Drema Drudge

Poem Case File: The People vs. Revision

Now Playing: something low and ominous, probably with a cello that knows too much. At approximately 2:12 PM, the poem, “Christmas Feels Like You,” was last seen intact. Witnesses report it was doing well. Not perfect, but breathing. A little wordy, perhaps. A touch indulgent in the second stanza. Title feeling a touch ornamental onContinue reading “Poem Case File: The People vs. Revision”

Inconveniently Alive (Is that a “Bad Thing?”)

King Tuff has a new album coming out.Is that a “Bad Thing?” I swear, that video is so campy. But “How I Love,” there’s the porch song for me. I only found out about his new album last night, which feels exactly right, like hearing music through a wall and realizing it’s been playing forContinue reading “Inconveniently Alive (Is that a “Bad Thing?”)”

You Can Talk While the Wind is Blowing

Now Playing: “Handlebars” by Flobots (Re: Handlebars lyrics: I can tie a knot in a cherry stem. But I learned in the most innocent way ever: my son told me he could and I was like, do I want to know how you know, and then he challenged me to try, so I did.) It’sContinue reading “You Can Talk While the Wind is Blowing”

Them’s the Rules

What happens to ambition when the day refuses to behave? I am not the first woman to ask this. There is a pork loin from the latest grocery order in the fridge, waiting to be transformed into, ultimately, stew for the Word Raccoon et al. There are competitions and poetry journals with countdown timers tickingContinue reading “Them’s the Rules”

📚 The Great Good Writing Decision

I’m in a quandary. Word Raccoon asks why I’m “in” a quandary and if she joins me, should she pack sunscreen? Is it like a black hole? If so, she says we really ought to consult Hank Green for the best way out. “It’s an idiom, WR.” “You’re an idiom.” Stop it, WR, I didn’tContinue reading “📚 The Great Good Writing Decision”

Winding Dispatch from the Poem Patch

Now Playing: “Mystical Magical” by Benson Boone Saturday night Word Raccoon and I stayed up way late submitting our Look I Built a Cathedral collection to a few places that were closing to submissions ASAP. But WR and I made the mistake of looking at the book first. Like, the whole thing. We glanced backContinue reading “Winding Dispatch from the Poem Patch “

🦝📚 Word Raccoon’s Infinite Reading Log

I was reading an article recently on Modern Mrs. Darcy where one of the staff members mentioned that she tracks her reading in a spreadsheet. Immediately my brain did the thing it always does when spreadsheets appear on the horizon. Oh. Word Raccoon and I could do that. Not because I don’t already track myContinue reading “🦝📚 Word Raccoon’s Infinite Reading Log”

PSA: Ban Flimsy Book Bags

Let me say something that apparently needs saying. If a book bag does not have a zipper, a snap, or at the very least a scrap of Velcro, it is not a bag. It is material that wants to be a bag. Carrying a “bag” without any closure is just daring gravity to ruin yourContinue reading “PSA: Ban Flimsy Book Bags”

A Highly Incomplete Guide to My Podcast Playlist (in No Particular Order)

When I was a kid, I used to listen to AM radio at night to fall asleep. I loved talk radio and whatever came on. News, interviews, DJs. Unlike most people, I even enjoyed what they said between the music. Maybe especially that. My progression to podcasts was natural, and I’ve been listening since theContinue reading “A Highly Incomplete Guide to My Podcast Playlist (in No Particular Order)”

The Grocery Order Knows, and Poems Are Wild Things

I just placed next week’s grocery order, and from that alone I can tell what kind of writing week Word Raccoon has planned coming up. Apparently the creative process can be diagnosed from a grocery cart. She didn’t ask for complicated ingredients. She’s not making sauces from scratch. She’s not baking bread. She is diggingContinue reading “The Grocery Order Knows, and Poems Are Wild Things”