I am grateful to have been chosen “Poet of the Week” on the Poetry Super Highway. Check it out on December 26-January 1, 2023 for my poem “A Paddle Into Childhood.”
Happy New Year to All. I’ll see you again in 2023.
Awards
Thank You to the Massachusetts State Poetry Society for my Recent Awards from the National Poetry Day Contest
I am grateful to the Massachusetts State Poetry Society for two awards in their National Poetry Day Contest:
My poem “Fairy Tale of Eternal Economic Growth” was awarded third prize by the Amy L. Dengler Award.
My poem “On Listening to Stravinsky’s Pulcinella” was awarded third prize by the Celebration of Life Award.
I’ll be blogging on Thursdays. Follow me here on WordPress.
Failure Is Part of the Creative Process
Trying out new things is part of the creative process. Things can change at any stage in a painting’s or manuscript’s development.
The writing process is an exciting and adventurous process. It sometimes feels electrifying and at other times, downright discouraging. A writer needs to go in knowing that it might not work. It means that results don’t matter as much as the process, the joy and the journey.
I try to keep this in mind every time I sit down at a blank page. An athlete has to work out to get to a point where she wins the competition. A writer sometimes has to fail many times before succeeding.
You may think that what you wrote is terrible, but it may work out later in a future draft, or help you get, through experimentation, to a wonderful manuscript. t’s part of the journey to that wonderful piece that finally works.
I’ll be blogging on Thursdays about the writing process. Follow me on WordPress at http://www.eileenpkennedy.com
Listening to Your Inner Voice
Writers write in isolation mostly. Sometimes it’s in small groups or workshops, but mostly alone. Sometimes I wait until the last minute to write what I want? Why?
In the end, I try to listen to my inner voice that speaks my true thoughts that ultimately helps me cut through the nonsense that sometimes enters into my writing. Good writing comes from the true self.
I use different methods to get in touch with my inner self. I meditate, move to a coffee shop or library, read a book of an author who is writing something similar to my project. Sometimes just sit quietly.
Join me in imagining and getting in touch with your inner self. Try writing from that one true voice.
I’ll continue to blog on Thursdays. If you’d like me to make an announcement for an upcoming reading, publication or award, get in touch with me here.
Thank You to My Publisher, Leah Maines of Finishing Line Press, for her Support of My Finalist Status in Poetry in the International Book Awards
I’m So Grateful To Be Named A Finalist in the 2022 International Book Awards in Poetry for Touch My Head Softly -Thank you.
Poetry: General
Finalist
A Ligature For Black Bodies by Denise Miller
Eyewear Publishing
Finalist
Death, With Occasional Smiling by Tony Medina
Indolent Books
Finalist
Stars in the Junkyard by Sharon Berg
Cyberwit
Finalist
Touch My Head Softly by Eileen P. Kennedy
Finishing Line Press
Finalist
Warren by Karina van Berkum
MadHat Press
Finalist
Watermelon Linguistics: New and Selected Poems by Alexis Krasilovsky
Cyberwit
Sometimes Failure Is Part of the Process
Experimenting is part of the creative process. Things can change at any stage in a painting’s or manuscript’s development.
The writing process is an exciting and adventurous process. It sometimes feels electrifying and at other times, downright discouraging. A writer needs to go in knowing that it might not work. It means that results don’t matter as much as the process, the joy and the journey.
I try to keep this in mind every time I sit down at a blank page. An athlete has to work out to get to a point where she wins the competition. A writer sometimes has to fail many times before succeeding. It’s part of the journey to that wonderful piece that finally works.
I’ll be blogging on Thursdays, and posting announcements, as they come, on Thursdays. Follow me on WordPress at http://www.eileenpkennedy.com
Derek Walcott on Life
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome.
–Derek Walcott
Derek Walcott writes about being comfortable in your own skin. In a world of war and international pandemic, sometimes we have to be our own friend.
As writers, we need to nurture ourselves. There is plenty of rejection and criticism out there for the writer, so being our own cheerleader is sometimes necessary.
We crave praise, awards, good reviews, and the affirmation of the publisher, but if we remember the joy of the creative process, we don’t need the positive feedback of others.
As a poet, I work often alone and in solitude. Books tend to be published quietly also. There may be a book launch, but aside from that, people buy and read our books on their own. This doesn’t mean that our books don’t touch people or have a lasting effect. A writers, we know the books that have made that special impact on us and we have to trust that our writing will have an effect on our readers.
Or as Derek Walcott so aptly put it “…peel your own image from the mirror. Sit. Feast on your life. “
I will be posting on Thursdays about the writing life, with announcements, as they come, on Tuesdays. Follow me at WordPress.
The Best Friend of the Writer
The best friend of the writer can be the writer her or himself. As writers, we crave praise, awards, good reviews, and the affirmation of the publisher, but if we remember the joy of the creative process, we don’t need the positive feedback of others.
As a poet, I work often alone and in solitude. Books tend to be published quietly also. There may be a book launch, but aside from that, people buy and read our books on their own. This doesn’t mean that our books don’t touch people or have a lasting effect. A writers, we know the books that have made that special impact on us and we have to trust that our writing will have an effect on our readers.
We entered into the art of writing for deeper reasons that passing attention and it’s best to get in touch with those internal reasons, rather than looking for external affirmations. That way, when the praise comes, it will be a pleasant reminder of our internal worth as writers, and we truly will be our own best friends.
I’ll be blogging on Thursdays and posting announcements on Tuesdays, as they come along.
New England Book Festival Honors Touch My Head Softly
I’m delighted that Touch My Head Softly was given Honorable Mention at the New England Book Festival. Take a look:
Eileen P. Kennedy Author 