poetry

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Meditating and Writing

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Many writers are also meditators. Some even write about the relationship between writing and mediation. I am a meditator and a writer. I meditate in the morning and write in the morning. I also practice yoga. To me, these are all intertwined.

The U.S. alone has an estimated 36 million yoga practitioners. It has adapted to local socio-political and cultural norms world over so much so that it can hardly be called an Indian custom. Yoga originated in India. The system of yoga has physical, mental, and emotional dimensions in addition to spiritual underpinnings. But yoga is not a religion. It has no dogma. But the practice for me is essential to my writing and brings me to a place where I can write truth.

Meditation helps improve focus. Something essential for the good writer. I began meditating years ago with a meditation method popular at that time, Transcendental Meditation. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi developed this mantric method of meditation in the 50’s in India, and it spread widely throughout the world. For me, it was a good place to learn the technique, but my meditation practice evolved when I combined meditation with yoga, especially Kundalini. Kundalini is a spiritual energy or life force located at the base of the spine, conceptualized as a coiled serpent. It didn’t matter which type of meditation I was using, as long as it focused my mind and enabled me to write from that place.

Meditation provides a safe space to be. Meditation slows the world down to make room for creative thought and exploration. It’s an ideal practice for the writer or artist. I meditated every day when I worked on my latest manuscript, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth.

Have you had experiences with writing and meditation?

I will be taking a hiatus for March, as I travel through Costa Rica. Look for me again in April.

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How to Write a Query Letter to a Publisher

Māori. Oil, 40” x 40”

Many writers ask me about how to approach a publisher and get them interested in reading my manuscript. I’ve published three books. A good query letter is invaluable in soliciting interest from a publisher. With a novel, it is simpler to give a plot summary, character analysis, etc. But with a poetry manuscript, it’s harder to describe. You have to provide the theme. A good query letter is on the short side and to the point. It has one purpose, to entice the publisher into looking at your manuscript.

To start, look at what the publisher publishes and maybe getting some sample titles. If you like the books, and what the publisher did with them, then you and the publisher are probably a good fit. You might also have friends who had a good experience publishing with someone. If so, you could use this in your opening. As a writer, you have books you love. Get those books and look up the publisher.

Next, read the publisher’s guidelines carefully and follow them. Some publishers want sample pages; some want the whole manuscript;and some just want your letter outlining exactly what it is you want to send. Make sure you know the standards of each publisher and how to meet those standards. When you write your query, incorporate what you like about the publisher’s line of books. Was it one title that drew you in? Is that title relevant to your manuscript?

Start with your favorite publisher first, then wait a few weeks for the response. If it’s a no, and every writer gets a no at least once in a while, go onto your second favorite publisher. Start accumulating a list of publishers, in order of your preference, and keep at it. Persistence is key.

Your previous publishing record is important in your query. The publisher wants to know other people have published you. List book credits, journals and/or anthologies. This proves that you have an audience. Also, if you have won any awards, this is the place to list them. Endorsements from other poets and writers in the field are helpful. If you know someone who has published well, ask them to read your manuscript and write a blurb for you. Include this in your query letter.

This letter is an introduction and framework for your manuscript. It should prepare and excite the publisher to ask for and read your manuscript. Connecting threads could be more valuable to your presentation than just summarizing your manuscript. There must be something about this work that inspired you to do it. Share that enthusiasm with the publisher. Get to the heart of the project and show the publisher why it’s important and why you did it.

I am working on a collection of eco-poetry inspired by the paintings of the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen. The paintings are on the theme of women at the heart of the environmental movement. One of her paintings is pictured above, Māori. This poem and painting of the same name was published in Starry Starry Kite, which was part of my query letter. So far, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth is out for consideration with two publishers. We await their response.

I will be continuing the journey of this manuscript on Thursdays . Follow me here.

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Write a Strong Opening to Bring Your Reader In

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Writing an opening, a foreword to a book, a first line that will encourage your reader to continue is a challenge.

The tone for a trial is set by the lawyer’s opening statement. It’s the first opportunity to make an impression, to frame the narrative. In your writing, your introduction serves the same purpose.

Start with a strong statement. Hook your reader with a provocative statement. “Call me Ismael” brings you right into Moby Dick. It’s an invitation you can’t refuse.

Lawyers build their cases on evidence. They introduce facts, exhibits, testimonies to support their opening statement. Your introduction should also be grounded in facts.

Lawyers question witnesses to strengthen their case and counter opposing arguments. As a writer, you should think about and address counterarguments to your opening, including opposing views. Provide a thoughtful counter-argument. Consider all sides of the issue and enhance your reliability.

In all of these ways you will have an opening that will encourage people to continue reading.

