Eric D. Goodman's Blog, page 7
September 30, 2024
"Rug Pull" Published inThe Beatnik Cowboy
"Rug Pull," my recent poem, has found its home in the digital pages of The Beatnik Cowboy, an online journal that observes poetic injustice.
Anyone who has invested in questionable projects, whether in the stock market, crypto space, or in other marketplaces, will understand the bad flavor that can be left by blindly following emotiont and trusting a bad project. Unjust? Certainly for those swindled by scammers.
Enjoy “Rug Pull” in The Beatnik Cowboy at the link below.
https://beatnikcowboy.com/2023/09/15/...
Anyone who has invested in questionable projects, whether in the stock market, crypto space, or in other marketplaces, will understand the bad flavor that can be left by blindly following emotiont and trusting a bad project. Unjust? Certainly for those swindled by scammers.
Enjoy “Rug Pull” in The Beatnik Cowboy at the link below.
https://beatnikcowboy.com/2023/09/15/...
September 29, 2024
Faraway Tables Cover Reveal
It’s here! I'm pleased to reveal the cover for my debut collection, Faraway Tables.
The minimalist painting by Gene McCormick graces the front cover. True to his style and to the essence of my collection, the cover invites readers to join us at the table for a journey both introspective and global.
Published by Yorkshire Publishing and arriving on October 1, 2024, Faraway Tables is my first collection of poetry and my first collaboration with Gene McCormick, who has had his artwork grace the covers of other authors and poets, like Charles Rammeklamp.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates about Faraway Tables in the coming weeks, including pre-order information and launch celebration details. You can find it here at Writeful or at www.EricDGoodman.com.
The minimalist painting by Gene McCormick graces the front cover. True to his style and to the essence of my collection, the cover invites readers to join us at the table for a journey both introspective and global.
Published by Yorkshire Publishing and arriving on October 1, 2024, Faraway Tables is my first collection of poetry and my first collaboration with Gene McCormick, who has had his artwork grace the covers of other authors and poets, like Charles Rammeklamp.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates about Faraway Tables in the coming weeks, including pre-order information and launch celebration details. You can find it here at Writeful or at www.EricDGoodman.com.
Toby Devens on Faraway Tables: "A dazzling collection"
Poets and readers are starting to take their places at the table. Today’s advance praise of Faraway Tables comes from poet and author Toby Devens, known for My Best Mid-Life Crisis (Yet) and Barefoot Beach. Devens writes:
“Faraway Tables is a dazzling collection—a mixture of the mundane and the monumental that travels to marvelous times and places in the world and in the heart, with surprise detonated in many of the poem's last lines. Travel around the world with stops at enlightenment, enchantment, and memorable experience.”
Faraway Tables will be released on Tuesday, October 1 by Yorkshire Publishing. Learn more about the book, pre-order information, and news about the collection by staying tuned to this blog and at www.EricDGoodman.com.
“Faraway Tables is a dazzling collection—a mixture of the mundane and the monumental that travels to marvelous times and places in the world and in the heart, with surprise detonated in many of the poem's last lines. Travel around the world with stops at enlightenment, enchantment, and memorable experience.”
Faraway Tables will be released on Tuesday, October 1 by Yorkshire Publishing. Learn more about the book, pre-order information, and news about the collection by staying tuned to this blog and at www.EricDGoodman.com.
September 28, 2024
Letting Characters Decide
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting regional author Alice McDermott several times over the years at various book festivals and literary events. During one of those events, she explained that although she writes fiction, she bases her fiction on experience.
“Writers like to say that they write from their imagination because that sounds harder,” she said. She’s not literally writing about herself or her family, but she is writing from her experience, observations, and the world she knows. “Our thoughts come from our experience. The way we use words is part of our experience.”
McDermott said that she never writes from an outline or with a set destination in mind. She writes from the hearts and minds of her characters and allows them and their relationships to evolve and drive the story. “If I’m not surprised by what my characters are doing, I stop writing.”
