Writing Update: A Childlike 2012

Over on The Master’s Artist I wrote “A Childlike 2012,” a sort of new year’s resolution for writing and poetry. An excerpt:

As I looked back on the movies and books I really enjoyed this year I noticed a common theme: they were made for children and young adults. From the final Harry Potter movie to The Muppets toThe Hunger Games, these all had children included as part of the intended audience.
While I may have enjoyed young adult films and fiction this year, I must confess that my own writing and art isn’t always the most accessible….

You can read the rest here.

Writing Update: Whole Foods is Cheaper…

I have an essay published in The Curator which tries to dispel the myth that Whole Foods means Whole Paycheck. I said in front of my College Writing class a few weeks ago that fast food is not necessarily cheaper than Whole Foods, and the aghast looks I was met with prompted me to do some research and come up with some cold, hard facts. My essay “Whole Foods is Cheaper than Fast Food?” fits right into the ethos of my Ethical Eating series, which looks at how Christians should eat.

An excerpt:

…while I may be able to prove to my class that Whole Foods is cheaper than fast food, the value placed on instant gratification, ready-made food and the on-the-go lifestyle is what keeps more people from visiting farmers markets or buying healthy, sustainable food. Eating is often divorced from cooking, or worse, cooking is considered a privilege that not everyone can afford. So the cooking, for better or worse, gets outsourced.

You can read the rest of my essay here.

Writing Update: Creating for Community & the Bookseller’s Opinion

Over the past week or so I published a few pieces around the Internet for your enjoyment.

On The Master’s Arist I wrote briefly about the creative process of writing a prayer book for the local church I attend, and how it is different than the creative projects I am used to:

Most of the time I create for myself and then share with others. It is a process of moving from the deep stirrings of my mind or heart and creating an artifact that I then share (if I think it is good enough for other eyes to see).

This project is the opposite. I’m standing on the outside, creating something for a whole group of people. Eventually, this project will stir my mind and heart as I pray along with others.

You can read my full essay, “Creating for Community,” on The Master’s Artist.

I also took some time to interview David Wheeler, the poet and bookseller, about digital publishing for The Other Journal‘s Mediation blog. David brings an interesting perspective as both an author and a seller. He offers some insight into the economic realities of digital publishing:

I think we also need to remember that a book (digital or not) might be peanuts to actually print and distribute, but it’s often years of labor for the author. You get maybe a few days to a few weeks of enjoyment from a book—maybe a lifetime—break that down to an hourly wage, and for the sake of argument imagine it all goes to the author, and at $30 it’s still slave’s wages.

You can read the rest of my interview, “The Brave New Digital Publishing World: An Interview with David Wheeler,” on Mediation.

Writing Update: Advent & L.L. Barkat

A couple of months ago I was contacted by Christine Sine, who helps run Mustard Seed Associates, about being a contributor to the Advent devotional they were producing, Waiting for the Light. I readily accepted, and my short essay on Advent is Day 1 in the devotional; quite an honor I think. More honorable than that is the company of other authors on the project: Julie Clawson, Kathy Escobar, Kimberlee Conway Ireton, Ed Cyzweski, JR Woodward, Tim Morey, Jamie Arpin-Ricci, and Tom & Christine Sine. So many of these people are authors I respect, and to be in their company is a really big deal for me.

About the devotional:

Christians of all traditions are discovering the value of taking time in the days that lead up to Christmas to break away from the consumer frenzy of our culture and prepare their hearts and minds for the coming of Christ. This resource responds to this desire. It is more than a devotional, it is a complete guide to the Advent and Christmas season, providing liturgies, weekly activities and daily reflections to equip and nourish us all through the season.

Pre-order before November 15th at the special price of $13 (includes S&H)!

Also published today is my interview with L.L. Barkat on The Other Journal‘s Mediation blog. We discuss her publishing venture, T.S. Poetry Press, and how the world of publishing is changing. An excerpt:

Digital publishing, in the hands of experienced authors who have connections, in the hands of experienced editors who know how to bring a book to print, is changing the game. It can still be Createspace, but when the book arrives to the buyer, she will absolutely know the difference. The quality of the writing, the art, the endorsements will all say this is not vanity; it is something to be regarded.

And because this can be done at a fraction of the cost (without funding warehouses, inventory and royalties systems, fulfillment and distribution), well, the “small” press has much bigger opportunities than ever before.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

And a side note: speaking of L.L. Barkat, her press has an awesome service called Every Day Poems. For $1 a year you get a poem every week day sent to your inbox, curated around rotating themes throughout the year. Today my poem, “October Forth, in Manhattan,” is published in Every Day Poems. To see it and other poems throughout the year for the amazingly low price of $1 just click here to subscribe.

Writing Update: Bright Before Us

My review of Katie Arnold-Ratliff‘s debut novel Bright Before Us was published over the weekend by Englewood Review of Books. The novel deals with the theme of disillusionment that is becoming more mainstream as the economic situation adversely affects the youth of America. In particular, I was struck by Arnold-Ratliff’s apt depiction of the restlessness and angst in defining themselves by their jobs, something society tells us to do but has many tragic pitfalls. An excerpt:

The protagonist is placed into this angst of suburbia, endless commuting and detachment from vocation. He wants desperately to get out, but in an irony all too common amongst my generation, he is too cynical, too individualistic and too consumeristic to do anything to make his life more meaningful.

You can read my full review of the book here.

Writing Update: Nobel Prize Time!

I have a new post up on The Master’s Artist about the new Nobel Prize winner in literature, Tomas Tranströmer. An excerpt:

Nobel Prize time is always exciting. It’s a time when the great poets and writers of the world are recognized for their worth…and a time when I recognize I know so little about literature on a global scale. As I heard the announcement of the prize in literature on the radio, I thought who is Tomas Tranströmer and why have I never heard of him before?

You can read the rest here: “Who is Tomas Tranströmer?“