July News

Posted on July 31, 2012

In review news of my new chapbook SHE WHO LOVES HER FATHER, there are three great interviews on Goodreads. Kristen Fisher writes,

Laura Wiseman composes a series of memories of not only past but a past that whether you are connected to it or not, you can’t help but be drawn into it’s power. A similar reality of emotion that allows the reader to convey his/her own side of the here-say. Combing the history of an Egyptian society cradles the everyday life of certain people, events and objects that corners us in the darkened rooms with bruises. She Who Loves Her Father boarders all the angles we are connected to in life, whether a parent has lost a connection with their child to a first kiss that is repeated over time but with a different outcome. Wiseman brings to the fore front an honest truth that not a lot of authors venture towards and that’s the fact that mistakes are tripped over time and time again. but the history is what makes it more than wonderful, it becomes satisfactory and fulfilling.

Kristen also includes a photo of her current reading on her blog.

Yay! My new little chapbook is the forth from the bottom, in the same stack as Running with Scissors, no less. Thanks Kristen!

In another Goodreads review, Sarah Holz writes,

This collection is a study in contrasts where the past is the present, only to become the past again when you catch it in an alternate light. The last queen of Egypt winds herself in her mummy wrappings, only to unravel the bindings to take a telephone call or cruise the internet. Shadows of who she was or might have been in a different time or place flicker in and out, though she is past being able to alter the outcomes. But every poem exudes the almost liquid murkiness that you find in the best afterlife/underworld art, where the faint warmth of life is blown gently into the coldness of death.

and Carla writes on Goodreads,

when you read this small collection of poems, you do not feel as if you are in a clinical, classroom type setting, but in a smoky coffee-house, surrounded by women (or womyn) snapping their fingers enthusiastically.

Finally, my Goodreads giveaway of SHE WHO LOVES HER FATHER was a huge success. I gave away 10 copies to the lucky winners. Thank you all 884 people who entered the giveaway!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

She Who Loves Her Father

by Laura Madeline Wiseman

Giveaway ends July 15, 2012.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

In interview news, my interview with Kristy Bowen about chapbook publishing got picked up by Harriet the news and community blog over at poetry foundation. Upcoming interviews include Laura Goldstein and Amy Monticello, as well as a few others in the works.

I have poems forthcoming in OVS Magazine, and poems in the current issue of Rose Red and in the anthology Poetry in the Cathedral.

Finally, and this is so exciting, Spittoon is nominating my piece “Potboiler” for Sundress Press’ 2012 “Best of the Net” anthology. Yay!

spring 2012 student evaluations

Posted on July 29, 2012

It’s that time of the year again. Here are comments from my students in the composition courses I taught this past Spring 2012:

“The group reading and modeling activities benefited my writing techniques tremendously. I loved this class.

“Her personality is fun and she’s engaging. She also picked good things for us to read.”

“The 15-minute essays helped me a lot along with the workshops. The syllabus was always clear and she was well organized. We always had things to do. She was always available to answer our questions.

“[What helped me learn the most were] small groups, writing assignments, and field trips. I learned how to write in a clear concise and purposeful manner. Having the ability to write for many different audiences is an important life skill. She is straightforward, open to new ideas, and super friendly.”

“What helped me learn were the in-class writings. I also thought going over and evaluating our reading assignments helped a lot. I’ve learned to be a more descriptive writer and just stronger writer in general. The in-class writing helped me get to this pint. Our teacher is positive and encouraging, unlike most college professors.”

“The writing of essays everyday and discussing them at the end of class helped me better understand the concept of what we did.”

“The conferences were really helpful.”

“The fifteen minute in-class essays helped me learn the most. They forced me to write in new ways on the spot.”

“My favorite teacher.”

“I enjoyed this course very much. I felt like I was taught without a boring lecture. I was taught how to write better through workshopping others’ work. [The instructor has a] good teaching style, made class fun and interesting. I was never bored in class.”

“The relaxed atmosphere and being in groups [helped me learn], the class was a very comfortable environment and it encouraged me to brainstorm/talk with everyone else. [The instructor] is very down-to-earth, easy to converse with, great with suggestions, and an overall wonderful person. An amazing professor to have for any starting person in college.”

“The Pomegranate” broadside, created by Gold Quoin Press

Posted on July 27, 2012

As I mentioned in my last post, I have some exciting news. I have a new broadside that has just been released by Gold Quoin Press, an offset fine arts press in Peoria, Illinois, designed, printed, and edited by Robert Rowe, Professor of book arts at Bradley University. “The Pomegranate” is in a limited edition press run of 100.

Last year when I was a writer-in-residence at the Prairie Center of the Arts, I had the wonderful opportunity to create a broadside series with artist Kate Renee. I think, in doing that, I got a bit of a collaborating broadside bug. The last day I was in Peoria and before I headed home to begin the fall semester of teaching at UNL, I had lunch with several Prairie Center people, including Robert. I spoke to Robert about my interest in book arts and showed him the whimsical broadsides I’d just finished and my recent chapbooks, describing the design process of the covers. I was given a tour of the Gold Quoin Press studio to see the offset printers, the plates, the book arts in the works, and other recent projects.

Fast forward to this summer: I submitted several poems to Gold Quoin Press and my poem “The Pomegranate” was accepted to be a broadside. I’d literally written the poem days before at the Prairie Center, which felt perfect. The perfect poem for the perfect project. Over the next few weeks, GQP sent design ideas. Once the design was finalized, printing began.

Once printed, we signed and numbered the press run of “The Pomegranate.”

That same day in the evening, I gave a reading at Poetry at the Moon, including a reading of “The Pomegranate.”

After the reading I even sold a few prints. Yay!

There you have it. To order a broadside, check out the webpage and paypal button or talk to me after a reading. They’re really lovely.