Phew, it’s been a busy couple of weeks. We’re up to almost twenty hours of daylight here in Anchorage and sleep has become impossible. Even with blackout curtains over the bedroom windows, my mind still knows that it’s light outside and won’t turn off. I lie in bed each night, my body exhausted while my mind races with possibilities for stories and essays, poems and freelance articles. Sometimes I furiously write these down on my phone. Other times I get up and try to write on my laptop, which wakes me up even the more.
Still, it’s all good. Walking the beach at 11 p.m. is good. Seeing a bear peeking out of the brush at 10 p.m. is good. Running along the coast during high tide at 9:30 p.m. is good. And hiking down the Middle Fork Trail at 10:30 p.m. and seeing a moose is good.
This, however, isn’t so good: The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation doesn’t want to grant me a three-month residency in Santa Fe next year, sigh, sigh. This was a big disappointment, even though it would have interfered with my annual time in Tucson and even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend three months alone and writing when I could instead be running through the Tucson mountains and racing 50K races through the Phoenix desert.
Still, rejection hurts, people. It smacks you around, bruises your ego, makes you doubt and question yourself. Which I did. I sulked and doubted, questioned every piece of writing I’ve ever written.
And then I got over it because this came in the mail.
The Summer Issue of Rattle Magazine, with yours truly as one of the featured poets.
And I also received this email from Ted Jonathan, a quite established poet:
Hi Cinthia Ritchie,
Just to let you know your poem was one of my faves. I like to let poets know because we know hardly anyone gives a fuck.
Isn’t that one of the most wonderful email messages ever? I think that I now have a bit of a writerly crush on Mr. Jonathan, hee, hee.
When I’m not writing (which I’ll admit I haven’t been doing as much as I’d like because, you know, almost twenty hours of daylight and all), I’ve been running trails and hiking trails, walking the beach and swimming at the YMCA (too cold to swim outdoors here) and trying to soak up as much summer as possible.
Cinthia Ritchie 
Congrats on the poem! That’s exciting, and the note was a definite bonus. I hear you on the rejection, though. It sucks. But I guess it’s all part of the process. If only the wins were greater than the rejections. 🙂 Great pics!
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Thanks, Carrie, and yeah, rejection sure stings. Hope you’re gearing up for a great weekend. Cheers and I’ll eat a coconut milk ice cream bar in your honor (lol).
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that’s great news! those Santa Fe folks don’t know what they missed. But they perhaps are biased or jealous of people who choose Tucson over them hahahaha
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Hee, hee, Eric, Tucson wins over Santa Fe any day, at least in my opinion, and it’s a lot less snobby, too. Cheers and hope you and your family are having a great summer (is it terribly hot there?). Pets to the dog.
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In ‘the bowl’ ( El Cajon) , it is getting toasty. But the fellas and I just returned from the Mission Trails Park. It was cooler under the trees and by the San Diego River. they were loving it!
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I have a crush on him, too, although he didn’t write to me and Rattle always turns me down. What is it with this writing stuff anyway? It’s so chaotic, crazy, limited, and ridiculous. Good things you are super talented and that Mr. J. let you know!!!!!
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Luanne: We must (must!) get together next winter when I’m in Tucson, okay? I think we are truly writer bosom buddies.
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Yes!!!!
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Bummer on the rejection, but hooray for the published poem and love the email note!
Fantastic photos! And of course you can probably guess my fave one… the last one w/ Seriously!
Ugh on the not sleeping though. I haven’t been sleeping well and it makes it hard to be creative (at least for me… with my brain not operating on all cylinders). Finally writing again though, so that’s good at least!
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Awesome that you’re back to writing again. Sometimes I think that the less I sleep, the more I write. It’s as if the critical part of my brain shuts down, from sheer exhaustion perhaps, and the creative part is left to fire away. Of course, what I write when I’m tired isn’t always good writing but sometimes it leads me in a good direction. Hope the same is true for you, too. Have a great weekend. Seriously sends slobbering doggy kisses to Rita.
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Congrats on both the poem’s publication and the rejection. Seriously (no, not you, dog), I mean, seriously, it sounds like maybe you didn’t really want to get the residency and although it hurts (as rejections must; otherwise, how could they be rejections), I’m looking at it as a good thing … ultimately. Which, I know, is very easy for me to do 😉 Focus on the good: the poem and that comment!
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Rattle always turns me down too (three tries), but I have attended their readings that they offer once a month in La Canada, CA. The editor is a great person and very friendly. Congratulations, Cinthia!!! A real honor to be published there! Your life amazes me. Give Seriously a big hug!!!
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