“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” ~ Lau Tzu
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” –Frederick Douglass
Feel free to add on and share!
Thanks.
Laura Lee
August, Poetry Challenge Month?
For decades, August has been my strongest “urge to poetry” month. Something about the light, the sounds, the smells–all is so REVVED UP. Poets, agree?
I used to be in vibrant online writing communities, and every August we would have a poetry challenge. We would write a poem a day, no editing allowed, just to “rev” up our creativity.
It was glorious.
We (I!) wrote a lot of bad poetry, but I am still finding some snippets of good poetry on old flash drives and in old posts.
Hmm…perhaps it is time to reinstate an AUGUST POETRY CHALLENGE?
It couldn’t be here, on a public blog, I fear, for that would preclude subsequent publication. Perhaps back on good old Facebook, with a private account only friends can access.
There’s an idea!
Readers, writers, what do you think?
Thanks for reading.
ROUGH DRAFT: MOVING LOVE
A few years ago, I found this old rough draft of a poem I started after we had moved. I keep losing it and then finding it. This time, I won’t lose it, but I will revise, edit, and work on the poem. There is something to the “moving on” theme that is compelling–maybe escape is the correct term?
In any case, thanks for reading.
Laura Lee
********
first draft:
Moving Love
Note: …..many stanzas before this…won’t post here so I can publish one day… and took out middle stanzas
…
Memories, you said. I cannot move.
These have been
the best years of my life here.
How can you say that, I asked,
not wanting to see the paint-peeled walls
or the missing tiled floors even one more time.
They were my years with you, you said.
Today I looked for photos
I am sure I threw away in my
haste to leave and I wonder
how I could have been so cruel
how can I
live with such moving love?
Literacy Tutor Training Tomorrow
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” –Frederick Douglass.
Since I believe so strongly in the power of literacy to improve lives, I am going back to my teaching beginning, with adult literacy tutoring. Although I am a licensed reading specialist, English teacher, and reading teacher, tutoring adults is different and requires specialized training. I am going to https://literacydupage.org/ tomorrow, and may do the tutor training where I teach in the fall as well. Then I will decide which program I want to actually tutor with.
I feel my life has been enriched because I can read and write rather easily, and I would like to help others grow in skills. I’ve had a wonderful career in teaching (and still teach college part time), and I respect and truly like people. I hope I have a lot to offer those needing help.
Back in the 70s and 80s, I was a volunteer adult literacy tutor, while I worked in business and before I entered teaching. Now that I am “sort of”retired, it’s come full circle and I return to my first teaching experience. It’s interesting how that works! I also remember my students could not believe people were not being paid to be tutors, since in their countries they didn’t find free tutoring. I don’t know about that, as I’ve not been to another country looking for free tutoring.
I think it’s important to give back to causes that one believes in, and I believe in the power of literacy.
Thanks for reading.
Publications, Updated
Some of my poems, short stories, and nonfiction articles are included in books and magazines published in the UK, Greece, New Zealand, and the United States.
*Coffin Bell Journal
“Herstory,” a poem, to be published October 1, 2018
*Spillwords Press
Stopped by Laura Lee at Spillwords Press
*Tuck Magazine, June 2018
*Tuck Magazine, May 2018
* Southernmost Point Guest House (UK)
* Journal of Modern Poetry 21 (Volume 21)
JOMP Volume 21 Dear Mr. President
* Journal of Modern Poetry 20 (Volume 20)
JOMP Volume 20 Poetry Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy
* Journal of Modern Poetry 17 (Volume 17)
* Magazine (New Zealand) , Raewyn Alexander, Publisher
* Fiction in: http://staxtes.com/2003/ “Between the Sunlight and the Skipping” in English Wednesdays
* Illinois English Bulletin, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, nonfiction.
And the “DOCUMENTS” File Just Shows Up?
Somehow my “Documents” folder showed up, along with the 1,000 folders and 27,000 files not in folders! Technology! Have to love it. Have to wonder about it…
I am glad I don’t have to try and find some 50,000 files. Yeah, I am old…I have that many files at least. I love to write!
Has this ever happened to you?
Change of Style
I wrote two poems recently in a very different style from what I usually write. I brought one poem to a writing workshop tonight. Three of my colleagues in class cried. (They said it was a good thing.) It was a poem about the changing seasons and when I got to the line about when summer returns to autumn? I heard sniffling.
I think I’ll play around with the poem a few more times and make it better. Then submit it somewhere.
***Done. Worked a lot on this poem and submitted with the other one.
And what’s with speech to text that it does not recognize POEM? It types it as POME. Isn’t POEM a common word anymore?
Thanks for reading!
35 submissions this summer—and the rejections roll in…
Since late spring, I’ve made 35 plus submissions just using Submittable.com. I love using this vehicle since it helps me keep track of my submissions in one convenient location. I’ve also made email and US mail submissions.
My goal in submitting work is yes, to be published, but also to encourage me to improve my writing and to feel a part of a writing community. I am not a great writer, but I can be a good one if I work at it!
It’s obvious there are more poets than poetical publishing opportunities. I am receiving a number of rejections after an early spring run of four acceptances, and so yes, I am feeling the sting a bit, even while the editors are quite kind in their notes. Just doesn’t fit, not right now, etc. No one has said I should seek solace on another planet. Yet.
Poets, you know this is mostly unpaid publication anyway, and it’s the joy of being published that urges us onward.
While I’ve submitted mostly poetry, I’ve always worked on some mini-dialogue experiments and one short story.
In the meantime, I am enjoying revising my writing, and submitting more.
I am glad I am not trying to support myself with my writing, but I am also glad I write. It’s been a part of who I am since I was an angsty pre-teen, writing my wretched “woe is me” type broken-hearted poetry.
Now it’s time to get back to work; I have a lot of writing to do.
Thanks for reading!
(Some of my) Published Writings
Some of my poems, short stories, and nonfiction articles are included in books and magazines published in the UK, Greece, New Zealand, and the United States.
*Spillwords Press, July 19, 2018, “Stopped,” a poem
Spillwords Press
*Tuck Magazine, June 2018
*Tuck Magazine, May 2018
* Southernmost Point Guest House (UK)
* Journal of Modern Poetry 21 (Volume 21)
JOMP Volume 21 Dear Mr. President
* Journal of Modern Poetry 20 (Volume 20)
JOMP Volume 20 Poetry Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy
* Journal of Modern Poetry 17 (Volume 17)
* Magazine (New Zealand) , Raewyn Alexander, Publisher
* Fiction in: http://staxtes.com/2003/ “Between the Sunlight and the Skipping” in English Wednesdays
* Illinois English Bulletin, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, nonfiction.
Poets, how are YOUR submissions going?
Poets, how are your submissions going? I have twenty submissions out there, and three were short manuscripts. The rest were single poem submissions. Two contest submissions.
Hope it’s going well.
Next up, I’d love to have a discussion about writing poetry–poetry tips, perhaps?
I really need to write more poetry, not submit as much. But I am not getting any younger!
Thanks for reading, and good luck.
Laura Lee 