Scott Wiggerman's Poetry Pages

H o m e

I am a 51 year old poet and librarian who lives in Austin, Texas with my partner David Meischen, also a poet; our nine year old cat Blanca (yes, she's white); and our three year old cat Silver (yes, she's silver). We're a typical American household--at least in my circle of friends. We live in a wonderful 1940's home among many oak and pecan trees in Wilshire Woods, close to both downtown and the University of Texas.

I am a member of the Writers' League of Texas, a member (and seven year Board member) of the Austin International Poetry Festival, and a participant in an on-line poetry critique group, through the Internet Writing Workshop (IWW). I also served as the Poetry Columnist for the Texas Writer, the monthly newsletter of the Writers' League of Texas, for eight years, but in 2004 I became the leader of the WLT Poetry Study Group.

Did you know that the website you are now reading has been banned in China? Why? I don't know, but I received the following information out of the blue from James Gleeson, a Project Officer with the Association of London Government: "I thought you might like to know that according to some research done by academics at Harvard University reported today in the New York Times, your site is one of many thousands blocked by the Chinese government to internet users in that country. I spotted your site on the list Sites Blocked in China and thought it stood out somewhat from the surrounding military, pro-Tibet and anti-communist stuff. Slightly intrigued at what could be so seditious about a poetry site, I moseyed over to have a look and was disappointed by the conspicuous absence of China-bashing! Anyway, I think you should take this as a compliment of the highest order." I, of course, do take this as a compliment. Check out the company I'm with for a good laugh! And see if you can figure out why China has banned my site!

My partner and I agreed to take over the publishing of the Texas Poetry Calendar beginning with the 2006 edition. To do so, we started a new press, Dos Gatos Press. Our website is up and running, including guidelines for submitting poems for the 2008 calendar--that's right, 2008. The 2007 is basically done--and should be on sale in July of 2006! Poet and San Antonio resident Naomi Shihab Nye served as our judge for the second Texas Poetry Calendar Awards (2007), and this year's top three places went to Joe Blanda (Austin), Cathy Stern (Houston), and Allsion Smythe (Rocheport, Missouri). Congratulations! Next year's Awards will be judged by poet Kathleen Peirce. Please take a look at the link to this site, and wish us luck with this venture! Better yet, help us out by either purchasing a copy of the calendar or making a tax-free donation, as we are a non-profit organization!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my book of poetry, Vegetables and Other Relationships, of which poet Judith Minty says, ""From painful moments of childhood to silky erotica to delightful bursts
of humor, Scott Wiggerman's faith in the power of human love and caring prevails to make Vegetables and Other Relationships a true feast." To order a copy of Vegetables and Other Relationships, you have several options. As a website special, if you send a check to me for $13.95 per copy, I will gladly autograph your copy and get it in the mail to you (1310 Crestwood Road, Austin, TX 78722) and pay the postage myself. OR you may buy it through PayPal, a secure payment service I've added to my website. All PayPal purchases are sent out by me, so I can also autograph books by this payment method. OR ask your bookstore to order a copy if it's not on the shelves (bring the ISBN: 1-891386-13-1). OR you can also order through the various dot.com bookstores, including amazon.com (the fastest), barnesandnoble.com, and borders.com (and even--believe it or not!--Walmart.com). For libraries, copies are distributed through both Baker & Taylor and Yankee Book Peddlar. Such options!

Now that you've learned a little about me, I hope you'll take the time to visit my other pages through the menu on the left. I also encourage you to email me your comments, by clicking the mailbox below:

Thanks for stopping by!