RE POETRY PRIZES AS DOGGIE WATER BOWLS...

So what happens when you judge a poetry contest and your fellow judges are John Yau and Sesshu Foster? Well, I discuss being that unexpected critter known as a carpool-Mom while John talks about his (and daughter Cerise's) new dachsund-mix dawg, the mix being why the dog is 28 pounds!!! Whoah!. Sesshu, meanwhile, just keeps dropping off the conference call service.

Anyway, we ultimately chose a recipient of this upcoming Asian American Writers Workshop Poetry Award. Yes, we also discussed the poetics and aesthetics (gotta note that for the record so the winners and contestants don't think we were just schmoozing).

Apparently, the winner will get some etched glass bowl. At one point, I had queried about doing a tie because "this is Poetry: I'm prepared to love everyone", which is to say, share out that prize with as many people as possible. That got John riffing about ties being those things for wrapping up and putting under a Xmas tree, "aren't they?" Such a card. Then John says he might be prepared to do a tie because he got one of those bowls as a co-winner and he'd given it to the other winner for what was supposed to be a sharing arrangement. But it's been many years now, and my tie idea made him think it'd be good to get that bowl back for his daughter's dog's bowl.

By the way, I can't think of a better use for a poetry prize: use it for watering a dog!

Anyway, we are all very pleased at the recipient whose name I'll allow the Workshop to officially announce. We all are very enthusiastic about hir book. I believe the award ceremony will be in early November. Check it out New York City and whoever will be there at that time!

On one of the times Sesshu dropped off the conference call, John and I voted him to be the Judges' representative at the ceremony (yeah--fly there from L.A., Sesshu!). Let's see if that happens, too.