I’m happy to announce that I have two poems included in the Issue #2 of Portage Magazine, an online literary journal run and edited by undergraduate students of Carroll University.
Portage publishes literary writing, art, music, film, and cultural commentary from the upper Midwest. Thanks to the editorial staff for the chance to contribute.
If you get a chance, check out “Is This Heaven?” and “Cabin Fever” at: https://portagemagazine.org/adrian-potter/
We are partway through National Poetry Month, but here's another NPM resource that's definitely worth sharing: the daily BoneSpark blog round-up posts. These posts are awesome. They round up the best writing prompts they found for the day, as well as poems and relevant articles.
From Off the Beaten Shelf – Check out this list of 6 lit mags you should be reading. If you are an avid reader, this is worth checking out.
From Poets & Writers: Rita Mae Reese discusses how to fight off “non-writing,” which she likens to a virus. Interesting quick read.
Since I’m training for a race in early June (and maybe another one later in the summer), this one hits home for me - The Atlantic‘s Nick Ripatrazone looks at why writers run. I definitely agree with the sentiment that, “the steady accumulation of miles mirrors the accumulation of pages...”
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/why-writers-run/415146/
In this interesting AWP article, Leslie Pietrzyk describes a group-oriented prompt-writing practice.
Are writers of color bound to the race narrative?
Jeffery Renard Allen and others weigh in at The Guardian.
The Lulu Fund did the math and the theory is fact – writers who are not part of academia don’t always get the fairest shake in the literary world. Considering that I am one of those writers outside the campus gates, I found this article to be quite interesting.
The Wall Street Journal has a test to see how quickly you read. Find out your results, then use their helpful tips to become even quicker.
http://projects.wsj.com/speedread/
Then check out this article: Lifehacker’s Patrick Allan teaches how to read an entire book in one day.
http://lifehacker.com/how-to-read-an-entire-book-in-a-single-day-1749070044
Hey, life is short. If you can read faster, then you can read more. And that is a very good thing.
In case you don’t know….April is National Poetry Month (NPM). And no, that is not an April Fool’s Joke.
In fact, this April marks the 20th anniversary of NPM, which was initiated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Over the years, NPM has become a large literary celebration with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets all celebrating poetry’s place in society.
Many writers use National Poetry Month as a motivator to write more poetry. Below I list a number of sites that could help you infuse your poetry practice with new energy during NPM.
Some sites encourage writers to share the poems that the prompts help generate. I personally avoid that step, for two reasons. For one, something I freewrite in response to a daily prompt is not ready to be shared immediately. And second, (and I admit this might be a little paranoid) I want to protect the "unpublished" status of my work so I can freely submit it elsewhere in the future. That’s my two cents to consider.
And with that said, here are some potential sources for poetic inspiration during April:
Poetic Asides PAD (Poem-A-Day) Challenge:
http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/2016-april-pad-challenge-guidelines
Shade 30FOR30 Poetry Prompt Challenge:
http://lutherxhughes.com/2016/03/28/30for30-poetry-prompt-challenge/
NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month):
thirty//thirty:
Poetry Super Highway Prompt-A-Day for National Poetry Month:
http://poetrysuperhighway.com/psh/a-poetry-writing-prompt-a-day/
Poetry Writing Workshops from Mslexia:
https://mslexia.co.uk/workshop/poetry-writing-workshops/
(Note: This is from a previous year. I don't know if new prompts will be offered in 2016, but the archive is a resource itself.)
30/30 Prompts at Asterisk and Sidebar*
http://nicolehomer.tumblr.com/
The Time is Now (year-round resource of excellent writing prompts offered by Poets & Writers):
http://www.pw.org/writing-prompts-exercises
Happy National Poetry Month to all!
Worth the read: Chuck Wendig lists 25 hard truths about writing and publishing.
If you are like me and trying to break through the glass to get a book published, you will find this candid article very interesting. Especially truth #15.
