Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 39
February 7, 2013
Beautiful film inspired by a 6 Year Old... When something closes, just say, "OK, I'm fine."
What can I say, I loved this.
When something is closing you should just say, "OK, I'm fine."
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodon
www.facebook.com/agodon
When something is closing you should just say, "OK, I'm fine."
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
A Poet on the Coast: by Patty Kinney
Susan Rich had Patty Kinney, one of the incredible women I met at our last Poets on the Coast Retreat, as a guest blogger. Patty wrote about her first experience at our retreat, and I thought I'd share it here as well as it's a lovely snapshot of the weekend and her memories....
Being a Poet on the Coast: By Patty Kinney--
I was not a person who liked being around a bunch of women before this experience.
Now, I embrace it.
I do a lot of lucid dreaming. My desires inform my dreams. Two years ago when I yearned to travel to Newport, Oregon to attend Poets On The Coast, a writing retreat for women, I just couldn’t swing it. Life got in the way. Still, it lodged itself like a sliver in my subconscious.Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about spending the weekend with a bunch of strangers, especially women. But the dreams didn’t stop; the sliver festered.
Last September, when the retreat was in it’s second year, I became a Poet On The Coast.
My drive from Olympia to the Oregon Coast took place on the hottest day of the year. I left behind a very ill mother and a sunburned child. I arrived early, happy to discover an Irish Pub near the 100 year old Sylvia Beach Hotel. I needed a Guinness to brave all these women.
An hour later, I checked in to the Neverland of writerly hotels. Each room is named for writers, novelists, poets - dead and alive. I lugged by vintage suitcase to the Alice Walker room, opened the door and cried. I’d been to Uganda twice. The room was a near replica of a cabana I stayed in while on safari in East Aftica. I poked around other rooms (they leave them open before guests arrive). I was bookended by John Steinbeck and Virginia Woolf. I checked out Colette (posh), Mark Twain ( stately), Dr. Seuss (whimsical).
When it came time to meet the women, I took the stairs one by one. My feet moved so slowly I was sure they were drugged. As I reached the Mark Twain room, other women began to filter in. Renee from Canada, Angie from California, Amber from West Virginia - two dozen in all. The entire Pacific Northwest and beyond represented. We were recently homeless women, lawyers, teachers, nurse practitioners. We wore bare feet, Birkenstocks, slippers and Italian sandals. I was immediately intimidated. My inner child sucked it’s thumb. . .
To read the rest of Patty's experience, go to The Alchemist's Kitchen (Susan Rich's blog) for the rest and see a few photos as well.
Thank you, Patty!
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodon
www.facebook.com/agodon
Being a Poet on the Coast: By Patty Kinney--
I was not a person who liked being around a bunch of women before this experience.
Now, I embrace it.
I do a lot of lucid dreaming. My desires inform my dreams. Two years ago when I yearned to travel to Newport, Oregon to attend Poets On The Coast, a writing retreat for women, I just couldn’t swing it. Life got in the way. Still, it lodged itself like a sliver in my subconscious.Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about spending the weekend with a bunch of strangers, especially women. But the dreams didn’t stop; the sliver festered.
Last September, when the retreat was in it’s second year, I became a Poet On The Coast.
My drive from Olympia to the Oregon Coast took place on the hottest day of the year. I left behind a very ill mother and a sunburned child. I arrived early, happy to discover an Irish Pub near the 100 year old Sylvia Beach Hotel. I needed a Guinness to brave all these women.
An hour later, I checked in to the Neverland of writerly hotels. Each room is named for writers, novelists, poets - dead and alive. I lugged by vintage suitcase to the Alice Walker room, opened the door and cried. I’d been to Uganda twice. The room was a near replica of a cabana I stayed in while on safari in East Aftica. I poked around other rooms (they leave them open before guests arrive). I was bookended by John Steinbeck and Virginia Woolf. I checked out Colette (posh), Mark Twain ( stately), Dr. Seuss (whimsical).
When it came time to meet the women, I took the stairs one by one. My feet moved so slowly I was sure they were drugged. As I reached the Mark Twain room, other women began to filter in. Renee from Canada, Angie from California, Amber from West Virginia - two dozen in all. The entire Pacific Northwest and beyond represented. We were recently homeless women, lawyers, teachers, nurse practitioners. We wore bare feet, Birkenstocks, slippers and Italian sandals. I was immediately intimidated. My inner child sucked it’s thumb. . .
