Somehow August has arrived, with sunshine and summer in tow. It felt so far away, back in March, when isolation started. But here we are. And after a long lull in my poetry inspiration, I’m back to writing more fluently again! Last month I wrote three poems for my Wednesday Whims page, plus a couple online workshop pieces, and a few others to hopefully send out for submissions (so I […]
The world may seem to be spiraling, as of late, out of the grasp of creativity. But writers persevere. It’s been a while since my last interview, yet today, I have someone special to share. As unconventional and encouraging as ever, CC’s Interview Series is happy to welcome author of Earth Gospel, college professor, and one of my poetry mentors, Dr. Tamara Miles! I say unconventional interview because typically I […]
This morning arrived with joyful poetry play! Thank You to poet, author, and playwright, Pamela Hobart Carter for her most recent blog post, Make a Poem at Home: Poetry Lessons for Covid Times. (https://playwrightpam.wordpress.com/make-a-poem-at-home-poetry-lessons-for-covid-times/#like-841) As a fellow teacher of young children and a writer myself, I found encouragement and fun following her three creative ideas for writing poetry with young ones. I find these lessons appropriate for all ages! As […]
Last week I shared real-life distractions blocking my creative pathway, even amid true inspiration. My readers delivered with caring advice, either through comments or private messages, and I am grateful. A few small suggestions helped me to make some slight alterations to my writing routine, which made all the difference. As a reference, please take a peek back at last week’s post: https://stepsinbetween.com/2020/06/21/creatively-crunched/ For starters, I took some time off […]
Flowers are a lovely gift for many celebratory occasions. But for me, I also like blooms of another kind. This year for Mother’s Day, my daughter gifted me a membership to MasterClass, and I am in love with this bouquet of possibility and growth. I cannot rate this program because I’ve only just begun, but after choosing my classes this morning, I have chills in anticipation. The reviews are quite […]
Poem in your Pocket Day is April 30th this year, and the perfect send off to an unforgettable National Poetry Month. In some ways, perhaps more poetry was shared due to our isolation with Corona Virus. My hope, with all the sadness and anxiety, with the unfortunate souls lost to this pandemic, is that some how we manage to find reason and comfort within a string of words. This is […]
With April abloom, we are more than midway through National Poetry Month. If you have been following along with Steps In Between, you know we are reveling in this event by sharing poetry from writers all over the world. Their names are listed below, but read on for a quick bit of well-filling inspiration… POETS below in alphabetical order, their poems can be found at this link: https://stepsinbetween.com/2020/04/05/let-the-words-roam-national-poetry-month-april-2020/ Yvonne Brewer (Spring Sends […]
This year, our entire world is isolated and locked down during National Poetry Month. But I say, let the words roam! Let them “beat upon your head like silver liquid drops” (Langston Hughes, April Rain Song, 2)! Let them singe from your fingertips as you write and embrace your heart as you read. I say, fill this time of fear and instability from an enemy-virus with grace and hope and […]
Happy earliest Spring since 1896! In celebration, come join our “Community Garden” of Poetry! This year March 19th marked the Spring Equinox, and with world-wide isolation and the stuffiness of staying home, I am ready to burst into something beautiful and colorful and flowerful! In less than two weeks April arrives signaling…National Poetry Month! So, let’s celebrate with a garden of poetry from everyone in my writing community! It’s “Community […]
Change and Patience (A Forced Pause in Writing) Change—not a new phenomenon. We are all facing change every day of our lives. But recently, reaching out to any social media or news source, the vast change affecting all of us worldwide is apparent. COVID-19 is demanding attention, and yes…all regularly scheduled life activities have been paused. Where does this leave me? I’m hunkered down at home and feeling out of […]
My unPoetry Post ~ Still a Celebration Happy first of March! Outside my window there’s sunshine, stripes of blue sky, and the trill of birds. While I’m breathing in the fresh breath of a new season, it’s unfortunately amidst a cloudiness of pressure still heaped on my back. The first Sunday of every month I always invite readers to visit my Wednesday Whims of Poetry page: https://stepsinbetween.com/poetry/. This monthly sharing […]
Writers Need Writers! Lunch with friends is always a joyful experience. When written on my calendar, it becomes a beacon of light to look forward to. And now I have a new “lunch with friends 2.0” to share: lunch with writer friends! Writers typically work alone. Isolation is required in the realms of creation, but sometimes we need to poke our heads out and interact with others. Yesterday, I had […]
