Hello Write Queeners and Poetry Lovers,

Whether you are an avid reader or a writer obsessed with their craft, it seems as though you can never find enough books of poetry. I know that nearly every two weeks, I'm buying another poetry book. How does one support such a bad habit? Barely, but I do in a couple of ways.

In another post, I will talk about bookstores and events that I've been to that have great poetry selections. Right now, I want to tell you about how I support my habit electronically. 

That's right, e-books of poetry. They are not as easy to find like many fiction and non-fiction works, but it's not impossible. You may be able to find them with sites or apps you already use.

1. Amazon: If you are an Amazon Prime user and have a Kindle, you are very lucky. A perk of being a Prime member is being able to borrow and read books for free. Finding poetry e-books that fall under Prime is not easy, but it is possible. If you don't have a Prime membership, there is a wonderful and growing collection of poetry e-books as mainstream publishers and small presses start to see the value of e-books even for poetry. They are usually cheaper than their physical counterparts. 
2. Wattpad: Wattpad is one of the largest communities for writers and readers to come together. You can put out your latest work in parts, letting readers rate and comment on your writing as you go. They have an impressive amount of poetry books in the making.
3. Oyster: This one is one of my new favorites. For $9.95 a month, you have access to hundreds of books. Think about how much you spend on buying a few poetry books in a month. Now think about if you only spent ten bucks a month and have access to poetry, novels, memoirs and more! It's been called the NetFlix of Books. I adore this service and the fact that they acknowledge National Poetry Month with a section of books. If you want to try it out, Oprah has teamed up with Oyster for people to sign up for a two month free trial. Just click the link!
4. NetGalley: For the professional reader who reviews and recommends books, publishers on NetGalley request or invite you to read digital (some physical too) advanced copies. The catch here is that you have to have a blog, be an educator, a reviewer, journalist, etc. in order to receive books. Their poetry section is small, but there are interesting reads. If you have a Kindle, you can have it delivered straight to your device. Or you can download a PDF copy.
5. EBooks.com: Which device do you have? A Kindle, an iPad, a Nook? At Ebooks.com, it doesn't matter because they sell e-books for most devices. They have a wonderful collection of the latest contemporary poetry e-books and more.
6. Free-Ebooks.net: Free books galore with user submitted books. Good way to study the work of other poets.
7. BookRix: BookRix is another self-publishing book site community. BookRix promises to help you self-publish your work and distribute it to all the major book sellers. It is also a community where you can either read from the site or download books to read on the go. With over 200 pages of books, there is a lot to explore.
8. PoetrySoup: PoetrySoup is a poetry community instead of a book site. And all they really do is categorize the links to Poetry books on Project Gutenburg. But hey, if you are looking for classic poetry by category, PoetrySoup saves you the trouble. Plus you can join the community and read their users poetry. It's a win-win for everyone.
   

There is a growing amount of places where you can find poetry e-books. Know any? Leave your recommendations in the comments!

Till next time, 

Christina

I was on Facebook the other day, scrolling past everyone's lives when I came across this link to a very touching video.

If you feel like being a writer is meaningless and not worth it, check out this story. I definitely got teary-eyed. If this guy can touch people through his passion as a poet, then any one of us can too.

Hello everyone!

Events, events, and more events! There's so much happening during the month of April. There's poetry everywhere you turn! I thought it would be swell to have a calendar of poetry-related events to collaborate and share with the community and beyond.

I have created a calendar that anyone can add events to. You can even add an event right now while reading this post! Just click on the day of your event and a pop-up to add event details will come up. You can view events for the day, week, month, as a list, and more. 

As of right now, adding pictures is a little wonky. You have to have the image url in order to add a picture. Your best bet is to take a few minutes and type up the details. If you want to promote a flyer, contact me via the contact tab or on one of my social networks and I'll be happy to share the flyer for your event in this post - I am sure this post will be modified many times.

If you choose to send me event details via social networks, please give me a little time to update the calendar. Priority will go for events coming up within the next couple of days. 

Please share this post so poets, event curators/hosts, and the community can share and go to events that promise to make your hearts sing. Supporting each other is the only way we can keep the arts thriving.

Sharing and contributing this information is free. A little free promo never hurt anyone. 

However, if you would like to work with me for online promotion, photography services, etc. for your event or other reasons on a professional level, please contact me via eatmedia.org.

Till next time loves, 

Christina

Pennsylvania gave us
rest stop kisses,
chicken wings,
and laughs about Victory
pursuing southwest Jewish
boys of Brooklyn.

There were no kisses
on the Ohio Interstate
as toes crossed
snow covered fields,
pushing icicles to
corners of Indiana.

We got a little tipsy
underneath
a patch of stars,
clarity far from
the reach of this city
girl willing to
stick her neck out to
catch a gust of road
in between her lips.

With only a half an hour to spare, I made my way to 61 West Superior Street in Chicago, Illinois right before I was due to leave. Because of the timing of my trip, I couldn't not explore everywhere I wanted to explore. I came to Chicago to visit my future grad school, to see a little of the area and find out more about this wonderful program I've been accepted to (more on that later). But time was not my friend and since I was traveling by wheels, my five days away from New York was really two. Today was not one of them.