To read the rest of Patty's experience, go to The Alchemist's Kitchen (Susan Rich's blog) for the rest and see a few photos as well.
Thank you, Patty!
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
February 6, 2013
Poetry Readings, Classes, & Writing Retreats... Oh my!
I have a few things coming up I wanted to share with you--
1) On Friday, February 8th, 2013 at 7 pm, I'll be reading at King's Books in Tacoma.
Here are all the details, and bring a poem as there's an Open Mic following!
Location: King's Books
218 St Helens Ave
Tacoma, Washington
2) White Pine Press Anniversary Reading
on February 26, 2013 at 7 pm at Richard Hugo House
in Seattle
Founding editor Dennis Maloney joins White Pine authors Kelli Russell Agodon, Shin Yu Pai, Susan Rich, Andrew Schelling, and Carolyne Wright commemorating this milestone with a reading from works published by a leading nonprofit literary press of poetry, fiction, and work in translation from around the world.
The bar will be open, and books will be for sale by White Pine Press and the authors. The reading is free.
Details here! And RSVP through Facebook.
3) I'll be teaching some great writing classes here:
Whidbey Island Writing Retreat Lockdown, April 19-21, 2013
Here are the details on that:
NILA's Lockdown Retreat is an amazing experience where writers and instructors spend several days together to discuss, teach, learn, and immerse themselves in the craft and structure of the written word. There is no escape, but who would want one? Every moment staff and attendees have the opportunity to delve into the writing process in a way that pushes us all to do our best work." - Terry Persun, mentor/instructor at last year's Retreat.
Come to historic Captain Whidbey Inn on Penn Cove for a weekend of inspiration and umimpeded writing. Treat yourself to a peaceful incarceration where focusing on improving your writing craft is the only thing allowed.
ANOTHER WEEKEND FOCUSED ON CRAFT. At the Lockdown Retreat, you will receive six hours of workshop instruction, with additional discussions with fellow writers, editors, and teachers. You will also receive a manuscript critique by an instructor along with a one-on-one consultation. There will be free time to write in fantastic locations. All meals are local, fresh fare.
Two night's accommodations. Fees are based upon the type of room you choose, ranging from a quaint room in the historic inn to a fully appointed cabin overlooking Penn Cove..
WE PROUDLY PRESENT OUR 2013 TEACHER/MENTORS
Andrea Hurst is the president of Andrea Hurst Literary Agency. She works with both major and regional publishing houses, and her client list includes new voices and NY Times best-selling authors. Andrea represents high profile adult nonfiction, and well-crafted fiction in all genres. She is as a published author, and a faculty member for the MFA program in Creative Writing through the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. For more information visit: www.andreahurst.com
Kelli Russell Agodon is a poet, writer, editor, and essayist from the Northwest. She is the author the award-winning collection of poems, Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room, Winner of the White Pine Poetry Prize chosen by Carl Dennis, Winner of ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Prize in Poetry and a Finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Kelli is also the author of Small Knots (2004), Geography (2003). She is the editor of Seattle's Crab Creek Review and the Co-Founder of Two Sylvias Press. For more information visit: www.agodon.com
Bill Dietrich is a NY Times bestselling author and Pulitzer-winning journalist has written fifteen books, including historical thrillers that sold into thirty-one languages and prize-winning Northwest environmental texts. For more information visit: www.williamdietrich.com
4) We have 3 spaces remaining for Poets on the Coast: A Weekend Writing Retreat for Women on September 6-8, 2013! We also have 3 spaces left in our manuscript workshop class.
Prices go up after February 14th, so if you're interested, check it out now.
You can sign up here. Also, it's cheaper to pay by check than PayPal, just drop me a note at kelli (at) agodon.com and I'll hold your place.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
February 5, 2013
Confession Tuesday: The No Complaints, Be Thankful Rant Edition
Dear Reader,
It is still Tuesday and I have not forgotten to confess, it has just slid into later than earlier.
Since I have waited for afternoon, let's just get going.
