I'm thrilled to share that I have an essay in Far Villages: Welcome Essays for New and Beginner Poets, a gorgeous, vibrant anthology from Black Lawrence Press. There are so many wonderful pieces here, and I can't wait to read through them all.
My essay, "A Michael Bay Brain: Encouraging Words for the Working Poet," explores what it's like to work with an anxious imagination. But much more importantly than that, it addresses the myths of what a poet's life should look like.
I wrote this essay for my younger self, more than anything. When I was applying for graduate school, I nursed the illusion that the end result of my MFA would be a published book. Not only was I unprepared for six years (and counting!) of post-MFA writing and working in relative obscurity, I was unprepared for how hard it would be to actually take advantage of the supposed time and space that an MFA was meant to grant me. I want to recognize here that it was an enormous privilege to be able to attend an MFA program in the first place, and as I mention in the essay, it was a privilege to be able to take out loans to support myself for the last two years of the program--I know that not everybody has access to that kind of financial aid.
In the essay, then, I tried to really think about who we mean when we say "new and beginner poet." I wanted to open the door wide for anyone who can't or doesn't wish to attend an MFA program, or who might be coming to poetry many years after their careers in other fields have flourished. I wanted to speak to poets who are caregivers, servers, mechanics, doctors, young students, justice workers, and anything and everything in between, and I wanted to say: You don't need to have institutional backing to be a poet. You don't need to have poetry as your only job for your voice to matter (and also: so very few people get to do this as their only job! you're in great company if you're a poet who works in other fields.) You can begin poetry whenever you want, and there is no one gauge of what makes someone a "true" poet.
If you're giving yourself any amount of time and space to practice the craft of poetry, then, no matter what your life looks like outside of that, I want to say: welcome. I am so, so glad that you're here. We need your voice and your unique perspective.
I hope that readers of this anthology enjoy my small offering. If you would like to purchase a copy for yourself, please visit the link here. And if you have questions for me, please feel free to drop me a line here!
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