living with poetry
Posted by Daniela Elza on Feb 08 2013
Life has been super busy lately. Well, I keep saying that. I guess it has been busy for a while now.
Last month I completed the edits of my upcoming book milk tooth bane bone. I enjoyed my editing work with Aislinn Hunter and submitted the manuscript to Ursula Vaira at Leaf Press.
The proofs to Force Field Anthology (Mother Tongue Publishing, April, 2013) came in, as well as the proofs for my contribution to Poems for the Writing (Texture Press, March, 2013). Two other anthologies are also going to be out soon in which I have a poem, Poems from Planet Earth Anthology (Leaf Press, 2013) and Alive at the Centre (Ooligan Press, 2013). I was the regional editor for Alive at the Centre so quite a bit of time went into that book.
I managed to send out five submissions last month as well.
I am currently one of the judges for the youth contest run by the League of Canadian Poets. Just read through 111 pages of poems submitted by grade 7 to grade 9 Canadian students. Now for the second round of reading.
I was invited to write a guest post by Taslim Jafer about finding my passion for writing while also being a mother. It went up today on her Let Me Out blog. It made me think of how poetry found me amidst the duties of raising children and keeping a family. All these different aspects of our lives that bear their weight (and lightness) on the passions we pursue. Here you can read the blogpost. Feel free to comment. Your participation will enter you in a draw for a free copy of the weight of dew.
Alongside these I am working on editing my new work. I had a lovely session with Evelyn Lau at the library discussing a few pieces. I have been putting together some of my new work in some semblance of a manuscript and thinking of who might be a good person to help me edit this one.
There is also the writing of new work for one reason/occasion or another or just because it has to be written. Not to mention the reading (and more reading) to keep up with. Also the work that goes into co-ordinating and co-hosting of Twisted Poets Literary Salon, submitting of new work, and all the administrative and business aspects of the writing life, including helping some out of town poets find venues to read.
All delightful and wonderful and worthy things to do, except for one little problem— time. Yes, sure, the kids and family are always there, and on the front burner. And sometimes poetry is like a difficult housemate. It is a fine, fine balance which on some days is hard to achieve amidst aches, house work, and broken things.