As quick as the leaves changed in the fall, my season of readings for the last part of 2018 has come to a close.
I’ve kept busy the past couple months:
Carlow University
Red Dog Reading Series
Black Cat Market
Honey Bee Review Reading
Full Pint Wild Side Pub
Hell’s Lid Reading Series
And one more upcoming reading at the Millvale Community Library
Girls Write Pittsburgh Winter Reading Party
Here’s wishing you the happiest of holidays with your loved ones!
Until next time,
My poem “Road Maps” was reprinted recently with Pittsburgh Poetry Houses. It was also featured both online and at Randyland, which is pretty much the coolest thing ever.
Beyond stoked to announce that my second chapbook, The Shedding Before the Swell, is now available from Dancing Girl Press!
So grateful and happy to have Ashvin Harrison‘s beautiful work gracing the cover.
Stay tuned for the date and details of the launch party!
Always,
Two pieces: “Splitting the Family Tree” and “A Lesson in Direction” have been chosen for publication in The Laurel Review, issue 51.1.
Psyched to get some new work out to you guys soon! xoxo.
Where do I begin? How do I explain what has transpired in these two beautiful, intense weeks? Ireland has been a dream destination for what seemed like years, and my MFA program gave me the opportunity to not only travel there, but also to work with brilliant Irish writers and mentors.
I flew into bustling Dublin with my friend Jaclyn and we promptly rented a car to drive to Cork. Here’s where our whirlwind weekend began- Blarney to Cork, Galway to the Cliffs of Moher, Belfast to Giant’s Causeway, and at last to Dublin, where we studied at Trinity College for two weeks and took a day to trip to Howth. There were way too many pints between classes, friends made, and laughs shared to count, but here are a few snapshots that help frame those wonderful memories:
Blarney Castle
Cork
Cliffs of Moher
Galway
Belfast
Giant’s Causeway
Dublin
Trinity College
Howth
Already counting down until the next residency! But for now, the work of practicum begins.
Always,
Almost a year ago, I was presented with the opportunity to co-curate the Madwomen in the Attic‘s monthly reading series here in Pittsburgh, PA.
Since then, being a part of MadFridays has been nothing short of an adventure on its own; it has been filled with talented writers and readers, a captivated and supportive audience, and a community of friends.
Our last reading of the season took place May 11th with a special spotlight on the Madwomen Mentorship program and featured talented mentees: Joy, Alexandra, Rachel, and Sally. Mentors Kayla, Emily, Daniela, Wendy, and our fearless leader Jan are also pictured.
Thank you to all for a wonderful 2017-2018 season! We’ll see you in September.
Special thanks to my sidekick Laurin for all her work, all the open mic readers and attendees over the past year, and to Delanie’s Coffee for letting us use their space.
up at Cabildo Quarterly!
In the past, I have written a couple posts about the Sigma Tau Delta International English Convention. Read my first post here, and about the 2016 conference in Minneapolis and the 2017 conference in Louisville.
I just returned from the 2018 convention in Cincinnati. It was a whirlwind of a weekend! On the way there, I started off with a stop at one of my new favorites in Columbus: Winans. Chocolate and wine, you can’t go wrong…
Once in Cincinnati, I spent most of the first day exploring. It was a cloudy day, but still beautiful nonetheless. Below are some of my favorite sights in the Queen City:
*Roebling Suspension Bridge, Smale Riverfront Park*
*Great American Ball Park, Findlay Market*
*Hathaway’s Diner- I could eat all my meals in this charming, old-school place.*
10/10 recommend!
I gave my presentation on Saturday afternoon and connected instantly to the brilliant writers: DeAndra, Eric, and Korbin.
*Rhinegheist Brewery*
Speaking of murals, Cincy has plenty!
*At the Red & Black Conventions Award Gala with my two guys, where my poetry collection was awarded a prize.*
And the next night, I got to reunite with my best friend from high school, who was visiting town.
❤
Already can’t wait to see what next year’s convention has in store.
See you in 2019, St. Louis!
Not many people know this, but I started graduate school for my MFA in January.
I am still working full time, but I decided that this goal was one I seriously wanted to accomplish for myself and to push myself academically and personally, to become a better writer.
My motto for this new year has been to just go for it, and that’s what I am doing. The residency proved to me that I made the right decision. Never in my life did I connect so quickly to my peers and mentors. I felt like even though I only met these people ten days ago, it felt like we had been friends for a lifetime! I was surrounded by the most brilliant writers, and the energy was contagious. All in all, it was the single most overwhelming (but in the best way) thing I had ever experienced.
And now, the real work of practicum begins. For those of you who are or have previously been in grad school, especially a low residency program, what advice would you give?
from this side of the sun 