Tag: Poetry

Book Reviews, Poetry

Guest post: This poetry reading and author discussion panel at LBF made my friend cry

Mandy Webster

Today I bring you a guest post from my good friend and author, Erika Berglund. Erika is the author of two novels, Winking at Pomona and Mountain Grove Monarch, both of which I highly recommend! Erika joins us today to discuss her experience attending a poetry reading and author discussion at the Louisville Book Festival a few weeks ago. Welcome, Erika!

Guest post

I hate poetry.

Or at least I thought I did. Turns out I was just scared of it—scared of the intimacy, scared of the power, and scared of the empathy it invokes that can lead to so much pain.

Continue reading “Guest post: This poetry reading and author discussion panel at LBF made my friend cry” →
Author Interview

Author interview with poet Shadrin Lee Schneider

Mandy Webster

Shadrin Lee Schneider grew up in Pekin, Illinois. As a graduate of Graham Hospital School of Nursing in 2009, Shad now works as a nurse and a deputy coroner. To relax, Schneider enjoys writing, traveling with his wife Susan (the editor of his books), listening to podcasts and music, walking, and brewing beer.

The cover of a book of poems and shorts titled, "Perpetually Eating Multicolored Sprinkles" by Shadrin Lee Schneider.
Shadrin Lee Schneider is the author of two books of poems and shorts, “Perpetually Eating Multicolored Sprinkles” and “Nobody Likes Pants,” as well as two children’s books, “Crunchers” and “Don’t be a Wiggle-Wop.” His books are available on Amazon.

Q: When did you first catch the writing bug? What drove you to persist?

A: As a registered ER nurse, I started watching less TV and started writing poetry as a way to relax during Covid. I found it very therapeutic, so I kept writing throughout the pandemic, sometimes during a quiet evening, sometimes while out walking. I would even challenge myself to write a single poem during the time it took while waiting in line when shopping. Creative writing definitely helped me survive that challenging time as a healthcare worker and has stuck with me since.  

Q: What/who were your early literary influences, and how do you think their writing has shaped you as a storyteller today?

Continue reading “Author interview with poet Shadrin Lee Schneider” →
Essays, Writing Prompts

Call for submissions: As Good as a Feast

Mandy Webster

I am currently seeking submissions for an essay/poetry anthology that I am compiling titled, “As Good as a Feast.” I will be paying for up to ten of the essays that will appear in this collection. Any additional accepted submissions will still be eligible for publication in the anthology. However, there will be no monetary compensation for these.

typewriter

I am currently accepting submissions via eLance through July 25, 2015. If you miss this deadline, you may still submit via the Elderfly Press website through August 30, 2015. However, monetary compensation is available only for those essays submitted via eLance.

Submission Requirements

Fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie book series will no doubt be familiar with the expression, “Enough is as good as a feast.” Ma Ingalls often uttered this phrase as a reminder to her children that as long as they had “enough,” they had all they needed. Continue reading “Call for submissions: As Good as a Feast” →

Blogging

Wordle your blog

Mandy Webster

Here’s a cool blog post topic you can feel free to steal from me. I was playing around with Wordle this morning and thought it might be fun to see what words it would pull from my blog. Here’s what I ended up with:

wordle made from my blog url on 12-18-2014

 

Some of the words that showed up in my wordle were expected (write, writer, writing, trashy,) but there are a few of them that I don’t remember ever using on my blog. There are also a couple of words I thought would take some prominence that didn’t show up at all (somehow, I got “cows” but no “CAT?”) Continue reading “Wordle your blog” →

Poetry

National Poetry Month Collaborative Twitter Poem

Mandy Webster

Poetry
Poetry (Photo credit: V. H. Hammer)

Well, here we are. It’s April 1st, and once again time to celebrate National Poetry Month. I haven’t really been writing much poetry lately, so I thought it might be fun to do a collaborative Twitter poem challenge.

For this challenge, I am going to give you a one-word prompt/Twitter handle. Next, you come up with a poem – either one short poem that will fit into one 140-character Tweet, or a longer poem that you can split up, posting one verse per Tweet – and share it on Twitter using the provided hashtag. I am starting the challenge here today, and then I would love it if some of you would volunteer to host one or a few additional prompts on your blogs throughout the month of April. Continue reading “National Poetry Month Collaborative Twitter Poem” →

Poetry

Another “damn rape poem”

Mandy Webster

I came across this on tumblr this morning and had to share.

“The Rape Poem to End all Rape Poems” by the Rutgers University slam team:

Continue reading “Another “damn rape poem”” →

Holidays, Poetry by Mandy Webster

Spring is coming

Mandy Webster

Spring is coming,
we’re halfway there.
Days grow longer,
Tho’ the weather’s unfair

Continue reading “Spring is coming” →

Poetry

How much space does your body occupy?

Mandy Webster

I saw this video of Lily Myers reading her poem, “Shrinking Women” on UpWorthy and had to share. I have watched it like eight times and cried every time. She totally exposes the truth about what it is to be a woman in our society.

 

It seems to me that, while some women shrink to make room for the men in their lives, others unknowing expand in order to be seen, to prove their existence. Continue reading “How much space does your body occupy?” →

Poetry by Mandy Webster

Less | An Original Poem

Mandy Webster

And to go with my poem: A picture of my car (the blue Equinox,) which came this close to being totalled a couple of days ago. The truck that hit it totalled 2 other vehicles, but my car got away without a scratch. Someone was watching over me that night!
And to go with my poem: A picture of my car (the blue Equinox,) which came this close to being totalled a couple of days ago. The truck that hit it totalled 2 other vehicles, but my car got away without a scratch. Someone was watching over me that night!

Here’s a little poem I wrote a while back. Thought you might enjoy it:

Less

I wish I had less,
could pack everything I own
in the back of my car
at a moment’s notice,
blocking the rearview mirror
so there’s no looking back
Poetry, Publishing

I need some advice on self-publishing

Mandy Webster

Insert cover art here
It’s probably pretty pathetic that something as simple as designing a book cover is what is keeping me from self-publishing my poems, huh?

A few semesters ago, I took a poetry writing course. I don’t really consider myself a poet, but I like to dabble from time to time. I wanted to take a course that would challenge me to think about my writing in a different way, and this poetry course definitely fit the bill.

At first, I had a hard time writing poems on demand. Then I started reading poetry on a regular basis, and the ideas began to flow. I started jotting stuff down as it came to me, and I ended up with a stock of poems to choose from whenever the time came to turn one in for a grade. Continue reading “I need some advice on self-publishing” →