But I least I did my prep. work for next week. Some good news from a journal, earlier. Some possible good news from a press on a poetry manuscript. (Riceland--these are poems about growing up on a farm). Aside from the Riceland manuscript I have 2 chapbooks out awaiting judgement and another almost completed. I've been trying to put together another full-length collection. It has around 50-55 pages right now, which seems short (compared to Dean Young, for example, who usually pulls off around 100 pages). Length isn't everything, I realize, as the father from Happiness explained to his son: it's depth. But he was a child molester, so can we really take that much stock in what he says?

I've also been putting together a collection of 10-minute plays. Why, you ask? Why not.

I'm going to start a list of books I've read this year because I'm that neurotic. I hope to reach 50.

Groundrules:

--I will count chapbooks, graphic novels, anything else I can think of.
--I'll also count books I've reviewed.
--I will NOT count books I've already read, so that pretty much eliminates the bulk of the reading I do, which is of books/stories/etc. I'm teaching.

Let's start by month:

January:

1. Alex Galper, Fish Du Jour. Here's a link to a review. http://ghotimag.com/ReviewGalper.htm (I'll save you the click: it was terrible.)
2. Tom Whalen. An Exchange of Letters. Review: http://ghotimag.com/ReviewWhalen.htm (Some strong moments.)
3. Ron Singer, A Voice for My Grandmother. Review: http://ghotimag.com/ReviewChapbooks.htm
4. Shad Marsh, The Commentaries. Review: http://ghotimag.com/ReviewChapbooks.htm (I like this one. I'd like to see more from Marsh.)
5. Catherine Sasanov, Tara. Review: http://ghotimag.com/ReviewChapbooks.htm
6. J. A. Tyler, The Girl in the Black Sweater. Review: http://ghotimag.com/ReviewChapbooks.htm

(I'll add to this when I get a chance.)

February:

7. Ed Madden, Signals. An Arkansan poet I'm reviewing/interviewing for the Arkansas Review.
8. Dean Young, Embryoyo. I'm reviewing this for Ghoti.
9. John Lee Clark, I'm reviewing this for Ghoti
10. Herman Meliville, Moby Dick. Seriously, this is the first time I've read it. I'd have to say it's rather long-winded. There is practically no forward movement throughout the bulk of the book. It's more of a treatise on the profession of whaling, than a novel. There is much about the book that I admire, but I can't say I'd read it again.

So that's 40 to go. Can I make it? Well, considering that there are at least 5 more books I haven't added, I'm thinking I might make it. Maybe I'll up the ante to 100. Or maybe I won't.