To the confessional--
I confess I have been cranky with people complaining lately.
I always think about how what annoys me tells me something about myself. Mostly, in this case, how lucky I (we) have it. Right now, at this very moment, I feel thankful and maybe that's why complaints are bugging me because I'm looking at people who have a lot to feel grateful for --they have more than most.
If you are reading this, I am going to guess you are in the top 10% of the richest in the world-- or that yes, you are richer than 95% people in the world. If you're reading this from the US, you are most likely in the top 15% of the world. Yes, you. And me.
See where you fall yourself-- Go to the Global Rich List
I know it's winter, and maybe people need their Vitamin D, but I've just noticed a lot of people lately not being thankful for what the have.
Yes, it's easy to fall in this trap-- "My stupid sump pump is broken and needs replacing" (um, true story) can be replaced with "how thankful I am to *own* a home!"
OR
"My heating bill is SO high!" can be replaced with "I am warm and indoors with a roof over my head."
OR
"I hate my iPhone, it's so slow and my apps keep shutting off!" can be replaced with "I have an iPhone!" or "I can watch videos of kittens whenever I like!" or "I am carrying more information in my pocket than in largest library in the world and it only costs me $30 a month for the data!"
Stuff happens. Rejections happen. Life happens.
I confess I have bad days too. I throw a giant pity parties for myself and lay in bed and watch movies while I eat large amounts of Sno-Caps and Raisinettes. (Do you know how many people would LOVE to do this-- this is an awesome life), but don't post your gripes online...it makes you look a little petty and desperate for attention. And guess what, as bad as you have it, someone has it worse. Someone has just lost a loved one, or a friend, or a pet. So don't gripe about the little stuff.
I remember when I did a reading to raise money for the Tsunami Relief Fund. My entire blog post was about how cold I was for eight hours. Oh, the high school gym was so cold and I was hungry because I forgot my sandwich. Um, can you see how foolish this made me look?
That tsunami killed over 230,000 people and people were homeless and without food for months and months and probably longer.
I was in a safe high school gymnasium reading poetry and complaining about how cold I was and I didn't have a sandwich. The irony of this moment has never been lost on me... I could only see myself, I could only see how I was a little uncomfortable, I was missing the big picture. I was missing any sort of gratitude for my life.
Yes, life can feel as if it sucks. Or the day sucks. Or _______(fill in the blank) sucks... FEEL is the key word. But it doesn't suck. Our attitudes suck.
We're alive and that counts. We can change how you feel, what we think, what we do. It can be hard to think good thoughts, focus our minds, but our minds are ours to keep and to think with, we choose what images and thoughts we have.
But I guess it's a choice, focus on the good or the bad. In the end, it's still the same day, but you chose to find what you liked about it or what you disliked. We each decide how we're going to see it. We each get to make the call.
But if you're going to bellyache about something you have that I know a ton of other people would want, then shhhhhhh..... you have no idea how lucky you are. None of us do.
Amen.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
February 4, 2013
Reading in Tacoma, WA at King's Books, 7 pm on Feb 8, Friday!
Join me at King's Book this Friday! I'll be reading at 7 pm followed by an open mic.
Here's the details and a link to the bookstore:
Distinguished Writer Series: King's Books
This monthly event features a Distinguished Writer followed by an Open Mic. This month features poet Kelli Russell Agodon , the author of Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room, winner of the White Pine Poetry Prize, winner of ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Prize in Poetry, and a Finalist for the WA State Book Award. She is also the author of Small Knots (2004) and Geography (2003), is the editor of Seattle's Crab Creek Review, and is the co-founder of Two Sylvias Press. Following her is an Open Mic, open to all poets, sign-up is at 6:45 pm. Admission is free. The event occurs monthly the second Friday of every month at King's Books. Sponsored by the Puget Sound Poetry Connection and the Tacoma Arts Commission.
Location:
King's Books218 St Helens AveTacoma, Washington98402United States
More info on the reading and King's Books here.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
January 30, 2013
Breaking News for Poets: Academy of American Poets Reveals Poster for National Poetry Month 2013
Love this year's poster by Jessica Helfand!
To see posters from other years, go here.
