On books, plans, and giving myself time--

I finally spent a little time thinking more seriously about what a full poetry collection might look like. I'm in no real rush, because I'm still in the pipeline for my second chapbook which is scheduled to appear in print in May of 2026. I can't fathom trying to put two books into the world at once. But that said, I made myself a promise I'd look at what work I'm happiest with and start winnowing the contents, to see if/what there is that hangs together. A full collection is supposed to be at least 45 pages-- I have plenty of poems-- but I'm not seeing the cohesive arc as of yet. It's a lot easier to manage 20-25 poems into some sort of narrative, I'm finding. 

That said, I pulled about 50 together, and I need to print them out and lay them out on the floor. Group them and hope to find the "middle"--develop a narrative arc that tells a story about-- ?? 

It'll take some time. What I've found is that if poems are arranged one way, they tell one story. Shuffle them, and the story changes. What I'm hopeful of is that a/ not all the poems say the same darn thing, and b/ they can talk to each other to create a cohesive whole. 

The other thing that was weighing on my mind a little was, how do I find a publisher? The one that is publishing my chapbooks also publishes full collections, but I don't know how that works with them. Add to that their business model (the writer does all the pre-work, the pre-sales, etc.) and the time frame (upwards of 18 months), and it just feels daunting. I'm grateful for their help in getting my two little books into the world, but it's a lot of work. 

Then, the other day, my poet-writer-friend Beth Kanell shared that her new collection of poems (titled Threshold) was being published by Kelsay Books. I'd seen their website and it's lovely, so I asked a few questions: how long before acceptance? How long before publication? Beth told me it was about a month for acceptance (wow!), and about 3 months before publication. I'm impressed. And they accept unsolicited manuscripts all year around. Another bonus. So, I might give them a try. 

But like I said, no rush. I want to really hone this new collection; I suspect there will be a lot of arranging and re-arranging, taking things out and adding maybe new things in-- things I have not even begun to write. That excites me. I've been in a bit of a rut lately, not writing a lot of new (worthy) drafts-- too angry and sad, and all the drafts are coming out awkward and jangling. There's maybe one or two that may have some promise; I'll let them settle a while before I try to make them into poems. 

I am so glad I have a writing weekend coming in August; I need a generative workshop to jumpstart my writer-brain. And there's the Poetry Seminar coming next week! A full week of focusing on craft and draft. I might get something new out of that, too. I opted for the Formalist Track; I like poems in form, but I don't work in it intentionally all that often. I used to default to form-- followed my inner ear-- when I was not ready to write something more honest. Rhyming couplets just spill out, but they don't really say anything. So, I want to challenge myself to not only understand forms and their function, but I want to write something in form that is not facile. 

Anyhow, that's what's on my desk. The school stuff is starting to cram itself into my brain-space, too-- time to work on syllabi and build Google Classrooms and so on. But not yet, not yet. I want two more weeks, maybe three. I've targeted August 11th, thereabouts. The week between Poetry Seminar and going back to work for the PD days-- and we are scheduled to go to the beach that week, too. So, I'll devote one or two days, and then flush it out of my noggin for a short break.

It's a plan. Lots of plans. In the meantime, there's the pool, the garden is producing lovely fruits and veggies, and I have a car appointment this morning. Woo!

Have a good day,

C