It has been a while since I’ve written about my writing activities, so I’ll back up a little to include the past couple of months.
At the end of March, I went to Denton’s for a week (March 20-27) to get some writing done. I came away with four poems, a couple of other pieces, and a lot of thinking. I read a lot, too, including The Dream Is the Truth, by Rebecca Elswick; Until the Surface Breaks, by Patsy Kisner; Rural Astronomy, by Georgann Eubanks; and My Trade Is Mystery by Carl Phillips. On March 27, Rebecca Elswick and I had a joint book reading at the Bristol Public Library and I focused on my piece, “Too Much Trouble,” in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book, Laughter’s Always the Best Medicine. (Not related to writing, but I didn’t write it up anywhere else, I went to see Boyz II Men in concert at the Bristol Hard Rock on March 28, which was a good show.)
In April, I read five more books: Reluctant Prophets, by J.D. Islip; Between a Bird Cage and a Bird House, by Katerina Stoykova; Against Heaven, by Kemi Alabi; Inertia: A Study, by Melissa Helton; and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Maturity, by Wesley D. Sims, which is also the first book I’ve ever blurbed that has been published.
April also saw the Tennessee Mountain Writers Annual Conference come to Oak Ridge, TN. On Thursday evening, April 3, we kicked off the conference with our Reception, which included heavy hors d’oeuvres – delicious, as always! On Friday, I got to introduce my buddy Keith Stewart, who was doing a Humor Writing session right out of the gate after our Welcome Session. I picked up a lot of tips and tricks from Keith, who is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. Next, I went to a fiction session led by Charles Dodd White, “Making Deep Revisions in Stories and Novels.” Charles always has fantastic workshops and sessions. I missed the session immediately following lunch – I was just not feeling well, so I took a power nap to try to get through the rest of the day. I caught some of the open readings in the Writers Block at 4 p.m., and enjoyed the Workshop Leaders’ Readings that evening at 8. On Saturday morning, we started bright and early with our Annual Business Meeting at 8 a.m. Then I went to Janisse Ray’s “Creating Metaphors in Your Writing.” Janisse was a powerhouse in every session she did! I really enjoyed meeting her and hearing her speak. Next, Jennie Ivey talking about “Inspirational Writing,” which is always a treat – Jennie knows her stuff! After lunch, I finally got to hear Cameron Mitchell do a poetry session, “Let Your Emotions Tell the Story.” After a short break, Charles Dodd White did our General Session, “Identifying Wrong Turns in Our Work.” That evening, we had a lovely Reception and Banquet, where Janisse Ray was our Keynote Speaker – her topic was “Challenges to Great Writing & How to Challenge Them.” We announced the winners of the student and adult contests. I was so proud of my friend Sharon Shadrick for getting an Honorable Mention and a First Place Plaque! She’s joining us on the TMW Board this year, so that will be the last time she can enter the contests until she leaves the Board. She absolutely deserved it! Then we had the Hospitality Suite open until 10:00 p.m. It was bittersweet, as Connie Green always runs the Hospitality Suite, and she announced that she is leaving the Board after 30+ years. She will be greatly missed. Sue Weaver Dunlap, another long-time Board Member, retired from Board Service as of this Conference. Sue was Chair of Special Events Committee, among other things last year.
I have agreed to take on that role (Special Events Committee Chair) and am already afraid I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. She did so much of the work last year that I have no clue how to do – working with a caterer and hotel on contracts is totally out of my comfort zone. Those are “number” things, and we all know that Chrissie doesn’t do “number” things, lol! We have a tentative date selected for Fall Workshop and a shortlist of potential speakers to choose from. Then I can start working with the sandwich shop that does the catering, and we can get started on registration and publicity. One of the other Special Events Committee members and I also serve on the Publicity Committee, which is a nice carryover for Special Events. But Publicity is stepping up its social media presence this year over what I’m accustomed to from last year. I just hope I can keep up. The jobs this year are going to be a lot more demanding than last year’s were, I think… But I have a great Special Events Committee. It’s just a matter of figuring out how to do what needs to be done and figuring out what everyone’s roles need to be. In a timely manner. Whew!
On May 1, I got to do a program for Lost State Writers Guild on – Humor Writing. I borrowed a lot of notes from Keith’s TMW presentation (which I totally credited to him), but added my own material, too. I think it went well. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and I got a few emails afterward with questions and comments, too.
I’ve been submitting to several places and getting contest entries ready for the past couple of weeks and continue to work on those. Spring is such a busy time. (Well, in all honesty, when isn’t a busy time for a writer? There’s always a bunch of deadlines if you’re submitting on a regular basis!) I’ve also been very busy working on a rough draft of a chapbook, but that’s a separate blog, so you’ll have to read that one to get the scoop on that.
On Saturday, May 3, I got to read an excerpt from my piece that’s in the Women of Appalachia Project Women Speak, Volume 10 book, “Don’t Ever Stop Dancing,” at ETSU, in the company of some fine poets and writers. It’s always a thrill when I get a piece in that collection. I will be reading with another group from that work in Toledo, OH, on May 17, while we’re visiting my Great-Uncle Bill in Belleville, MI, about an hour from Toledo, before we drive over to Chicago the next day.
I’ve put off writing blogs because I’ve been so busy with everything else. Today is my try-to-catch-up day. For two months. I’ve been a complete slacker with blogs. Some days, I think, “What’s the point?” Other days, I think, “It’s the only way I can go back later and see what I was doing, because, at the end of the day [or week, or month, or year], it all kinda blurs together. Even if it’s late getting done, this helps me figure out what I’ve done to some extent.”
I’ve received 32 rejections so far this year. Only 6 acceptances. I think it’s going to be a pretty lean year. I still have 40 submissions out. I doubt that I’ll ever hear about 10 of those. The publication spots/sources don’t seem very interested in putting anything together. I could be wrong. We’ll see. But for now, there are way more no’s coming my way than yesses. And some years are like that. It’s part of rolling the dice and trying to get your work out there. It’s part of the process. Maybe my luck will pick up in these last eight months of the year. Fingers crossed.
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