Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 81

How to have a Successful Writing Retreat/Residency...

Haunted Castle I could see from my window.  No ghost appeared though.


Blog Request:  How to Have a Successful Writing Retreat--



I am back from an almost week long writing retreat in Victorian town on the sea.  While there I wrote some of the best poems I've written in months, more than months.  And I revised.  All these *almost* poems that have been hanging out in my life, they are done done done.



I've been meaning to blog about writing retreats/residencies and how to be have a good one  (as well as how to be a good roomie) for my "blog requests" that have come in, and well, since I'm just back from one, I think it would be a good time to go over a few things...





1)  Before you go, kill the word "retreat" in your vocabulary & replace it with "residency"--



We are very comfortable with the words "writing retreat," but I learned when I said this to people who were not writers they thought I was going up for a week with 2 good friends to drink wine, get pedicures, relax, hang out, do jigsaws.  I'm not exactly what they thought I'd be doing, but apparently, when much of the world hears "retreat" they do not think "work."



I will be honest with you, I worked about 10-14 hours a day on my writing while I was there.  I love what I do, I love to write, so it doesn't feel like "work" - but dear friends, there were no pedicures.  Or jigsaws.



Using the word "residency" with people helped them remember, I wasn't just "retreating" from my life, my responsibilities to go up and relax.





2)  Retreats do not need to be in castles & you don't need to be far away --



I went on an incredible writing residency in December.  It was luxurious apartments with views of the water.  We were each given our own study.  We were referred to "scholars" on all the correspondence.  It was divine and I understood why so many writers I knew went to this place.



But it was a long day getting there.  For me, 2 ferry rides and a long drive.  I left at 9 am to catch the ferry from my house and arrived there at 4:15 pm  - A lot of my travel time was sitting and waiting for a ferry or waiting on a ferry.  Still, 7 hours there and 5 hours back.



This residency I came back from was a 45 minute drive from my house.  45 minutes and I was in a new world.



The setting was just as beautiful, but the accommodations were definitely less.  No heated tile floor or slate shower.  We were basically in 1945 military housing.  But it was still perfect.



For me, it's worth it to have it closer.  I don't have all the time in the world.  I have X number of days I can use for devoted writing time.  I don't want to spend a half of day in travel.



3.  Bring what you need --





One of the husbands said about another writer I was with, "With all these things that you've packed, it feels as if you've been deployed to Iraq for a year..."



I overpacked too.  Mostly with books.  But also long & short sleeve shirts.  And food.



The bonus though-- I didn't have to leave once to drive to town to get something.  I shut the door and didn't have to leave.  I was completely out of the real world.  And I loved it.





4.  Bring your Retreat Mind Back --



So I'm back.  I realized again how much I love being cut off from things -- the internet, facebook, the news, etc.



For one week, I was obsessed with my new manuscript.  I was having dreams about my manuscript and research at night, in the shower I couldn't stop thinking about poems, on walks things fell into place in my mind.  I would finish a poem and feel euphoric.



I am working on keeping this feeling, momentum, less-internet, more everything else, feeling in my life.  Honestly, already I feel it slipping away.



But I am trying to be more mindful about my choices.  I can choose to "disconnect" from the things that take my energy.  I can choose what I watch, what I listen to, who I talk with.  I can choose what I do with my time.



And this is what residencies do back, they give you time to write and also to remember priorities.



It was a great week for me.  I am proud of what I did, how I used my time and that I even wrote some new poems I'm excited about.  And to know, I found a place so close to my house that can be there for me when I need it.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Happy Easter... (Can you see the Edgar Allan Poe egg?)

Or maybe "Eggar" Allan Poe


I'm back from my writing residency and once I catch up on my life, will catch up with you on my blog.



If you celebrate Easter, hope it was happy and sweet-filled.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Getting Back to the Simple Life: Bakelite Tube Radios (Thankful Thursday)

This is my mood-changer.  It's a vintage tube radio I purchased about 14 years ago when I moved to this small town from an antique store going out of business.  I paid $20 for it and it has saved me thousands in therapy bills.



Here's the thing, I have a 1940's soul.  My soul, while appreciates and loves technology, likes being disconnected, likes an open calendar, likes to think (can spend hours just thinking), and daydream.  Growing up and even today, this is a comment heard about me at any family gathering, "Kelli, are you in your head again?" "Oh, she's in her own little world."



And I am.  My world now includes this radio in my morning routine.



I realized yesterday during an over-the-top spring cleaning and stuff purge, that I had placed this favorite radio on a shelf just enough off to the side of things that it wasn't being turned on.  So I moved it.  And now, I begin my mornings turning it on and listening to the Spanish station or the Oldies station.



