As a way of starting Sports Desk again, I've decided to start by continuing with some Olympic roundups, Olympic replays and Olympic reconsiderations. Over the next 7 days I'll be running pieces from The Los Angeles Review of Books Poetic/Olympics... Continue reading

Today over at The Los Angeles Review of Books Poetic/Olympics we're talking about Basketball. Scott Cunningham and Stephen Burt break it down in fine fashion and the photos will slay you as well. On Women’s Basketball PT. 2 Stephen Burt... Continue reading

Today in The Los Angeles Review of Books Poetic/Olympic Coverage, Liam and Meghan O'Rourke continued their gymnastic poetic correspondence and Patrick Rosal talked about kettle bell, depression and the poem. A Gymnastic/Poetic Correspondence by Liam O'Rourke and Meghan O'Rourke Meghan,... Continue reading

Today Poetic/Olympic Coverage continues at The Los Angeles Review of Books and The Best American Poetry. We're starting a series within the series in which we consider sports that have been and no longer are a part of the Games.... Continue reading

Today The Los Angeles Review of Books and The Best American Poetry bring you Olympic coverage of Long Distance Swimming by Jake Adam York and Tennis by Matthea Harvey. The 1500-Meter Freestyle (and The Long Poem) By Jake Adam York... Continue reading

Olympic Fever Continues over at The Los Angeles Review of Books and right here at Sports Desk. Today Deborah Paredez on Track and Field and Gregory Pardlo on Table Tennis. The Handoff: On Track and Field and The Poem Deborah... Continue reading

Today over at Los Angeles Review of Books our Poetic Olympians, Sarah Blake and Stephen Burt are telling us all about fencing and women's basketball. Fencing By Sarah Blake I. Picture the fencers. Picture them, without their gear, covered in... Continue reading

Today was Boxing Day over at The Los Angeles Review of Books Poetic Olympic Section. Here are pieces by Pat Rosal, Ross Gay and Jennifer Grotz. Hagler-Leonard and the Limits of Speech Ross Gay and Patrick Rosal On April 6,... Continue reading

Today, after a few hours of watching Olympic archery and beach volleyball I made my way to Abbott Kinney Blvd. in Venice, got a really perfect iced green tea at Intelligensia Coffee and felt genuinely happy to be alive. That’s... Continue reading

Manny, Summer’s Done and Gone. I was at this party in the Hollywood hills and everyone was reading poems aloud. Really. And not even a bunch of poets. There were artists and curators and human rights activists and lawyers. There... Continue reading

Abandon, Attack, Big Ringing It, Bonk, Broom Wagon, Domestique, Grupetto, Tubular, Velo, Wheel Sucker, Lead Out, Paceline, Popped. Blown, Had it, Knackered, Stuffed, Squirrel, Velo, Wheel Sucker!Bike racing terminology! I don’t understand a word of it! Ciao Tutti! Hello from... Continue reading

We were in her apartment in Manchester, VT. The one above the liquor store that she moved to after she left the house across from the junk car lot and Jimmy left to go to California and get straight. We... Continue reading

I’ve said it before but I feel like the most appropriate author photo for a writer with a significant other is a picture of said writer doing something like sitting with their head in their hands or staring at the... Continue reading

I. I have a VHS somewhere of Martina Navratilova winning her ninth Wimbledon. I taped every match of hers that summer and would watch them over and over. I’m not sure I knew at that point what it was I... Continue reading

Dear Tiger, Good morning from Los Angeles. All week long I’ve been watching the Olympics and thinking what to write about for my Sports Desk column. Truth be told I’m a little late. I’m falling into all of the old... Continue reading

Sports Desk: Super Bowl Edition Hard to imagine a more joy filled Super Bowl than the one we got to witness Sunday night. Even with the Focus on Family ad being shown and The Who taking up space that could... Continue reading

This past week I took a hell of a spill. It was a nice day and I thought I’d go for my usual walk as way of moving into the writing day. I’ve started playing music on my Blackberry and... Continue reading

Jan. 18, 2010. Martin Luther King Day Edition. It’s a shame the Baltimore Ravens lost this week. I was pulling for them for all kinds of reasons. First, I love Peyton Manning but I’m a little tired of those Colts.... Continue reading