Count Downs

The title dictates that we are counting down something. I always liked that Billboard’s top 100 count-down. Some others are ok (such as top influential people of 2013) and some are truly morbid (people who died in 2013). However, when I am in the supermarket line and every cover has some kind of count down, I get really sick of count downs. So let's add one more list so we can be truly sated - My Top Nine Influences in 2013:

9.         Poetry Contests – so I barely entered any for 2013 but I made a note of deadlines and guidelines for poetry chapbook contests for 2014

8.         ART - After viewing Art (I can barely pass up a good artwalk such as Island City Art Walk, FATs Village or when Sailboat Bend is open to the public), I feel an surge from my eyes to my fingers and I must write. Also see post “Art Walk”

7.         Other poets have inspired me such as those I have blogged about (Meryl, Linda,Anastasia, Monica, Richard) to those I have watched performed at venues (Emily, Ryan and CheChe)

6.         Food - my elixir and my problem; hence, my need to write and to exercise. See post “Onefor the Road” for elixir and any grumpy post and poem: ”The Torturer” in Tortured Souls for the problem

5.         A vacation that inspired. see post “ATreat for the Senses”

4.         Learning about “prompts” at FWA conference (and eventually using them; see post on “PoetryChallenge”).

3.         Figuring out that my research on where to go read poetry should be shared on my blog (Poetry in News and Around Town).

2.         Reading poetry in Daytona then going to Sarasota for a PoetryLife event (see post “TheRoad from Daytona to Sarasota”) and seeing poet Naomi Shihab Nye (a poet herself) reading a WS Merwin poem for “Favorite Poet Reading” at a PoetryLife event in Sarasota.

1.         On the Road – after watching the movie, I planned my own road-trip and named my first blog post “On the Road”

I want to know your top influences of 2013. Add to the comments below.