Hearing music through this old radio calms me.  It doesn't sound like a normal radio, there is that lovely nostalgic sound you only hear when they turn on a radio in old movies.  And there's no instant satisfaction--it's a tube radio, which means, when I turn it on, I hear nothing until the tube warms up and slowly the music begins.



So I've been thinking about these little things in our lives that ground us, that bring joy and a little art to our lives.  When I look at this radio, I feel inspired.  When I listen to it, even more so.



This is why I need to live in a more simple, calming matter.  If I don't, I miss the details.  I miss turning on the radio and being taken back to the swing years and beyond.  I miss the beauty of what was, of a well-made item.  I think about the person before this who had this in his or her home.  I think about the history of this radio traveling into my life.



If I were to pick up an AM radio from any of our stores, I wouldn't have the art and inspiration that living should have.  But this old radio, it brings me into the world in a more connected way.  And I'm trying to just keep only my favorite things in my life, and this one, well, this radio will be carried through this life with me and move from home to home, wherever I go.



And when I turn it on, the whole space fills with this old ridiculous joy.  It's magic that way.  There aren't many things you can buy for $20 that pay off with riches in so many other ways.  This little guy does that.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Confession Tuesday -

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Dear Reader,



It's been 7 days since my last confession, with 11 days left in National Poetry Month and one poem in your pocket day...let's just begin.



To the confessional--





I confess I dislike "Poem in your Pocket" (PIYP) day, mostly because of the name.  Could they have thought of something a little less creepy?



I confess when I hear PIYP day, I become a little Mae West and think, "Is that a poem in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"



I confess, I may keep a poem in my pocket, but I would probably not share it with a stranger.  A friend?  Yes.



~



I confess I was surprised that my last confession about ghosts didn't get even one comment on someone's own ghost story.  I confess now I wish I would have waited until October to confess this instead of during daffodil season.



I confess timing is everything.



~



I confess I'm currently working on manuscript 3.  I am really excited about this manuscript even though I'm not sure what I'm doing.  But I'm really excited while I'm doing it.



I confess this manuscript idea came to me while driving up the hill in a 25 mph zone (and a zone where I've received a ticket before!) and by the time I got home and to my desk to write it down 5 minutes later--it was gone.



I confess doing the blog post about how to put together a manuscript brought it back.



I confess I feel as if I've confessed all this before.  Am I repeating myself?



~



I confess I used to love it when the warehouse guy at my old company used to refer to our work as "The Department of Redundancy Department."



I confess I'm happy I don't have an "old company" anymore to work for, though freelancing is challenging.  Though freelancing is challenging, I have more time.



~

I confess every action is a choice.  I know this.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that feelings are choices too.



~



I confess this confession feels kind of Easter eggish, kind of every color on the rainbow and I've been rolling around in the orange dye a little too long, a little many ideas in my hardboiled mind.



Amen.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Where in the World is Kelli Agodon?

I'm going to be out and about this week---actually, this is a lie--I'm going to be in and focused, working diligently on some of my own writing projects, so I won't be blogging this week except for Confession Tuesday & Thankful Thursday.



If you do see a blog post other than the Tuesday/Thursday ones from me, it means I'm not working on what I'm supposed to, so please call me out on it.  (Thank you, I appreciate your tough love, if needed).





And in case you were curious, here are my two projects I'm focusing on this week--



1)  Manuscript 3 (poems)



2) A memoiry-type creative non-fiction piece on the challenges of leaving the "real" world to go on a retreat and the challenge that face us when we return.



~



And here's what I'll be pondering while I'm away (feel free to ponder it as well)--



What are the possibilities in trusting your art?





Or...What are the possibilities when you trust your art?





~



Feel free to leave comments about that while I'm away...Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

The FINAL List - For the Big Poetry Book Giveaway 2011! 126+ Free books of poems here:

Dear Friends,



Well, we have 63 Bloggers participating in this poetry giveaway.  Thank you all who have donated your books and your favorite books to spread a little poetry into the world.



We've officially closed taking bloggers for this National Poetry Month event, but these giveaways will continue to go on through April.  And I was browsing the books today-- and wow, there are some great books that will be in some lucky reader's hands soon.



I will be away from email for the next week (I'll explain a bit more about that tomorrow), but it's all good, I've got a week of my own work ahead of me, so continue to have a Happy Poetry Month.