An emotive writer approaches writing like a reader, wanting to be surprised. McDermott’s characters make choices based on who they are; the choices are not made by her as the author. She compares this method to the great clockmaker theory: the author creates the world and then leaves it up to the created to determine their destiny. But once it’s set in motion, the characters have to follow the established rules.
“When writing fiction, you’re constantly eliminating choices. As soon as you’ve written that first sentence, you’ve eliminated a million choices. Each sentence eliminates more.”
Alice McDermott has won the National Book Award and has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize. Her characters seem to be making good choices for her.
Learn more about Alice McDermott and her books at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
“Writers like to say that they write from their imagination because that sounds harder,” she said. She’s not literally writing about herself or her family, but she is writing from her experience, observations, and the world she knows. “Our thoughts come from our experience. The way we use words is part of our experience.”
McDermott said that she never writes from an outline or with a set destination in mind. She writes from the hearts and minds of her characters and allows them and their relationships to evolve and drive the story. “If I’m not surprised by what my characters are doing, I stop writing.”
An emotive writer approaches writing like a reader, wanting to be surprised. McDermott’s characters make choices based on who they are; the choices are not made by her as the author. She compares this method to the great clockmaker theory: the author creates the world and then leaves it up to the created to determine their destiny. But once it’s set in motion, the characters have to follow the established rules.
“When writing fiction, you’re constantly eliminating choices. As soon as you’ve written that first sentence, you’ve eliminated a million choices. Each sentence eliminates more.”
Alice McDermott has won the National Book Award and has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize. Her characters seem to be making good choices for her.
Learn more about Alice McDermott and her books at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Faraway Tables Cover Art Unveiled
As an art enthusiast, I’m excited to share the new painting by Gene McCormick which will grace the cover of my new poetry collection, Faraway Tables.
Gene McCormick’s original painting is titled "Faraway Tables," sharing the title of the book for which it was created. This 16" x 20" acrylic masterpiece sets the visual tone for the poems within the pages.
McCormick's signature style, known for uncovering hidden beauty in the ordinary, perfectly captures the essence of the collection. The artwork depicts a seemingly simple scene: two glasses, a little more than half empty, resting on a rustic beer-hall table. Yet, with each brushstroke, a deeper narrative unfolds.
McCormick reviewed the manuscript prior to painting and we discussed the concepts. The resulting minimalist piece beautifully complements the themes explored within Faraway Tables, creating a visual invitation for readers to take a seat at the table and dig in.
Stay tuned for more updates about Faraway Tables, including pre-order information and exciting launch celebration details. In the meantime, I invite you to contemplate the enigmatic scene on the cover and let your imagination wander towards the world that awaits within the poems.
Learn more about Gene McCormick and his artwork at http://donbob.com/GenePainting/GenePa....
Gene McCormick’s original painting is titled "Faraway Tables," sharing the title of the book for which it was created. This 16" x 20" acrylic masterpiece sets the visual tone for the poems within the pages.
McCormick's signature style, known for uncovering hidden beauty in the ordinary, perfectly captures the essence of the collection. The artwork depicts a seemingly simple scene: two glasses, a little more than half empty, resting on a rustic beer-hall table. Yet, with each brushstroke, a deeper narrative unfolds.
McCormick reviewed the manuscript prior to painting and we discussed the concepts. The resulting minimalist piece beautifully complements the themes explored within Faraway Tables, creating a visual invitation for readers to take a seat at the table and dig in.
Stay tuned for more updates about Faraway Tables, including pre-order information and exciting launch celebration details. In the meantime, I invite you to contemplate the enigmatic scene on the cover and let your imagination wander towards the world that awaits within the poems.
Learn more about Gene McCormick and his artwork at http://donbob.com/GenePainting/GenePa....
"Relics," "Retirement Plans" and "Pests" in latest print issue of Blue Collar Review”
A recent print issue of Blue Collar Review features three of my poems: "Relics," "Retirement Plans," and "Pests."
Blue Collar Review is known for its focus on works that resonate with the experiences and perspectives of working-class people.
Explore the latest issue of Blue Collar Review here:
https://www.partisanpress.org/
Blue Collar Review is known for its focus on works that resonate with the experiences and perspectives of working-class people.
