You are a poet, or rather, you are someone who writes poetry. Either way you call it, good for you. Now, don't get confused. At the most basic level, all it means is that you write poetry. It doesn't make you a special case, or a better-than. The […]
Poets write because we have ideas, passions, and impulses inside of us that demand expression. We are artists. That said, when placing your work you have to be a little more practical--one part artist, one part real estate agent. Finding a lasting home for your poetry can be […]
Political poetry. Protest poetry. Resistance poetry. Civic poetry. Poetry of witness. These terms, while somewhat distinct, all reflect a poet's impulse to express a political self, to be, by extension, a "political poet," a "protest (or resistance or civic) poet," a "poet of witness." But is it possible--or […]
I started writing this book because when I started publishing anthologies at the end of 2017, there were no books or advice columns out there for new publishers. I contacted every single publisher on the Northern Fiction Alliance page (around 50 UK publishers) and offered to work for […]
I've long been a fan of writing prompts and exercises. Back in 2010, shortly before my short-story collection Quiet Americans was released, I described some contributions that prompts and exercises can make to a writing practice, including getting you started, getting you "unstuck," and even getting you published. […]
How often do you read a poem and feel like it could have been a metal song? Well there are a few poems which became famous metal songs. Just imagine the creativity of the maker. Changing a poem into a metal song is a difficult task to do. Adding heavy music […]
A poem is a body of words, not a body of thoughts and feelings. Before you keep reading, check in with your own perspective: Agree? Disagree? A useless distinction? A valuable aha? "Both," you think? After all, who among us hasn't had poetic language spill from our heart, […]
A poem is a body of words, not a body of thoughts and feelings. Before you keep reading, check in with your own perspective: Agree? Disagree? A useless distinction? A valuable aha? "Both," you think? After all, who among us hasn't had poetic language spill from our heart, […]
Welcome back. If you haven't read my first post, The Art of Reframing Your Poetry Manuscript, you may want to start there. Today, let's lean into unifying your manuscript through theme. You've arrived at a place where you'd like to re-engage with your poetry. Maybe you've worked your […]
I’m teaching a persona poem community workshop starting next week, so this seemed like a good post to share again. Enjoy! As writers we are so often told to "write what you know." And this is good advice. But this "rule" should not be taken literally, especially when […]