One + two + three + four + one = eleven A little challenge, a little math, and a lot of poetry! I love my writing community, for a multitude of reasons, but today I am thankful for Charles Lindholm’s poetry challenge: to write an Elfchen. After I bit into one, I couldn’t help tasting a few more. Suddenly, I’m throwing a party and WOW, what an event it has […]
My writing mind wriggles during down time, up time, in between time. Honestly, it never really ceases in its pursuit to create. The doctors diagnosed it as ADD, and although it can be frustrating at times (in the middle of a Tuesday night with a morning meeting in wait), I find it illuminating. Ideas spark at the glimpse of bulb plants sprouting from the cold January ground, warriors against frost. […]
January has unveiled its raw winter-ness. For Seattle, that blast of snowy chill equates to a romanticized sense of wonderland…well, for the writer in me. Maybe because I grew up where wintery-season months matched splendidly with all the storybooks from my childhood…snowfall under lamp posts, icicle-clad roof eaves…and my dad bundled under the warmth of his red flannel shirt, shoveling the drive. A favorite memory, relived year after year in […]
After five-plus years of writing my finally finished book, Seam Keepers, a burning new story has sparked into life. Although I am still in the querying stage of my first book, I can’t seem to snuff the light from this new idea seeking passage to the page. And though Seam Keepers has a sequel in need of completing, this new story inspiration doesn’t seem to mind sharing in the limelight. […]
I’m two scenes into a new story idea, and I can’t wipe the grin off my face. There are still plot twists to create and character arcs to build but ringing in 2020 with a novel writing goal seems like a decade-worthy decision. It’s also a fresh new year for my blog, Steps In Between. The first Sunday of every month I typically pull your attention to my Wednesday Whims […]
I am thankful for a December look-back. The first Sunday of a new month is an invitation to visit my poetry page, Wednesday Whims of Poetry. It’s that beginning of a new month where I encourage reflection from the month before…before it’s gone. Time moves like a sleepless night. It flows whether we’re caught up or ready, and tirelessly we move forward because it’s the only direction to go. But […]
Beholden, grateful, obliged, and bound…how many other words might describe the thankfulness in my heart. This is the season where I wind down, follow that trickle of thought from mind to heart. That gleaming light from purpose to fingertips because when creating, that’s where things get done. I’ve found the writing side of who I am, depicted this way, as I’m certain it’s been with me my whole life. I […]
I am thrilled to kick off my new “CC’s Interview Series” with poet friend and 2017 Pushcart nominee, Ann Christine Tabaka. Although she lives across the nation from me, in Delaware, it feels as if we are sitting together in a warm and cozy coffee shop. The scent of cappuccino fills the air as our poet’s inspiration and experience weave an intricate story. Please, pull up a chair, fill your […]
My Upcoming Writing Conference (the good, the bad, and the ugly): The PNWA Writing Conference happens in less than a week in Seattle. This is a good news-bad news event for me. As eager as I am to soak in all the learning presented and meet other authors and writers, I still consider myself new in this writing world, and to be honest, I’m intimidated. Thankfully, my whole writing class […]
Summer Slows into a Rainbow of Light: September’s Poetry Celebration Summer is slowing. I can already feel the heat against my back on this first day of September. But there is much to appreciate in these last rays of light. It’s the first Sunday of a new month, so that means we celebrate poetry here at Steps in Between. Today is even more colorful, though, as I have a rainbow […]
The first Sunday of every month is a poetry celebration here at Steps In Between. https://stepsinbetween.com/poetry/ In fact, later this month, I will continue the party by adding another round of poems to my Poetry Friends page. This will be the third edition, as it inspires me to surround myself with greatness. I am eager to introduce some new artists and new pieces coming soon. For now, as always on […]
A short and sweet Sunday post today. Summer is that time of year where schedules get highjacked for either fun vacation-y reasons, or even lazy lounging ones. I am leaving on vacation in a few short days, but I also have some exciting news to share. Therefore, this post will be a little different than usual. Don’t worry, there is still some quick writing advice at the bottom. So, take […]
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