Creating Luck

As you know I recently debuted my first e-chapbook, Twelve for the Record. Somewhere along the way I mentioned here that I'd had some help from others who had already done this. Without those people, I'm not sure I could have figured out the challenges of the correct formatting. At the very least, it would have taken me more time. I'm very glad that I did take on this challenge as a number of nice things have come about as a consequence.

One of the people who helped me was Joanne Merriam who runs Upper Rubber Boot Books, a press that does e-books only. She also has a blog at the website called Couplets where this past Poetry Month she ran a huge blogathon. She invited poets who would be posting interviews with other poets or related pieces to send her their links which she then compiled into single list. Joanne also did some interviews herself. As a result of our new connection, she invited me to be interviewed. Check out this 4-question interview HERE.

Joanne also asked if I'd be willing to be interviewed by another blogger-poet, Wendy Brown-Baez. I was indeed. So that resulted in a second interview on a wide range of topics, such as how I warm up to write, the use of humor, the making of a trailer, and the future of poetry. Check it out at Wendy's Muse.

Joanne's entire list of 133 links is available HERE.

Then Jama Rattigan, who purchased the chapbook, did the lovely feature at Alphabet Soup that I blogged about recently. And that led to several of her readers purchasing the chapbook.

I've also received several nice emails from people who either purchased the chapbook ($3) or took advantage of Amazon's free download promo. A few people have also thanked me for helping them figure out how to download the free e-reader.

All good things and proving once again how important it is to take advantage of opportunities. You never know where they'll lead you or who you'll meet along the way. 

Feasting on Good Fortune

At her blog, Jama's Alphabet Soup, Jama Rattigan—fantastic author of children's books, foodie, and poetry lover—has posted a lovely feature in her weekly "Friday Feast." Entitled Talk Almost Dirty to Me, Diane Lockward, the piece is a write-up of my new e-chapbook, Twelve for the Record, of which she says, "You just never know when you’ll get a sudden craving for an exquisitely crafted poem that gleams and glistens; it’s nice having a few choice nuggets in your back pocket."

The feature also includes "The Best Words," a poem from the chapbook. As she always does, Jama has beautified the feature with some wonderful pictures. Check out the picture of Humpty Dumpty's very original fan note!

In addition to her generous and enthusiastic discussion of the chapbook and my other books, Jama has created a very useful resource for anyone interested in checking out some of my other poems. She includes links to six other poems that were previously featured at Alphabet Soup. She also includes a link to a recent interview at Wendy's Muse and a link to last April's podcast at Dave Bonta's Via Negativa.

Thank you, Jama Rattigan!

Last Chance for the Book Giveaway

Don't forget to enter the Free Book Giveway at Jama Rattigan's blog, Alphabet Soup. Jama is giving away a signed copy of her children's book, Dumpling Soup, a copy of my poetry book, Temptation by Water, and a t-shirt. All you have to do is go to the feature of my poem, No soup for you!, and in the Comments section leave the name of your favorite soup. How easy is that! Giveaway ends on Monday, February 28.

Jama's cover. Illustrations by Lillian Hsu-Flanders are also wonderful!

Bear modeling free t-shirt

I read Jama's book this weekend. It's wonderful. It's a great story, with much to be learned about the importance of culture and traditions and family values. Wonderful illustrations, too. As a poet, I really appreciated the metaphors in the story.

Cookies, Anyone? Soup?

Look who's reading my new book!

On Friday, February 4, food blogger and children's author Jama Rattigan featured one of the poems from my new book, Temptation by Water, at her wonderful blog, Alphabet Soup. The poem she chose is If Only Humpty Dumpty Had Been a Cookie.

Along with the poem, Jama included the most amazing photos, such as the one above which is now one of my very favorite photos in the world. The photos of cookies will make your mouth water. Bring a bib! There's also a very cool prompt using cookie tiles, each with a word on it. Give it a try. There's even information about a poetry contest for a forthcoming book entitled Whitman Cooks. I'm delighted with this feature and hope that you will pay the site and my poem a visit.

Another new reader!

As if that weren't enough delight, Jama has posted another of my poems in this week's "Friday Feast," a poetry feature that appears each week. This time it's No soup for you!, a poem that found its inspiration in the Soup Nazi, a character from the Seinfeld show.

Jama has really outdone herself. The photos of soup will leave you drooling with desire. Then comes the poem, followed by my commentary on it. The commentary developed from some questions Jama sent me. There's also a recipe for mushroom soup. And finally, there's a Book Giveaway. Go to Jama's post and leave a comment with the name of your favorite soup. That's all you have to do to enter to win a copy of my book, Temptation by Water, a signed copy of Jama's book, Dumpling Soup, and the t-shirt you see being modeled by the bear above. You can get extra chances by blogging, tweeting, or facebooking about the Giveaway. Let me know if you win.

Fashions, Features, and Farmers

Here you see the latest addition to my wardrobe. I recently purchased business cards from vistaprint.com. To create those, I uploaded my book cover. If you've used vistaprint, you know that once you place an order for one item, you start receiving offers for other items. I try hard to resist, but I was helpless when it came to the free t-shirt offer. I felt like I had to have it. I'm glad I capitulated. I am now a human billboard. The shirt came within days, the brand is Anvil, and the quality is nice. I like the way the cover is imprinted on the cloth. It's very light, not that heavy rubbery stuff you sometimes get on customized t-shirts. My only issue is that I ordered a man's size medium and it's a bit too big for me. No shrinkage as it's pre-shrunk. But guess what. All is not lost. This morning I received another offer for a free t-shirt, so I am going to reorder but this time in small.

In related news, my article, "How to Get Your Poetry into Their Hands," which appeared in the 2010 Poet's Market, is reprinted in the 2011 edition, again edited by Robert Lee Brewer. My article title should have the word "Book" inserted after the word "Poetry." I don't know why it was omitted and I wish that it hadn't been as the piece is not about getting your poems into the hands of readers; it is about getting your book into the hands of readers. The article contains a number of suggestions, some based on my own experiences and some gleaned from the several poets and publishers I interviewed for the article. If I'd had an opportunity to revise, I would have added more about social networks. And I would have suggested getting a t-shirt! But I'm delighted that the article is getting some more mileage and I am grateful for the editor's faith in the article.

I am also very grateful to children's author and fellow blogger Jama Rattigan who has beautifully featured my poem, Blueberry," at her lovely blog, Alphabet Soup. Jama loves words, books, food, and poems. Each Friday's post is devoted to a poem. Please check out this feature, not just for the poem but also for the beauty of the photos that Jama has selected to enhance the feature. I've been told that people in many places have already headed for the nearest farmstand.

Speaking of farms, I learned the other day that a blueberry farmer from Minnesota posted the same poem on the farm's Facebook page. If you're in Minnesota, be sure to stop by the Gierke Blueberry Farm. And if you've ever been there, please let me know.

BTW: The very first issue of my new monthly Poetry newsletter will go out tomorrow. So if you haven't yet signed up and still want to, now is the time. Hop on over to the sidebar and use the easy sign-up form. Be sure to confirm when you get the email notification. If you fail to confirm, you will be "suppressed" and there will be no newsletter for you! Sign up and then confirm. Easy.



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