Who doesn’t love gifts? Some gifts arrive in packages, neatly wrapped, in smooth, colorful paper, boxed, ribboned and bowed. Such gifts contain tangible items; they might be classic representations of thoughtfulness, but generally have a finite timeline for use. Other gifts arrive in the form of awareness, or […]
Rita Dove’s “Daystar” is one of my favorite poems, especially for the moment of building something beautiful where there was nothing before. This is how I think about both teaching and writing. In my high school English classes, I start each day by being a person with my […]
What they look like, how to spot them, and why you should never respond TL;DR: AI-generated emails are flooding writer inboxes and often look legitimate. They use fake flattery, invented book titles, and fabricated awards to hook you. Legitimate presses do not cold?email writers with offers. Before responding, […]
So, you have a new book out. Congratulations! Now for the hard part. Who do you share the news with, and what are your options for celebration? Let’s start with a given: Some form of marketing and promotion is going to fall to you. Publishers can only do […]
Maybe you picked up a pen again after years away. Maybe you never stopped writing but never shared a word. Maybe you started late and wonder if it is too late. It is not. Some of the most alive, most fearless, most honest poetry being written today is […]
Recently I was asked the themes of my third collection of poems, Call Me Yes, forthcoming from The Word Works in October 2026. I launched into a description of the book: it traces the breakdown of my long first marriage, the terror and excitement of dating again as […]
Where my head’s at on reaching this landmark: six questions answered In December, it’ll be 20 years since I first performed a poem on stage. Last week, I submitted my début (adult) collection for typesetting. This is where my head’s at. There are six key questions I’ll address […]
–originally published as “THE GENEROUS ACT OF PUBLISHING DRAFTS: Letting Poems Exist as Iterations” in Cleaver Magazine Most of the poems in my debut book, Certain Shelter, appeared first in journals—and in almost every case, the book version of a poem differs from the original. Often the edits are […]
It’s very hard to write about something you don’t fully understand. I did not know the term agoraphobia until years after my first episode at eleven years old. I found it inside of an old psychology textbook. Specifically, agoraphobia with panic disorder. Panic attacks often come with the […]
I often recall Mrs. Grumalski, my 7th grade home ec teacher, when I contemplate the necessity of writing and all art. Mrs. G was a holy roller of the rolling pin, a prophet of the gospel of homemade bread. Her devout fervor for home economics was leavened by a […]
