My writing opportunities have expanded in recent months, and I need to prioritize. I have lots of ideas and too little time to pursue them. I've already reduced the number of online courses I'm taking from three to two. And I've just resigned from writing a monthly column I've been penning for 15 years. But at some point, I need to get back to my memoir; I also want to write more poems and attend more open mic sessions.
Earlier this month I read two poems at a new venue, but I need to produce more. I'm looking into different forms of poetry like ghazals, and I'd like to write more haiku. But I'm working on more than poetry. I just wrote and submitted a short horror piece to a horror competition—yes, it's that time of year! And I'm workshopping a magical realism story that I hope to have polished before the end of 2024.
I just learned of another acceptance of my work for publication (more on that in a subsequent post), and earlier this month, I won two awards. The first haiku I ever wrote won First Place in the 2024 SouthWest Writers annual anthology competition while my humor essay received an Honorable Mention. As finalists, both entries appear in the anthology Mosaic Voices.
My monologue "Ode to Jesse" was performed earlier this year as part of a larger collection of dance performances and earned me full membership status with the Dramatists Guild. It was also accepted into the Small Plates Choreography Festival in New York where next month choreographers and dance audiences will engage in "meaningful performance experiences." I'm also honored to have been selected as the playwright for a new collaboration to be showcased next spring, pending finalization of contract negotiations.
Given the difficulty of getting published, let alone receiving an award, I'm grateful for the episodic success I've had. Being recognized by my compatriots in the writing industry tells me I'm doing good work. But never fear, the critics in my writing courses continue to inform and keep me grounded.
One might say I'm a prolific writer; however, the frequency with which I submit work to magazines, anthologies, and contests leaves me ripe for receiving multiple rejection letters, as has been the case lately. The best thing about my writing, however, is that I love what I'm doing. So, while I've decided to pare back my obligations, one thing I'm not going to abandon is this blog. See you next month!