In the case of a poetry collection, like Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth, the artist, Irene Christensen and I, put the strongest paintings and poems up front. There are 27 paintings and poems in a 60-page manuscript. We began with poems that editors had chosen for publication and with paintings that had been curated for international shows.

I’ll be blogging on Thursdays, following the progress of our manuscript, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth. And writing about the writer’s process. Follow me here.

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Friendship and Artists

I recently was given a book by a writer friend called A Friend Sails in on a Poem, by Molly Peacock. It is a book about two friends who are poets and it’s dedicated to “all friends who make art together”. It put me in mind of all of the friendships I have made of other artists and how easy it is to take these relationships for granted.

This book celebrates the friendship of Molly and her poet friend of 46 years, Phillis Levin. According to the book “they have read and discussed nearly every poem they’ve written, creating an unparalleled friendship.” It puts me in mind of all the years I have sat in writing groups reading to my writer friends and seeking their support in my endeavors.

The past two years I have been collaborating with the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen, pictured on the left above. We met at the Julia and David White Artist Colony in Costa Rica years ago and it was our mutual love of nature and art through the years that eventually led to our collection of eco-poetry and art called Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth.

I guess when one artist collaborates with another, it creates an understanding of the other’s artists’ work that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Irene created a series of paintings about women at the heart of the environmental movement. I responded to these evocative paintings in the best way I know, through poetry. 

           Yesterday. Oil, 16” x 12” by Irene Christensen

I responded to Yesterday with a poem called “She Occupies Time,” which begins “no quiet merging with the azure, but an orange  sky, the earth bizarre with diasporic life.” The combination of painting and poem merge to become something new. A way of communicating in art that transcends painting or poem alone.

Irene started exhibiting her paintings with the poems I had written for them. Perilous Journey at the Galleries of the Interchurch Center in New York City. Queen of the Woods was exhibited with poem and painting at the Voices of the Earth Exhibition in Galleri Schaeffers Gate 5, Oslo,Norway. The painting and poem were sold together as that’s what the buyer wanted, the experience of having both the poem and painting together in his home.

The experience of collaborating and supporting each other as writers and artists is an invaluable part of the process. What has your interpersonal journey been like as a writer?

I will be blogging on Thursdays. Follow me here.

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Publication in Pineapple

Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Pexels.com

I am delighted to have my poem “Toast in Costa Rica”

published in Pineapple, the online literary zine of

The Gallery of Readers. Take a look:

Click to access Toast-in-Costa-Rica-by-Eileen-Kennedy.pdf

You can also subscribe to Pineapple by just listing your email with them here:

https://galleryofreaders.org/category/pineapple-zine/

Or you can visit the Gallery of Readers Press, a small, excellent publisher, and see its amazing list of books:

Gallery of Readers

I’ll be blogging on Thursdays. Follow me here.

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Congratulating Yourself on Finishing a Piece of Writing

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As writers, we often feel that we don’t do enough. We don’t put enough hours into our writing,

we don’t do enough research before writing, and we don’t publish enough. When you finish a

piece of writing, give yourself a pat on the back: You finished a piece of creative writing—

something many attempt, but not quite as many achieve. I recently finished a manuscript called

Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth. I collaborated on it with the

Norwegian Artist, Irene Christensen. It’s a collection about the climate crisis and women at the

heart of it. I feel good about completing it.

Some writers consider the worth of their writing in the published pieces, but others don’t even

attempt to publish. The reward for them is in the process. You can share your writing at an

open-mic reading. You can post it online or bring it to an in-person writing group for

constructive critique. You can send it to a friend.

You can send it to a literary journal or an agent for possible publication, but that’s a topic for

another blog. As writers, we need to acknowledge our accomplishments for ourselves.

I’ll be blogging Thursdays about the writing process. Follow me here.

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The Journey of an Eco-poetry Manuscript

Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth

Manuscripts are not easy to put together, especially when they’re a collaboration. I have a new manuscript of eco-poetry that I am collaborating on with the Norwegian artists, Irene Christensen. I would like to write about the different stages of developing and publishing a manuscript.

The project started one winter at an artist colony, The Julia and David White Artist Colony, that sits on a naturally spectacular 17-acre rain forest, is in Costa Rica.  We both shared a love of this beautiful country. I was drawn to Irene’s evocative full-color paintings. Irene expressed admiration for my poetry.  I gave Irene a copy of my second poetry collection, Touch My Head Softly (Finishing Line Press, 2021) and she gave me her painting, “Volcano Flower.”  This interaction started a conversation that over a two-year period developed into the manuscript, Dread and  Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Planet.

The current collection comes from our common interest in natural beauty, the complex relationship between living things and the atmosphere, stopping exploitation of the earth that spans geographical and historical borders, and the feminine care at the center of environmentalism.