2013 Poster
Design: Jessica Helfand
Sponsors: American Booksellers Association, American Library Association, Dixon Ticonderoga, EBSCO, The New York Times, National Council of Teachers of English, Merriam-Webster, Poetry Foundation, Random House, Scholastic
The 2013 poster features the line "Write about your sorrows, you wishes, your passing thoughts, your belief in anything beautiful." from Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodon
www.facebook.com/agodon
To see posters from other years, go here.
2013 Poster
Design: Jessica Helfand
Sponsors: American Booksellers Association, American Library Association, Dixon Ticonderoga, EBSCO, The New York Times, National Council of Teachers of English, Merriam-Webster, Poetry Foundation, Random House, Scholastic
The 2013 poster features the line "Write about your sorrows, you wishes, your passing thoughts, your belief in anything beautiful." from Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
January 29, 2013
Confession Tuesday: The I Hate to Exercise & Age Edition
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I love the line "Many underweight people *hate* summer"
Dear Reader,
It's been a week and a new yoga class since my last confession. I confess yoga does more for my soul than most anything else. It's a greater wellness than just wanting a flat stomach or a beach body, a term I hate as aren't all bodies beach bodies? Our culture and it's crazy "if you look good on the outside, you must be okay on the inside mentality..."
I'm going on already, let's begin. To the confessional--
I confess I hate exercise. I hate anything I have to do "to exercise" - walking on a treadmill, lifting weights. anything called powerpump or powerlift. Hate it.
However, if I was going mountain biking or taking my dog for a walk or to the beach, that's different. If you say to me "let's go exercise," I say no. If you say, "Let's go play tennis," I'm in.
I am cranky about anything I feel I have to do to "look better."
I am cranky that if you're a woman at some point in time your "size" or "body shape" wasn't right. Even though I am highly amused (and maybe jealous) there was a time when women were considered "less than" for being well, less than (i.e. too skinny), still, it's such slap in the face to women that our self worth = a certain dress size.
Of course, that said, I would so much rather be in a time of curvy bodies than the underweight world.
One of the things I have most looked forward to with growing older is not feeling as if I have to have the perfect body and having lower standards to live up to.
Though truth be told, I never had the perfect body and when I did, I was too insecure and body negative to even know I did. Yes, all those years I thought I "looked fat" I was of normal weight with perfect skin and perfect everything. This is where youth is wasted on the young.
But here I am, somehow I crossed the 40's line, which doesn't make sense to me because I remember when 40 was *old* -- all those old 40 year olds and their jobs and kids. Such a boring life and so so old, I thought.
And I've learned that I'm okay being me, even with no perfect skin or flat stomach. I'll take a glass of wine and dessert over a "beach body" any day.
~
I confess if you were to ask me how old I feel, I'd say 27.
27 was the age I was when I quit my corporate life, moved out of city life and to this small town where I live today.
27 was when I realized I wasn't happy following the path of others, when I started wearing flowered cotton dress and dressing Northwest granola.
27 was the year I was so thankful to have time to write. And I was gardening, constantly outside with my hands in the earth.
I confess I feel happier the older I get, which honestly, surprises me.
~
I confess I'm thinking about exercise because I've returned to taking yoga classes at my local gym. But yoga is doesn't feel like exercise because it also opens my mind. I think smarter when I'm done with it. Yoga, while helping the body, helps my mind more.
I confess sometimes I think I could sit my life away. I seem to be most content under a blanket or in the sun napping. Maybe I was a cat in a previous life.
I'm not sure. And I'm not sure how any of this plays into creativity except that I find creative ways to move as well as creative ways to avoid moving.
And maybe I'm thinking of an overall wellness. Maybe I've learned that you have to work on the inside before you'll ever be happy with the outside.
Amen.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodon
www.facebook.com/agodon
I love the line "Many underweight people *hate* summer"
Dear Reader,
It's been a week and a new yoga class since my last confession. I confess yoga does more for my soul than most anything else. It's a greater wellness than just wanting a flat stomach or a beach body, a term I hate as aren't all bodies beach bodies? Our culture and it's crazy "if you look good on the outside, you must be okay on the inside mentality..."
