Tag Archives: Poetry

Possumtown Book Fest

I’m pleased to say that I’ll be taking part in the Possumtown Book Fest, August 24. Friendly City Books is organizing this event at the Columbus Arts Council, and Emily Liner asked me to be part of a panel on Walter Inglis Anderson. I’ll be talking about him and my book of poems, Barrier IslandContinue reading “Possumtown Book Fest”

The Meaning of Rejection

Submittable calls it “Decline.” I like to refer to it as “Returned” when my manuscripts come back to me, which they still do more often than not. As an editor for Poetry South and a frequent submitter to many magazines, I have a complicated relationship with rejection. On the one hand, I have a toughContinue reading “The Meaning of Rejection”

How Do You Know When You’ve Written a Poem? — A Dream Answer

In a dream last night, I was at an event aswering questions, and someone asked, “How do you know when you’ve written a poem?” I had a pretty good answer, or at least so it seemed in the dream. So let’s see how much I can remember here. The first part of my answer wasContinue reading “How Do You Know When You’ve Written a Poem? — A Dream Answer”

Two Tiers of Pushcart Nominations

Did you know that there are two kinds of nominations for the Pushcart Anthology? I was looking through some old papers this morning and was reminded of the distinction. The one most of us get is a nomination by the editors of a journal. Each editor of any literary magazine can send in up toContinue reading “Two Tiers of Pushcart Nominations”

February Wrap-Up

February has been a busy, busy month. Even with the extra day that leap year afforded, it seemed to go faster than ever. At Mississippi University for Women, our year began with the announcement of a new name: a name that went over like a lead balloon. So February started with a scramble to comeContinue reading “February Wrap-Up”

MFA Application Advice 2024

Now that it’s January, we’ve started to see some applications again for our low-residency MFA program for another year. This has me thinking about all the advice I’ve given to applicants over the years. If I could give one piece of advice on how to apply, I think it would be to just be you.Continue reading “MFA Application Advice 2024”

2024 Writer’s Resolutions

Each year we make our resolutions and try to keep them. I’ve never been one to focus too much on losing the weight gained over the holiday (I trust I will as I get back to my morning walks and other routines and work my way through a few leftover treats). My resolutions tend to beContinue reading “2024 Writer’s Resolutions”