So I've been at this thing for awhile now...
You know what?
I've been blogging almost an entire year! Yayy!!
As of tomorrow, my blog will be one year old. I've done a lot in a year. Ok, so the past few summer months have been rather uneventful. But right now I'm going to rewind a bit, and revel in the successes and struggles that the past year has brought me. And because I'm so damn goal oriented (to a fault, remember...) I might even set some goals for year two of blogging.
I started this blog last September as a means to keep myself accountable. What do you mean, Katie?
Well - I figured that if I blogged and posted my tidbits of writing, that it would be a motivation for me to show the world (mainly myself I'm my most avid reader) that I am actually writing and actively participating in the poetry world. This blog was going to be my publicly poetic face, with its pimples and all! :) Aww...
And then the blog started evolving a little. Instead of posting my writing exercises, I started blogging about my activities, my submissions, my successes, struggles, and failures. Now its a way for me to keep track, to look back and say - look how far I've come. To study all my mistakes. To make them all over again.
So this time last year, I was an M.F.A student vowing to take this writing life a little more seriously. I made promises on my blog, saying I would submit to the Nuestra Voz competetion, that I would submit to Borderlands, to Denver Quarterly (which I never got around too... oops!).
So since beginning blogging, I have had the following successes:
Published two poems in Reflections (In... October I think?)
Published Among the Mariposas (Mouthfeel Press, 2010). I was notified last December. I still remember that day. I was at the gym, and people were staring at me while I jumped for joy while speaking with editor on phone.
Published a poem in Borderlands
Published three poems on Clean Sheets
Presented at the Wild Tongues Conference
Proposal Accepted for El Mundo Zurdo Conference
Began work on thesis
Received the Nuestra Voz prize, and an Outstanding Achievement award through my university
Did numerous readings and book signings, was featured at a book fair, and made many friends along the way :) :) :)
But has it been all shits and giggles? Certainly not. In the spirit of honesty, I've hit my roadbumps too. I've accumulated a pretty nice collection of rejection slips, my first shipment of books were sent to the wrong address (completely my fault), and my fragile feelings have been hurt by fellow poets and professors. Yes, I cried.
But through it all, I think I've had a successful year. I put myself out there, I climbed out on that shakey limb and held on for dear life. And I'm hanging in there! I will continue to do so, regardless of the struggles that are ahead of me within this next coming year.
This time last year, I would have never DREAMED that I would be fairing so well right now. I thank my friends for their encouragement, my family for their support, my editor and publisher for believing in me (you are the greatest :), my professors for pushing me forward, my collegues for their great criticism, and of course - my biggest fan, I thank Bruno :) He doesn't read this blog (or know of its existance) but he is what keeps me pressing on. You're one sexy geek, Bruno.
So this coming year - what do I plan on doing?
Well -I hope to publish publish publish in journals.
I want a good portion of my thesis manuscript published in good quality journals so that I can start considering publishing it as a whole. But this is going to take so much work, and even more luck. Aye.
I want to present at more conferences. I still dream of AWP 2011.
I want to finish my thesis
I want to graduate
I want to begin working. I pray to God that this time next year I will be teaching. I don't care if its remedial writing! But I need experience desperately. And this is what terrifies me the most.
Last year was great, awesome, productive, and filled with so much joy. These next twelve or so months are going to be a whole new struggle. I just hope that I can get out of this little funk I'm in, and start adding to the CV again until it bestows upon me the title - Professor Katie. Real Poet Katie. Good Wife Katie. Skinny Katie. Beautiful Katie. Sexy Katie.
So my CV won't be able to make me sexy... lol. But a girl sure can dream...
I've been blogging almost an entire year! Yayy!!
As of tomorrow, my blog will be one year old. I've done a lot in a year. Ok, so the past few summer months have been rather uneventful. But right now I'm going to rewind a bit, and revel in the successes and struggles that the past year has brought me. And because I'm so damn goal oriented (to a fault, remember...) I might even set some goals for year two of blogging.
I started this blog last September as a means to keep myself accountable. What do you mean, Katie?
Well - I figured that if I blogged and posted my tidbits of writing, that it would be a motivation for me to show the world (mainly myself I'm my most avid reader) that I am actually writing and actively participating in the poetry world. This blog was going to be my publicly poetic face, with its pimples and all! :) Aww...
And then the blog started evolving a little. Instead of posting my writing exercises, I started blogging about my activities, my submissions, my successes, struggles, and failures. Now its a way for me to keep track, to look back and say - look how far I've come. To study all my mistakes. To make them all over again.
So this time last year, I was an M.F.A student vowing to take this writing life a little more seriously. I made promises on my blog, saying I would submit to the Nuestra Voz competetion, that I would submit to Borderlands, to Denver Quarterly (which I never got around too... oops!).
So since beginning blogging, I have had the following successes:
Published two poems in Reflections (In... October I think?)
Published Among the Mariposas (Mouthfeel Press, 2010). I was notified last December. I still remember that day. I was at the gym, and people were staring at me while I jumped for joy while speaking with editor on phone.
Published a poem in Borderlands
Published three poems on Clean Sheets
Presented at the Wild Tongues Conference
Proposal Accepted for El Mundo Zurdo Conference
Began work on thesis
Received the Nuestra Voz prize, and an Outstanding Achievement award through my university
Did numerous readings and book signings, was featured at a book fair, and made many friends along the way :) :) :)
But has it been all shits and giggles? Certainly not. In the spirit of honesty, I've hit my roadbumps too. I've accumulated a pretty nice collection of rejection slips, my first shipment of books were sent to the wrong address (completely my fault), and my fragile feelings have been hurt by fellow poets and professors. Yes, I cried.
But through it all, I think I've had a successful year. I put myself out there, I climbed out on that shakey limb and held on for dear life. And I'm hanging in there! I will continue to do so, regardless of the struggles that are ahead of me within this next coming year.
This time last year, I would have never DREAMED that I would be fairing so well right now. I thank my friends for their encouragement, my family for their support, my editor and publisher for believing in me (you are the greatest :), my professors for pushing me forward, my collegues for their great criticism, and of course - my biggest fan, I thank Bruno :) He doesn't read this blog (or know of its existance) but he is what keeps me pressing on. You're one sexy geek, Bruno.
So this coming year - what do I plan on doing?
Well -I hope to publish publish publish in journals.
I want a good portion of my thesis manuscript published in good quality journals so that I can start considering publishing it as a whole. But this is going to take so much work, and even more luck. Aye.
I want to present at more conferences. I still dream of AWP 2011.
I want to finish my thesis
I want to graduate
I want to begin working. I pray to God that this time next year I will be teaching. I don't care if its remedial writing! But I need experience desperately. And this is what terrifies me the most.
Last year was great, awesome, productive, and filled with so much joy. These next twelve or so months are going to be a whole new struggle. I just hope that I can get out of this little funk I'm in, and start adding to the CV again until it bestows upon me the title - Professor Katie. Real Poet Katie. Good Wife Katie. Skinny Katie. Beautiful Katie. Sexy Katie.
So my CV won't be able to make me sexy... lol. But a girl sure can dream...
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