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2016/01/25/25-more-hard-truths-about-writing-and-publishing/
Another article that I missed when it first came out, but is definitely worth the read: Literary Hub’s Morgan Jerkins discusses writing while black.
Great insight on the struggle to describe blackness without succumbing to the traps of clichés or typecasts. I think most writers of color can relate to this piece.
I missed this article when it first came out, but I do think it's worth sharing. On Popaganda, Sarah Mirk interviews journalists on writing about race.
There seems to have been a lot of articles about diversity in writing lately, and I think that is a great trend. It's a subject that needs to be discussed, for sure. As long as all of this talk about change eventually results in some change, right?
https://bitchmedia.org/article/popaganda-episode-writing-about-race
In this informative blog post, Kristen Ploetz shares some of what she has learned from five years of “writing, submitting, and promoting…short stories and essays.”
I found this to be a helpful read with a lot of insight –the last part about finding success through failure really resonated with me.
It was also interesting to read about someone else’s process for submitting to markets and comparing it to mine. For example, most of my tracking is done via Excel spreadsheets and/or Submittable, but Kristen opts to use old fashioned pen, paper, and three-ring binders. I think the point is that you need to find what personally works for you, whether it is “old school” or electronic.
As mentioned on this blog, I spent last week participating in Sing That Like Dovesong (STLD), an online writing workshop for writers of color by Winter Tangerine. The focus was reading, writing, critiquing, discussing how heritage & cultural identities are expressed through writing.
STLD was amazing. I interacted with an extremely diverse and talented group of writers. The varied backgrounds of participants was remarkable, along with the camaraderie – though it was online, it was a safe space and supportive environment.
There were reading assignments dealing with the strength & power behind names, how to reclaim & confront our cultural icons, and how family memory warps our lives. Add in guest seminars exploring dialogue with Angel Nafis and the trauma of diaspora with Fatimah Asghar, and it made for a busy week.
One challenge was technology. STLD was held over three different online platforms: Facebook, Google Docs & Google Air/Hangouts. I had some exposure to these, but I was far from proficient. There was a slight learning curve, but it all worked out. And in the case of Facebook…participation in STLD finally triggered me to join that social media venue after years of resistance.
Overall STLD felt like success. I finished with 3 decent poems on culture that will hopefully be ready for submitting after a bit of editing. I gave and received solid feedback from my workshop group. I have many free-writes and unedited texts with potential from daily exercises. And finally, I know what I’m capable of writing in 7 to 10 minutes – never again can I use the excuse of not having enough time.
Props to my workshop group – Talia Flores, Venus Selenite, Erika Rodriguez, and our advisor Luther Hughes – you made STLD a positive experience. I appreciate that.
If you’re a writer considering an online workshop or class but find yourself hesitating…look into it. If it matches your goals, take the plunge! It can be rewarding and will challenge you to adapt to something different than your normal writing routine. And that change can be a good thing.
Worth the read - on her blog, Jane Friedman gives 4 lessons for authors on the current state of publishing. In this article there are some sound tips that could lead you to success - it is worth checking out.
A fitting post while I embark on my online writer's workshop: Laura Scott talks about the myth of the lone author.
https://medium.com/@oneroom/the-myth-of-the-lone-author-46a540365517#.h08whlh0x
...because I am taking part in an amazing online writing workshop with a diverse group of extremely talented writers. I am definitely being challenged to write, read, and process at an aggressive pace. I have a couple of writing resource posts ready for later in the week, but I will be focused on the creative side of my endeavors. I am sure this workshop experience will result in some interesting blog posts later.
Be good.
I don't have to do nothing but eat, drink, stay black, and die. - "Necessity" by Langston Hughes
http://biblioklept.org/2015/09/07/necessity-langston-hughes/
My dad used to say this when he was pissed off at the world. Not sure if he knew he was quoting poetry…my guess is that was only a happy accident.
The Rumpus interviews an editor and four writers for a roundtable on writing, editing, and race.
http://therumpus.net/2016/03/the-sunday-rumpus-interview-a-roundtable-on-writing-editing-and-race/