I'm going on already, let's begin. To the confessional--
I confess I hate exercise. I hate anything I have to do "to exercise" - walking on a treadmill, lifting weights. anything called powerpump or powerlift. Hate it.
However, if I was going mountain biking or taking my dog for a walk or to the beach, that's different. If you say to me "let's go exercise," I say no. If you say, "Let's go play tennis," I'm in.
I am cranky about anything I feel I have to do to "look better."
I am cranky that if you're a woman at some point in time your "size" or "body shape" wasn't right. Even though I am highly amused (and maybe jealous) there was a time when women were considered "less than" for being well, less than (i.e. too skinny), still, it's such slap in the face to women that our self worth = a certain dress size.
Of course, that said, I would so much rather be in a time of curvy bodies than the underweight world.
One of the things I have most looked forward to with growing older is not feeling as if I have to have the perfect body and having lower standards to live up to.
Though truth be told, I never had the perfect body and when I did, I was too insecure and body negative to even know I did. Yes, all those years I thought I "looked fat" I was of normal weight with perfect skin and perfect everything. This is where youth is wasted on the young.
But here I am, somehow I crossed the 40's line, which doesn't make sense to me because I remember when 40 was *old* -- all those old 40 year olds and their jobs and kids. Such a boring life and so so old, I thought.
And I've learned that I'm okay being me, even with no perfect skin or flat stomach. I'll take a glass of wine and dessert over a "beach body" any day.
~
I confess if you were to ask me how old I feel, I'd say 27.
27 was the age I was when I quit my corporate life, moved out of city life and to this small town where I live today.
27 was when I realized I wasn't happy following the path of others, when I started wearing flowered cotton dress and dressing Northwest granola.
27 was the year I was so thankful to have time to write. And I was gardening, constantly outside with my hands in the earth.
I confess I feel happier the older I get, which honestly, surprises me.
~
I confess I'm thinking about exercise because I've returned to taking yoga classes at my local gym. But yoga is doesn't feel like exercise because it also opens my mind. I think smarter when I'm done with it. Yoga, while helping the body, helps my mind more.
I confess sometimes I think I could sit my life away. I seem to be most content under a blanket or in the sun napping. Maybe I was a cat in a previous life.
I'm not sure. And I'm not sure how any of this plays into creativity except that I find creative ways to move as well as creative ways to avoid moving.
And maybe I'm thinking of an overall wellness. Maybe I've learned that you have to work on the inside before you'll ever be happy with the outside.
Amen.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
January 28, 2013
4 Poetry/Writing Lecture Podcasts from @ptcentrum featuring poets Arthur Sze in '98, Linda Bierds '97, William Pitt Root '79, & Gary Copeland Lilley Lecture '12
Centrum a great arts program in Port Townsend, Washington was just emailed me these podcasts from their craft lecture series.
They are in the process of archiving all their podcasts, enjoy these!
William Pitt Root reading from 1979
http://traffic.libsyn.com/centrum/1979-PTWC-William-Pitt-Root-Lecture.mp3
Gary Copeland Lilley Lecture from 2012
http://traffic.libsyn.com/centrum/PTWC-2012-Gary-Copeland-Lilley-Lecture.mp3
Linda Bierds Lecture & Reading from 1997
http://traffic.libsyn.com/centrum/PTWC-1997-Linda-Bierds-Lecture.mp3
Arthur Sze Reading from 1998
http://centrum.org/2013/01/podcast-arthur-sze-1998-port-townsend-writers-conference/
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
@DanaSitar - The Writer's Bucket's List eBook & How To Write a Press Release
A couple weeks ago Dana Sitar wrote me an email telling me about her upcoming eBook,
The Writer's Bucket List
($9.99) which will be available Feb 5, 2013.
I receive a ton of press releases from publicity agents, presses, writers, etc, about new books coming out. But this one stood out to me and here's why--
1) She spelled my name correctly (yay!) and she wrote how she learned about me and my blog:
I discovered your blog last year through Robert Lee Brewer's list of Best Blogs for Writers.
2) She told me immediately why she was writing me ( her new ebook) and it might be helpful or informational for readers of my blog.
3) She gave me an advance copy I could easily pull up with a link.
