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My New Book, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth Is Out from Shanti Arts Press

Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth is now out from Shanti Arts Press.

My collaborator, Irene Christensen, and I have been working on this book together for several years. We met at an artist colony in Costa Rica, with a shared appreciation for the natural beauty. of the rain forest where we lived.

I was there for the creation of these wonderful paintings about the feminine presence at the heart of the environmental movement. I started writing poem responses to the paintings. Irene took an interest in my writing and I gave her a copy of one of my books, Touch My Head Softly. In response she gave me the painting, “Volcano Flower,” about the Arenal Volcano, a shared experience. This exchange was the start of the book.

I will be reading from the book at several readings this spring. Some readings are live and on zoom:

.Thursday, April 23 at 7 pm at Amherst Books, 8 Main Street, Amherst with Sharon Tracey, author of Chroma: Five Centuries of Women Artists and Land Marks, both from Shanti Arts.

.Saturday, April 25 at 2 pm at Jones Library (temporary address 100 University Drive) with Cheryl J. Fish, author of Crater and Tower (Shanti Arts, 2025) and in person at 101 University Drive, Amherst, MA.

.Tuesday, May 5 from 6 to 8 pm, Forbes Library Coolidge Room.  Writer’s Night Out. In person at 20 West St., Northampton, MA.

.Saturday, May 9 at 4 pm with Jonathan Wright, Forbes Library Coolidge Room.  Gallery of Readers, In Person and  on Zoom at 20 West St., Northampton, MA. 

.Sunday, June 7 at 2:30 pm, in Person at 324 Main St, Greenfield MA at the Lava Center Sunday Spoken Word.  Doors open at 1:20 pm.

.Sunday, June 28 at 2 pm (Book Launch) in Person and on Zoom at Cherry Hill Co-Housing, 120 Pulpit Hill Road, Amherst MA.

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IGNITING YOUR SPARK

A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.
—Dante

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There is a quiet spark of an idea in each writer, especially as winter approaches. You will be aware of this as something that wants to come out.

You may think that you must wait until you have something to say—an idea, an insight, or something known. When I feel this way, I start writing onto the page, whatever is on my mind. I often journal this way, until I have the germ of an idea. Then, I start writing in a more focused way and eventually, it evolves into a poem. For you, it may be an essay, short story, or even a novel.

Much of what you write may be totally unusable, incoherent, but then eventually something important emerges – your unique way of seeing things from your singular and distinctive life.

I was in the state of looking for a new project when I traveled to Costa Rica in winter three years ago. It was there that I met the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen, who was doing a series of paintings on women at the heart of the environmental movement. I fell in love with these paintings and started writing poem responses to them. The paintings were the spark I needed at that time.

That’s how Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth developed. The dread is what’s happening to the environment. The splendor is the paintings and poems that developed. This book will be published by Shanti Arts Press in January 2026 (www.ShantiArts.com.)

Whatever inspires you, follow your spark a a writer, and you will find your inspiration and next project there. Follow me here monthly as I report about writing, inspiration, and the progress of my new book.

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Why Self-Publish?

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I have never self-published. I have published three books, with the fourth in production at a small, independent publisher, Shanti Arts. It’s called Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth. It’s a collaboration with the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen, and will be out in early 2026. So why am I blogging about self-publishing? I know many people who have done it happily and thought I would pass along what I’ve learned.

There seem to be two types of self-publishing: assisted self-publishing and self-publishing. For both types, you pay the publisher to publish the book and whatever else you want done. I know people who have done both and the companies they used. You can go to a self-publisher with a few pages to be reproduced with a cover or a full-scale book with book cover and internal design.

Assisted self-publishing includes a certain amount of marketing services, in addition to the actual publishing of the book. I know two of these companies that friends used with success:

■Xlibris – www.Xlibris.com publishing and marketing support. I know a writer who published a book with this company that was reasonable in cost, but she didn’t use their marketing services. She liked the book that was produced, but didn’t want to purchase additional marketing.

■Levellers Press owns both Collective Copies, a service that will print what you give them, or Off the Common Books, a form of assisted self publishing, where you pay them to publish your book and they offer website sales and carry the book in their bookstore in Florence, MA. https://www.levellerspress.com/. This publisher also attends Independent Book Conferences and may carry your book there.

Self-publishing is simply paying a publisher to publish your book. They may have marketing people you can pay to assist, or they may direct you to someone else for marketing services. All needs to be paid for by you:

.https://www.selfpubmadesimple.com/author-accelerator The publishing company is run by a writer called April Cox. A friend had success with publishing a book with them. This publisher also has people who will do everything from book and book cover designs to social media promotion.

■The Impress Group of Northampton, MA  https://jamesmcdonaldbooks.com/. I know an author who had a book published, with good results at a good price, by this company. She did not get or use any other services from this company besides publishing the book.

