My first chap book is now available!
After months years of working on the thesis, massaging those poems, and working on new writing since graduating, I have a short collection out with Blast Furnace Press out of Pittsburgh.
I guess it goes to show that perseverance pays.
I whittled down the thesis to just a few of the best poems, added a couple of new ones not in there, and sent it out to five or six different contests and publishers. This took more effort than I thought it would. Killing your darlings is hard work, and although I don’t expect it to get any easier as things move forward, it may be easier to recognize something that isn’t working the way it is.
The end result is a chap book called How to Lose Faith, 18 poems in about 30 pages. Though many of the poems reflect on a traditional judeo-christian belief system, that subject tends to be an underlying current rather than the guiding principle. It is a journey I’ve taken, and I have no apologies for it.
It is interesting taking a title like that and sharing it with people I don’t know all that well. I can never be exactly sure of the reception.
Keep an eye out on the tumblr blog for readings and more news on this front.
You can buy the book here: http://www.blastfurnacepress.com/2015/05/how-to-lose-faith-prize-winning.html
I can’t wait to read it! Once we get settled in New Mexico over the next few weeks, I’ll be ordering a copy for sure. So proud of you! We are doing the thing!