Residency Update

I’m Half way through my Writing Stay

It was a rough start, but now, halfway through my residency, I’ve found my stride. I’ve sent out a manuscript. Worked on new poems for my second collection, Black in Nature, and I’m working on a chapbook version of Traumaland, my first poetry collection.

Palette Poetry has a chapbook contest with a deadline of August 20th. I’ll still be here in Eureka Springs, finishing up my residency. I am working on a new collection of poems for Traumaland to submit to the contest. The final judge is Danez Smith, one of my poetry idols. I’ve met Smith a few times over the past ten years of my poetry career.

I’ve been falling Danez Smith’s career since he published and won a chapbook contest with Button Poetry. The chapbook was entitled Black Movie. That chapbook was the launching pad for Smith’s incredible poetry career. His full-length collection, Don’t Call Us Dead, was the premier poetry collection when it was released. Smith won numerous awards for Don’t Call Us Dead.

During his career, Smith appeared at several workshops and writing retreats. I met him at The Watering Hole, Tin House, and the Boston Book Festival. I was thrilled when he remembered me from Tin House. Now, he’s the final judge for the Palette Poetry contest.

So far I’ve typed up five poems. I’ll try for five more today. The minimum is twenty pages and the maximum is 30 pages. I’ll go for 25 pages. I have some time before the deadline. I’ll also transfer some poems from my other pages and revise them. Some of the poems needed to be updated. I‘ll give them new life.

I hope I reach Smith’s desk. I would love to win, but being a finalist has some benefits, too. I could still get a book deal. A finalist position could lead me to other publications. I still need to see my work in Poetry, American Poetry Review, and other major poetry publications. A good word from Danez Smith could definitely help my career as a poet.

I’m ready to make bigger movies in the poetry world. I want to see my collection in bookstores and on Amazon. I want to be able to travel for my work and get more residencies. I want to be able to teach at workshops and universities. I am ready to move beyond public education, My poetry will take me places!