Poetry
So most of you know I write fiction, largely fanfic, but also some original fiction. And some of you know that before I was ever a writer of stories, I was a writer of poems. I've written poems since I was a kid. Seriously since I was a teen (and I don't mean creepy angsty emo teenager poetry, although I did my share of those, too.) Anyway, I've not tried to get anything published mostly because I'm a chicken. But I've not posted much of it online, because somewhere in the back of my mind I DO hope to one day get it published.
Anyway.
Last night I went to a poetry sharing night at my friend Bryce's book club. A gay book club, where there is only one female member, and she wasn't there, so I was the only girl, of about 15 people total. Most people read published works by well-known and lesser-known poets, but a couple of people, including me, brought our own work.
I was a little shy about reading, since I didn't know these people for the most part, but in the latter half of the evening I did. And it was amazing. They really responded to my work. They analyzed it and found all kinds of interesting meanings and metaphors, and ways to read it, and nice little symmetries and other writerly things that I really don't do consciously. The said they loved my use of language, and the work was powerful and direct and really had a punch. They asked me to read more, after I finished the first one. They even asked for a third.
When I finished the third piece, the room was utterly silent, and then the man sitting next to me said softly, "Whoah, damn!" like it had just taken his breath away. And then they all talked about it and analyzed it, and talked about how it had relevance to their own lives. It was so amazing and I felt so powerful and flattered and shy and delighted.
One of the guys looked at my little spiral-bound notebook, and asked incredulously, "And these only exist in this little book?"
And the host that evening, it turns out, is a publisher of some sort. Three different guys all were telling him he seriously needed to look into my work. He said my work had "impact" and he knew how to look for that sort of thing, and asked for my contact information.
So....
We'll see. I'm flattered and amazed, and a little in awe. Guardedly hopeful, but even if nothing else comes of it, it was incredibly validating.
For those that would like to read the poems I read to the group, (and a couple of you did already, helping me prepare to go to the reading: thank you sna32, lady_spaz, kilerkki and ainasiriel) I'm willing to email or possibly put up in a friends-locked post. Comment here and ask if you want to see.
Anyway.
Last night I went to a poetry sharing night at my friend Bryce's book club. A gay book club, where there is only one female member, and she wasn't there, so I was the only girl, of about 15 people total. Most people read published works by well-known and lesser-known poets, but a couple of people, including me, brought our own work.
I was a little shy about reading, since I didn't know these people for the most part, but in the latter half of the evening I did. And it was amazing. They really responded to my work. They analyzed it and found all kinds of interesting meanings and metaphors, and ways to read it, and nice little symmetries and other writerly things that I really don't do consciously. The said they loved my use of language, and the work was powerful and direct and really had a punch. They asked me to read more, after I finished the first one. They even asked for a third.
When I finished the third piece, the room was utterly silent, and then the man sitting next to me said softly, "Whoah, damn!" like it had just taken his breath away. And then they all talked about it and analyzed it, and talked about how it had relevance to their own lives. It was so amazing and I felt so powerful and flattered and shy and delighted.
One of the guys looked at my little spiral-bound notebook, and asked incredulously, "And these only exist in this little book?"
And the host that evening, it turns out, is a publisher of some sort. Three different guys all were telling him he seriously needed to look into my work. He said my work had "impact" and he knew how to look for that sort of thing, and asked for my contact information.
So....
We'll see. I'm flattered and amazed, and a little in awe. Guardedly hopeful, but even if nothing else comes of it, it was incredibly validating.
For those that would like to read the poems I read to the group, (and a couple of you did already, helping me prepare to go to the reading: thank you sna32, lady_spaz, kilerkki and ainasiriel) I'm willing to email or possibly put up in a friends-locked post. Comment here and ask if you want to see.