I'm gonna get me a pair of Bossypants

So I just finished Tina Fey's book Bossypants, and it made me want to writer her a love letter that would go something like this:

Dear Ms. Fey,

I think you're brilliant. Not only are you smart, lovely, unabashedly feminist, self confident, but you're so funny that I laugh uncontrollably in public while reading Bossypants, or remembering a 30 Rock scene, or one of your sketches on SNL, and everyone thinks I have some sort of undiagnosed but near debilitating social-awkwardness disorder. And that's awesome for me. You are my role model. You and Edna St. Vincent Millay and the fictional character Dixon Bainbridge from the Mighty Boosh have shaped my personal and professional aspirations to an enormous degree. I realized two important things while reading your book: 1. I feel completely and delightfully pleased with the fact that I am a writer, and I want to succeed. And 2. I need to laugh every day because it dramatically changes my mood, and because of this, I think that intelligent and socially-conscious comedy writers like you are doing wonderful, magical things for the world, and I deeply appreciate it.

Also, if you are genuinely seeking a stranger's advice about whether or not you want to have another child, here's mine: Do whatever feels right to you. And if what feels right is to not have any more kids, then don't worry. As an only girl child all grown up, I can report that I'm perfectly happy and well-adjusted. Sure there were times when I thought it might be nice to have a sister, but there were loads more times when I was grateful that it was just me.

I could go on and on about how great you are, and it would probably weird you out. So I'll just say, I love your work, I love your ethos, and I I think you're the business. "You are my heroine. And by heroine I mean 'lady-hero.' I don't want to inject you and listen to jazz."

Love,
Jess


In conclusion, I think y'all should buy and read Bossypants, and watch 30 Rock every week. It'll make you better.

Graduate Schools

I am going psychotic waiting to hear back from the MFA programs I applied to for Poetry. April seems disproportionately far away. Just sayin'

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Mike Tyson, Ellen, and Opposite Day

Was anyone else confused that Mike Tyson was a guest on Ellen yesterday? The convicted rapist and wife beater was being praised and petted for his kindness by.... Ellen, the amicable and benevolent lady. Is it because he's vegan now? Maybe... but I'm vegan and I'm not on the show... not convinced. Is it because he treats pigeons better than people? Because I'm not sure that's not just a sign of mental illness. And if that weren't baffling enough, it aired on International Women's Day. That was genuinely the first time I ever thought, "What the hell, Ellen?" I decided to comfort myself and leave my adoration of Ellen intact by concluding that it probably wasn't her decision to have him on the show, it was probably some ABC-Animal Planet mating ritual, but even so, there's nothing worse than a fat cokehead.

America, wind, cracking bones, and other concepts

L and I moved to America-- Ireland was beautiful, but coquettish, and we had to abandon her. I hear spring is hatching there now, but in NH it's still cold, cold, and snow. I forgot how the wind hurts. It occurred to me that I don't understand wind-- where does it come from, what gives it it's force? It seems bizarre that I don't understand all of my surroundings-- I bet that most people don't. I don't know why my body aches and my bones crack, but they do.

I had someone argue with me that because life is temporary, it's not real. I pointed out that the two are not mutually exclusive, and he looked as though he wanted to cry, or hit me, or both. I continued saying that if I were to hit him, I would be responsible for my actions, my hand would ache, his face would bruise, and that's real. He remained unconvinced, saying that in sleep we return to the timelessness of the spirit, and every day life is unreal. This, touched a nerve. "I've cried out in pain in my sleep," I growled, believing that this thinking could lead to heinous crimes against a person in the name of "unreality, timelessness, spirit." I was angry that someone could neglect the calls of a body, of any sentient thing, but I reconsidered. I think some people need to not participate in reality. They decide not to know about the pain, the wind, or anything because it's they feel it's less frightening to try to live above it in some barely forged ether of the unsettled mind. I don't mind-- although, I do find it a little terrifying.

I'd rather know why things happen, feel my body and know I am it and its animation. Moving country again is a scary visceral feeling. I don't have many connections, I'm not sure where I go next, I don't understand my friends' references, I say 'vitamins' in an Irish accent.... But I'd rather be present and accept my life as real. I don't know how else I'd enjoy it.

