“Please keep in mind; this is just my first book.” This is what I began telling friends and family several months ago when I was still up to my eyeballs in anxiety and final edits of my memoir, Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters. I followed the announcement with a bunch of reasons why […]
Guest Blogger Lizbeth Meredith | Three Things I Wish I’d Known as an Expectant Author Read More »
A few months before publishing my memoir, I was drowning in book-related expenses. And while some of them were discretionary—contests, book marks and cards, shipping of the paperbacks I wanted to sell directly during events, and website upgrades, to name a few—they seemed important to my book’s success. I considered a second job, but didn’t
Guest Blogger Lizbeth Meredith | Grants: Beyond the Cash Benefit Read More »
When I began writing my memoir, I was a headstrong 31 year-old intoxicated with the idea of getting even. I’d just been arrested in a foreign country. My traumatized daughters no longer spoke my language. And I was so broke I couldn’t afford the stamps for the zillion thank you cards I needed to send
Guest Blogger Lizbeth Meredith | Book with Benefits Read More »
Writers often ask themselves – should I complete an MFA in writing? What will I get out of it? In 2011 when I retired from my accounting job of thirty years, I decided to pursue my MFA. I had loved to read and write poetry since I was in elementary school, and I wanted to
Guest Blogger Julie LeMay | An Unexpected Benefit of My MFA Read More »
As an Alaskan writer, one of my goals has been to foster literary citizenship. But what does that mean? Literary citizenship can include everything from promoting fellow writers to attending readings to volunteering in schools or for a literary journal. For me, an important criteria is to do what I enjoy. There are so many
Guest Blogger Julie LeMay | Working at Literary Citizenship Read More »
As a poet, I am endlessly fascinated by questions of how to create poetry that has mystery without obscurity, how to be plainspoken without being prosaic. How do we give the reader room for thought but not leave them lost in confusion? This will be the focus of my craft talk later this month. In
Guest Blogger Julie LeMay | Don’t Slam the Door on Your Way Out Read More »
Happy National Poetry Month! In honor of the occasion, I want to share a few books that I’ve read that you may have missed. These three collections stood out for me because of their surprising use of language. The first is Revising the Storm by Geffrey Davis (BOA Editions, 2014). This collection is the winner
Guest Blogger Julie LeMay | Recommended Reads for National Poetry Month Read More »
March slips out a snow-dumped, slightly shivering lamb—and the cruelest month is all but here. Here’s a little known alternative fact for you. T.S. Eliot was talking about April in Alaska for that section of The Waste Land. Didn’t know that did you? Although he died 17 years before the first dividend payment, and despite the
Guest Blogger Don Rearden | Avoid the Wasteland: Pick.Click.Give. More Read More »
You’ve somehow beaten incredible odds. You weren’t killed by an errant golf ball, struck by lightning, or mauled by a bear. No. Not you! Your book is on the cusp of publication. Congratulations. Now, if you’ve been paying attention to any of the recent trends in publishing, you know that the real work is only
Guest Blogger Don Rearden | Book Launch? Why Bother? Read More »
A crazy thing happened the other day. When I catch my students writing language similar to the previous sentence, I often ask them to think of the word “thing” as a great opportunity to replace a word with little meaning and instead insert words that reveal specific details, clarity, passion and power. Sometimes, however,