Irene worked on a series of art pieces  about women at the heart of the environmental justice movement.   I observed the creation of many of these remarkable paintings and wrote a series of ekphrastic poems, or written responses, to them.  We nurtured our creativity and friendship through this process.

Irene’s paintings unfold as the world heats up and becomes more and more unlivable. She creates images through the eyes of children,  mythical characters like trolls and goddesses, and the lenses of women witnessing the dying globe.  I reinforce this journey in words, giving verbal credence to Irene’s vision, and mine, of the future.

I hope to blog about our journey as the manuscript goes through different stages and if we can even find a publisher. Follow me here on Thursdays to continue this journey.

I Feel Close to Nature Too. Acrylic, 22” x 30” by Irene Christensen

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Gallery of Readers Invites You to a Reading in Northampton, MA on 4 pm Sunday, November 19

Gallery of Readers presents:
Eileen P. Kennedy  and Barbara A. Rouillard reading from their work
Sunday, November 19 at 4 p.m.Northampton Friends Meeting Hall 
43 Center Street, Suite 202 Northampton, MA.
Come join us, all are welcome!
For those how can’t or prefer not to attend in person, the Zoom link below is available from 3.45 p.m. EDT on the day of the reading.(Be aware no admittance after 4.05 p.m. for security purposes.) Contact me for the link if you want to zoom. Follow me here on Thursdays.

Eileen P. Kennedy is the author of two collections of poetry: Banshees (Flutter Press, 2015), which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and won Second Prize in Poetry from the Wordwrite Book Awards, andTouch My Head Softly (Finishing Line Press, 2021) which Literary Titan has described as “emotionally-charged poetry that explores life with observant poems that will appeal to anyone who loves inspired poetry.” It was a finalist for the International Book Awards in General Poetry. She lives in Amherst, MA with the ghost of Emily Dickinson. More at EileenPKennedy.com.

Rouillard photo.jpeg

Barbara A. Rouillard, of Springfield, Massachusetts, has over eighty-five publishing credits to her name and was the recipient of both a NEH Fellowship and a Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant. She received her MA in English in 2007. She was a special education teacher at West Springfield High School for thirty-two years. In her retirement, she studies French, writes, and travels with her husband William. 

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Gallery of Readers Invites You to a Reading 4 pm November 19 at Northampton Friends Hall

Gallery of Readers presents:
Eileen P. Kennedy  and Barbara A. Rouillard reading from their work
Sunday, November 19 at 4 p.m.Northampton Friends Meeting Hall 
43 Center Street, Suite 202 Northampton, MA.
Come join us, all are welcome!
For those how can’t or prefer not to attend in person, the Zoom link below is available from 3.45 p.m. EDT on the day of the reading.(Be aware no admittance after 4.05 p.m. for security purposes.) Contact me for the link if you want to zoom.

Eileen P. Kennedy is the author of two collections of poetry: Banshees (Flutter Press, 2015), which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and won Second Prize in Poetry from the Wordwrite Book Awards, andTouch My Head Softly (Finishing Line Press, 2021) which Literary Titan has described as “emotionally-charged poetry that explores life with observant poems that will appeal to anyone who loves inspired poetry.” It was a finalist for the International Book Awards in General Poetry. She lives in Amherst, MA with the ghost of Emily Dickinson. More at EileenPKennedy.com.

Rouillard photo.jpeg

Barbara A. Rouillard, of Springfield, Massachusetts, has over eighty-five publishing credits to her name and was the recipient of both a NEH Fellowship and a Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant. She received her MA in English in 2007. She was a special education teacher at West Springfield High School for thirty-two years. In her retirement, she studies French, writes, and travels with her husband William. 

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Gallery of Readers Invites Listeners to a Reading in Person or on Zoom on Sunday, November 19

Photo by Enzo Muu00f1oz on Pexels.com

Gallery of Readers, one of Western Massachusetts prime publishers and leader of writing workshops, will sponsor a reading on Sunday, November 19 at 4 pm at the Friends Meeting House of Northampton, 43 Center Street. The reading is available in person or on zoom.

Barbara A. Rouillard will read from her memoir, I Don’t Mind Waiting for You. Barbara is an award-winning writer with 85 publishing credits and the recipient of an NEH Fellowship and a Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant.

Eileen P. Kennedy will be reading from her two poetry collections, Banshees (Flutter Press, 2016) Touch My Head Softly (Finishing Line Press, 2021) and her new eco-poetry manuscript Dreadful Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Planet which she collaborated on with the Norwegian Artist, Irene Christensen.

If you want the zoom link, contact me here. Follow me here. I blog on Thursdays.