Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 64

You're Invited: New Year's Poetry Resolution Party (Online Poetry Class for Generating New Work)

A couple poets asked me create a schedule in the new year that would help them generate new work.  So I did.



I asked myself: what would be the best way to begin 2012 writing poems?  I came up with a 5-day schedule where I would email them a poetry writing prompt each day and they would write a poem to email back to me, which I would then respond to.



Because they asked, I wondered if others were interested too, so I decided to offer this 5-day online class to 5 (maybe 6) other writers who may be interested in starting off 2012 writing a poem a day.





Here are the details--



WHAT:

An online event to generate 5 new poems in the new year.



Starting January 2nd at 12:01 am, I will send a writing exercise to your email inbox.  You have that full day to write a new poem and email it back to me.  When I receive your poem, I will offer ideas for revision, any edits (grammatical or otherwise), and other comments.



On January 3rd, we will do this again, and again on January 4th and continue to do this until Friday when you will have spent the first week of 2012 beginning new poems.



WHEN:

Monday, January 2nd - Friday January 7th, 2012



WHO:

The first 5 poets who sign up.  I would love offer this to everyone, but I want to make sure I have enough time to respond thoughtfully to each of you.



COST:  

Sliding Scale Fee:  $85 - $125 for the week

(you decide what price feels right to your situation)



Note: if you pay by check, you can send any amount between $85-$125 that you feel comfortable with.  If you pay by PayPal, the price is in $5 increments beginning at $85







WHAT does this include:


5 exercises sent to your email inbox from me
A personal response with edits, suggestions, ideas, and my thoughts on each poem you write during the week.
And a postcard valentine in February mailed to your home from me (just because I think it's fun to send and receive real mail)



How do I sign up?



Drop me an email at kelli (a) agodon.com to let me know you're interested and I'll hold your spot and let you know where to send your check.



Or just pay by PayPal here:









Sliding Scale Fee for Poetry Resolutions New Work Party--
Option 1 $85.00 USD Option 2 $90.00 USD Option 3 $95.00 USD Option 4 $100.00 USD Option 5 $105.00 USD Option 6 $110.00 USD Option 7 $115.00 USD Option 8 $120.00 USD Option 9 $125.00 USD










Again, this will be offered at first come, first serve.  When the class is full, I'll update (or delete) this post.



If you have any questions, drop me an email  kelli (a) agodon.com or leave me it in the comments section of this post.



I plan on writing a poem a day as well.  A great way to begin 2012!
Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Tips to Help You Create Your Website (for Writers, Poets, & Authors)

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On Monday, I blogged about how I think all writers, poets, and authors should have their own website, here's a few more tips for those of you who are moving forward and creating one.



(Also, again for those who asked-- yes, I use iPage & yes, I did it all myself & no, I have never had a class in creating websites, I am 100% self-taught.)



Tips, Ideas, & Suggestions:









1)  Purchase your domain name & keep it simple:



a)  You can do this directly through iPage if you sign up with them to host your site, but also through places like Register.com, NetworkSolutions.com and a big famous one I won't mention because I don't like how they portray women in their Super Bowl ads (but their name rhymes with SoSaddy).



b)  You want an easy site to say.  I can just say agodon.com and people can find me if they have my last name spelled correctly.  Had I named it kelliagodon.com then I'm sure a majority of people would end up here:  kellyagodon.com  because most people spell Kelly with y.



Try not use hyphens or underscores if you can help it.  It's a lot harder to say, "My website is Kelli with an i underscore Agodon," then just find me at agodon.com.



Just imagine yourself writing and saying this website a thousand times, have it be as easy to spell and to remember as possible!





2)  Think Simple when creating your website.



The best thing someone ever told me about websites is to view yours as a billboard not pamphlet.  Meaning-- people are searching the web and are taken by images and short easy to read sentences, not a lot of words.



You can have this though.  If you find high school students are emailing you a lot for Frequently Asked Questions or a longer bio, include it on your bio page, just not on your main page where people arrive to.



People want to greeted with lovely, inspiring, interesting images of you and what you do, not something they feel they might be graded on later.





