Great insight, Yvonne. I think you’re right – even when things go well, it seems there is always more to do, more to give, and the boundaries can be hard to draw. Like you, I think I have to focus on the things that bring me joy in the poetry world, and maybe not worry about the rest.

🙂 Thanks Lesley!

Thank you, Hannah. I agree that “success” is not only elusive but hard to pin down – at various stages of our lives, it meant one thing; now it means something else.
And of course advocating for the work of others is the reason I am still reviewing books after fifteen years! I don’t know how much it helps but it can’t hurt.

Thanks, Diane. Sometimes it is good to have company in the boat 🙂

You mention the terrible fear that plagues many of us–“If I’m not going to be successful at writing, I should just give up now.” (And I’m glad to hear you say that then you write another poem!).

I think that the bad word here is “success.” It’s really hard to know what that looks like. I have a feeling that many of us would have a hard time defining it, too (I know that I would).

Recently, I’ve found my empowerment in advocating for the work of others (as I know that you, and so many others, do!). I try to think, How can lift up the work of the writers that I believe in? Can I help these other artists get seen? Often, this is the cure for overly focusing on my own writing (and where it ends up). It’s not that I put my writing on the back burner, but just that I see it in the context of a community. Does that make sense?

Glad you wrote this today. I enjoyed reading it.