Prewrite. Draft. Revise. Edit. Publish. These are the five stages of the writing process. Whether or not you intend to publish your work, you want it to be its best expression of your intention. Wait. That was a big assumption. Do you? Do you want your poems, stories, […]
Years ago while working on my MFA at Drew University, my mentor Ross Gay cautioned me of something he referred to as "poetic gesture." He wanted to warn me of moments when I was trying to make a poem sound like a poem. If you are trying to […]
Years ago while working on my MFA at Drew University, my mentor Ross Gay cautioned me of something he referred to as "poetic gesture." He wanted to warn me of moments when I was trying to make a poem sound like a poem. If you are trying to […]
I was fortunate to be teaching two classes online just as we as a nation started seeing the impact and the terrible potential of Covid-19 — one class called “Writing Winter Poems with Mary Oliver” and the other called “Hygge Poems: Writing the Cold Away with the Cozy […]
Every few seasons, I find myself pressed to scroll through the bindings of journals whose covers I shut long ago. These journals are full of poetry from various eras. A time when I first got the hang of compiling sentences together. A period during which I shifted from […]
Every few seasons, I find myself pressed to scroll through the bindings of journals whose covers I shut long ago. These journals are full of poetry from various eras. A time when I first got the hang of compiling sentences together. A period during which I shifted from […]
How do you go about discovering your own writing voice or writing style as a poet? Where do you get your inspiration from as a writer? Are you aware of the kind of audience that would be keen to read your poetry? What can you do to help […]
A little over a year ago, I was living in a buddy's house, squatting, looking over the place while he was taking care of his elderly mother down in Meridian, Mississippi. Of course, I didn't mind because the rent was cheap and he had a nice place for […]
I received an amaryllis bulb from my mother for Christmas last year, which was unlike others I'd received or bought before. This one came encased in shiny red wax, stuck upon a metal stand, and required no planting, no soil, no water--all I had to do was put […]
Below is the information from Marj Hahne for her upcoming 30-minute daily workshop, starting tomorrow! Are you socially distanced? Self-quarantined? Cabin-feverish? A little po-lonely? "Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life," wrote poet Fernando Pessoa (The Book of Disquiet), so let's ignore life and stay healthy […]
