I'm hitting the road from New York to New Orleans to work as an unpaid reporter (i.e. intern) at The Times-Picayune.

I'll be straight with y'all: [First, about the fact that I somehow started saying "y'all" after 24 years in New York.] Graduate School has really slowed the progress of this book.

Hard reporting and poetry. I think they have a place together. I think there's a lot of room for poetry in journalism and journalism in poetry -- the best of both contain both. But I didn't find that this year. I was too busy trucking along with work and school, the focus on surviving. [I was also hospitalized, but I won't get into that. I'm fine now. And happy to be where I'm at, grateful to be where I'm going.]

The good news: Most of the poems for HAW are already written, as are half of your (awesomely) prompted poems. But I wanted some new stuff. Not less urban, just different. And with the semester over, and three months down south ahead, I think some different stuff is in the cards.

Thank you for supporting my book, and being patient. I've been meaning to update to tell you that HAW is far from dead in the water. It's a dream that you provided the potential for me to accomplish. Now I just gotta get to the accomplishing.

I'll be doing some readings in New Orleans, the first on June 25th at Antenna Gallery (3161 Burgundy Street, New Orleans, LA 70117 ). If you're down South, please stop by, or shoot me an email and we'll talk over coffee. (hannahmiet@gmail.com). And if you won't be down South, you should still shoot me an email. I'd love to chat about book covers, dinosaurs, your poetry, breakfast, highways, click send.

I plan on blogging a bit more down there, and streamlined all my work (portfolio, blog, homepage) into one place: http://hannahmiet.com. So if you want to follow the blog, add http://hannahmiet.com/blog to your feed. 

All book updates, reading and random musings will stay right here.

Thanks for being with me and making this happen.

Love,

Hannah

Hannah Miet at Bowery Poetry Club 2/20/11 from Hannah Miet on Vimeo.

Shot by Kimberly Kaye, with a steady hand on my shitty camera, with full view of me and the stage.

Hannah Miet at Bowery Poetry Club from Hannah Miet on Vimeo.

Shot by Micheal Cerveris, with an unsteady hand on a much nicer camera, closer in on my face

I haven't promoted my poetry readings here before, as Hello, Absurd World slowly takes shape. I regret that, and from now on you will be in the loop. If you're in New York, I'd like to share a moment. (If you're not, there will be a video or two.)

The middle of a Sunday. Words whispered on a stage. Let's pack the house together.

Sunday, February 20 · 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY

GUESTS: Ed Stever. Jane Rosenberg LaForge. Kimberly Kaye.
SPECIAL APPEARANCE: Hannah Miet.
HOSTS: George Wallace and Russ Green.

I will be post-op (nothing major, don't worry) and likely reading on painkillers. Kim will read about Mick Jagger's shirts accompanied by a banjo. There will be booze: before, during and after. It will be absurdity at its finest.

Come on out. We want you there with us.

Thanks for the continued support, patience and love.

I hope to see you Sunday.

xx Hannah

"Christ on a cracker: that’s a good question. I think my “selfhood” has a major (diagnosed) case of ADHD and chronic insomnia. I envision electric wires shooting out of my brain in all directions, latching on to a strand with full focus and then switching to another."

- I was interviewed about Hello, Absurd World in Linebreak Magazine + 2 recorded poems.

I also recently wrote a bit of a love letter to the internet, y'all in particular.

And if you are in the tri-state area, my next reading is at the Bowery Poetry Club on Sunday, January 16th, 4 - 5:30 p.m.

Thanks for the continued support!