For starters, that’s me on the cover. Not metaphorically or photoshopped in, but me in actual corporeal and metaphysical glory, half-immersed in a lake, in the time between darkness and full-blown sunrise. I’m glad I was given the opportunity by … Continued
I am not a “non-native English writer.” Neither am I a “native English writer.” I’m a multi-language author. Recently on The Clarity Editor I came across a post that gave voice to an issue I have been pondering. The article … Continued
Past two months I was in a weird limbo, hunkered down in the transitional space between the poetry collection that has found a home and the new collection percolating in my head. This space was not comfortable and felt like … Continued
The cover is the first thing people see about your book. You want it to grab attention and set up an expectation of what the book is about. I am so glad the Press gave me the opportunity to contribute … Continued
No phrase has killed more dreams than “what will people say?” Any person who has ever put themselves or their work in the public sphere has been concerned with how it will be received. It can be paralyzing for any … Continued
A serious practitioner of any discipline, creative or otherwise, works towards maturing their craft to a level of excellence. For writers, maturity of craft means having the instinct and judgment to consistently make the right conceptual and technical choices in … Continued
I opted for traditional publishing but let’s be clear: there is nothing wrong with self-publishing. Writers choose traditional publishing or self-publishing based on decisions about what is best for their book and their trajectory as a writer. With so many … Continued
“You’ve been working on your book forever!” “How long has it been? 3 years? 5 years?” “At this rate you’ll never finish.” If you’re a writer, you’ve probably heard the above or some version of it at least once. Worse, … Continued
We writers are an anxious, self-doubting lot. We tie ourselves up in knots, expecting Pulitzer-worthy flow from our pens, have whip-cracking inner editors, self-flagellating internal monologues… It’s very common then, for us to second guess ourselves and our accomplishments. Even … Continued
The best advice I was given for my writing was 2 years ago by Jeffrey Levine of Tupelo Press. He said “take risks on the page.” Call it growing up in a relatively sheltered environment, but there was a hesitancy … Continued