The Century Mark

When I first started The Humble Pen in May of this year, I already had two failed blogs under my belt, a lack of audience, and some serious apprehension about starting up a third blog susceptible to the same doom. The name of my third blog is derived from the Paul Simon lyrics in "Hurricane Eye": "you want to be a writer/but don't know how or when/find a quiet place/use a humble pen." I'd take all the guidance I could get. Sure, THP had its rocky moments, and if you scroll through September, you can see the seams literally coming undone. Once designed as an outlet for me to write and discuss poetry, it became a real albatross, and due to the lack of interest and minimal feedback, I was not only questioning my purpose as a blogger, but also my ability as a writer. And that, my friends, was not a good feeling.

So, after a few adjustments and continued pursuit of improvement, here we are - Post #100. I'm glad we made it here together. For some of you prolific bloggers out there who have been doing this for years, I bow down to you.

With that, I thought, for today, I'd take it back to where it began: Poetry. I wanted to make mention of a new book coming out about my absolute favorite poet, Elizabeth Bishop, and the letters she exchanged with fellow poet, Robert Lowell. The book, "Words in Air" was reviewed this past weekend in the Wall Street Journal and in today's LA Times, and I'm psyched to read it. I love her writing, and have a topical knowledge of her life, but am looking forward to reading this book to learn more. She, in my eyes, is the reason why poetry will always be relevant.