3)  No Sears Author Photos--



If I could fix the one thing that drives me nuts about writers, is the "Author Photo." No blue pull-down backgrounds, a la Sears or JC Penneys or anything cheesy.  Remember, we don't know you in the real world, you teach us what to think of you through your photo.



Lasers & Cat also not the best idea.


Go with something natural taken by a good friend or someone who loves you.  Or splurge and get a great author photo done by a photographer you admire.



I believe classic before trendy, glamorous before trashy, iconic before ick.



Believe me, I've struggled, still struggle with my photo, so this isn't coming from a place of always doing it right. I once said to my husband, "I need something in my photo to make me look whimsical" and he replied, "The fact that you are planning to be whimsical, means you're not."  Um, this is true.  So my advice is-- work with who you are.





4)  Have Fun, but Keep it Professional--



I love coming to authors' websites and being surprised.  But I also like being able to navigate my way around their site too.



I once went to a site that had a beautiful entrance screen where a cool line-drawn bird was flying by with the person's name.  When I saw it I felt as if I had discovered the coolest website ever.  However, things changed quickly. I basically sat at this page clicking all over the page trying to make the page open, but couldn't figure it out.  Then I realized I was to grab the bird and carry it with my cursor to its nest.  This was like one of those carnival games where the basketball is too big for the hoop.  By the time, I finally had cute bird in nest, I wanted nothing to do with this person as I was so annoyed.



As artists, we definitely want our personality to come out, but we also need to remember, we're creating this to help others learn about us and our work.







5)  Have the main page showcase what you most want to share.  



Currently, my main page has my book because that's why people were mostly going to my page this year, to buy my book.  But this next year, I'll probably switch it back to being more of an "Author Website," as it was, which basically shows me, my books, and my projects.



I always think a photo of the person on the first page is important.  I know as a visual person who doesn't remember names on their own, if I can see a photo, I can then connect it with a person in my mind.







5)  Organize then create



Figure out what you want to share with your readers and what you feel people may need by coming to your site.  Here's a few ideas of tabs/links to have to take your reader where they need to go:



Bio

Contact

Work Online

Calendar/Readings

Blog

Projects

Books



Some of these can be combined, like Bio/Contact  or Books/Projects if you don't want as many links.



Again, I think it comes down to keeping it simple and easy to access for the people who visit your site.  And when you're done, send your website address to a friend to proof your site and check to make sure all the links are working.





I hope that helps any of you who are considering creating an author page or already have one but want to fix it up a bit.



Happy Webpage Creating!







Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Confession Tuesday - Looking Back

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Paper art by Peter Callesen "Looking Back" - www.petercallesen.com


Dear Reader, 

It feels like Friday, but no, time to confess all I have been up to in the last week.  It's been a good week, with art and friends, lunar eclipses and also time to look back.  Hmmm, what to write about...

To the confessional--

I confess while meeting Susan Rich in downtown Seattle a homeless man stopped me from being hit by a car.  I had just been talking to a friend about how you never know how your life will or can impact someone, how one small action can change the world.

I had just learned about Harry Belafonte on the CBS Morning Show (a fantastic artsy show if you've never watched it).  He was a janitor at an apartment building, for a tip, one of the residents didn't give him money, but 2 tickets to a Broadway play.  Those tickets changed his life.  He said he had never been to a play and walking in, he knew this was what he was meant to do.

Fast forward to last Friday, I'm standing on the street corner looking cranky and a homeless says to me, "Cheer up, it's a long life."  A few minutes he's making sure I don't get hit by a car.  It happened very quickly, but I find myself returning to that moment on the sidewalk when he said, "Cheer up, it's a long life..." 

So I've been thinking about my life, looking back over a year and thinking about what I've done, what I've liked, what I haven't, the time I spent well and the time I let flutter away.



I confess this year has been less about writing and more about creative activities for me.

Much of the year was readings and events for my book.  A year of editing the literary journal, Crab Creek Review and Fire On Her Tongue with Annette Spaulding-Convy (whose book In Broken Latin will be coming out with Univ. of Arkansas Press next year!)

Though much of the year seemed to have vaporized.