There are many publishers who will help you self-publish, but before you do contract to self-publish with a publisher, get a specific price for specific services in writing. I know someone who did not do this and wound up spending $10,000 on a book she wasn’t happy with. Whatever way you choose to publish your carefully crafted words and/or images, it’s a joy to have a finished book.

Follow me here once a month as I blog about the writing/publishing process. I will blog next month about the progress of my new book, Dread and Splendor:Paintings and Poems for a New Earth.

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Starting the Writing Process

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Whether you’ve had six books published or you are a new writer, getting started can be a challenge. Writing is a process, not merely a product. The quality of your writing will be reflected in the thought and time you put into it.

Having a deadline can be helpful. If you have an editor waiting for your final draft or you have an assignment due, this is a motivation. If you don’t, you can set one for yourself. I often do.

Planning ahead is a good place to start. Sn outline is even better. You don’t have to actually write, you can just think about what you want to say and plan ahead. When you do sit down to it, you’re that much ahead. Then schedule a few writing sessions. That way if you’re not feeling like it, or if you want some revising time, you can return to it later. I rarely finish a piece in one sitting.

Topic and audience are often interrelated. Think about what you want to say to your audience and how that informs your topic. Ask yourself who the audience is, Why is your audience interested in this topic and what do they already know, if anything, about it. What of you think your audience would/should gain from your text?

Think about the purpose of your writing. Why are you writing the piece My most recent book, a collaboration with the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen, was inspired by her paintings about women at the heart of the environmental movement. It’s called Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth. I wanted to respond poetically to Irene’s work, but I also wanted this to raise awareness of the environmental crisis.

My new book will be out in early 2026 from Shanti Arts. I will keep you apprised of the publishing process on it. Follow me here monthly.

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I Will Be Reading from my new book Dread and Splendor at Wordshed, NYC on September 28

Come join us if you are in the area. I will be blogging again monthly about the new book.

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Titles

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Titles of books, short stories, poems, are very important.

Corporations spend millions to find the name of a product. Thought should be put into how you title your creative product.

Let’s discuss book titles. The first thing anyone hears about is the title of your book. It even precedes the cover. Once the artist knows what the title is, he/she can work on the visual concept. Think about what you will call your book. Here are some things to think about:

.It should give an idea of what the book is about.

.It should be easy to say.

.It should be memorable.

.It should grab your attention.

When we were deciding on a title for our manuscript, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth, we tried out a lot of titles. The first one was “Dreadful Splendor” from a W.B. Yeats poem. This was taken by a previous book, so we changed it to “Dread and Splendor.” We thought this encompassed the “splendor” of the art and poems and the “dread” of the environmental crisis. Then we decided this didn’t really tell what the book was about and we added the subtitle “Paintings and Poems.” At first we had “Paintings and Poems for a New Planet.” But then we thought it sounded too much like speculative or science fiction. So it became “Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth.”

The same is true of a short story, poem or play title. Editors look at hundreds of poems and short stories.

If you follow the guidelines above, you’ll draw attention to your piece from the beginning and have less change of being passed over.

Sometimes for titles a phrase can be used from the manuscript can be just the right thing. If you have a concept that is long, write it down and then edit it.

Try discussing your book using the title and seeing if people understand and appreciate what you’re saying. See if they ask questions and are interested in the title and what you have to say.

Choosing the perfect title is mostly about trial and error. If you try out a number of titles, the best one becomes clear.

I will be blogging monthly, taking about the production of Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Planet through publication and beyond. Follow me here.

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Putting Together a Poetry Chapbook

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If you’ve published poems in literary journals, your next step might be a poetry chapbook. A poetry chapbook is a small poetry collection that is significantly shorter than a typical printed poetry collection. Typically running in the range of 20 to 40 pages, a chapbook can be affordably published by small presses and is therefore a more economical option for emerging writers who may be financing their own book of poems. 

Some poets begin with publishing a chapbook before a full-length collection. The chapbook, due to its small size, has to be focused on a theme. Ghost Girl by Laura Madeline Wiseman is a small group of poems about memory loss. Muted: A Short Story in Verse by Jessica Bell is a narrative in poetry about whose vocal cords are brutally cut. I’m working on a manuscript about a drowned future world, Water Journey in the form of a Japanese narrative form called a Haibun. Soul Work: A Chapbook of Poems by Elizabeth Spring is about astrology.

The word chap dates back to sixteenth century England. A written account from Cambridgeshire in 1553 describes “lytle books” sold by pedlars, likely containing lyrics to sung ballads. The price of these books was low—typically a penny or a halfpenny—and they provided cheap entertainment for the masses, although there’s little evidence that the books themselves were mass produced. A “chapman” is an English word for an itinerant pedlar or tradesman.

There are several things to consider in compiling a chapbook. The first is audience. The biggest reason to write a chapbook is to reach dedicated poetry fans, a tiny but devout slice of the general population. So think about who will be reading your chapbook.

