Hey, I'm new to this board.  I've been writing poetry for most of my life (the first one in 5th grade was called Water, Water Everywhere.  It was pretty awesome).  I'm never sure how much information I want to volunteer on these things.  A friend of mine once criticized a songwriter for going on too long about the back story of a song before playing it.  He said the song should be able to stand on its own.  There is a point where it stops being back story and starts being a qualifier.  Then again, this seems a little to close to New Criticism, which is something I don't really hold with.  Also, I really enjoy using prepositions to end a sentence with.  Well, only if its some sort of colloquialism.

Of course, I hate knowing absolutely nothing about an author.  I also hate reading really boring synopses of people's lives that they write themselves.  I guess I could use a flippant approach:

RR Penna grew up in western upstate New York, before moving to Brooklyn where she wrote poetry about the farmhouses of her youth.  She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, where she now writes about the subways of her post-adolescence.

Or perhaps the ubiquitous bullet point:

-25/f (pretentious/lacking basic reasoning skills)
-vegan/animal rights advocate (self-righteous/bleeding heart)
-atheist (amoral)
-curmudgeon (future cat lady)
-born in upstate NY (hick)
-lived in NJ (dirty)
-lived in Brooklyn (hipster)
-lives in San Antonio (cowboy)
-comedian (self-loathing)

Or I could list my favorite things:

Favorite Food - vegan buffalo wings from Food Swings
Favorite Movie - Harold and Maude
Favorite Book - An Owl in the Sun by Leslie Kark
Favorite TV Show - Firefly
Favorite President - Harry S Truman

But lists are so tedious.  I guess since most of my work is based in part on my life, that would probably be the better way to "get to know me."  After all, I do like a good narrative better than most things.

Hi, fellow WNYer (former) -- I see you have that maybe-not-so-sincere-sarcastic-self-deprecation thing that pegs you as a real deal upstater.  Anyway, nice to virtually meet you -- though the last thing a group of poets needs is another vegan, atheist self-loather. (Just saying.)

I'll check out your story if / when time permits.  R.B. Hayes is so totally better than Truman.

Best,
E-

Yeah the intro thing is just whatever. It's there to ignore if that's how you feel. I don't think I've ever written an intro about myself, and I wouldn't much like doing so. How about posting up this water water thing then? Everyone here is utterly intrigued now. Okay then, I'll go read your other stuff instead.

Hi anyway.

Steve.

I'll ask my mom to send that poem down.  It's probably somewhere in the attic.  And there's always room for another vegan/atheist.  Not all vegans and/or atheists are the same, you know.  And I prefer to think of myself as sardonic, not sarcastic.  Also, Truman desegregated the military.  He kicks ass.  The buck stops here!

Yeah, but self-loathers are all the same!    

Truman should've stayed a failed haberdasher.

"After a few successful years, the store went bankrupt during the recession of 1921."  Totally not his fault that the store failed.  Stupid economy.  And the Fair Deal?  That was pretty good.  And he taught himself not to be racist.  It goes on and on.

"Hayes called in federal troops, who, for the first time in U.S. history, fired on the striking workers, killing more than 70."

"During the Hayes administration "Jim Crow" laws spread around the country that prevented African Americans from voting. Hayes was reluctant to redeploy federal troops to enforce the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

"Most American historians consider Truman one of the greatest U.S. Presidents."

Hello RR Penna, was so interested to see that your favourite book is by Leslie Kark.
I attended a college of which he was the head/proprietor, Lucie Clayton Secretarial College in London.  He was one of the kindest, most thoughtful, and modest of men.  A perfect example of that is the fact that I have only just learned (twenty years later!) that he was an author.  I can't wait to read his  books as he is one of the people I most admire and I have such wonderful memories of him and the college he ran.  He was the definition of a gentleman.
Though it was a secretarial college, Mr. Kark saw to it that the students got not just a well-rounded education but, perhaps more importantly, a well-rounded view of life.  Most of this he did by a sort of very old-fashioned and wonderful osmosis, creating an atmosphere.  He arranged outings to theatres and museums ... many of the girls there had never been exposed to any sort of culture other than television; Mr. Kark and the staff he hired knew exactly where to draw the line - not forcing anything on us; just making it seem like a natural, enjoyable part of life.  He saw to it that we were taught that the bottom line of etiquette/politeness is simply being kind and thoughtful.
Oh dear, I'm tearing up at all these memories.  I so regret not finding out about his books while he was still alive.
However, I'm very excited about the fact that he's your favourite author!
I hope you have a very happy New Year; thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and opinions.
With all best wishes from Rosie.

That's amazing Rosie.  I only found out who he was a couple weeks ago.  I've had An Owl in the Sun since I was 15 or 16, but I've never been able to find anything on him.  Then I decided to try a random Google search, and his obit. came up.  I was so disappointed that I never knew anything about him.  I could have written him a letter or something.  You wouldn't happen to have any pictures would you?  I'm really curious to see what he looked like.

Ahhh yes, a western new yorker huh?
I was raised in the Finger Lakes area - the western most Finger Lake that is...Conesus, near Geneseo and Rochester.
Dirt roads, BB guns, slingshots, pet turkeys, pickup trucks, playing ding dong ditch and hiding in corn fields, smoking cigarettes at 11, yeah, bout right...
I lived In Buffalo for 3 years.
Even though I have left Portland, OR many times to travel and such...I always find myself back here.
What parts are you from?

Hi, Rosie. That's a very fine story, and a very fine intro too. Welcome to you! I want to go and read the engaging Mr Kark now!

Steve.