I know I spent two weeks in a haunted apartment (on the grounds they filmed "An Officer and a Gentleman") writing poetry.  I know I connected with other poets to write or to attend a reading.  But my memory keeps it all in a cloud (and not the iCloud where things can be pulled back), but the iCan'tRemember cloud where life events vanish.

I confess I am making plans for the coming year.  

I have a few odd goals of finishing a 1/2 marathon (um, I signed up in September because I wanted a medal and now have to go through with it.)

But mostly, I feel kind of scattered.

I confess I'm just not sure my current poems are "good enough."  And what does "good enough" actually mean?  I'm not sure.  But I just want to think they are incredible, but I don't.  

And I'm not sure if the poems aren't good enough or if I'm just being overly critical of them.  Like having the most perfect body, but complaining about your elbow.  I'm afraid my self-doubt might be coming from that place that doesn't appreciate imperfect elbows.

So I confess there's lots of being in my head for the next two weeks.  I always do this as New Year's offers such possibilities for beginnings.  And I love beginnings.  I could begin again and again, reinvent myself with a tiara, horn and confetti.  

There's a lot I want to do next year.  And a lot of time I don't want to give away.I'll be thinking more about this.  

How are you feeling at the end of this year?  Confess here (I have the anonymous option turned on)-- what do you hope for in 2012?

Amen.



Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Do Poets & Writers Need a Website?

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I have been playing around with my website (www.agodon.com) which is hosted by iPage (which I highly recommend!) because if you're a poet or writer (and even just one starting out), you need a web presence.



For many of you who know me and know I tend to lean towards more anti-platform, anti-branding, when it comes to publicity/exposure for writers, so this strictness in my belief might surprise you.  But realize, just because I'm less likely to buy into the hype of building your audience before you build your book, doesn't mean I don't think as writers, poets, and artists that you should haven't have a professional website, web presence and also, take care of the parts of your job (submitting, promoting your book, etc) that aren't quite as artistic.



I'm a Capricorn.  We're practical (and smart).  We know that to keep doing what you are passionate about, you need to cover all the areas, not just the fun parts.  (And actually, I've learned creating a website is pretty fun...and easy).



Having a website helps create the writer you are and/or want to be.  And really, all I'm asking is that if you publish in journals (or plan to), you need to have a way for your readers to find you.



Here's exactly what I do after I read a poem by someone I like.  1)  Go to computer  2) Go to Google.



It's that simple, if I read something I like by a poet, I want more.

When I google your name and I can't find anything about you, I'm disappointed.



So, if you don't have a website for your writer self, consider it a resolution for 2012.



Website hosting I'd recommend:



1)  iPage:  I just moved my domain name here (from Yahoo, which I don't recommend) and am so glad I did.  I have never been trained in website design, but just used a template and their "Weebly Drop & Drag editor" (which I just played around with until I figured it out) until I created what I wanted.



Pros: Inexpensive, easy to use, great customer service & assistance, you can do it yourself (and update it yourself whenever you want!) and not have to pay someone to create your website.



Cons:  It's not free.  If you want more than 5 tabs on your website (I have contact, calendar/blog, poets on the coast, books, consulting) it's extra $$.





2)  Blogger:  I keep a blog on blogger, but I do know others have this as their main writing page.  Blogger now lets you have "Pages," which can work as links to other parts of your website.  Also, you can check in daily.



Pros:  Free! And the page feature is pretty cool!



Cons:  it has "blogspot" in your web-address which I don't like, but I think you can change this to your domain name, but you would have to purchase that separately somewhere else and point it to your blogger acct.  (Something like that.)



3)  Wix.com:  I've made a website on this site a year ago and they are pretty cool.  Here it is.  I was going to switch over and just have it be there, but I realized the bad thing about Wix is that you can't see these webpages on iPads, iPhones or anything that needs Adobe Flash Player.   So while I loved the templates here, I didn't like that iPad users wouldn't be able to visit.



Pros:  Free!  Coolest templates ever.  Stylish, modern, chic.



Cons:  iPad users can't see it because it uses Adobe Flash.





4)  WordPress:  I have never used them, but I've heard great things from people who do. Because I don't have personal experience with them, I can't really offer much on them, but wanted to include them because I've heard many positives from others.



