I checked my Submittable account and I currently have 50 different submissions out for publication consideration. Some of these--a lot of them, actually--are manuscript submissions for Sonnets for Post-Divorce Photosynthesis, but several are also submissions of individual poems; anywhere from 3 to 10 are sent in at a time. I haven't been this actively submitting … Continue reading A Little Breathing Room
Yesterday was the first day that I read poetry voraciously in quite some time. After work, I went home, grabbed a couple of books (Matt Hart's Sermons & Lectures and C.T. Salazar's American Cavewall Sonnets) and I went outside, sat in my backyard with the warm sun glaring down on me, and I read a … Continue reading Just a Crack
This last weekend I went to a local writing conference with my brother. The community college we both attended hosts an annual writer's conference and last month, they mailed out cards to promote it. My brother saw the card I was sent and asked me if I wanted to go. It had been years since … Continue reading Writing Conferences and Sequential Poems
Yesterday I met up with my best friend for dinner. It had been a while since she and I had seen each other, and it was a much needed couple of hours. One thing that stood out to me afterwards was the ways in which we are always evolving into, out of, and around vulnerability. … Continue reading The Vulnerability Conversation
Sometimes our writing journey/process has to evolve. As individuals we're always changing, always evolving, always adapting. New jobs, new college, new homes, new relationships, etc. all impact our daily routines and, as a result, our writing practices have to change, too. In my M.F.A. program, one of our faculty mentors talked about what it means … Continue reading Writing Journey Evolution
Well, it's official: I am completely done with my college education. I received a HIGH PASS on my thesis, which I truly didn't think I'd get. Not because I thought there was something wrong with my writing, but because I've never written a scientific thesis before. It was an original, traditional research thesis with not … Continue reading High Pass and the Exhilarate
It's May 4 (Happy Star Wars Day!) and I am in a bit of shock. Not because anything horrible has happened, but because 1) we are almost halfway through 2026 and that's more than a little unbelievable, and 2) so much has happened already this year, it feels like my life will be unrecognizable by … Continue reading May and the Almost Half-Year Mark
It's official: I have completed the last assignments of my third master's degree! There's a chance that I may have to do some revisions on my thesis; NYU's process is, once students submit their theses, the class professor and one other anonymous faculty member read the thesis and give a grade of high pass, pass, … Continue reading Nothing Quite Like It
It’s been a LONG time, ya’ll. I’m not even sure when my last post was, but there’s a lot that needs to be updated. Books that have been published, milestones accomplished, degrees that have been completed. So buckle in…this might be a long one. My last post, it seems, was posted in December of 2024. … Continue reading Update After Long Absence
The weather is starting to shift, and that means we're nearing the end of summer and heading into the beginning of autumn! This is my favorite time of year. The leaves change colors, the weather gets cooler, crisper, and the everything comes alive with magic. It might be basic to say, but autumn is and … Continue reading Changing Seasons and Open Doors
I'm entering a new phase in my life. There's a lot going on in so many different aspects of my daily existence, and I can sense that it means there's a shift coming. Big or small, there are things getting set in motion that will lead me in a new direction, and I am excited … Continue reading The Art of Going Slow
So much has happened in my life since the last time I gave an update, it's hard to know where to begin. Sometimes I wonder if life fills with dips and hills and switchbacks just to keep us on our toes. Let's start with the biggest change: I ended a four year relationship about three … Continue reading August Skies and Long Goodbyes
I officially have the appointment to start the process of getting my passport! I have been saying that I would do this for years, but I've never have because I couldn't find my birth certificate. So I had to order a copy of my birth certificate from the state where I was born, and that … Continue reading Passports and other Adultings
Sometimes we have to give ourselves the "honest talk." I am a firm believer in doing what we can to de-stigmatize conversations surrounding mental health. Too much of society -- especially western society -- ignores the rising percentages of people reporting struggles with depression, anxiety, and other conditions that impact one's mental health, and it … Continue reading More on Mental Health
Yep, we are going to get into it. If you've read my novel, A Kiss of Glass, then you know there are a couple of sex scenes. They are what I would call mildly spicy with some explicit content, but nothing that I would call a full sex scene. There's enough that the reader gets … Continue reading Writing Sex Scenes