A Little Good News, Fun Swag from Texas A&M’s Library, and Another Little Video Reading

Goldfinch on Planter

A Little Good News

A little earlier in the year, despite my hatred of applying for grants, I applied for one I’d never seen before: the Allied Arts Foundation. Early this week I received an e-mail that I thought was a rejection, but was actually telling me I was an “Honorable Mention” and would receive a grant that will probably pay for at least ten manuscript submissions. I was very happy to see my friend Jenifer Lawrence (who was in a poetry workshop with me for a dozen years) right next to mine. So the lesson is: even if you feel you are very bad at grants, take a chance. You never know! Any money for poets during the coronavirus is a good thing.

Here’s the full list of winners: https://www.alliedarts-foundation.org/grants/

Sylvia with sweet “Science Fiction” and “Fantasy” library swag from Texas A&M

Sweet Swag from Texas A&M’s Science Fiction Library

Another nice thing was a gift in the mail from my friend, librarian Jeremy Brett from Texas A&M’s Science Fiction library, of two artfully designed bandannas featuring symbols of science fiction and fantasy (from unicorns to robots and space ships.) In case you didn’t know, Texas A&M has a pretty amazing science fiction library, with archives from all kinds of famous speculative writers (and me!)

This really brightened my week. And obviously, Sylvia was so thrilled she curled up right next to them and fell asleep (grateful she neither chewed nor clawed them!)

Glenn and I after five months in quarantine together

A Few More Pictures from the Week, and a New Reading Video

I’m still not fully recovered from my post-root-canal infection, so I stayed mostly around home this week, and took pictures of birds and flowers. I read and worked on my in-process manuscript, and got advice on where to send it from a friend on Skype (so grateful for this! Nothing like talking about publishing with a friend to motivate you in the summer months!)

I’m looking forward to being well enough to explore some of my favorite places around town (outdoors, of course) but in the meantime, here are some scenes from around Woodinville. Apple trees, Northern flickers in planters, more goldfinches and hummingbirds. From my own garden: dahlias and re-blooming lilacs, a surprise in July.

Below the pictures, my first poetry-reading video in four months! Don’t know why it took me so long to do another one. I’m going to have to get a better mic to sound professional, eventually. But for now, enjoy me reading “Calamity” with ambient noise of birds and wind!

A Poetry-Reading Video

I haven’t tried one of these in a few months, so here goes nothing: me reading “Calamity,” which first appeared in April’s issue of Poetry Magazine. I have a YouTube channel now too, which you can subscribe to and like, if you want – Jeannine Hall Gailey’s YouTube Channel. It has a few more poetry videos on it. I’m thinking of doing a series of short talks on doing PR during a pandemic as well. Maybe after I get some professional equipment, like a good mic and camera (I’ve been trying to get by with my iPhone 8!)

Let me know in the comments if you’d be interested in something like that. Wishing you a great week, staying cool, seeing flowers, staying away from calamity as much as possible.