Catching Up & a haiku

Posted on by Colleen M. Chesebro

The last six months have been a whirlwind! We packed up and moved cross country from Arizona to Michigan in January—during a pandemic, no less. Once here, we tackled as many fixer-upper issues as we could in the new house. This will be a process. The dates we received from our contractor have us at Thanksgiving before the kitchen and flooring are done on the first floor. You know, with Covid and all the shortages of products and goods, you do what you can do.

I’ve no idea how I managed to finish Word Craft: Prose & Poetry during this stressful time. All I know was that it was important to write and publish the book. I felt like there was a need for all of us to learn how to write stimulating syllabic poetry. I want to personally thank every one of you for your poetry examples and your encouragement. If you’ve purchased the book, I thank you. I hope it opens the floodgates to other forms of poetry for everyone.

I also felt there was a need to publish a journal of syllabic verse. Many poets do not have the ways or means to publish their poetry. I thought this would present an opportunity for unpublished poets, you know, to establish some poetic credentials.

I also thought the proceeds from the journal sales would be a great way to fund a yearly poetry contest with cash prizes—that is, with a full disclosure of the journal sales figures. I considered asking a fee to enter the poetry contest, but that didn’t sit well with me.

I acknowledge there are many poetry journals and online magazines out there right now. Many ask for a fee upfront before you know whether or not your poem is even accepted. Others accept free entries and if your poetry is accepted, you pay $16 or more for a print version of the book featuring your poem.

Is this a form of vanity publishing? The Alliance of Independent authors discusses vanity publishing in the context of book authors:

“Dictionary.com defines the term as “a printing house that specializes in publishing books for which the authors pay all or most of the costs.” Merriam-Webster defines it as “a publishing house that publishes books at the author’s expense.”

What is Vanity Publishing?

Vanity presses publish everything that is submitted by an author. The author bears the costs of producing the book.

In comparison, the Word Weaving poetry journal allows a poet three FREE entries. The entries are vetted. My co-editor, JulesPaige and I decide which poetry makes it into the journal. We will offer a low-cost ebook and print book for purchase. The funds from the sale of the journal will be used to fund a poetry contest with cash prizes (Amazon gift cards). There is no obligation to purchase the journal.

All rights revert to the respective author/artist upon publication. Word Weaving keeps the right to republish work either digitally or in print. No work featured in the journal may be used, copied, sold, or distributed elsewhere without the copyright holder’s permission. If your work is republished, we would appreciate a mention that Word Weaving was the first place of publication.

If you’re interested in submitting to Word Weaving click HERE. Submissions close after July 15, 2021.

Day lilies and Coreposis

Next, we get to my other passion… gardening. It’s warmed up here in Michigan. Today, I was able to work on the blank canvas of a garden the previous owner of this house left us with. I’ve got a lot more to do, but I confess that working in the soil made me feel reconnected to nature and to myself.

There are many out-of-control bushes in the front and on the sides of the house. I have a landscaper coming to get rid of those plants in the next week or so. That DirectTV dish will find its way in the trash pile as well. 😀

Now that I’ve brought you all up to date, here my poem for this week for Tanka Tuesday. It’s Poet’s Choice and a simple haiku gives me joy!

south wind gusts...
temperatures rise
meadowlark sings

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro
Eastern Meadowlark

50 thoughts on “Catching Up & a haiku”

  3. I know the stresses of moving. I have not been here long. I also know, that writing was something I had to do. Your soul was guided to write and help you reduce the stress. Thank-you for such a wonderful book. I know, I am learning a lot from it.

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  4. I think all of us have had a rather interesting year, whether we’ve been active or not. Most of my weekends revolved around two people – before we were able to get our Covid shots. And well we also decided to do a bunch of house projects. I don’t understand why some materials went through the roof. A piece of wood we needed came from New Zealand!!

    Keep connecting with nature and friends. (((Hugs))) ~Jules

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  5. Sounds like your hands are full. The gardening part will definitely mellow things out🙂. One project at a time. Just don’t go crazy like me. My garden looks like it’s on steroids, but boy does it smell good😄!!

    Pat

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    1. LOL! I’ll have to do it in stages for sure, Pat. This will be my summer project. I work outside door a couple of hours and then back inside to write. It sure felt good today. ❤️

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  7. I like your haiku, I still checked back to make sure I had the right form, and now more often than not, I’m right. Poetry is such an enjoyable puzzle of words.

    You have had a whirlwind six months. Yours started in the middle of mine. I’m finally feeling more settled, but the whirlwind hasn’t stopped. It’s name is pickleball and making friends. practicing skills and entertaining. Gardening is not going well. I will have to do a post on my sad gardening attempts. Yours looks so clean a beautiful.

    BTW, thank you for publishing two poems of mine. I’d like to get a copy of your book in paperback. Do you have those for sale. I’d rather buy from you than Amazon, where you might make $0.19. I am interested in submitting three poems, Colleen. I read through your guidelines. How exciting for you and for us as budding poets. 🙂

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    1. The price of postage to mail a book to you is more than the price of the book on Amazon. It’s just easier buying from them. I don’t even have a clue where our post office is. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣

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  11. Gosh, I soooooo relate to the confusion/pain/burden of moving. We’re in the midst of a cross-country relocation. When I think back to earlier moves, they seem easier, could it be age?? By the end of the month, we should be in Arizona — boxes, sore backs, and — busy unpacking what we’ve packed! You inspire me. It will happen! Thank you for all that you are doing to promote fledgling poets. You amaze and inspire me, Colleen. 💗

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    1. Thanks so much, Gwen! Soon you will be settled and all the pieces will fall into place for you. Find time to rest and take care of each other. Yes, I think age plays a huge part in the exhaustion. ❤️

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  16. Pingback: #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Stars: #PoetsChoice, No. 228 | 🌸Word Craft: Prose & Poetry🌸

  18. Wonderful update on the goings-on in your life, Colleen. You’ve been busy and it looks like that’s going to the norm for a while. Funny how this journey of life and creativity unfolds. Congrats on all you’ve achieved and remember to take some time to breathe and smile. 🙂

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