poetry – Claudia Putnam: Writer: Poetry & Prose

I’m reading poetry (and maybe a bit of fiction) his weekend! (10/25)

Oct 23, 2025

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POETRY READING: It’s been a while since I’ve been able to do a public reading. So glad I was invited to be the featured reader at this wonderful open mic tradition! Marmo Gallery, in Shelton, WA, is a cornerstone of the artistic community in this region. Worth checking out for its own sake. And the…

Standout Reads 2015

Mar 12, 2016

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Claudia Putnam

in Books, Literary Inspiration, Poetry, Reading

Finally! Just squeaking by before the end of the first quarter… here’s my list of the best books I came across LAST year. As always, this list has nothing to do with release dates. Honestly, I was a little disappointed with what I read in 2015. I pulled in a couple from 2014, because there…

Advice from a Master

Dec 4, 2012

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Claudia Putnam

in Art, Books, Literary Inspiration, Poetry, Reading, Writing

Some years ago I took a master class with the poet Marvin Bell. I’d been galvanized by an interview I read in American Poetry Review. The interview (not linked) was accompanied by a selection of Bell’s Resurrected Dead Man poems. I was only starting to take myself seriously as a poet—i.e., to give myself permission…

Journal Entry 4/28/12

May 1, 2012

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Claudia Putnam

in Grief, Life Changes, Literary Inspiration, Poetry

God drains what God breathes into us so long between breaths

Unpreparing

Mar 1, 2011

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Claudia Putnam

in Bereavement, Death and dying, Grief, Literary Inspiration, Writing

A further post on the matter of mentally preparing for death. Or un-. Not sure why I’m on this kick. But as I was in the middle of all these thoughts, a high-school English teacher of mine, David Weber, sent me the gorgeous poem below. It was written by another former teacher at Exeter, Charles…

Massive

Feb 21, 2011

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Claudia Putnam

in Bereavement, Death and dying, Grief, Life Changes, Relationships, Trauma

At the end of last year I posted about some “night terrors” after I met an older man contemplating his impending death. A high-school classmate responded by telling me of his heart attack a few years back. His comments are included at the end of the blog post; he says he felt an overwhelming sorrow…

Tag: poetry

I’m reading poetry (and maybe a bit of fiction) his weekend! (10/25)

Standout Reads 2015

Advice from a Master

Journal Entry 4/28/12

Unpreparing

Massive