Tag Archives: publishing

Make Friday Write

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?

Make Friday Write

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11

I started working on this blog post on 11-18-11 and look how long it took me to actually finish it and get it posted? And, even as I type this sentence, I am racing against the clock and hoping no one knocks on my office door . . . it is after office hours afterall :)

One thing I do get to show is that the cover art for my next chapbook is out! Pre-orders are ongoing. I hate to beg BUT pre-orders do help determine how many contributor copies I receive so if you can, please pre-order instead of waiting to get from me in March when it is released. Also, I am offering the remaining signature series copies of The Wait of Atom to anyone who confirms they pre-ordered!! Yes! A limited edition book for you for free! Or to send to the reader of your choice just in time for Christmas . . . Speaking of which, I need to get on making my holiday shopping guide . . .

Now I want to give some shout outs to a few items I finished reading:

  • Tipton Poetry Journal – Issue #21 in particular in which I wrote a book review, but I especially loved a poem titled “We’re Not so Different, You and I” by Christy Effinger
  • I’m also in The Best of Poetry Hickory Anthology, but don’t just take my word for it. Check out work by Helen Losse, Bill Griffin, Jeni Conklin and Nancy Posey just to name a few
  • Most recent Poet’s and Writers
  • Wild Goose Poets for Change
  • Cave Wall had another terrific issue including work by DS Apfelbaum, Marie Gauthier, and Sally Rosen Kindred to name a few
  • Lots of great people in the newest issue of The Collagist as well, including NC resident awesome man Ross White.
  • Speaking of Tipton above how about its editor Barry Harris being in Redheaded Stepchild? Along with Addy McCullough to name two!

This was also the first week in a month that I was able to send work out. I’d had quite a few rejections recently, maybe two acceptances and I also had an earlier acceptance appear online this week in Camroc Press Review.

For those of you who like to trade things watched; Lost in La Mancha, The Captains (documentary about the Star Trek captains), The Hidden History of Rome with Terry Jones from Monty Python and The Education of Shelby Knox which I’m going to order as a really great example of critical reasoning. And, even though they are pretty conservative, I love her parents.

I also want to squeeze in a poem to discuss even though I haven’t written a whole lot. Sorry if it is a bit racy!

–and the poem is gone!

Please share your poems and/or link to poems below. Feel free to discuss mine or those of anyone else who posts. I will remove all poems (including my own) one week from today!

Whew! Shorter posts next time when I get back on a regular schedule . . . Whenever that happens :)

Make Friday Write – in Awesome Style!

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Ok – the amount of awesome I need to discuss is a bit daunting so I’m just going to dive in!

The photo I have included MAY be part of the cover design for my upcoming chapbook An Amateur Marriage which (for those who haven’t clicked through yet) is now on early pre-order at $12 from Finishing Line Press. I’ll be doing some additional mailings (snail and virtual) about this soon because it won’t be released until March but the pre-order time period (now until early January) determines the size of the press-run as well as how many contributor copies I receive. If you confirm you order a copy after reading this blog post, I will send you (or someone you designate) one of the last signature, limited edition copies of The Wait of Atom as a thank you.

Speaking of chapbooks, but Fat Girl was just reviewed in decomP. I LOVE decompP the magazine.

And now – not speaking of chapbooks, how about I had one poem publication to let you know about, but then (while checking my list) realized I had four others out there! So here are the links:

Then to speak not of my own poems how about the fantastic ones by Elizabeth Glixman up in Frigg where there are some equally amazing short stories by Erin Fitzgerald? See I told you there were layers and layers of awesome!

And now for the work in progress

–and the poem has a commute now!

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Feel free to discuss my poem below and/or to post your own works in progress (or link to them). All poems will be removed this time next week.

Hoping to squeeze in a few minutes before heading to a training class to work on some submission packets. Have you guys been sending work out? Working on new stuff? Doing any variation of NaNoWriMo or NovPad Challenge?

Or not reading as much (or writing as much) but storing up new stuff like watching Married in America 2. What is it to be married in this day and age?  Even us amateurly married for 13 years could use that as a writing prompt :)

Make Friday Write – Parody Style?

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To start, I’m gonna back track a bit to last week when I went to see Weird Al in concert! This is the second time I’ve seen Al perform, and it is great fun.

We don’t go to concerts much at all. In fact, I think the first concert I ever went to was after college. Well, I think I did go to one Christain pop concert when I was in high school . . .

This week was Fall Break, well at least the first three days were a break for the students. I spent Monday catching up on the computer and doing some planning for next semester. Then Tuesday I went to the Digital Literacy conference to present and then Wednesday was a faculty work day so my officemate and I did some catch up in the office.

Whew. Back to classes yesterday and today with both days being mostly make-up work. I won’t do a make-up day like that again. It was too confusing. A lot of my work on Monday was plotting out how I could make a “no-excuse” syllabus and still having a quality semester.

I thought about doing a separate post beacuse I had a lot of good news this week but instead I’ll just note it here:

  • I was included on Robert Brewer’s Tweeps to follow list. yay!
  • One of my poems was nominated for Best of the Net by Diverse Voices Quarterly. Whee!
  • I found out my upcoming chapbook from Finishing Line Press An Amateur Marriage was a fianlist for the Robert Watson Award which the lovely Maureen Sherbondy won! (Also of awesome note is that the judge is a poet I LOVE and that one of the other finalists was on my thesis comittee!)

Guess that makes up for the doldrums of me trying to write recently. I didn’t have anything to submit this week, but I have scribbled a few new poems. I also had a few recently rejected that I can start working on next week so hopefully I’ll be back in the submission saddle. One of the places I love to submit to has a new issue out Poemeleon

To share this week, how about a poem I wrote in response to a comment Scott Owens made at our last reading together because I had a short poem to read:

Time to revise!

 

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Anything else? I’ve been stocking up on good stuff. Reading, watching, and soaking in. I need that to continue to write, and well to be a member of the world even as my introverted self wants to stay inside most of the time.

Of note was the TV series Eerie, Indiana. It was only on for one season back in the early 90′s. It is on Netflix now and I really enjoyed its quirkiness. Reminded me of “Amazing Stories.” Better than my attempt to watch “Twin Peaks.” Sorry, I just COULD NOT get into that show. It may have been the theme music . . .

What have you guys been taking in? Producing? Comments on my poem and/or any that are placed in comments are welcome. I will take them down a week from today.

Have a great weekend!