Pros:  Free!



Cons:  I think again, you may have "wordpress" in your website (but honestly, that sounds nicer than "blogspot").





I'll do a post on Wednesday about what I think the best websites have and a few other tips for poets and writers.



Good luck!  I hope you get one!











Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Happy Birthday, Emily Dickinson!

Looking good for 181 years old!







Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Thankful Thursday-- KIVA.ORG!

KIVA.ORG



For yourself or for others...

This a great Christmas gift to give people (you can give giftcards).



Here are the people I've given loans too (a bookstore on in Bolivia, a general store in the Philippines, Motorcycle transport in Cambodia...) --







One of my favorite organizations!   You give small loans to help others' businesses.  And you help them make more than a living, but to make a life.



And I've had all my loans paid back in full.



Check it out and loan in $25 increments.   A pretty incredible way to help out another person.



Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

How Like a Winter (Poem)

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My poem How Like a Winter is on Prairie Schooner's website today --they're rerunning it!  (You can click on this link to read it.)



It's my one-and-only winter/Christmas poem.



(Background story-- I wrote this in grad school while reading this book--

The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets by Helen Vendler








Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Confession Tuesday - The Television Edition

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Dear Reader,



It's been a week of catching up since I last wrote.  A week of starting my Christmas cards, which has led me to turn on the big box in my house that magically dances with images.  You may know this as your television set, but to me, it's a new-fangled contraption with bells and whistles, and the ability to stop time.



Basically, we have cable again, let me explain...

To the confessional--



I confess a few weeks ago we dropped our landline and got cable.



This sounds bizarre, but because we ended up "bundling" with one company, it was actually $80 less a month and took our basic cable (which was just regular TV plus Hallmark & Discovery Channel) to 210 channels.  (I had no freakin' idea there were so many cable channels out there.  I know, I live under rock, that is both my blessing and quirk.)



We now pay $64 a month for high speed internet, cable, and a landline you can call into but we can't call out (We've become kind of like the phone version of the Hotel California).  



And while I know my landline is pretty much the way it was in the 1970's (minus the fact I can only use it to call 911), I hate answering it without the Caller-ID feature.  It's as if I'm playing Russian Roulette with my time-- will it be a telemarketer? a friend? my crazy aunt?



I know for years I answered the phone happily without knowing who was calling.  Now, I live in fear that I will answer it and it will not be the new car, but I will have chosen Door #3 and it's the goat pulling the wagon.



~



I confess that while I haven't watched a lot of television since getting cable (honestly, I can't find anything as shows are numbered into the hundreds and I don't have any channels memorized yet), I started watching 2 shows while doing Christmas cards that I was a little entranced by-- Storage Wars and Pawn Stars.



It's as if they've taken my favorite show (Antique Roadshow) and added treasure hunting.  (And if you happen to be the other person watching this show, my favorite person on Storage Wars is Barry, the older guy who dresses like a hipster.)   Who knew this existed? (Okay, probably a few million people, but I live under a rock, remember.)



~



I confess while we technically *have* cable, I have blocked a lot of channels.



My daughter (whose 11 and in middle school said) while looking over the cable channel guide asked, "Mom, what's MTV?"   What can I say?  We've only had cable 2 years when she was 6, it was blocked then too.



I confess I've also blocked CNN and all the news channels too. Um, except the one with Rachel Maddow on it.  Because I love Rachel Maddow.



With all my blocking, I think we ended up with about 38-45 channels out of our 210-- but they are good ones.



~



I confess while I love Rachel Maddow, she is not the top of my crush list as that spot has been reserved for Conan O'Brien for something like the last 8 years.



~



I confess this cable deal came with a DVR box (it's like a VCR without the tapes).  I'm sure you all knew these existed, but I had no idea.  AND I can pause a television show while watching it and if someone talked in the middle of something I can rewind it.  How weird is that?



I'm guessing many of you have had this feature for years and do not find it fascinating, but I am amazed by it.  We pause the television show.  It freaks me out.  I feel like a small television producer god in my home.  Pause the CBS Sunday Morning Show while I make waffles... can you rewind to the penguins again?   





