Tag Archives: publishing

Make Friday Write

Posted on
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
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 :)

Make Friday Write

Posted on
22

I received the promotional flyer yesterday for one of my first readings of 2012. I will be reading with the terrific Tony Abbott at Poetry Hickory on Feb 14th which is also my birthday! Quite a birthday present don’t you think?

But, it looks like my first reading of the year – unless I make it to an Open Mike before the end of the month – will be at the Couplet Poetry Festival in Wilmington, NC. A city I am SO looking forward to finally seeing.

One thing I read recently was the newest issue of decomP magazine where I loved this poem by Dan Romo who then turned around and published some of my poems in his new literary magazine which is edited by his students. Love that.

I also really appreciate the shout out that Robert Lee Brewer gave me on his blog. If you subscribe to me and don’t subscribe to Robert’s blog then – what? – are you crazy!

From my editor’s desk I’m thrilled to note that Christopher Allen’s story Dale’s Last Dance has a mention on “Fiction Daily.” I’ve also opened “Referential” for a featured reading period until 2-9-12 so spread the word if anyone is looking for somewhere to submit poetry, fiction or non-fiction. Still taking year round subs for the referred submissions in all areas.

Here is the writing prompt I gave my Creative Writing 2 students this week: Those of you who have taken a course with me before will be familiar with TedTalks. For your first writing prompt I found a terrific link to the 12 Essential TED Talks for writers. Find one that speaks to you and see what you write :)

My in class composition students had a variety, but my favorite to think about today was to write about the sentence. Just free-write about that for a while and see what you come up with :)

It wasn’t hard to pick what to post today because the last time I even wrote a draft was on Tuesday. I’m lucky if I manage to squeeze out even a draft once a week anymore. I’m not complaining though especially with this being the first week of classes.

–time to edit that poem  . . . 

What have you guys been up to? Any writing? Revising? Submitting? I have worked on some revisions and I’m going to try and send out the one group of poems I have ready to go before I get off the computer this afternoon.

Everyone is welcome to comment on my poems and/or to comment (courteously) on any posted in comments (you can also post other forms of writing). Any creative writing posted will be taken down a week from today (including my own poem). Have a great long weekend!

Make Friday Write

Posted on
12

I feel like I should do some grand recap of the year, but I don’t really feel that drive to do so.  Instead I just have a few things to mention in my final Friday post of the year.

One thing that you’ll notice I am working on at the end of the year is creating an archive for Referential (complete!) and moving over any long lists of things like 2011 Appearances etc to their own posts. I’m leaving non-fiction, fiction and photography just under their headings because I don’t have enough that warrant starting a new heading. Or I don’t think they do. I also left the Self-published heading up by itself, but since I publish the most in poetry, that needs a new page.

Just a few additional notations for today. I was thrilled to be mentioned not once, but twice! on Karen Weyant’s blog. I’m looking forward to picking up her award winning chapbook in 2012. She mentions me in a best of list (wow!) for 2011 and in a list of books coming out in 2012.

The second item I want to mention is also shown in the included picture. Many of you know that my husband gave me a Kindle Fire for Christmas. I have a whole other post I want to do later on about using it, but I wanted to share Folded Word’s appeal, and terrific offer, of 99 cent chapbooks for e-readers! You don’t even have to have an e-reader but I want to show you how good an excerpt from The Wait of Atom looks on the e-reader.  So why not finish off the year with some 99 cent chapbooks? There are also fiction ones.

Now, for a poem to share. I didn’t have much to work with as I haven’t written a great deal lately, but little ideas are coming to me in bursts. I also have several essay ideas. Guess that Pushcart Nomination got the juices going again for essay writing. On the fiction front? Nada. Unless you want to count all the poems I fictionalize . . . Like the one below? Do you think it is?

–and the poem is gone!

Look forward to seeing what you guys might have to show as you finish out 2011. Comments welcome on my work and on anything you post. As always I will take down any pieces of writing posted in comments (including my own poem above) one week from today.

Here’s to 2012!

