At Christmas time, I always think of the final section of H.D.’s “The Flowering of the Rod,” which describes so beautifully the wonder of God’s greatest gift: But she spoke so he looked at her, she was shy and simple and young; She said, Sir, it is a most beautiful fragrance, as of all flowering things … Continue reading A Christmas Poem
Category: Authors
Juicing up your writing with a dose of randomness
This week I’m taking part in an exercise with SPARK, an organization that pairs visual artists and writers so they may create work based on each others’ work. I was sent a .jpg file of a painting, which I will write a poem “about.” Although I have written a number of poems inspired by paintings … Continue reading Juicing up your writing with a dose of randomness
Another reason why printed books aren’t going away: kids
The New York Times published an article last week about how parents who are huge proponents of the e-book reserve it for themselves – and give their kids the “real thing.” When I was young, my mother took us to the library every week, and we returned home with armloads of books. To this day, … Continue reading Another reason why printed books aren’t going away: kids
Addicted to words? What I’m giving up – and gaining – for the season.
I find myself thinking about Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, and how she suggests that writers “unplug” from words for one week to get their own language percolating. No reading whatsoever. I love this idea. It would be one thing if I spent hours of my day reading high-quality literature, but that’s not where … Continue reading Addicted to words? What I’m giving up – and gaining – for the season.
“I don’t understand it…but I can tell it’s good!” – Explaining poems to non-English majors
I have a friend who’s very smart and educated – but like many people I know, has a mental block when it comes to reading poetry. I don’t know why this happens. Maybe being exposed to Shakespeare or T.S. Eliot too early (really, did any among us have the maturity to appreciate Hamlet or Prufrock … Continue reading “I don’t understand it…but I can tell it’s good!” – Explaining poems to non-English majors
From paper to Kindles to iPads to…hay?
This week, Lindesay Irvine of The Guardian describes how the first 300 copies of Margaret Atwood’s newest book are being printed on a new type of paper, made completely of recycled paper and straw (read article here). Given her enormous influence in the literary world, it is heartening that Atwood chose this type of paper … Continue reading From paper to Kindles to iPads to…hay?
Creating the book cover for “Between Gods”
The book cover for "Between Gods" is now on display on the publisher's website here, along with blurbs and sample poems. The cover was designed by graphic designer Terri Edillon, featuring artwork (“The World”) by German artist Catrin Welz-Stein. (The print is available for purchase here. ) My publisher usually designs book covers in-house, but I … Continue reading Creating the book cover for “Between Gods”
Submitting poems to journals: the mathematics of yay or nay
Now that my book publication date is six months away, I want to see more of the poems in print before the book comes out. So I am searching my Poet's Market book for the right places. Submitting poems to journals can be an agonizingly slow process. I have waited nine months for responses from … Continue reading Submitting poems to journals: the mathematics of yay or nay
Putting it all together: creating a manuscript
Now that I've emailed my ready-to-publish draft of "Between Gods" to the publisher this week (yay!), I'm thinking about what it took to get it to this point. I'd been writing poetry for years, but hadn't really thought about trying to put together a book until 2007, when the sad events at Virginia Tech took … Continue reading Putting it all together: creating a manuscript
Submitting poems to journals: what’s your system?
I've spent the last three years researching markets for my slightly traditional, imagistic poetry. I've been published in a number of places and discovered some great writers and journals, but what I can't help regretting is that much of that time could have been spent writing. I'm getting better at targeting my market; in the … Continue reading Submitting poems to journals: what’s your system?
Between Gods 