Hey word nerds! The holiday season is in full swing, so we thought we would present a holiday-themed round-up full of posts from our archives for you to enjoy. Whether you want some advice on how to get some writing in during this busy time or maybe you want to explore some podcast episodes or… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Mark McGuinness. Mark is an award-winning poet, author, podcaster and host of The 21st Century Creative, as well as a coach for creative professionals. He is also someone I’ve had the pleasure of calling a colleague and friend for nearly a decade. When Mark told me about his… Read more »
Hello, my poetry-nerd friends! Today I can’t help gushing about poetry books I’ve read recently and loved. First off, I want to talk about the poetry collection What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer. Then I want to delve into a classic book on poetry as a craft, A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver. We’ll… Read more »
Welcome back, poets! In my last article, I talked about some of the techniques I use to generate ideas and inspiration for poems, especially when on a deadline. Today, I want to take things a step further and talk about what to do after you’ve written and revised a bunch of poems, and are ready… Read more »
Hi, writers! Today, I want to talk about some of the strategies I use to generate ideas and inspiration, especially when I have a deadline to meet. Before starting grad school, my “writing schedule” typically involved waiting around for the perfect idea to strike. I didn’t have a set writing schedule, and I spent a… Read more »
As a full-time poet I work on my own poetry at least eight hours each day. This work includes raw creation from scratch and revision. In the past, I also counted literary translation of poetry but I am focusing on my own work now. Many of my writer friends (and all the poets) ask, “How… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Ana Maria Spagna. Ana Maria is the author of Uplake: Restless Essays of Coming and Going and several previous nonfiction books on nature, work, civil, indigenous, and LGBTQ rights. Her previous books include: Reclaimers, stories of elder women reclaiming sacred land and water, which was a finalist for… Read more »
Getting Too Personal So I don’t want to get too personal here but when I noodle around with my poetry—that’s exactly what I do. My first drafts are awkward, embarrassing, dripping with messy feelings. What comes out is the emotional equivalent of the sticky, oozy goo that comes out of the bottom of my car… Read more »
Hi, writers! I am so excited to debut my new column focusing on the craft of poetry. Let’s dive right in! Line breaks were one of the biggest challenges I faced when I first started writing poetry—knowing when to break a line, when to use short lines vs. long lines, and, perhaps most importantly, the… Read more »
I recently attended a virtual online writer’s conference. Overall I was geeking out the whole time, just starry-eyed and amazed. I had my high pony-tail of perky ‘I am here to learn’ twisted too tight, my serious glasses on, and a large notepad and sharpened pencil. Boom. Teach me more about poetry! Joy Harjo, my… Read more »
