The Next Step in the MS Process, and Thoughts on Poetry Costs and Middle-Aged Poets
For those of you following my health journey, I thought I’d give an update. I met with a third neurologist this week and found that he was both “intrigued and concerned” by my case and was very knowledgeable about what was going on with me. The bad news was the brain damage from the new lesions was more extensive than I originally thought – and the doctor pointed out areas of damage versus areas of inflammation. The vertigo and nausea I have been experiencing, he thought, were definitely caused by a large dark lesion in the center of my brain stem. I have about sixteen lesions, clustered in a certain way that seems consistent with MS. The lesions were large and described as “angry.” One of the funnier things he said was ‘With this amount of brain damage, I’d expect your symptoms to be much worse.” So he was pleased with the progress I’d made since August, even though my walking still includes a lot of stumbling and shaking. He also showed me the pictures of a “typical MS” brain compared to my own – and they were almost identical. He thought the only testing needed was a few more blood tests and another MRI to get the MS treatment go ahead from the insurance – and I now have the official diagnosis of “CNS Demyelinating Disease” on my charts. Virginia Mason is also known to have some of the best vestibular physical therapy in town, even though this neurologist said the treatment is more successful with people whose lesions are outside the brain stem, not in the center of it, he was willing to write me a prescription to see if it helps. I was pleased with both the fact that he had researched my case and the specifics of my other conditions and seemed interested in talking to my other doctors, because that will be important when we start talking possible MS treatment options. We’re set to talk again before Thanksgiving.
And, my first official post as an MS-blogger is up at HealthCentral! On helping you understand your new MS diagnosis and the books I liked: https://www.healthcentral.com/article/books-for-ms-newly-diagnosed
Here are a few pics if you’re interested in what the Northwest looks like in fall. Pretty leaves – then – suprise – snow!
The other ideas that have been occupying my mind has been two discussions about poetry on Facebook.
Disappearing Midlife Poets
One was about midlife and mid-career poets being overlook and ignored. I wrote a little bit about this a few years ago, using Ellen Bass as a test case for this phenomenon in women (though the discussion on Facebook was started by a male poet, an old blogger friend who also happens to be a pretty good critic.) Here’s a link to the essay on The Rumpus in case you are interested:
http://therumpus.net/2016/01/the-amazing-disappearing-woman-writer-on-ellen-bass-and-how-to-avoid-a-disappearing-act/
There was some discussion about the sheer number of books being published, and the public’s obsession with the young and the new, the first book, and the scarcity of attention paid to poetry overall. As a poet with five books now, it does seem like it is hard to get attention when you’re not sparkly and new and sending around your first book. Especially if you don’t have a large press or amount of publicity behind your book. So it’s a question of why do you publish in the first place, and if you are comfortable with being read by a small number of people, and how hard you want to work to be heard in the crowded market.
How Much Should You Spend on Fees While Trying to Get Your Poetry Book Published?
The other conversation, which seems somehow related, was by a younger poet who was wondering if she was spending too much on first book contest fees and reading fees. It’s expensive! So it’s a good question. The truth is you can spend $1000 in a year easily if you’re not pretty picky about where you send your book. But the other truth is, you’re poetry is probably only a good fit for about a fourth of those markets. Traditional publishers and experimental publishers won’t like your work easily – and cutting-edge, youth-oriented publishers are looking for something different than Copper Canyon or Graywolf. My advice was to set a budget for yourself for the year, and try to include a mix of fee-based contests or open readings and places that allow you to query or send your manuscript for free, which will help your poetry dollar go farther. Also, be sure to do some research – like, at least looking at a book from the library from the presses you’re sending to. That will help ensure you’re sending to places you at least know you like. Also, send to places that have sent you notes or liked your work or made your MS a finalist in the past. (That’s for poets who’ve been at this for a while.) For the big contests, like Yale Younger or Walt Whitman, I certainly don’t have any winning tips, but I think you should at least try for them, because who knows? Those are really like the lottery. Also, in the meantime, build up your poetry audience by sending your individual poems out to lit mags and trying out your social media outlets – Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. It’s never too early to think about how you’re going to help promote your book when it finally does come out.
