From Poets & Writers: At the University of Pittsburgh, poets Dawn Lundy Martin, Terrance Hayes, and Yona Harvey recently established the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics -- a creative think tank dedicated to studying, archiving, and promoting the work of African American poets.
Writing with Color.
Writing with Color is a blog that helps authors to avoid tropes and stereotypes when writing characters of various races, ethnicities, and religions.
The Mystery of Book Sales…Explained.
Lincoln Michel's article "Everything You Wanted to Know About Book Sales (but Were Afraid to Ask)" over on Electric Literature is a solid read. It provides what is probably the closest any of us will get to a decent explanation of the vagaries of book-sale definitions and numbers. Check it out…
Panopoly.
in Publications
Panopoly is an online literary zine that features “a wide-ranging and impressive array of writing.”
My piece “It Is What It Is” is among the works included in Issue 4. If you have a chance, check out this poem/rant that was inspired by an old school rapper…
Diversity and Marketing.
Jean Ho’s NPR piece, “Diversity In Book Publishing Isn’t Just About Writers — Marketing Matters, Too,” brings up another facet in the need for increased diversity within the literary world. A good read.
Breaking New Territory.
I found this article about nine women nonfiction pioneers, including Roxane Gay, Wendy C. Ortiz, and Eula Biss, to be inspirational. I’ve been experimenting with writing more nonfiction lately, especially as my personal muse has seemingly drifted from poetry towards more prose.
Not only did this article give me some candidates for my books to read list, it was also interesting to learn about women writers who are challenging convention and exploring new territory. I want to find my angle and do something unconventional like these authors have in order to find my niche in nonfiction. After all, we all have a story to tell…
http://www.bustle.com/articles/150778-9-women-writers-who-are-breaking-new-nonfiction-territory
Books for Life.
From The New York Times blog: How reading books corresponds to living a longer life. Just another benefit of reading. Sweet.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2016/08/03/read-books-live-longer/?_r=0&refere
R.I.P.
This Essence article is In praise of the late James Alan McPherson, the first black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
http://www.essence.com/2016/08/01/james-alan-mcpherson-first-black-writer-win-pulitzer-prize-dies
When You Cannot Write a Single Word.
In Writers Recommend, poet Lo Kwa Mei-en describes what she does when she cannot write a single word:
"I have taken to picking up a book from my past that I have been hungering to reread and typing it out word for word, at a speed slow enough to feel the words relating to each other and hear new things in their music that I had not heard before. I will retype another's book until I feel love and not despair."
21 Tips.
From the BookBaby Blog: 21 Tips to Beat Writer’s Block.
Some wonderful tactics that can be employed for when your motivation or ideas for writing dry up. #14 and #15 are standard protocol for me.
Indie Presses.
Here's a great read that I found on TheAtlantic.com: “American Literature Needs Indie Presses.”
There’s a lot to appreciate about this insightful article by Nathan Scott McNamara which focuses on the role indie presses now have in the literary world. Check it out…
New Words.
“Hockey mom” and “Scooby Snack” are just two of the new words in the Oxford English Dictionary. I don’t know…it all seems a bit much to me. Slang is slang for a reason.
http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-icymi-dictionary-20160707-snap-story.htm
100.
Another awesome piece from Lit Hub: Kim Liao’s “Why You Should Aim for 100 Rejections a Year” explains how the path to writing success is paved with rejection notices. This one changed my perspective on submitting work to journals.
http://lithub.com/why-you-should-aim-for-100-rejections-a-year/
13 Questions.
As a practicing writer, one of the more critical decisions you will face is deciding where to submit your work.
Check out this new piece by Erika Dreifus on Literary Hub called “13 Questions to Ask Before Submitting to a Literary Journal.” It provides some sound advice on what you should look for as you’re searching for potential “homes” for your writing.
http://lithub.com/13-questions-to-ask-before-submitting-to-a-literary-journal/
Birch Gang Review.
in Publications
Birch Gang Review is an online literary magazine of poetry, fiction and photography/artwork that features new and established writers and artists of all backgrounds.
I’m excited to announce that my prose poem titled “An Algorithm for Grieving” has been published online in Birch Gang Review. Check it out if you get a chance…
http://www.birchgang.org/issue-1-2/an-algorithm-for-grieving/
Inclusive.
Don't miss this excellent piece by Zinzi Clemmons on Literary Hub today: "What It Means To Be an Inclusive Literary Journal."
http://lithub.com/what-it-means-to-be-an-inclusive-literar…/
Disaster.
From New Republic: Alex Shepard discusses what could happen if Barnes & Noble were to fold.
Spoiler alert – it is not a positive prediction.
Trim.
Eva Langston has a new article, “10 Words to Trim from Your Writing,” up on the Beyond Your Blog website. It’s a valid list of words you can reduce or eliminate from your writing to make it more effective.
#2 is my crutch word of choice, especially when I’m writing fiction.
http://www.beyondyourblog.com/10-words-to-trim-from-your-writing/
The Science Behind Adult Coloring Books.
Fellow creatives, science says there are hormones behind the pleasure of adult coloring books.
It just might be time to go buy some crayons and colored pencils. :)
Bibliotherapy – Is this really a thing?
From The New Yorker: Ceridwen Dovey investigates bibliotherapy. Can reading make us happier?
I think so. :)
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/can-reading-make-you-happier