Tag Archives: publishing

Make Friday Write

Posted on by
26

Welcome to exam week! What can you re-examine? My composition classes have had to read from their portfolios like a mini presentation/reading. That has been fun. I have one more today. My final exam is on Monday for my British Lit class. That will be an oral exam on “Gulliver’s Travels.” The online creative writnig class doesn’t have an exam but I’m still waiting on a few portfolios. One good thing about finishing up exams, besides the obvious end of the semester, is that my schedule is back to being a little more flexible – thus – why I am here bright and early.

I’m gonna post my poem in progres first and then some other links:

–time to revise!

This is very new, as I drafted it on Wednesday and it hasn’t been through any type of revision. I want to work in more play on the senses since I noticed – on reviewing - that sight and touch are already there.

As always feel free to post your own work in progress in comments and/or to comment on mine and/or anyone else’s. I will take down my work and work by anyone else a week from now.

This weekend I’ll be heading to Asheville for Wordfest. I’ll be reading with two other poets on Sunday at 3pm at Malaprop‘s books. I love reading at Malaprop’s, well, and just being in the Asheville area. Such a terrific city. There are other events all weekend so this would be a great time to head into the NC mountains. My publisher sent copies of “Fat Girl” but I have to decide if I want to promote other books. I had the same question with myself yesterday when I dropped off copies of “Fat Girl” at a local indie bookshop: Park Road Books. I know these are good problems to have, but most stores want you to be promoting one book so that each time you read you are promoting something different. I’ll probably keep to that rule and read more from “An Amateur Marriage” at open mikes until I book other readings later this summer and year.

Which reminds me . . . need a poet? :) Have a great weekend!

A Family Reading

Posted on by
11

On Saturday I had the pleasure of being one of several readers representing Sibling Rivalry Press at the Decatur Branch of the Library outside of Atlanta, Ga.

Local poet Collin Kelley was the first to read a poem from his book that SRP will release, I believe, next year. He served as MC. The picture I have included is of publisher Bryan Borland and his publishee and long time friend(both came in from Arkansas) Loria Taylor. They did a terrific “duet” of poetry together.

Also on the docket was Stephen Mills (Orlando), myself, Teresa Davis (local spoken word artist), and Megan Volpert (who organized the event).

We had a nice group of around 20 people – I think – I didn’t get a definitive head count, but what I loved was the variety of voices. Although I think Megan pegged it will when she said that all the readers had at least one connection (outside of the same publisher) that they all have something that haunts them. Even if you write about happy things at the very least it is the need to share your words that haunts you.

This Sunday I’ll be reading in Asheville at Malaprop’s bookstore as part of their monthly Poetrio series. Starts at 3pm. There is also a whole festival of words this weekend in Asheville called Wordfest if you are in the area. I also have two readings booked in June but nothing for July. Anyone need a poet?

Make Friday Write

Posted on by
22

I wasn’t sure if I was going to find the time to post my Friday blog, but it has become such a ritual to share what I’m working on, reading, watching etc. And, I LOVE to hear what you guys have been up to.

  • Here is a very powerful essay that discussions a writer’s personal response to The Hunger Games
  • I have a big round up of documentaries that each, in some way, tie into the movie and celebrity. There is Strictly Background about those who try to make a living just playing those small, no name parts. Double Dare which is not about the kids game show but was about female stunt women. Very interesting. And then how about Almost Elvis about those who try to work as professional Elvis impersonators. Or maybe you’d be more up for For the Love of Dolly which follows some pretty “dedicated” fans of Dolly Parton’s. And last, but not least, American Scary which had somewhat annoying audio (just bad/cheap audio?) but made me think back to my childhood and our local horror host: Dr. MadBlood. Do you remember yours? What I thought with each of these was of how people are always trying to find a way to have some kind of shared experience no matter what your hobby/habit/passion ends up being.

I won’t get into the books right now because I only have a few and I am going to try and do a separate post about them. I had a pretty busy week which was further complicated (yet also fun!) by being Freshly Pressed which meant over 10K views in a manner of days! That (oh poor poetry) did not translate into book sales, but it was still interesting to meet a lot of new virtual people.

The poem I started during last Sunday’s writing marathon is posted below. Feel free to comment on it and/or to post your own work in progress. I will take down my work and anything posted in comments one week from today. And a small side note. A poem I posted recently “Visions of the Monster” was revised and sent out. It received some positive feedback on a recent rejection so that YOU GUYS for helping me to keep that poem going.

–goodbye poem! Time to revise

Make Friday Write

Posted on by
17

Howdy folks! It is Friday; it is now Spring Break (as I finished my grading) and I finally have most of my energy back so BOOYA!

So not a bad week for publications, however, I did have several rejection slips as well and I still haven’t been writing a great deal. I am toying with some boot camp ideas for myself next week while I am on Spring Break. If I make that happen I’ll blog about it and it will include some writing prompts. No promises yet!

On the what I read, watch etc end

  • Recently finished Ellaraine Lockie’s collection Blue Ribbons at the County Fair which has an intriguing concept: compiling all prize winning poems into a collection. She says it is a chapbook but at 63 pages is it? Well it does have under 40 poems so . . . Always a hard debate.
  • I saw the movie Drive finally via Vudu and it was pretty good although I found the characters so intriguing I wanted more back store and a little less gore. Not that it is a horror movie but watch it and you’ll see what I mean.
  • I also watched Being Elmo on Netflix and I might just have to buy it. I love a good success story (with all the good and bad that can come with that) and how at the heart of almost everyone is the fact that someone believed in that person.
  • I did a whole post recently on Ewan Macgregor so I’ll keep this short - Long Way Down was just as fun to watch as “Long Way Round.” The book version which I found at the used bookstore yesterday!
  • I did spend over 3 hours on a PBS Mark Twain documentary on Netflix over the course of several days and that was well worth it. Love Mark Twain. I need to read some more of his work.
  • Gave up on Gnomeo and Juliet. Sorry everyone who loved it too much. I found it way corny.

