebration, please sign up for emails from Cathedral Arts of The Cathedral of All Saints in Albany, New York. Malcolm Guite and much more, including 24 videos from me. And I am also moving the videos to the public setting a few days after they appear at the Cathedral Arts sites, so you can also go HERE to find all the HCPC videos by me, eventually... as well as other videos about my poetry and fiction or made by me. A playlist will pop up for the 24 when the last one goes public.

Charis, NCLR, and two poetry projects in Lent

CHARIS IN THE WORLD OF WONDERS 

I've been grateful for the many good reviews of the novel, and now for a interestingly "mixed" review from "Editors' Picks" at Plough Quarterly. If you're wondering how this writer reacts to a mixed review, well, it's to say that all thoughtful attention helps the book--and here also to run through her mind why the pattern of a human being going through trials before finally winning home isn't proper as an appropriate and compelling narrative shape. Old as Homer. Older. But I'm pleased to have the consideration of the book all the same. So many thanks to Joy Clarkson... 

Clip: ...to conjure this premodern and enchanted way of encountering the world, where babies born on the Sabbath are cursed and moose are near-mythic creatures. Reading historical fiction can sometimes feel like a one-sided game of Trivial Pursuit, in which the author inflicts upon you every fact he or she ever learned about the time period. Not so with this book. Charis’ world is one in which I thoroughly believed, full of people I couldn’t help but care about. The archaic language felt natural, and its premodern mindset, full of assumptions alien to the modern experience, was revitalizing to inhabit.

THE WOMAN IN THE WALLS

Pilfered just after it popped up on NCLR on facebook... "The Woman in the Walls."

And no, it's not autobiographical, though there's a wisp of truth--did watch a wall being built with children, and the maker gave a broken trilobite to my daughter. That's somewhat rare for me, as I like to make up almost everything. when I write... Many writers like to write out of their own lives, but I find that material rather boring compared to the frolic and fireworks possible when I invent.

WORDS IN LENT

In other word-news, approaching the end of a Lenten project of writing a formal poem every day. Almost there... Pentina, terza rima, otttava rima, sonnets, blank verse, and more. And a second Lenten project is almost complete--making videos of other people's poems for the Cathedral Arts program at The Cathedral of All Saints in Albany, New York. More on that later!

Interviews, videos, and more--

BRAND NEW INTERVIEW

There's a long new Charis in the World of Wonders interview, one with lots of pictures that Chris Rice Cooper has put together. Some are things she requested, some are things she quarried online. She asked lots of questions, and there's an excerpt as well.  If you're a nosey sort (who isn't curious?), you might like to take a look around, as there are glimpses of my bedroom, kitchen, dining room, writing room, etc. Hop here: http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2020/04/marly-youmans-charis-in-world-of.html.

CATHEDRAL ARTS BLOG 
WITH POETRY VIDEOS, etc.

Here's a piece by Brynna Carpenter-Nardone at the Cathedral of All Saints in Albany, New York... It's about my poetry, mostly, but I expect all visibility helps at the moment... The piece is on the cathedral blog and goes out to subscribers as well. Today was supposed to be The Hidden Cathedral Poetry Conference (Cathedral Arts series from The Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, New York, and I was to be keynote speaker), but it has been postponed a  year: https://cathedralofallsaints.org/cathedral-arts

BOOKSHOP.ORG

I've turned my blog post, "Books for young boys who read at a high level," into a list at Bookshop.org. Some books were not available at the site and are missing, but I've added new ones as well. And I've made several other lists--one of my in-print books (missing The Book of the Red King, alas), one of some (maybe more when I feel energetic!) favorite rereads, and one of books by friends and acquaintances. These are but works in progress, and may grow. Bookshop does not have every book I think to add, but I expect it, too, will be growing.

https://bookshop.org/shop/Marly_Youmans

RECENTLY NOTED: interview, poems, video

INTERVIEW

"Q and A with Marly Youmans, Author of Charis In The World Of Wonders" - interview at Women Writer, Women's Books  11 April 2020

EXCERPT

Excerpt (the first appearance of Hortus) from Charis in the World of Wonders at Women Writers, Women's Books  3 April 2020

POEMS, text and video

* "Mystic Journey," "Jane Eyre in the Red Room," "The Plum Oak Pot," and "The Hand" (audio and text) at Pete Candler's pandemic project, A New Decameron. The first and last poems are blank verse; the other two are part of a sequence of poems influenced by Hebrew parallelism and Yoruban praise traditions: art has always been a Silk Road. Thanks to Pete for a request.

* "Plague-spell" and "Death of a Singer" at The Living Church (Episcopal/Anglican Communion) 19 April 2020 issue. Thanks to editor Fr. Mark Michael for his request. I'm afraid you have to have access to a print issue on this one.

* "The Homunculus" from The Book of the Red King (video) at The Ballsians on youtube: here.