Normally, I like hardcopies mailed to me as I like to see the quality of the book and keep it on my nightstand to read before bed (yes, that's how I roll, old school), but she had done everything right in this email, and I liked her, so I clicked on the link.
4) She was brief, polite, and sincere. She ended it with what I could do to help her (basically, I like it feel free to mention it to others and friends) and thanked me.
That was it. Basically, 4 steps to a perfect press release or publicity email.
There were no attachments. She bolded the important parts. It was a clean, easy to read email.
And one more thing, when I saw her photograph-- she was incredibly likable looking--
I look a little cranky in my most recent headshot, but because I'm *always* smiling in my others, I went for something new. Anyway, when I saw her photo, I seriously wanted to help her out.
And then as I looked more into this book, I realized she has done all the work. She began writing professionally in 2010 and wrote "in 2010 I was 24" - do the math, it's 2013, she's 27, under 30 and look at what she's doing. I'm hugely impressed with writers who find what they want to do and do it. And finish!
These are the types of women in the world who inspire me.
So here's her new book:
The Writer's Bucket List by Dana Sitar: What I like about this book is that she's young and she did this on her own.
It's not meant for someone whose been writing awhile (though I did enjoy reading her 99 Things to Do as a Writer from type on a typewriter to write a thank you note to your teachers), but these are small ideas (a couple paragraphs for each idea) for someone who wants to be writer, but isn't sure where to begin.
She is there for writers who have decided they'd like to try writing and aren't sure where to begin. I have a feeling we're going to see a lot more from her.
Here's what Dana wrote about The Writer's Bucket List:
In May 2011, I left my job and home in Madison, Wisconsin to move to San Francisco to be a full-time writer. I didn’t know what that meant, and I had no idea how to make it happen. Nonetheless, I started to collect clients, publish stories, and make my living writing and doing what I love.
I’ve been trying to come up with the right response to the readers, friends and colleagues who say to me, “I’d like to do what you’re doing, but…”
I needed a way to say, “So do it already!”
Loudly.
So I wrote a book.
‘A Writer’s Bucket List’ is a launching point for all of the possibilities of being a writer. Instead of another how-to on any kind of writing, this book is a “Why not?” for the writer’s life.
The list is a combination of the unique steps that have formed my career and bolstered my creativity, and the things I haven’t yet had a chance to try. The book offers some conventional and some unconventional steps on the path through a writer’s life, why they matter, and advice for getting started.
________________________________
By the way, here's her bio-
Dana Sitar is a freelance journalist and indie author. She shares resources, tips, and tools for writers in search of a path through DIY Writing. She has been writing professionally since 2010, blogging unabashedly since 2011, and traveling perpetually since she discovered that one feature article could purchase enough gas for a cross-country road-trip.
Dana has written for Writer’s Market, The Daily Cardinal, The Onion, Baystages, SF Weekly,Laughspin, and Maximum Ink; as well as dozens of writing and career blogs, including The Creative Penn, Make a Living Writing, and Brazen Life. Her ebook A Writer’s Bucket List: 99 things to do for inspiration, education, and experience before your writing kicks the bucket was released in 2013.
And her website: Dana Sitar http://danasitar.com/
_____________
For me, this is a reminder of what is possible for all of us. 16 years ago, I quit my corporate job to move to a small town and write. Sometimes I forget that. Sometime I forget I'm a writer. Or feel scattered.
But seeing what she has done inspires me.
Do what you love and FINISH your projects.
Thanks, Dana, for reminding me that people still follow their dreams and while trying to help others follow theirs. Nicely done.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodon
www.facebook.com/agodon
I receive a ton of press releases from publicity agents, presses, writers, etc, about new books coming out. But this one stood out to me and here's why--
1) She spelled my name correctly (yay!) and she wrote how she learned about me and my blog:
I discovered your blog last year through Robert Lee Brewer's list of Best Blogs for Writers.
2) She told me immediately why she was writing me ( her new ebook) and it might be helpful or informational for readers of my blog.
3) She gave me an advance copy I could easily pull up with a link.
Normally, I like hardcopies mailed to me as I like to see the quality of the book and keep it on my nightstand to read before bed (yes, that's how I roll, old school), but she had done everything right in this email, and I liked her, so I clicked on the link.
