Yes, I’m a nasty woman. And damned proud of it, too. My poem I Am Not Your Baby was selected to be included in the Lost Horse Press Nasty Women Poets: An unapologetic anthology of subversive verse. This is so exciting because I’ve always considered myself a feminist, and a rebel, and someone who thinks outside… Read More Nasty Women Poets anthology
I have a new poem up on Rattle. It’s a bit personal, about a time when I went crazy, when I lived in Portland for a summer in my 20s. The poem isn’t totally autobiographical but does capture how I felt, and the confusion and also the comfort of leaving your “real” mind behind and… Read More New poem up at Rattle
Look what came in the mail yesterday? Luanne Castle‘s new poetry book. So exciting. I ordered this months ago and feared they had forgotten about me (Luanne, you and Finshing Line Press wouldn’t forget about me, would you?). I can’t wait to lounge on the sofa and start reading. I have to admit that I’m a… Read More Look what came in the mail, and bear scare
Until last week, I had forgotten about the creative nonfiction manuscript I had submitted to the Honeysuckle Press Chapbook Contest back in December. I submit a lot, and when I don’t hear back I naturally assume that it either wasn’t a good fit or they thought it sucked. Then I received this email: I’m emailing… Read More Semifinalist status, and a little bit of Alaska
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… Read More A rejection and a publication
I stayed up most the night writing and I’m a bit wrecked, but only in the best possible way. I’m sure you know how that goes. You start writing and you begin to push aside your defenses, and the longer you write the more layers you unpeel until suddenly all of your defenses are gone… Read More Writing and mumbling, with Adrienne Rich and Kristy Bowen
So much has happened in the last couple of weeks. I finally (finally!) finished my novel rewrite and honestly, I wrote and rewrote that book so much I have no idea if I improved it or made it worse. Okay, okay, I know it’s improved, and by quite a bit but still, if you haven’t… Read More A residency, an anthology, and goodbye, Tucson
Well, I hit a rough spot, a snag, a burp, hesitation, blah, blah, blah, in my very final I-swear-this-will-be-the-last-time novel rewrite. I printed it out and everything sings. Except the beginning. I just can’t get the damned beginning to flow the way I want. So the struggle continues. In the meantime, there are runs in… Read More Hitting a rough spot
What a busy and hectic week. (And then there was that press conference, which is just too damned ridiculous, surreal and depressing to write about.) Ever since I received my novel notes back from beta reader Kevin Brennan, I’ve been writing like mad. It’s the oddest thing: He basically recommended the same changes as my… Read More Writing like crazy (and more)
I originally wrote this post for my blog but then realized that I needed a post for 49 Writers so submitted it there instead. Before I repost that, though, here’s the inside scoop. Last week, I hired a beta reader. I did this, as I do most things, rather impulsively. I was browsing through Twitter,… Read More Why I hired a beta reader
Cinthia Ritchie 