***
Tuesday
Agents and Hilary Harwell (Video)
Poets of the Fall (for Tony)
We gave melodies to each other.
Talking was rare and precious,
but harmonies grew rampant
on the vines between us. We spoke
a language of majors and minors
when we insisted nothing was new.
I didn't know when the last note faded,
so would you. I'd give anything to hear
what you'd recommend me now.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tony (my older brother) would've been 42 on the 30th. This is his second birthday no longer with us. I miss him every damn day.
One of the things he and I bonded over was music. The last band he recommended to me was Poets of the Fall. I can't listen to them (no matter what song) without tearing up. My favorite one right now is "Cradled in Love."
Monday
Erasure Failure x2
I wrote 53 poems in April for National Poetry Month. I only cheated twice (and had to write something that adhered to the previous prompt the next day). Unfortunately, not every piece was a winner.
Instead of giving up, I decided to turn the meandering mess into an erasure. It couldn't get worse, right?
Okay, so it's not the best attempt. I don't normally make erasures/blackout poetry. Maybe a second try would be better...
I think more interesting things are happening in the second erasure, but it's still not great. After this failure, I decided to scrap the piece as a whole. Not everything is a masterpiece.
Even though a fair amount of poems from April didn't work out, I still have fifteen new poems strong enough to edit and submit to literary magazines. I have more that are destined for Instagram. Overall, it was a wonderful result for thirty days.
Another Library Reading
I implored myself to read slower and breathe deeper. Every line of poetry felt like an ocean swim with my head emerging from the waves just before my vision faded. I desperately tried not to speed read. I read four poems, though I planned on five. But I made it.
There were four authors (not including me) sitting at gray tables on a pleasant afternoon in April. We had a fantasy writer, a YA author, a children's writer, a Christian author, and me. Each table had a banner across the modesty panel with our author photo, biography, and the cover of one of our books. I felt "legit."
The audience was great. We had a good Q&A, and the people who came my way were chatty and kind. I saw my middle school librarian who said she still sees my 3rd/4th grade teacher who was the person who inspired me to write poetry. No one gave me guff about my mask.
I learned from mistakes I made during the last reading. Pens were on the table from the moment I entered the conference room so I didn't have to scramble once the signing started. Brandon had smaller bills for the people who bought copies of Domestic Bodies and helped give change. I didn't misspeak as much when reciting my work, though the panic wasn't lessened.
*~*
During the Q&A, one of the topics that people kept coming back to was how we all got published. I know it's a common topic, but the amount of questions regarding the specifics surprised me. Within the next month, I want to approach the library about an event where people can learn more about the publishing industry and different pathways some of us local authors used to get our books into the world. I'll let you know what they say, but at least one other author thought it's a good idea.
Wednesday
Battle Wheelchairs in TTRPGs (Video)
Also, my horror poem "The House of Disappearances" was recently covered on the Tiny Frights Podcast. Click here to listen.
Sunday
Stirring: Word Search Verse
Note: If you missed my reading, you can watch the replay here. Comment on the video for a chance to win a copy of Domestic Bodies.
Since I'm not starting a newsletter, I want to post the occasional Word Search Verse for those who liked the idea when I mentioned it last summer. I apologize for the blurriness of the puzzle... I don't know how to fix it. Solutions for current (and future) WSV puzzles will be available on request.
I use the word search generator found here.
Monday
My First in-Person Reading
My first in-person author event was on an icy day early last month. I had poems picked to read, but the transition comments between pieces I thought would be best off the cuff. I set my book at a discount and gave all proceeds to the library, but I forgot to bring change for people who needed smaller bills. The librarian who runs the writers' group there monthly was supposed to give the introduction, but she got busy and wasn't even in the conference room until almost the end of the event.
I'm nervous when speaking publicly. I don't read well out loud. I was definitely out of my depth. My baby brother, husband, and sister were in attendance which helped more than I can express; I still messed up quite a bit, though.
One of the most important things I did was deciding not to read alone. When setting up the reading, I asked members of the writers' group if they wanted to read with me and two did. One author made change for one person who wanted to buy my book but only had a $20 bill. The other author let me borrow her pen until my husband could dig mine out of my backpack. Both of them read well and were extremely gracious. The three of us also drew a bigger audience than each of us could on our own.
The audience was lovely and warm. I went on a tangent between poems about ableism and inspiration porn because my book's themes include disability and cancer. I try to do everything with authenticity but worried it was a little too much for my conservative town. But people thought it was interesting.
In total, I raised $40 for the library by selling four books (two to my sister). My husband donated $10 and keeps asking me for a signed copy because he's my biggest fan. The other author selling books also donated his money to the library, though I didn't ask anyone to do it.
It was a pleasant time, and I'm glad we didn't read to three rows of empty chairs. I'd consider doing it again in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)