Did You Notice Something NEW?!

Okay, this is probably an unreasonable question. It's not like you stalk my website, and, I'm not gonna lie, I don't think you should. This is a good place to check in occasionally, read the new blog posts, or learn about me initially; but it's not like I do a ton of crazy cool stuff here (at least, not yet). Also, I make a lot of little tweaks to the site, fairly often, but here's the big question: Did you see the new page?

If you didn't, check it out!

Now, obviously, the main explanation is on the page itself, but you may be asking why have that section on the website at all . . . Well, I'm lonely for writer friends. Over the years my, admittedly small already, writing circle has diminished. People have moved, grown apart, or found new interests. All fine, and still my friends, but I miss talking to people regularly about writing and poetry and craft. I miss iHop all-nighters, coffee date word sprints, and asking for thoughts on cover mock-ups. I miss reading their fresh work and discussing and improving together. I miss challenging one another to try new things and reveling in the results.

I'm not expecting that to come over night with the new Write section on my website, but if even just a handful of people take up writing poetry–even if they never end up talking to me about it directly–I'd consider that a huge win. I love poetry and writing, and I seriously believe in the transformative power of both. And not just during National Poetry Month, which is, sadly, coming to a close. I'm hyped about this stuff year-round, which is why I want to give others the courage and freedom to try their hand at writing or get back into it. I wanna remove the barriers I can to support budding, aspiring poets.

I tried to think of some of the best ways to do that. Workshops/retreats? Eh, my introvert heart wasn't ready for that, and it could potentially be a financial barrier for some. It's a consideration for later down the line. Online videos? It's not my prefered method, obviously, but if I have enough time for things like recording and editing it might be on the table. But what I'm actually decent at and equipped to do right now? Books, of course. So prompt journals seemed like the best choice.

I'm pretty big on keeping my books on the affordable side. Yes, I work hard and put a lot of time and resources into bringing each book to fruition, but that means nothing if people won't pick it up or can't. A priority for me in regard to my poetry is for it to be shared, so lower price tags it is. Still, if someone isn't even sure they want to try writing poetry, they might not pay even the cheap prices. So I figured a free, printable intro was in order–sort of a proof of concept, dip of the toes, appetizer, etc.

Now, previously, my 30-day prompt journal was listed on my Books page, but I really want to focus attention on what I'm offering here instead of it falling to the bottom of my backlog of works. I also have some ideas for new prompt journals, so I fully expect to be expanding the Write section of the site in the near-ish future. I'm still not sure what could come of this, and my expectations are pretty low. However, I'm excited for what it could be and how I can grow and participate in the wider poetic community.

As I said, National Poetry Month is coming to a close, but I sincerely hope that doesn't mean forgetfulness. I hope you read and/or write poetry the rest of the year and have amazing opportunities come from those experiences. I'm really excited for what the year has in store here, in a literary sense, so do check back soon, click around, and see if there's anything that tickles your creative inklings.

Happy reading/writing!