UPDATED JAN. 9, 2017 It’s so important to do your homework before sending your manuscript to a publisher. Make sure to take notes for each publisher you research. You will most likely want to compare them to each other before deciding where you want to submit. Make sure […]
When it comes to poetry, here are some common things people say: -- It's old (or dead). -- It's nerdy. -- It's elitist, snobbish, stuck-up, or exclusive. -- It's boring. -- It's hard. -- We had to learn it in school, but it never really interested me. For […]
My first morning at Bread Loaf, our workshop leader asked if everyone was familiar with the Iowa workshop model. I raised my hand. "I've never taken any kind writing class or workshop in my life, so you can safely assume you need to explain everything to me." She […]
1– I am at a party, sitting in the middle of someone's bedroom floor, holding a plastic cup and crying, because being a writer is a lovely, terrible thing, and I cannot articulate, to myself or anyone else, why I want so badly for my stories to be […]
Oft when on my vacant couch I lie (to borrow from Wordsworth) I visualize three diverse voices chart thoughts about my favorite art form. In his verse dedicated to the exemplary W.B. Yeats, a mercurial, nuanced position was taken by W.H. Auden, "Poetry makes nothing happen". I hear […]
I write in both genres, and have often wondered what impels me toward each type of expression. Time lapse is one element that seems to convince me that a subject should find its place in a poem: if a specific, momentary observation moves me, that seems less appropriate […]
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 […]
As a poet, you are probably looking for support, suggestions, and some advice about getting your work published. When you decide you're ready to share your work and join a writing group, keep a few points in mind. Poets can be a sensitive lot so try to put […]
In a writer's life, persistence is as important as talent When I began sending my first book out to publishers and it was rejected, I was devastated. I had received an MFA from Columbia for my manuscript, and I expected success that would immediately change me from a […]
I used to be terrified of hope. Well, I was actually terrified of disappointment. But I saw hope as a seductive and deceptive force that enticed me to climb higher, making the inevitable fall hurt that much more. I started writing novels when I was twelve years old, […]