But I had to make my way to The Poetry Foundation where the iconic Poetry magazine is published. I could not come to nor leave Chicago without visiting this place. One of a few institutions that I follow and worship in this craft, it was like visiting the motherland. If I had to work in an office for a million hours a day, this would be one of the places I would do it (and trust me, I have applied and I'm waiting - perfect for when I move to Chicago).

Not too far from places such as The Hard Rock and Rainforest cafes, The Poetry Foundation sits on the corner of West Superior Street. With a pathway that separates the outside world and the entrance, you feel as though you have stepped into a glass house of zen. The first floor is open to the public and contains an exhibit, a reading room where events are held, and a library of poetry books. The second floor and beyond houses the offices of the Foundation.

In my brief time there, I spoke to both the receptionist/web intern and the librarian who definitely look happy in their jobs and are lovely ladies. I walked around the first floor and was overwhelmed by the library I could not dive into due to time. I did pick up some Sonia Sanchez books to browse through. For ten mintues, I read Sonia's work in the foundation's beautiful library under a gentle reflection of sunshine.

Swoon. The perfect way to start National Poetry Month despite a 30 minute window.

But trust me when I say I will be back and here often.

Till tomorrow loves, continue to dive into poetry.

Check out some pictures below!

Hello my lovely readers and poets!

April 1st begins a month I love and know I am going to be absolutely immersed in this time around: National Poetry Month/National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo).

There are plenty of beautiful events and more importantly, there's the 30/30.

The 30/30 is when a poet takes on the challenge of writing 30 poems in 30 days. They are shared on blogs, Facebook, in groups, or kept to themselves. It ends dry spells, pushes limits, breaks open gems, and brings curious readers and poets alike to your work. It's a beautiful thing!

I've been participating in the 30/30 since 2009. First couple of years, it was easy and fun. As I continued, it became a challenge to find time and one year, I couldn't complete it. Though I don't think anyone but a few loyal friends really look at my blog during this time, I was disappointed in myself. I got through the challenge last year, but there was so much pressure and I barely remember the thrill of it.

It wasn't fun anymore.

As it slowly approached this year, I was weighing my options: Do I try again this year, know my time is limited? OR Do I change it up for myself?

Let the change begin!

Instead of writing 30 poems everyday, I am going to just do something relating to the nature of poetry everyday.

I will write. I will read. I will share. I will participate and go to events. Yes, being a poet - poetry is about writing poetry. But poetry is always discovering the poems of others by reading and listening. Poetry is about history of the skin and the reaction to words. It's not just about what the poet can do with their pen. We have to support each other through feedback and sharing everything.

So how are we going to start sharing a life of poetry? Check out my next post in a little while!

Hello Write Queeners,

I've decided that to keep blogging for at least once a month, I will write a monthly round up of my writing life. I will do it in the first week of every month, to give myself the opportunity to experience the previous month in its entirety (you never know what could happen at 11:58 PM on the last day of the month).

During April, I participated in the 30 poems in 30 days challenge. I've been a part of the challenge for five years. I was disappointed in myself last year when I didn't finish the 2012 challenge. It became a challenge when my part time temp job became a full time temp job with the opportunity to become permanent. Sometimes survival comes before creativity, but that didn't mean that I forgave myself easily for not finishing.

I was determined to finish this year. I saw opportunity in Instagram. Sometimes I didn't have time to write eloquent 40 line poems (did I even write a 40 line poem? ::ponders::). Instagram gave me the opportunity to jazz up smaller pieces, using original or found pictures and making a haiku a stronger image. Plus it gave me a new audience to introduce my writing to. I know that I gained new followers on Instagram, though I'm still trying to determine blog readership.

It was really fun and I found that even when I was posting late, that a pile of poems were building up because I was incorporating images and taking the time to find the right image for each poem. Sometimes I found a image, but had no poem. It gave me the motivation to write more. In a seemingly visual society, I found that my writing was a little more appreciated when the majority of my work was image based. I may have to rethink my approach on writing!

Overall it was a great challenge.

In relation to the 30/30 challenge, I had a whirlwind publication opportunity! My Day Five poem has been published in an anthology called "Old Hollywood". The poem was a part of a contest by Lady Chaos Press, a fairly new press by the lovely Shannon Lynette. I submitted my poem five days before the contest ended, which was on April 5th. By April 24th, she was already announcing that the book was out! I must remember to ask her (or simply interview her on the blog - how about it Shannon?) what her secret is to putting together a book so fast is.

The final update is about the writing group I am a part of. Hosted by Erica "Rivaflowz" Buddington, this monthly Write-In is a place for female writers of all genres to come together and talk about the thing we love the most: WRITING! Coupled with yummy food that either Erica has carefully picked out or cooked herself, a group of up to 15 women take the time to talk about what we have done in our writing lives during the past month. After that, for about 45 minutes, we retreat to various corners to write, using a prompt chosen for the meeting. 

After the 45 minutes, we go around and read our pieces, offering constructive criticism to improve the pieces and to rave about what we love about it. I'm often speechless because these ladies are amazing. Their input and encouragement to my work, even when I don't like the piece, puts things into perspective. Their own pieces make me want to throw my pen away because they have written masterpieces. I am blessed to be a part of this group.

So that is my April Update! Thank you for being a part of the Write Journey.

A gentle thirst sits
at the base of her lips,
lost in a criminal
tremble that threatens,
confess the interrogation of
his existence, in her reality.