Another consideration is theme. Nearly any theme is acceptable, since your poetry chapbook should ultimately reflect your personal taste and style as a poet and showcase your best work. The theme can be almost anything, winter, New York City, nature, a poetry form like haiku.

Another thing to consider is organization. My second book, Touch My Head Softly (Finishing Line Press, 2021) was about my partner’s dying of Alzheimer’s. I organized it into three sections: before, during and after the death.

My latest collection of poetry, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth, is due out from Shanti Arts in early 2026. Follow me here monthly as I blog about writing, the publishing process and my new book.

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From What Perspective Do You Tell Your Story

Voice is a rather abstract concept in writing and fiction generally. But it’s so important that it deserves mention as one of the core aspects of writing. Voice, quite simply, is what the narrator sounds like. Voice includes the narrator’s emotions, attitudes, perspective, and tone.


As you read the piece, you can hear the narrator’s voice in your head, and the voice leaps out in a particular and funny way. This is especially true in pieces where the narrator is some kind of interesting or unusual character.

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Additionally, voice is multi-layered. It includes both the general writing voice of an author, as well as individual voices that are tied to specific pieces of writing. In poetry, you can write a narrative poem in all kinds of voices.

Some writer’s tones are incredibly distinctive, and their sentence structure, length, word choice, and the way the paragraphs flow are original to their writing. In a longer literary work, readers will likely come across different voices as writers create different characters. When considering the difference between the author’s voice and the character’s voice, it’s important to pay attention to when one is used. A character’s voice is specific to a character in a literary work. It is created in order to define them as an individual. Readers should be able to tell the difference between major characters based on their  speaking. One character might be well-educated and prone to using large words, while another might have more basic education and find the former’s use of language elitist.

When using a third-person narrative, the narrator is omniscient or outside and telling about the action. “Half a league, Half a league onward, into the valley of death, rode the six hundred.*” is a famous example of third-person narrative.

First-Person narrative is another way to tell a story. Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “What My Lips Have Kissed and Where and Why” begins “What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why, I have forgotten, and what arms have lain under my head till morning; but the rain Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh…” Or this famous line from “The Telltale Heart,” by Edgar Allen Poe It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.” The speaker of a first-person narrative does not necessarily have to be the author, but can be totally invented.

However you choose to tell your story, choose your narrator wisely. It will really make a difference in your piece. Follow me here the beginning of the month as I blog about writing, the writing process, and publishing.

*”The Charge of the Light Brigade,” by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

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Putting Together a Manuscript for a Full-Length Poetry Book

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Many poets have published in literary journals, online or print. I wrote a blog about publishing in literary journals, if you want to research my site. But if you are at the stage of having published in a number of journals, you may want to start compiling a manuscript of your poems for publication.

There are two big categories of poetry manuscripts. One is a full-length, the other is a chapbook. A full-length poetry manuscript has at least 48 pages. The important thing is that the poet feel “finished” with the manuscript. The other category, a chapbook is under 48 pages. Chapbooks tend to be more thematic, because they are smaller. But either manuscript format should fit together as a whole.

This blog will focus on the full-length poetry manuscript. The poems need to have a connecting thread. You can start by looking at your published poems and see if there is a connection. For one thing, your finished collection should have a list of acknowledgements at the end that give credit to the literary journals you have published in. If you start by considering your published work first, you have your acknowledgements at the end and also your future publisher knows there were literary journals who found your poems worthy of publication. As a general rule, about 25% of your poems should be pre-published, although this varies publisher to publisher.

To give you some examples, Mary Oliver’s American Primitive is a collection of nature poems. My second book of poems, Touch My Head Softly, is about my partner who died of Alzheimer’s. Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky, is about a town under occupation. Stag’s Leap by Sharon Olds is about her divorce. American Sonnets for my Past and Future Assassination by Terence Hayes is a collection unified by a single poetry form, the sonnet. Richard Silken’s Chrush is focused on stories about queer desire and loss. So think about how your poems fit together when you choose them.

So you have a theme or unifier for your collection. How do you order your poems? Ask yourself the following questions. Do the poems fit together? Do the poems feel evenly spread out? Does the subject matter grow and change over time? Do the poems offer new experiences? Do the poems play with words, form and structure?

Now that you know the poems you’ll be including and in what order, think about the format. Start with a cover sheet. This should include the title of your manuscript and if it is not a blind submission, your name, as you wish it to be published. I publish with my middle initial, so my name on a publication is Eileen P. Kennedy. Next is your address, phone number and email. A table of contents should follow, with the titles of the poems in the collection followed by the page numbers they appear on. These numbers should correspond to the page numbers of your manuscript. The manuscript should be followed by the acknowledgements we discussed earlier.

I followed this organization when I complied my upcoming manuscript Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth. It is about women at the heart of the environmental crisis and will be published by Shanti Arts in early 2026. Follow me here as I blog more about manuscripts and the publishing process. I will blog once a month.