Writing the Perfect Beast #38

Starting in October 2025, I decided to talk honestly about the business of how I write poetry. There are people who teach how to create poetry, how to format it, how to submit and how publishing in general, works. I am not seeing that many people shining a light on what you need to do with your brain and mental attitudes to make all of that knowledge stick, grow and then evolve. HI THERE.

On what now becomes a regular Sunday post, LET'S RESET THE SPACE.

Forest Management S. Reeson - presale, signed

‘A fascinating pamphlet’ - Wendy Pratt; ‘unflinching, inventive poems of discovery, trauma and healing’ - Jen Feroze; ‘...candid, skilful and often unsettling poems; a forest trail that leads us through fear and reflection to a place of revelation.’ - Nina Parmenter

The Flight of the Dragonfly Bookshop

It is less than a week until my pamphlet is officially 'out in the world'. Once that happens, pretty much everything I am is back in a state of flux. There are two more events (one real, one virtual as previously discussed) and at least two more 'things' to be announced. I have no idea what happens next for my written work in practical terms, other than an upcoming online anthology for Halloween.

November will have a one-day, 'pop-up' exhibition to begin it. My poetry/photography work remains available for purchase (and also in exhibition) until the middle of the month. I'm also hosting an Open Mic at a city library as a test run to see if there is interest in more events in 2027. After that, and the final publication of the Art Trail work, my work life is without any formal structure.

This is one of the reasons I have begun the Ways of Seeing project.

My November pop-up is a formal setting of the project's 'terms and conditions', and we'll start translating those to the site here as November goes on. To give you a very broad overview I will be considering some crowdfunding next year for part of the process. The pop-up then becomes a proper wrapper for what I hope the poetry/image hybrids might become over time.

There is a PHENOMENAL amount of work still out for submission as of right now. If ANY of it hits it will be significant, MAJOR career progression. It is all also completely out of my hands. Nothing can alter that. I'm grateful for the Stanza group as a result, for the Open Mic scene in my city, for online events to fall back into. I'm also rather looking forward to some downtime.

I will be making all my Christmas gifts this year as a result.

So, we are going to consider this post as a Reset Button. Once I have finished the layouts for my pop-up, we'll have the Final 5 Poems for Yellow Jug on the 22nd, from which I will pick a Winner and two Highly Commended poems. The website will finally get the update I promised it at the start of the month, and we'll buckle down for the Winter months with a renewed sense of optimism.

Not knowing is hard sometimes, but it remains an inescapable part of the poetry 'process' that cannot be avoided and honestly is a lot less stressful than it used to be. I have a phenomenal amount of work currently waiting to find a home, but hold little actual enthusiasm to pursue it. I am tired, guys. There's downtime now scheduled for the start of November, and it will be enjoyed.

When we return, it is full steam ahead with Christmas preparations :D