Summer Writing, Had Me a Blast

I’m startled to find myself in another semester already! Summer did happen so fast…

This summer brought me some good writing time. In May, I went on my university’s faculty writing retreat and spent several days at Mission San Luis Rey. I finalized a new full-length manuscript, drafted some new poems, read a book, and enjoyed meals and giggling over evening games of Ransom Notes with colleague friends.

I continued hosting Writers Gonna Write, a monthly 3-hour co-writing session on Zoom for PLNU alumni, current students, and faculty. It’s amazing how much we all get done in those 3 hours! I’m so thankful for the folks who show up and do this with me, including the regulars who have shown up since this began 6 years ago!

In July, I got to be on faculty again for the Glen Workshop as the writing retreat guide. The Glen was held in San Diego for the first time, and USD was a great venue for it. We’ll be there again next year. I wasn’t sure how it would go for me to do this in my city, but it was wonderful to get to share The Glen with local friends and to share San Diego with my Glen friends. I got a lot of good writing time alongside my retreat crew too.

In August, I got to read on the main stage at the KPBS Book Festival alongside Blas Falconer, Ana Carrete, and Michael Klam, who are all fantastic. I read a few poems from Tasty Other in honor of its upcoming 10-year anniversary (what?!), and I especially loved getting to share the day with my 11-year-old.

And this week, my new semester began! I have a lighter teaching load because I received a fellowship to work on a writing project, and I’ve already been making some good use of that time this week. Happy fall writing to us all!

March Update: Millay House, AWP in Baltimore, & more!

March was so packed that this post can’t possibly account for it all, but here are some writing-related highlights!

Millay House
I started the month by joining my friend Carly DeMento at the Millay House in Rockland, Maine! Edna St. Vincent Millay is one of my very favorite poets, so this was extra special for me. While there, I participated in a salon reading at the house and an open mic called Draft, and it was so lovely to connect with the writers there. I also released Issue 42 of Whale Road Review from the Millay House, and I spent some time working on my new book manuscript. (Non-writing highlights include stumbling upon the coolest Irish pub, sampling a variety of oysters, and taking a long freezing walk to a lighthouse!)

AWP
Despite more snow, I made it from Maine to Maryland on time to begin AWP Conference activities, starting with a cheese party on Wednesday afternoon! While the cheese was fantastic, my favorite parts were connecting with writer friends and taking Belle-inspired library ladder pics. On Wednesday night, I co-hosted a reading at Westminster Hall (Poe’s burial place) that was sponsored by Whale Road Review, SWWIM, MER, NELLE, Perugia Press, & Cultivating Voices LIVE Poetry. The readers were amazing, and we had a sweet time honoring the life and work of Jenn Martelli. We also had an organist playing movie tunes beforehand and during intermission, which was amazing. I was sad that I didn’t get to attend Wednesday Night Poetry this time, but I was there in spirit.

Other AWP highlights include wandering the bookfair alone and with friends, hanging out and signing books at the PLNU M.A. in Writing & Last Syllable booth with our fantastic grad students, attending the West Trestle breakfast, reading with some of my favorite friends at a One Poet, One Poem event sponsored by Rock & Sling and Whitworth MFA, attending an incredible panel on sacred texts and religious violence, and reading at two incredibly fun Friday night offsite events with Scrawl Place and A Dozen Nothing (my Scattergories poem was very well received!).

(Other non-conference highlights are the many meals and coffee dates with beloved writer friends, including a very giggly dinner at a “pirate cafe” with my dear friend Sally Rosen Kindred, a mind-blowing dinner at a Turkish restaurant with some of my favorite writer friends, and Sunday breakfast with Emily Capettini, my best friend from grad school.)

After the conference, I went home with Sally and got to enjoy some peaceful time meeting her family and pets, walking through the woods near her house, and going to some of her favorite local places like Busboys & Poets and Toby’s dinner theater. It was the perfect way to begin my spring break and wind down after a busy conference.

And here’s to National Poetry Month! More soon…

WRR Staff Celebration Reading!

Our Staff Celebration Reading yesterday was a bright spot in a dark time. I’m so thankful for these folks who work on Whale Road Review with me and who are such gifted writers themselves.

You can join us asynchronously and watch the reading on YouTube!