Los Angeles Review

Heyy

"Hyssop in the Forest" came out in the Los Angeles Review a few months ago. Check it out! I haven't been able to read it yet because my contributors copy was sent to NH and I'm still in Ireland. But my parents tell me it's a great issue! My poem tells a family story-- it was really exciting to be able to write about some of the experiences that my Romani family had during the Holocaust.

Perhaps I will post again, soon. Let's see if I really do get better at keeping a blog!

Euro MPs slam French Roma policy

European MPs criticise France's expulsions of Roma, as French ministers travel to Bucharest for talks with Romania.

France has been heavily criticised for forcing Roma community members to leave the country to Romania [Al Jazeera]

The European Parliament has passed a strongly worded resolution criticising France's controversial policy of forcing members of its Roma community to leave the country.

The non-binding resolution expressed "deep concern at the measure taken by France and other member states targeting Roma and Travellers," and urged the French government to "immediately suspend all expulsions of Roma".

But France reacted angrily to resolution, with Eric Besson, the immigration minister, who is in Bucharest for talks with Romanian authorities on the issue, describing it as a "political diktat" and refusing to comply with its demands.

"The European parliament has exceeded its prerogatives," Besson said, adding that it was "out of the question" for France to cease its Roma expulsions.

The issue has proven a major test for the European Union, which is based on the principle that Europeans can live and work in any member state they please.

France argues that the Roma are abusing this principle to immigrate and commit crimes, and has called on Romania to do more to integrate the Roma citizens that it deports.

"The truth is the Roma are not integrated in Romania," Pierre Lellouche, France's European Affairs minister said earlier on Thursday.

"France will call for commitments on police and judiciary cooperation, the fight against human trafficking and integration of Roma in Romania, as part of a national emergency plan spanning 2010-2013," Lellouche said before a meeting with Emil Boc, the Romanian Prime Minister.

But Romanian leaders are angry with the way France has handled the affair. Traian Basescu, the Romanian president has warned that the French minister's visit to his country will be useless if they have come to "lecture" Romania.

And the country's foreign minister, Teodor Baconschi, attacked France's expulsion policy in an opinion piece in Thursday's edition of the daily newspaper Evenimentul Zilei.

"Neither a security crackdown nor a paternalist form of welfare are the answer to Roma problems", he wrote."Only a European strategy will allow for a lasting response to the problems and legitimate expectations of this vast community."

France is seeking to deflect criticism for the expulsions by freeing up funding to help reintegrate the deported Roma when they arrive in their home country.

"We have a road map on Roma inclusion, we have made several proposals, but things are not progressing," Lellouche said.

Banconschi stressed Romania had already adopted a national plan for Roma integration and spent nearly 50 million euros since the beginning of the year on programmes meant to improve conditions for the community.

France has deported almost 8,000 Roma migrants to Bulgaria and Romania this year, drawing criticism of human rights groups, the Catholic church and domestic politicians.

Sarkozy's political opponents have denounced the crackdown as an effort to boost his crumbling popularity and deflect attention away from unpopular spending cuts.

Sarkozy and his ministers have defended their policy in the context of a crackdown on foreign-born criminals. But Bucharest has said that none of the Roma expelled had a criminal record.

In more international criticism of French policy, Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, compared France's rhetoric on the issue to that used by Nazi and fascist regimes.

While the remarks brought an angry reaction from France, Hammarberg stood by them on Thursday, insisting that he had not singled out the French government for criticism.

*Source: Aljazeera

Hiatus

Hello, few readers,

I was on hiatus. I don't know. Blogging is strange. I guess I'm still not used to it! Although there have been a lot of things to blog about, especially Roma Rights issues and publications.

Actually, there is so much that this is really just a post to say that I'm still here.

I will mention right now though that I have a poem, "Hyssop in the Forest" coming out in the Los Angeles Review in October.

Also, the new issue of Moloch is out here so check me out! My poems "Heathcliffe" and "The Empty Fishpond of Baileard" appear. There are a lot of really WONDERFUL writers in there, some of which I had the pleasure to hear read at the Moloch launch at the Writer's Museum in Dublin on July 30th. I read too (first! ahhh!) and it was so much fun. What a great crowd; what a great city.

Er... also I deferred St Andrews. I think I may to returning to the States for a spell... if all goes well with immigration.