~



I confess the very best part of all of this is that I went through and taped all the Christmas shows on ABC (Charlie Brown, Rudolph, The Year Without a Santa Claus) and know in my heart, I will *never* miss "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" while we have this device.





Amen.







Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

My Favorite Things: The Tough Economic Times Edition

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Favorite Things (adj., noun), def: things I love (or things I love to do)  Italian favorito, past participle of favorire to favor, from favore favor, from Latin favor, First Known Use: 1583 / Middle English, from Old English, thing, assembly; akin to Old High German ding thing, assembly, Gothic theihs time






I did what I think of as my "Oprah Edition" of Favorite Things here, and while the overused term of "these tough economic times" is one of my *least* favorite things, there are many things that are free or very low cost that are also my favorite things.  





Here's a list of my favorite things with a small price tag or none at all--



1)  Stringing popcorn with my family or making a paper chain where we write down the names of all the people we love.







2)  Watching all the old Christmas shows on ABC, my favorite being The Year Without a Santa Claus (this is the best one because it has Heat Miser & Snow Miser).



3)  Painting Owls on rocks:


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4)  Having Oregon Chai Tea before bed or in front of the fireplace and/or Christmas tree.



5)  This may be a Northwest thing-- but after a windstorm, I go for a walk and pick up fallen evergreen limbs and put them on my porch and on my mantel inside.



6)  Going on an artist date.  Go to a gallery or museum with a notebook and a long afternoon.





7)  Spend 15 minutes writing a poem.





8)  Spend 15 minutes reading the same poem again and again.



9)  Taking a walk with your cellphone or digital camera and taking photos of the beauty of familiar things.



10)  Toilet Paper Tube Book Characters.  Here's Where the Wild Things are--


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11)  Driving around and looking at Christmas lights (with the price of gas, this little activity has gone up, but I still love to do it.)



12)  Christmas Music 24/7 on Seattle's WARM 106.9 FM channel (free streaming here)



13)  Going to a cool old hotel (maybe even fancy-shmancy) with a good book and sit in their decorated lounge area.  For extra flavor, order tea, a martini, or bring a friend.



 In Seattle, I recommend the Sorrento hotel (I meet a group of writers here every so often) and here's where we try to sit, right by the fireplace--











14)  Writing a postcard to someone.


















Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

What I've Been Up To--

First, if you are one of the two readers of this blog who show up here regularly, you will know, this autumn has been sketchy for how much I've been here.  I've managed to make to every Confession Tuesday, but have skipped out on a few Thankful Thursdays and at one point disappeared for a week which caused a few emails of "Are you okay?"



I am okay.



I am okay, but just have had so much going on that my blog slipped into the "optional" section of my Department Store of Time.



Today I looked at my To Do List and it's actually doable!  And you know I'm catching up on things as last night I did laundry AND helped my daughter clean her room (two chores I let slide when I am busy).



What have I been working on?



The big project has been the Fire On Her Tongue: An eBook Anthology of Contemporary Women's Poetry, which should be available later this month.



Annette & I have learned SO much about what poetry can and cannot do in eReaders and the different formats for each of the readers.  PublishGreen has been a huge resource for us.  And they have the kindest people on board to answer questions.



Along with that, the next issue of Crab Creek Review is coming out (we have a great interview with Nin Andrews in it too!)



Also, this September, we began taking email submissions, so along with just putting an issue together, we all had a new procedure to learn.  But from what I've heard from poets and writers, they really appreciate being able to submit electronically and our goal at Crab Creek Review is to appreciate and honor our poets and writers in as many ways as we can, and also make your lives easier for you.  So, we're thrilled you like the new way to submit.



Finally, I have been working on my third manuscript.



I still do not have a great sentence to describe what it is about, but I guess my main theme is learning about life through artwork.



So this is me.



There have been other projects in between such as working with other poets individually to help them with their work, preparing for the next Poets on the Coast writing retreat with Susan Rich, applying for a couple of poet/teaching jobs, and all the things in between.



Mostly, I just wanted to say if you're reading this, thank you for hanging around.





  
Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com