Make Friday Write

Posted on
7

Those of you who regularly visit know I missed last Friday. I could blame it on the fact that my husband took the day off, or that it was my first fully free day after a long semester, or . . . any other number of excuses, but I didn’t make it in. That’s all there is to it!

But, I do have quite a round up of things since then.

  • I wrote a writing prompt for a writing prompt website. Feeling stuck? Always a good place to visit.
  • I have a poem (it is the David Bowie one!) in the newest issue of Diverse Voices Quarterly. This lit mag is in PDF form and is the first one I’m reading on my Kindle Fire.
  • Yes! I have a Kindle Fire now! I’ve been debating ereaders since they came out, but my husband surprised me with making the decision for me :) Thank Goodness!
  • If you have a Kindle (or other device) consider ordering the new issue of Red Dirt Review? I’m one of the poets included in the newest issue.
  • My days of saying no Pushcart nominations are over! Would you believe that I was finally nominated for . . . an essay? Thanks to the editors of Blue Print Review reading the essay here (I had decided to self-publish it) and then asking to publish it!
  • Speaking of essays and/or non-fiction writing. Here is a really great article I read about how Creative People are “different” (just in case you didn’t already know that! There is science to it!)
  • A few of my poems have appeared in Young American Poets and they recently interviewed me as well.
  • For paper based reading (yes, I’m still doing a lot of that!) I finished a print issue of UCity Review. You should too.
  • I was originally going to link to three different recently scanned literary magazines, but instead I’m just linking to one. Let me know what you might find funny in there. Oh…and my maiden name was Arnesen. That’s your hint . . .

I wasn’t quite sure about posting a poem this week given that the only one I had had an almost naughty word . . . well, I’m including it below because it is what I am currently working on. It is part of what I will hope will eventually be a third full length manuscript. I actually printed out about 70 poems that were in that pending document (I had called TIGER temporarily) and ended up retiring some, revising a few, and in general moving things around until I had a more solid group of 5 with a tentative title of “Leading the Show”. We shall see where the project takes me. It definitely isn’t ready for submitting as a manuscript yet. About 30% of the poems have been published individual including an acceptance earlier this week by an online journal I haven’t been in before.

–and now the poem is gone

-

Well before this wanders on even longer I’ll copy and paste some video related items I was going to discuss and leave the discussion now open to you. What is up in your writing world? Have a poem to post? I always take them down (and mine) a week later.

And – Happy Holidays!!!

Make Friday Write

Posted on
25

I really want to make a book trailer for my upcoming chapbook but finding the time has been a bit beyond me. Although, I did have a few moments to put together a writing prompt based on the upcoming chapbook over at Writing Prompts for Writers. Maybe if I was watching a little less TV? I really don’t feel I watch that much but I did rewatch the 80′s movie The Boy Who Could Fly because I thought I might work on an essay about it for another blogsite. I ended up not writing a complete essay, but I fell in love with the movie all over again in all its cheesy wonderfulness. It is on Netflix streaming.

Speaking of cheesy (and video) I also watched The Man on Earth which a student suggested to me. It feels like a play that was converted to film, but it isn’t. The philosophical discussions in it, however, were pretty fascinating. Maybe a little too corny (and slow moving) to use in school though . . .

And, before work, I have fit in a few funny YouTube videos including one with everything you ever wanted to know about Honey Badgers:

Or how about a video about the worst typos? thanks to the Green brothers of vlogbrothers again

For some miscellany: Recently I’ve also added Linkedin and Pinterest to my online presence. You can find the links in the sidebar or on the about page if you haven’t tried those sites out yet. And, I’m happy to have a shout out on Robert Brewer’s blog as he thinks about the submission process because I actually did submit some work finally after about a month of not doing so and I’ve had some acceptances so Yay!

Now – do I have a poem to post today? because I post and you can post and we can chat about the poems and then take them down a week later  . . .

How about a short one as I try out the Korean form Sijo again.


–and my short poem is gone!

So – what have you guys been up to?