Here's the FULL AND FINAL LIST ---

(click on the blog name to enter into the drawing):







BIG POETRY GIVEAWAY! -- List of Blogs Participating...A. Book of Kells: Kelli Russell Agodon
B. Jessie Carty Blog: Jessie Carty
C. November Sky Poetry: Christine Klocek-Lim
D. Being Poetry: Erin Hollowell
E. WordGathering: Margo Roby
F. Danka's World: Danica Grunert
G. Utopian Fragments: Guy Traiber
H. Ribbons of Intonation: Jim K.
I. Wait! I Have a Blog?!: Kathleen Kirk
J. Latoyalikestowrite: LaToya Jordan
K. Modern Confessional: Collin Kelley
L. One Poet's Notes: Edward Byrne
M. Tribe of Mad Orphans: Ren Powell
N. Ophelia Unraveling: Carol Berg
O. The Scrapper Poet: Karen J. Weyant
P. The Alchemist's Kitchen: Susan Rich
Q. Matthew Thornburn Blog: Matthew Thornburn
R. Naming Constellations: Joseph Harker
S. Drowning the Field: Katie Cappello
T. Who are "They" & Other Writing Advice: Laura Moe
U. Red Lion Square: Amy Watkins
V. Poet 2.0: Iris Jamahl Dunkle
W. Art Happens 365: Margaret Bednar
X. Alphabet Soup: Jama Rattigan
Y. The Lizard Meanders: Luisa Igloria
Z. Fredericks' Reflections: O.P.W. Fredericks
Za. One Man's Trash: Justin Evans
Zb. Joe's Jacket: Stephen Mills
Zc. Myself the only Kangaroo Among the Beauty: Sandy Longhorn
Zd. Risa's Pieces: Risa Denenberg
Ze. Ghosts in Parentheses: Barry Napier
Zf. Notes fro the Gefilter Review: Jehanne Dubrow
Zg. A View from the Potholes: Marie Gauthier
Zh. Habit of Poetry: Rita Mae Reese
Zi. Desire Seven Small Delicious Fruit: Cati Porter
Zj. The Graphic Haibuneer: Cindy Bell
Zk. Dear Outer Space: Laura E. Davis
Zl. Lorna Dee Cervantes Blog: Lorna Dee Cervantes
Zm. Jeannine Blogs: Jeannine Hall Gailey
Zn. Kristin Berkey-Abbott Blog: Kristin Berkey-Abbott
Zo. Writing With Celia: Celia Lisset Alvarez
Zp. Weaving a New Eden: Sherry Chandler
Zq. Rachel Dacus: Rocket Kids
Zr. Poemeleon: Cati Porter
Zs. Brian Spears Blog: Brian Spears
Zt. On Writing: Tawnysha Greene
Zu. 32 Poems: Deborah Ager
Zv. Put Words Together. Make Meaning.: DJ Vorreyer
Zw. Shiva's Arms: Cheryl Snell
Zx. Proof of Blog: Luke Johnson
Zy. The Monster's Flashlight: Nancy Lili
Zz. Frontal Junkyard: Marie-Elizabeth Mali
Zza. Feather's From the Muse's Wings: Odilia Galván Rodríguez
Zzb. Pokey Mama: Amy Dryansky
Zzc. One Hundred Forks: Tess Duncan
Zzd. Universe of Sound: Mary Virginia Cooley
Zze. The Perpetual Bird: Joseph Hutchinson
Zzf. Battered Hive: Shawnte Orion
Zzg. Natural Parents Network: Lauren Wayne
Zzh. Elizabeth Austen Blog: Elizabeth Austen
Zzi. Life is a Patchwork Quilt: Valerie
Zzj. Selvage: Linda Dove
Zzk. Hobo Mama: Lauren Wayne
Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Poem on the Rumpus!

Art by Sophia Blackall (she has an Etsy shop too, see the end of the post for more details)




I'm on the Rumpus today... I mean, my poem is!





Click here to see what you think.  It's a classified ad poem, a missed connection (also the title).  





Thanks, Rumpus!





~



And I just found the artist who did that wonderful image above, Sophie Blackall, and here's a link to her Etsy shop for more of her work & prints for sale.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Writing Week....Upcoming

I hope this blog posts finds you doing something creative.  I will be.  I will be soon.  I am.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Art by Sophia Blackall (she has an Etsy shop too, see t...

Art by Sophia Blackall (she has an Etsy shop too, see the end of the post for more details)




I'm on the Rumpus today... I mean, my poem is!





Click here to see what you think.  It's a classified ad poem, a missed connection (also the title).  





Thanks, Rumpus!





~



And I just found the artist who did that wonderful image above, Sophie Blackall, and here's a link to her Etsy shop for more of her work & prints for sale.Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com

Need Inspiration? I've got a writing prompt for you...

Here's a new blog that will be having writing prompts, even after National Poetry Month is over.



I was the guest writer this week, so here's my writing prompt based on what happened on this day in history....



(Also, the writing prompts are not just for poetry, but non-fiction & fiction as well...)Kelli Russell Agodon
www.agodon.com