4) She was brief, polite, and sincere. She ended it with what I could do to help her (basically, I like it feel free to mention it to others and friends) and thanked me.
That was it. Basically, 4 steps to a perfect press release or publicity email.
There were no attachments. She bolded the important parts. It was a clean, easy to read email.
And one more thing, when I saw her photograph-- she was incredibly likable looking--
I look a little cranky in my most recent headshot, but because I'm *always* smiling in my others, I went for something new. Anyway, when I saw her photo, I seriously wanted to help her out.
And then as I looked more into this book, I realized she has done all the work. She began writing professionally in 2010 and wrote "in 2010 I was 24" - do the math, it's 2013, she's 27, under 30 and look at what she's doing. I'm hugely impressed with writers who find what they want to do and do it. And finish!
These are the types of women in the world who inspire me.
So here's her new book:
The Writer's Bucket List by Dana Sitar: What I like about this book is that she's young and she did this on her own.
It's not meant for someone whose been writing awhile (though I did enjoy reading her 99 Things to Do as a Writer from type on a typewriter to write a thank you note to your teachers), but these are small ideas (a couple paragraphs for each idea) for someone who wants to be writer, but isn't sure where to begin.
She is there for writers who have decided they'd like to try writing and aren't sure where to begin. I have a feeling we're going to see a lot more from her.
Here's what Dana wrote about The Writer's Bucket List:
In May 2011, I left my job and home in Madison, Wisconsin to move to San Francisco to be a full-time writer. I didn’t know what that meant, and I had no idea how to make it happen. Nonetheless, I started to collect clients, publish stories, and make my living writing and doing what I love.
I’ve been trying to come up with the right response to the readers, friends and colleagues who say to me, “I’d like to do what you’re doing, but…”
I needed a way to say, “So do it already!”
Loudly.
So I wrote a book.
‘A Writer’s Bucket List’ is a launching point for all of the possibilities of being a writer. Instead of another how-to on any kind of writing, this book is a “Why not?” for the writer’s life.
The list is a combination of the unique steps that have formed my career and bolstered my creativity, and the things I haven’t yet had a chance to try. The book offers some conventional and some unconventional steps on the path through a writer’s life, why they matter, and advice for getting started.
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By the way, here's her bio-
Dana Sitar is a freelance journalist and indie author. She shares resources, tips, and tools for writers in search of a path through DIY Writing. She has been writing professionally since 2010, blogging unabashedly since 2011, and traveling perpetually since she discovered that one feature article could purchase enough gas for a cross-country road-trip.
Dana has written for Writer’s Market, The Daily Cardinal, The Onion, Baystages, SF Weekly,Laughspin, and Maximum Ink; as well as dozens of writing and career blogs, including The Creative Penn, Make a Living Writing, and Brazen Life. Her ebook A Writer’s Bucket List: 99 things to do for inspiration, education, and experience before your writing kicks the bucket was released in 2013.
And her website: Dana Sitar http://danasitar.com/
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For me, this is a reminder of what is possible for all of us. 16 years ago, I quit my corporate job to move to a small town and write. Sometimes I forget that. Sometime I forget I'm a writer. Or feel scattered.
But seeing what she has done inspires me.
Do what you love and FINISH your projects.
Thanks, Dana, for reminding me that people still follow their dreams and while trying to help others follow theirs. Nicely done.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
January 26, 2013
Weekend Artist: Loren Kantor creates Jack Kerouac as a Woodcut Print #poets
Check out Loren Kantor and his blog Woodcutting Fool http://woodcuttingfool.blogspot.com/
Here's his artistic take on Jack Kerouac:
You can see it on his blog here and read more about Mr. Kerouac by following this link-- http://woodcuttingfool.blogspot.com/2012/11/jack-kerouac.html and see more of his work on the blog.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodon
www.facebook.com/agodon
Here's his artistic take on Jack Kerouac:
You can see it on his blog here and read more about Mr. Kerouac by following this link-- http://woodcuttingfool.blogspot.com/2012/11/jack-kerouac.html and see more of his work on the blog.
~ Kells
~ Click here to subscribe to Book of Kells by email or in your favorite readerKelli Russell Agodonwww.facebook.com/agodon
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