Explore the latest issue of Blue Collar Review here:
https://www.partisanpress.org/
September 27, 2024
Coming October 1, 2024: Faraway Tables
The Table is set! My debut poetry collection, Faraway Tables, has a publication date. Yorkshire Publishing will release Faraway Tables on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
This collection, largely a product of those introspective, shelter-in-place days of the pandemic, has been described as a meditation on the human experience. Examining places of the mind and the world. These poems explore the personal and global shifts we've all navigated, recalling the strength it takes to find one’s place in a constantly changing world.
You have a place at the table. Savor the delicate flavors of memory, explore the poignant beauty of other places and other times, and celebrate the enduring connections that define our shared humanity.
Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks as we delve deeper into the world of Faraway Tables! Come back to this blog, and visit www.EricDGoodman.com.
This collection, largely a product of those introspective, shelter-in-place days of the pandemic, has been described as a meditation on the human experience. Examining places of the mind and the world. These poems explore the personal and global shifts we've all navigated, recalling the strength it takes to find one’s place in a constantly changing world.
You have a place at the table. Savor the delicate flavors of memory, explore the poignant beauty of other places and other times, and celebrate the enduring connections that define our shared humanity.
Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks as we delve deeper into the world of Faraway Tables! Come back to this blog, and visit www.EricDGoodman.com.
“Toast to Friendship” in Syndic Literary Journal
My recent poem, “Toast to Friendship,” was published in a recent issue of Syndic Literary Journal. This piece reflects on my memories of visiting both Russia and Ukraine in the 1990s and 2010s, and toasting to international friendship between Russians, Ukrainians, and Americans. In light of current events, it carries a hopeful message for future generations to raise a toast to peace and friendship.
Listen to the poem, along with others, in Syndic Literary Journal: https://www.syndicjournal.us/syndic-n...
Listen to the poem, along with others, in Syndic Literary Journal: https://www.syndicjournal.us/syndic-n...
September 26, 2024
John Sanford Goes to Camp
Or Rather, John Camp went to Sanford. The two Johns are one and the same. One name is his given, the other he uses for marketing reasons.
John’s not alone. Other writers do it too. John writes two types of books, and instead of confusing or disappointing readers who have come to love one kind of book over the other, he simply sells them under different names.
He uses his grandfather’s name for his adult fiction and his real name for children’s books.
What’s in a name? A lot when you’re a bestselling novelist.
Do you use a pen name when you go to publish your work?
Learn more about the two Johns at his website.
http://www.johnsandford.org/author.html
John’s not alone. Other writers do it too. John writes two types of books, and instead of confusing or disappointing readers who have come to love one kind of book over the other, he simply sells them under different names.
He uses his grandfather’s name for his adult fiction and his real name for children’s books.
What’s in a name? A lot when you’re a bestselling novelist.
Do you use a pen name when you go to publish your work?
Learn more about the two Johns at his website.
http://www.johnsandford.org/author.html
Goodman Places as Finalist in the Willow Run Poetry Book Award for Faraway Tables
Goodman Places as Finalist in the Willow Run Poetry Book Award for Faraway Tables
Hidden River Arts recently announced the semi-finalists, finalists, and winner of the Willow Run Poetry Book Award. Judges advanced Eric's forthcoming manuscript, Faraway Tables, from the semi-finalist round to place as a finalist.
Congratulations to all of the semi-finalists, finalists, and to winner Stephen Odiedo of Siaya, Kenya.
Faraway Tables is being published by Yorkshire Publishing later this year.
Learn more about the Willow Run Poetry Book Award at the link:
https://hiddenriverarts.wordpress.com...
Hidden River Arts recently announced the semi-finalists, finalists, and winner of the Willow Run Poetry Book Award. Judges advanced Eric's forthcoming manuscript, Faraway Tables, from the semi-finalist round to place as a finalist.
Congratulations to all of the semi-finalists, finalists, and to winner Stephen Odiedo of Siaya, Kenya.
Faraway Tables is being published by Yorkshire Publishing later this year.
Learn more about the Willow Run Poetry Book Award at the link:
https://hiddenriverarts.wordpress.com...
