Hanging Out at the Intersection of Poetry and Sensuality

I’m a member of this group called the Poetry Brothel. They have groups and events in dozens of cities and countries, and I have to tell you, if you ever get a chance to go to one, do it—it will blow your mind.

At the poetry brothel, patrons get the chance to buy poker chips which they can give to the “whores”—all really amazing and talented poets, both men and women—for a private poetry reading. There are public readings throughout the night as well, burlesque performances, a musical act, tarot, and other fun stuff—but the real attraction is this intimate and interactive new way to experience poetry.

Defining My Relationship With New York

Sometimes you come across a concept phrased a certain way and it just hits you in the chest with its truth and makes you understand a huge facet of your life more deeply. Trolling around Happy Opu the other day, I had an experience like this—when I read a description of New York as a place that has plenty of potential to hurt you—but also a place that “begs you and eggs you on to be exactly who you really are.”

Reading that sentence, I totally understood, in a way I hadn’t quite been able to before, exactly why I’m here—and why I need to be.

I’ve lived in a lot of different places. I grew up in a rural area in Vermont, and I love the country. I love hiking and camping and living in isolated spots in the woods where I can’t see anyone else’s house from mine. I love falling asleep to crickets chirping and swimming in ponds and rivers and going barefoot all summer. If I had kids, I would want to raise them in a place like Vermont. I might want to settle down there myself one day. But not yet.

The Ethics of Commercials

I just landed an agent for commercials. Which is really, really exciting. I'm dedicated to the craft, and there's nothing I love more than Shakespeare and language and real, meaningful theatre that moves people and tries to shake up the world. But I love the idea of doing commercials too. Not because they would satisfy my creative urges, but because they're a good way for actors to make money and advance their careers. There are so few of those out there, folks. You have to give us what little there is.

Want to Write a Novel? Make it Your Job.

This weekend, I've had several conversations with people who want to write novels. I meet a lot of people like this. Would-be writers who insist they have a novel in them, but who just sit down and nothing comes out. Or they're writing about a page a month because they want everything to be perfect. Or they're just not...sitting down, or writing, at all. I've written three novels and am working on a fourth. All are in various stages of disrepair and chaos--I haven't gotten orderly first drafts out of my process so far. But I do have finished first drafts. I can't say it's a perfect process, but it's better than doing nothing.

So if you've been working on your novel on and off for decades already, or you just haven't sat down and started, here are a few tips for getting a finished first draft.

"Write What You Know": Bad Advice?

I took a lot of creative writing classes in college. And over and over again, in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfic classes, I received the same advice from professors: write what you know. I heard this over and over. If I wrote about something beyond my experience, I was sometimes told I was overreaching—and I heard friends and classmates being told the same thing. Often, I was told to dial it back—to reach within my own experience for ideas.

I think this can be great advice—but also very limiting advice. Too limiting if you take it literally. And it depends on the type of writing you’re doing. For instance, I write both poetry and novels. My novels are all over the place—I write fantasy, romance, historical(ish) fiction, and the occasional YA. None of my storylines are ever based on my own life.

Summer In the City--And You're Long Gone from This City

Whatever it is in New York at the moment, it is far from summer. But this line from Regina Spektor’s song “Summer in the City” totally captures my mood lately. I’ve lived in small towns and big cities alike—and sometimes, living in a big city is lonelier.

My boyfriend lives in Europe. And while I have a lot of great friends in New York, I also have a lot of close friends and family live at least several states away, at most an ocean away. Sometimes I’m too busy to think about it—too busy to think, period. But other times I feel the absence of people I love. I wish I could drop in on my parents for some wine and a home-cooked meal. I wish I could meet my sister for an all-afternoon-long lunch-turned-shopping spree. I wish I could drink margaritas with my best friends from college on the roof of a hotel, several times a month. I wish I could come home to my boyfriend.

YA Heroines and the Discovery of Sexuality

I love reading YA. And I love YA heroines. I’ve been seeing them much more in the past few years than I have when I was younger, which is really heartening—it means hopefully the publishing industry is becoming more comfortable with publishing YA novels with female protagonists.

I’ve understood that in the past, publishers avoided female protagonists for YA because while girls will read about girls and boys, boys only want to read about boys—so sales are better for male protagonists. Which I think is a huge shame—because I remember as a child (I grew up in the 80’s) absolutely hungering for strong female characters I could relate to. My favorite character in Lord of the Rings was Eowyn—a minor character to many readers, but to me, she was crucial.