I'm Back
It's been a while since we've last talked. Today I wanted to let you know why I've been gone for so long. The growth and arc of a career calls you to different priorities at different times. This blog was something I wanted to continue because it's been an interesting outlet to have a place to discuss thoughts as the process continues, but the more real world things that occur, the less I find myself here.
Work on the second draft of my first novel, A Bad Spot, is still underway. I was able to correct a big issue with my protaganist and the world of Rockland Lake continues to call me back. It will be a good day when I can sit down and finish up the last few edits to get it out to beta readers.
Since I've last been here I became a Teaching Artist at the Just Buffalo Writing Center. It has been a phenomenal experience and something that has allowed me to take a step back and really appreciate my craft and how far I've come in it. So far I've headed two workshops, Intro to Spoken Word and Writing Spoken Word. Sometimes you don't know what you think about something until you write it down. I'd add to that: sometimes you don't know what you think about something until you teach it. I've also been lucky enough to guest speak at over twelve local schools including public schools from elementary to senior high, and five colleges. Too many individual moments occured during these talks to get into specifics, but this has significantly changed the way I approach spoken word, who I'm doing it for, and why.
On the publishing front I've been able to stay in a publication every month from February to May in 2016. In February my Fourth Friday feature at Dog Ears Bookstore got some love from The Buffalo News. In March 'A Poem to Your Shadow' was published in The Karibu News. In April 'Periods Like Bullet Holes' was published in Artvoice and in May, four poems were published in Ghost City Review Vol 2. In June I was interviewed by Tamara Best, the Senior Staff Editor of Culture in the New York Times about the road to the National Poetry Slam. I was nominated for Best Poet and Best Local Writer again in the Best of Buffalo awards and to cap it all off I hosted my first pop up show in Buffalo at Sugar City. The show was called There Will Be No Haikus Here and you can read about it here --> http://www.dailypublic.com/articles/0...
All in all, even if I'm absent, I'm still at it. I'll be back with a decompression of There Will Be No Haikus Here and where I plan to take this new project going forward.
Work on the second draft of my first novel, A Bad Spot, is still underway. I was able to correct a big issue with my protaganist and the world of Rockland Lake continues to call me back. It will be a good day when I can sit down and finish up the last few edits to get it out to beta readers.
Since I've last been here I became a Teaching Artist at the Just Buffalo Writing Center. It has been a phenomenal experience and something that has allowed me to take a step back and really appreciate my craft and how far I've come in it. So far I've headed two workshops, Intro to Spoken Word and Writing Spoken Word. Sometimes you don't know what you think about something until you write it down. I'd add to that: sometimes you don't know what you think about something until you teach it. I've also been lucky enough to guest speak at over twelve local schools including public schools from elementary to senior high, and five colleges. Too many individual moments occured during these talks to get into specifics, but this has significantly changed the way I approach spoken word, who I'm doing it for, and why.
On the publishing front I've been able to stay in a publication every month from February to May in 2016. In February my Fourth Friday feature at Dog Ears Bookstore got some love from The Buffalo News. In March 'A Poem to Your Shadow' was published in The Karibu News. In April 'Periods Like Bullet Holes' was published in Artvoice and in May, four poems were published in Ghost City Review Vol 2. In June I was interviewed by Tamara Best, the Senior Staff Editor of Culture in the New York Times about the road to the National Poetry Slam. I was nominated for Best Poet and Best Local Writer again in the Best of Buffalo awards and to cap it all off I hosted my first pop up show in Buffalo at Sugar City. The show was called There Will Be No Haikus Here and you can read about it here --> http://www.dailypublic.com/articles/0...
All in all, even if I'm absent, I'm still at it. I'll be back with a decompression of There Will Be No Haikus Here and where I plan to take this new project going forward.
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