#1 - I heard a Jeni Couzyn poem and wanted more. The library for once wasn't helpful. I ended up finding a journal online that published her and as I looked at the journal I thought, "This may be an appropriate place for my poetry." That was in April. Seven months later, November 1st, I finally got around to that submission. Two and a half weeks later I received a reply saying he enjoyed my poems, would consider them for a future issue and asked if I had any more environmental/nature poems as they are featuring that topic this summer.
Yeah!
Well, I thought I would have tons, in fact I found I did not. I think most of my poems have a line or a reference to nature, but few are actually focused upon nature itself. I guess I need to write more poems. Nice to have a little motivation.
I sent what I compiled to three friends asking for their opinions as to which to send. Today I put together the ones that made the cut and sent them off.
#2 - Actually two of the people I sent poems to were friends. The third person was in the fiction writing class I took a few years ago. I didn't like the class that much (in part because fiction isn't my thing I'm sure). We each had a couple of pieces we'd bring copies of for others to write comments. I remember one guy telling me to take out or add (I forget) a bunch of commas. It was a draft of a piece! Who cares about commas at that point. Anyway, that is how I usually feel about editing. However one woman in the class made some really insightful comments on my piece. She wasn't there the day I shared my second piece, so I went to her the next week and asked if she would read it because I appreciated what she said previously. Thank God for that because it initiated contact between us. I haven't communicated with her for a couple years I'd guess, but I thought of her as someone to look at my poems. I sent her an email and she replied that she would. Once again her comments were incredibly insightful. I can easily see how being an editor is a skill! I'm so grateful to have come across her in that class and her willingness to help!
#3 - As soon as I woke up I started reading Roger Housden's, ten poems to change your life again and again. I dove in yesterday and I'll probably finish by tomorrow. It has made me curious to learn more about Leonard Cohen and I just requested a book of his from the library. All I know is he is a musician and he has a quote I really like -
"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."
#4 - "I really appreciate you helping me with my paper, and it's fun Tammy-time." Spoken by my cousin Holly. This was the first distracting thing she said and it was a good distraction at that.
#5 - Just because I can share this here. This is a complete initial message written to me by someone on online dating -
"You don't look like an anarchist revolutionary yet...."
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1) That's great news!!! (the journal)
ReplyDelete2) Leonard Cohen writes too???
3) That's a real promising initial message. I hope you found a worthy answer :)
stephanie
Interesting initial message. I would argue that in that message, a comma would change the meaning. So did he mean it the way it's written, or did he intend the meaning it would have with a comma before "yet"?
ReplyDeleteWhat would be the difference with a comma?
ReplyDeleteI think it may also mean "... but I will turn you into one" :)
Yes, Stephanie, I agree, without the comma (as written), it could mean that (or it could mean simply that someday she will look like an anarchist revolutionary, but she doesn't yet). If there were a comma (You don't look like an anarchist revolutionary, yet....), I would take it to mean that although she doesn't look like one, she seems to be one.
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