Trying Not to Get Discouraged…

Okay, well, 2011 hasn’t quite shaped up to be a banner year so far…birds falling out of the sky, mass fish deaths, and a small girl, a young female congresswoman, and a judge were just shot out of the blue at a public appearance today. Plus I’m still on crutches thanks to my sprained ankle, and unable to eat much due to my food allergies (hello, rice and potato, I’m totally sick of you now!) which the doctors are still in the process of figuring out. By the way, an extreme elimination diet is a great way to lose weight in the new year!
I did send out a submission or two, but generally I’m feeling hesitant to ask for readings for my new book, and feeling somewhat weirdly reticent about sending out poems as well. Maybe it’s general overall life discouragement seeping into my poetry life.
In Seattle we’re experiencing a bizarre cold snap, with highs this week supposedly in the twenties, and snowfall called for on multiple days. I heard Georgia was getting snow too. So add weird weather into the things that seem inauspicious for the beginning of 2011…

Adam Deutsch has been blogging about the phenomenon of big poetry publishers asking for (mostly poor poets) people to fund them. I’ve been writing an article about working with micropresses as an alternative to sending checks of $25 and more to publisher contests where we get very little input back for the money, and we’re lucky to even see a copy of the winning book. Something seems imbalanced in the poetry world. Maybe I should send out a poet fundraiser letter back to these publishers, and tell them that in these hard times, if they want me to continue working as a poet, I’ll need a donation of $25 and up…and if they pledge more than $100, I’ll be happy to send them a copy of my first book! What do you think?