This photo taken almost a year ago - that's the Rogue River Canyon
It's been a somewhat hellish week - I've been working on pulling together a poetry chapbook and it's been a long strange trip. So many issues come up for me when I do something like this. "This" being take myself seriously. I've had hysterics, cried, repeat ad infinitum - but it's done. Feels quite strange. Yes, it's self-published - but nowadays I'm starting to believe that self-published is the only way to not have to compromise. And since I've spent most of my life compromising - it's about time I did something the way I want to. I like to use art/images with my writing (in case you haven't noticed) and that is not something that most publishers want to do. The other year I attended a conference called Metaphor Taking Shape: Poetry, Art, and the Book. That was because I had a project in mind - not this chapbook just finished - which would require using art.
Well, shit, I could keep on writing here, but I need to go print out a copy to take over to a friend's house. So, hopefully I'll be back later to ruminate on all this.
Update: Printed 20 copies out - found a mistake that had been fixed but obviously not saved and so we had to print that page again (hence 4 pages) and remove the staples and take out the screwed up page and replace with fixed and restaple. My husband is a saint. I am soooooooo looking forward to going out to dinner with friends tongiht!
8 comments:
Congratulations on the chapbook, Robin!! It sounds lovely!
I put together one too a few years ago. I only did one — just wanted to self-publish a particular collection of poems to see how it looked. :) I still have it sitting right here beside me.
Yes, good for you for publishing your chapbook.
I can't agree with you more. It's your party and you can eat cake, cry and not have to compromise this time. :-)
Congratulations!
Robin said:
"And since I've spent most of my life compromising - it's about time I did something the way I want to."
Abso-fucking-lutely!!! My husband said something to me tonight that I thougt was very profound and fit both my situation and sounds like yours too. He said, "Life is too short to try to live up to someone else's expectations!" I've been worried about what others will think when they find out what I'm doing now. But he hit it dead on.
Congratulations on your book!!
I've never tried my hand at a chapbook. I think it's cool that you're doing it the way you like.
Congratulations!
Congratulations, Robin! I also struggle with "taking myself seriously." As if you have to meet some set of criteria to deserve publication or even have the nerve to write at all. And yet, it feels very good when you do it, doesn't it?
Hope you had a great celebration dinner!
Thanks everyone!
I love that you labeled the post "I have no idea what to label this post" ha!
*smiles at Mar*
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