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Monday, January 27, 2014
Silly me. Time gets away from you, y'know? In case you have inordinate amounts of time on your hands (like our fellow poet friend Peter, who shared this with me), here's a list of the 117 "most beautiful words". These should make for interesting poems.

Acquiesce Submit or comply silently or without protest.
Ailurophile A cat-lover.
Ameliorate To make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory
Assemblage A gathering.
Becoming Attractive.
Beleaguer To exhaust with attacks.
Brood To think alone.
Bucolic In a lovely rural setting.
Bungalow A small, cozy cottage.
Callipygous Having beautifully proportioned buttocks.
Cathartic Inducing catharsis; purgative.
Chatoyant Like a cat’s eye.
Comely Attractive.
Conflate To blend together.
Crestfallen Dejected; dispirited; discouraged
Cynosure A focal point of admiration.
Dalliance A brief love affair.
Demesne Dominion, territory.
Demure Shy and reserved.
Denouement The resolution of a mystery.
Desuetude Disuse.
Desultory Slow, sluggish.
Diaphanous Filmy.
Dissemble Deceive.
Dulcet Sweet, sugary.
Ebullience Bubbling enthusiasm.
Effervescent Bubbly.
Efflorescence Flowering, blooming.
Effluence The act or an instance of flowing out.
Elision Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.
Elixir A good potion.
Eloquence Beauty and persuasion in speech.
Embrocation Rubbing on a lotion.
Emollient A softener.
Ephemeral Short-lived.
Epiphany A sudden revelation.
Erstwhile At one time, for a time.
Ethereal Gaseous, invisible but detectable.
Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.
Evocative Suggestive.
Fetching Pretty.
Felicity Pleasantness.
Forbearance Withholding response to provocation.
Fugacious Fleeting.
Frisson A moment of intense excitement.
Furtive Shifty, sneaky.
Gambol To skip or leap about joyfully.
Glamour Beauty.
Gossamer The finest piece of thread, a spider’s silk.
Halcyon Happy, sunny, care-free.
Harbinger Messenger with news of the future.
Imbrication Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.
Imbroglio An altercation or complicated situation.
Imbue To infuse, instill.
Incipient Beginning, in an early stage.
Ineffable Unutterable, inexpressible.
Ingénue A naïve young woman.
Inglenook A cozy nook by the hearth.
Insouciance Blithe nonchalance.
Inure To become jaded.
Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.
Lachrymose Given to tears or weeping.
Lagniappe A special kind of gift.
Lagoon A small gulf or inlet.
Languor Listlessness, inactivity.
Lassitude Weariness, listlessness.
Leisure Free time.
Lilt To move musically or lively.
Lissome Slender and graceful.
Lithe Slender and flexible.
Love Deep affection.
Loquacious Talking or tending to talk much or freely.
Mellifluous Sweet sounding.
Moiety One of two equal parts.
Mondegreen A slip of the ear.
Murmurous Murmuring.
Nemesis An unconquerable archenemy.
Offing The sea between the horizon and the offshore.
Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning.
Opulent Lush, luxuriant.
Palimpsest A manuscript written over earlier ones.
Panacea A solution for all problems.
Panoply A complete set.
Pastiche An art work combining materials from various sources.
Penumbra A half-shadow.
Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.
Plethora A large quantity.
Propinquity Proximity; Nearness
Pyrrhic Successful with heavy losses.
Quintessential Most essential.
Ratatouille A spicy French stew.
Ravel To knit or unknit.
Redolent Fragrant.
Resplendence Splendid or dazzling in appearance.
Riparian By the bank of a stream.
Ripple A very small wave.
Saccharine Overly or sickishly sweet.
Scintilla A spark or very small thing.
Sempiternal Eternal.
Seraglio Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.
Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.
Soliloquy The act of talking to oneself
Summery Light, delicate or warm and sunny.
Sumptuous Lush, luxurious.
Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.
Susquehanna A river in Pennsylvania.
Susurrous Whispering, hissing.
Talisman A good luck charm.
Tintinnabulation Tinkling.
Umbrella Protection from sun or rain.
Untoward Unseemly, inappropriate.
Vespertine Relating to, or occurring in the evening.
Vestigial In trace amounts.
Wafture Waving.
Wherewithal The means.
Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast.
Zephyr A gentle breeze.

Bonus Words


Juxtaposition The state of being close together or side by side.
Velvet A very pleasant, luxurious, desirable situation.
Wafture The act of waving or a wavelike motion.
Callipygous Having shapely buttocks.
Malevolence Wishing evil or harm to another or others.
Quixotic Impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.
Desideratum Something wanted or needed.
Abeyance Temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension.
Sovereign Having supreme rank, power, or authority.
Syllogism An extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument.
Monday, November 25, 2013
I thought it would be cool to try to post a word of the day every now and then. I follow a group called Word Porn on Facebook that constantly posts interesting words and their meanings. Here's the one for today:

Hello there, wordsmiths!

Our good friend Jeff has graciously given me the information for several more word-related opportunities! This time, I have some scholarships for you to look into. Take a peek:


Clear Thinking

Fishtrap is a nationally known writing workshop right here in Oregon. They're offering two scholarships for youth for the summer 2014 workshop. Scholarships are available to any person under 35 years of age, and high school and college students are especially encouraged to apply. Summer Fishtrap Scholarship applications are accepted from January 1 through February 3 at 5 PM (PST).


For more info on the Bryn Lunde Memorial Scholarship, see http://fishtrap.org/?page_id=149

For more info on the Frank Conley Memorial Scholarship, see http://fishtrap.org/?page_id=153



Friday, November 15, 2013
My apologies for being a bit absent on this blog lately! There's been plenty going on, of course. Last Friday we had our second successful Word Mob! Thanks to all who participated, as well as those who helped make it all possible. You know who you are ;)

Just some announcements and information:

1. Everyone should check out Poetics Corvallis, a local poetry group that meets the first Fridays of the month at Interzone cafe. Follow that link to their Facebook page and learn all about them!

2. I am looking for submissions! From anyone, about anything! Thanks to one of our fellow poets Kent, we now have a connection at the Commuter. What I would like is to receive emailed poem submissions every week to put in the Commuter. Sometimes we have a theme, other times we do not. When I start receiving emails I can let people know the specifics, but it's a pretty laid-back process! My only requirement is that I receive poems by Thursday of the week.


3. The next Word MOB will be Friday, January 31st!








And now, a video for  your utter enjoyment:


Akua Naru - How Does It Feel Now?
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Simply amazing.


Hey Poets!

I am extremely excited to announce that the Poetry Wall is open for business! Come up to the second floor of NSH, in the hallway near Robin Havenick's office. The wall is open for anyone to write upon!