i was not so naughty

As is turns out, Santa knew I was a good little girl this year, and surprised me with an extra generous visit. He has the most exquisite taste and always knows exactly what I love. I highly recommend his selections this year, and thought it might be nice to pass them along to you.

First of all, he gave me two powerful books of poetry by female writers.  I'll be snuggled up by the fire savoring delicious words.  The first is Here, 2010, 27 poems about life on earth, by Wislawa Szymborska, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1996.  The second is World Enough, 2010, poems about how we come to know ourselves, by Maureen N. McLane, who received the 2002 National Book Critics Circle Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing.


Santa Baby also knows I've started posting audio recordings along with my printed piece, so I was especially thrilled to get The BBC's three disc set, The Spoken Word, American Poets. It's an incredible 209 minutes of 30 prominent poets reading their own works. There's something very special about hearing the poets' interpretations in their own voices. The only poet noticeably missing was my dear friend, Ms. Edna St. Vincent Millay.  How could they possibly have forgotten her?

Last, but not least, Santa left the whopping 5.2 pound, 975 page I Know How to Cook, by Ginette Mathiot, which has sold over six million copies since it was first published in 1932. It's a beautiful, updated version with lots of charming illustrations and gorgeous photos. Stay tuned in 2011 for some luscious French cuisine. I'll be cooking up a whirlwind and passing the recipes on to you.  Yum. Oh. Yum. Batten down the hatches!

Thank you for all your warm and wonderful holiday wishes. I'm taking it easy this week, enjoying lots of family around the fireplace, eggnog and woolly socks, but will be slowly making it around to your spot in the bloggyhood soon. Hope you're enjoying your week, my friends.