Zoom in to View Us at the Launch on June 3 at 4 pm.
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The book officially launches in both paperback and Kindle on June 1st – in time for Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. The book will also be published with Draft2Digital, which will put it in many other stores, such as Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Hoopla. The eBook will sell on all platforms for $9.99 and the paperback will sell for $14.99. All royalties will benefit AlzAuthors’ mission to provide quality resources for Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. You can order the book on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3CCK368
This is a moving, hopeful, heartwarming collection all written from the personal experience of dementia. Within its pages, readers will find nuggets of wisdom and glimpses of joy.
A book launch is planned and includes a virtual reading featuring the poets on Monday, June 3 at 4:00 pm EST. I will be reading at least one of my three poems in the anthology at that time. This will be on Zoom and recorded for both our podcast and YouTube channel.
A writer’s voice is their distinct worldview, transcribed into words and shared with the audience.
What we term a writer’s voice is the unique fingerprint that separates one writer from the next. It’s the output when writers dredges through the hidden depths of their psyche, confronting fears, dreams, and interests.
How does a writer find his/her voice? Your voice is actually a reflection of your entire personality, including your speech patterns. And you can have more than one voice. I recently collaborated on a manuscript of eco-poetry with the Norwegian Artist, Irene Christensen called Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth. In this case, my voice became joined with the visuals of this artist who created a series of paintings about women at the heart of the environmental movement. So in this case, my voice became an extension of the visuals involved.
Your personality comes out in what you write. Even if you use many voices , they’re still created by tone, attitude and style.
Tone in your writing is similar to tone of voice while talking. It’s not what you say—the facts—but how you say or write it.
Attitude is about beliefs, emotion and values. It has to do with how you regard the world and life or how you feel about something. It reveals itself in the way you talk, your body language, and your actions. And your attitude is part of what shapes your writing voice. It’s a lot like a professional singer’s voice.
Style is revealed with vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, and the technicalities of writing. It also involves who you are and your personal taste or preferences.
What is your writer’s voice? I’ll be blogging on Thursdays. Follow me here.
So said the man who got rid of slavery in the United States. It is an inspirational quote.
How do we as writers stay inspired? Writers have difficulty carving out time and summoning inspiration.
One way that keeps me going is the occasional writing workshop. There are so many opportunities online and in your writing community. I don’t take multi-week workshops unless I’m really trying to focus on something new and learn about it. I just take the occasional one-shot workshop to get some fresh ideas about my writing. Just google under a topic you might find interesting and see what’s available. Sometimes they are free, or very low cost.
Another way of finding inspiration is in a writing group. Listen to what others are reading and hear what they have to say about what you’re working on. Most communities have pockets of writers who meet up. Join a community group and see if you can get invited into a small group of your own. My writing groups have sustained me through the years.
Collaboration is another way I find inspiration. I particularly like collaborating with artists. I like reading a artist’s exhibits. This gives you inspiration and brings people in to see the art or art lovers in to hear some of your writing. It’s a win/win situation. You can also write ekphrastic poetry, or responses to art pieces. I recently did this with the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen. She did a series of full-color paintings on women at the heart of the environmental movement. I found the paintings so inspiring, I wrote a whole series of ekphrastic poems in response and we wound up developing a 60-page manuscript called, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth.
Follow me here on Thursdays. I’ll be blogging about writing, the writing process, steps to publishing, and the progress of our manuscript, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth.
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.
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 Yesterdaywith a poem called “She Occupies Time,” which begins “no quiet merging with the azure, but an orangesky, 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?
My poem “Perilous Journey” will be displayed with the painting of the same name by Irene Christensen at the ground floor Galleries of the Interchurch Center, 61 Claremont Avenue at 120th St., from November 17, 2023 to January 4, 2024. In addition, Irene will exhibit eight accordion books (5 from inspiration from her AIRIE residency in the Everglades,Florida) and 20 oil paintings. There will also be artwork by Allison Green and Sandra Mack-Valencia. The Interchurch Center is a a not-for-profit building built by the Rockefellers in 1950.
Take the #1 Subway to 116th Street and walk. The poem is from the manuscript, Dreadful Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Planet by Irene Christensen and Eileen P. Kennedy. I will blog on Thursdays again beginning January, 2024.
My poem “Perilous Journey” will be displayed with the painting of the same name by Irene Christensen at the Galleries of the Interchurch Center, 475 Riverside Drive, New York City, from November 17, 2023 to January 4, 2024. In addition, Irene will exhibit eight accordion books (5 from inspiration from her AIRIE residency in the Everglades,Florida) and 20 oil paintings. The Interchurch Center is a a not-for-profit building built by the Rockefellers in 1950. @jrobertsstudio@norwaynewyork@gallerysitka@schaeffersgate5@norskebilledkunstnere@nyartistscircle@culturelablic@licartists@beyond.art.oslo@nationalartsclub @artbookps1
From an Accordion Book by Irene Christensen
The painting and poem “Perilous Journey” appear in the environmental manuscript, Dreadful Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Planet.
I will refrain from blogging in December and begin again in January 2024. Happy New Year!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Eileen P. Kennedy Author 