The one poem that I did draft, and that did make it from the notebook to being typed is below but note this has not been separated into lines as of yet and is really only a second draft at best so it is quite unsure of itself right now. I still, as always, want to hear from you about it and I want to see what you guys are working on so post in comments and I’ll take down my work and any work in comments a week from today.

—and that poem is gone for revising!

-

Hope everyone has a great weekend and if you are on break – STAY SAFE! I will spend part of my time catching up on British Literature reading and preparing for the research paper/informative essays that’ll be due from my comp students by the end of next week. This week we finished up basics of research and my lit class finished Chaucer. They get to discuss some sonnets next week before moving into “Othello.”

Oh and those Creative Writing 2 students get to write up what they thought of reading submissions for “Referential”. THAT should be interesting :)

Make Friday Write

Posted on by
18

I’m in serious multi-task, must finish many things before the hour becomes to late mode because tomorrow I will be one of the featured poets at the first Couplet 2 Day Poetry Festival in Wilmington, NC! If you know people in that area, send them the schedule and send them our way! I may not make it to stay for the anthology release party – but I do have two poems in the anthology! – but I am going to try. I just know it is a 3.5 – 4 hour drive each way for me and I have a super bowl party to go to on Sunday at my in-laws home and they are HUGE Giants fans.

One thing I am working on is grading my composition classes assignment for this week. It was a three part:

  1. Try a pre-writing technique (several were in the book but they could be some such as freewriting, brainstorming, outlining, mapping etc) in response to Ken Macrorie’s quote” Good writing is formed partly through plan and partly through accident.”
  2. Take that pre-writing and try to write a response to the quote (if you freewrote revise your response)
  3. Write a paragraph about your writing process. Maybe think about why you chose the pre-writing technique you did or speak about what you are going to do next with your response

I have finished grading the in class analysis my British Lit class did of “Beowulf” and I’m catching up with my creative writing 2 online class. They are getting the experience of reading submissions to “Referential.” Don’t worry, if you submitted I get the final call on what stays and goes.

While I’m finishing up school work I am also trying to work on my to do list which included trying to get to this blog post and then digging into the printed copy I made of my potential third manuscript.

That manuscript is what I want to talk with you about for a minute. Instead of posting a poem since I really only have one in progress right now and it seems like it might be about ready to sub I’m going to ask you guys for some help as we think more about when we retire and/or keep working on poems.

I’m going tolink you to a document (and now it is unlinked!) filled with poems that I wrote, that were then published, but that I later found myself unsure of. If you want to scan through and then leave comments here (or I think you can actually leave comments on the document . . . this should be fun!) on ones you think should stay retired or ones you think maybe have some merit for revision I think that could be fun. Some of these poems are so old they were published when I was an undergraduate!

As always I want to hear what you guys are working on. Did you send work out? Have something to link or post in comments so we can chat about it? (As always I’ll take it down a week later).

Some fun notes at the bottom for your weekend:

  • A copy of my chapbook Fat Girl made it to Germany!
  • And here is a kickster opportunity I just had to give a little bit of money to. The filmmaker is someone I met on Twitter and she is such a warm person. If you don’t follow her you should!

Make Friday Write – Or So What?

Posted on by
19

Maybe you are wondering about the heading for this post already; I’ll get to that, but first:

  • Here is a terrific interview with the poet (and memoir writer) Sandra Beasley
  • I have a poem in the new issue of Barely South the online journal from ODU
  • There is some publicity out for the Couplet Literary Festival I’ll be presenting at in Wilmington on Feb 4th (SO EXCITED!)
  • If you are looking for some things to watch I found P Star Rising, 6 Days to Air and How Beer Saved the World (and I’m not a beer fan, but neat to see how they shaped history/facts to fit their narrative) all pretty interesting on Netflix for very different reasons (warning on 6 days – it is about the makers of SouthPark so you know the language you are gonna be getting!)
  • Today was a good week of classes, albeit a short week which meant condensing and unusual prep times. My composition classes were working on critical reading/critical thinking skills and vocabulary fun (via modified Scattegories) while my British Lit students practiced their literary analysis skills using Fairy Tales and my online students were asked to sign up for Submishmash, Worpdress and to look into print and online literary magazines because they will be thinking on the world of publishing this semester.
  • I also managed to draft at least one poem this week and I sent out one submission package with some acceptances coming in so not bad on that front. I keep trying to move forward, including the word that Sibling Rivalry Press will publish my 2nd full length poetry collection in the Fall of 2013!

So how do I get to the so what portion of this post? Well, it is this poem below. I believe I may have posted an earlier draft of it here actually. My issue with it – what causes me pause – is the very question: so what? Maybe the poem isn’t terrible, per se, but what is it doing? Why would I bother including it in my submission packets and/or next collection (of course I’m working on what’ll be a 3rd collection or a 5th chapbook – 5? really? whew!). When do you decide the poem was fun to play with, but isn’t something to send out? Let’s discuss!

–by the way – I did decide to retire the poem. It didn’t have enough going for it. Sometimes you have to write stuff that you don’t keep :)

Looking forward to seeing your work in progress and/or to hear your thoughts on mine. It is time to discuss whatever writing items you want to discuss.

And now I’ll be back to grading :)