Kern Carter's Blog, page 49
March 29, 2022
March 28, 2022
Just like a Rock
I have woken up from my dreams where I am accepted for what I am.
I have now entered the reality where I have accepted myself for what I am.
Photo by Ben Karpinski on Unsplash
The fear of losing them
gave me the strength to bear my own loss.
The wish to keep them happy
turned out to be my biggest despair.
The words I used to console them with,
were the words they returned as poisoned arrows.
They fear losing me because I am important to them,
My importance is equivalent to their need in grief.
After knowing all this,
Just like a lifeless rock, I stand for them, not to respond, but to listen to them.
After all I do, I am still questioned for not responding.
My stillness, my silence, and my worth are questioned.
But now it doesn’t matter.
Just like a rock; I choose to be stable,
to bear the harsh sun, layers of sand, and the aggressive rain.
I hope that my resistance will not go in vain.
I will be felt by those footsteps choosing to walk on the sand.
I will place myself beneath
so that they can walk with ease.
I will still be known for my coldness,
and not my toughness.
Everyone is unaware of the layers I hide within myself.
Each layer has a story behind what I am now.
My story won’t be revealed unless I am broken,
and breaking me is not so simple.
My tiniest particle will survive,
That’s why, just like a rock,
I choose to be stable.
Just like a Rock was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Call For Submissions — The Moment That Changed You
We all remember it. That moment you can picture in your mind without even closing your eyes.
For me, there are several moments. The obvious one is the birth of my daughter, but there are others that have shifted my life in ways that I never would have anticipated. The time I turned down becoming a teacher to continue my pursuit of a writing career. I’m still feeling that one now and it happened over a decade ago. Gaining full custody of my daughter was another one. I can write novels about that experience. Maybe I will…
For this week’s writing prompt, choose a moment in your life when everything changed. Share what happened and how it shifted you.
Same rules as always:You can submit to this or ANY of our past writing prompts. Just scroll through our previous newsletters. They’ll be marked “Call for Submissions.”If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.Special thanks to Nancy Blackman for this week’s Call For Submission idea. We’ll be sending out a new prompt every day this week so hope you’re ready to get writing.
[image error]Call For Submissions — The Moment That Changed You was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
March 27, 2022
March 24, 2022
The Art of Scamming?
Photo by Geri Mis on UnsplashHow do we define the worth
Of one’s creations?
Does one create to be heard
Or to be valued—
And does one’s value
Enable them to be heard?
Can one’s worth be more
Than a mere value—
A price tag
On all the years of experience—
Or a lack of such
Only to be discovered by luck
While the others sit and sulk
After all the tears that have been dried upon
One’s pillow, at night
Out of sight from those who bask in their own lights
Of a price that has been set by the eyes of the elite—
Those who can afford to have such things that shine
Under the rays of sunlight?
Is it all just a scam
In the hands of those who can
Take and sell as they wish without even a bat
Of an eye because they are part of a society that
Turns a blind eye to the growing plutocrats
While the rest are left to fester in a pestilent nest that receives none but spat—
Or is it all an art in itself
That has manifested from both the ones who expose all of one’s self
And the ones who show none at all
Into the art on display—
The value of which is whatever the price they are willing to pay?
©2022 A.X. Bates
[image error]The Art of Scamming? was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
March 22, 2022
Writers vs The Big City
Image by Dawson LavelleI want you to read this first line slowly: The average cost of a detached home in Toronto, the city I’ve called home since I was six, is over $2 million.
The average cost of any home in Toronto — including townhome, condo, and detached — is over $1.3 million. To purchase a home in our city, you need to put 20% down. That means you’ll need to save $260,000 to purchase a home in this city. First time homeowners can get away with 10%; that’s $130,000.
Last year, Toronto was ranked the second least affordable city in all of North America. And yes, less affordable than New York.
I mention New York because the two cities have a lot in common. There’s only a three degree difference in weather, they’re both major east coast cities with several sports teams, and they both brag about their arts scenes. The last point is why we’re all here today.
Writers and artists living in big citiesNot a day goes by in Toronto where there isn’t some kind of play or exhibition or author reading or a performance of some kind. I’ve sat on the grass of Trinity Bellwood's Park next to Margaret Atwood as we watched and listened to George Elliot Clarke perform one of his award winning poems. I’ve purchased pieces from local artists hosting exhibitions at galleries where I’m cool with the owners. I’ve gone to countless readings and immersed myself into the writing and arts community and have enjoyed nearly every moment of it.
I’m also fortunate because I earn a six figure income. This has allowed me to pay rent in a west-end neighbourhood near the core of the city. I can take a streetcar or subway and frequent any of the events I mentioned within twenty minutes. My circumstance is not normal.
The average content writer in Toronto earns just over $50,000/year. Editors in Toronto make about $57,000/year with Senior Editors making close to $70,000/year.
Since purchasing a home is not even in the discussion, let’s talk about rent. As per March of 2022, the average rent in Toronto is $2,044/month. That’s for a one bedroom. If you’re looking for a two bedroom, you’ll need to fork up $2,778. On a $50,000 yearly income, many writers, artists and creative people I know are rooming up, regardless of their age. It’s become a basic sacrifice if you want to live in the city.
The contradictionToronto really is a beautiful city, and I’m using Toronto as a microcosm for other big cities who brag about their arts scenes. The reality is that purchasing a home for writers is pretty much impossible. Fine. Maybe homeownership is not a thing for my generation. But since renting is our only option, it’s still difficult to survive in the city on a $50k income; nearly impossible without some serious sacrificing.
Image by Matthew PerryAnd what if you want to commute all of the book readings, art galleries, plays, dances, and other creative performances the city has to offer? It seems contradicting that a city filled with so much artistic expression makes it impossible for its artists to live within its borders.
And the issue is layered. We can’t speak of affordability without mentioning compensation. But if you live in Toronto, you know that many of our presses are indie. And those indie presses rely on grants to sustain (more on that later). The most lucrative approach for writers is actually to freelance. More specifically, copywriting is the path to making the most money. But with copywriting, you produce a lot of content that you may not necessarily be passionate about, so there’s a bit of give and take. A lot, actually.
For editors, taking side jobs is what’s necessary to supplement their income. They still get to help writers and do what they love, but it also means working many more hours on top of their full-time job. Again, it’s a give and take, but a necessary one if you want to live in the city.
So what can be done?I do want to give Toronto (and Canada) credit. We do have fairly robust grant programs. TAC, OAC and CAC are city, provincial and national grants that many writers and artists have taken advantage of. You can receive six figure grants to produce a screenplay or five figure grants to produce a book. They offer marketing grants, grants for digital creations, plus many more opportunities to fund your creative ideas. This doesn’t address the general cost of living issue, but it helps.
Affordable housing is a more direct solution that speaks to the core of the problem. According to the city of Toronto, as of July of 2021, “There are 105 active affordable rental and supportive housing project in the development pipeline representing approximately 10, 400 homes.”
We need more of this, and not just for the writers and artists. It does the city no good to price out the creators who make the city alluring in the first place. Writers and artists shouldn’t be fighting against their cities, we should be embraced. And no I’m not talking about handouts, I’m simply speaking about affordability.
Did you enjoy this piece? I’m an author who genuinely loves studying the publishing industry, so follow and share if you’re down for the ride. I’ll keep dropping weekly insights on how publishing connects to pop culture.
While you’re here, read my new novel, BOYS AND GIRLS SCREAMING.
[image error]Writers vs The Big City was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
