Author Archive
How Can We Feed Our Creativity?
For songwriter Vienna Teng, the secret seems to lie in her variety of influences. While I combed through your fabulous feedback (!) on What Poetry Can Learn from Pop Music last month, I connected with Teng for my ongoing interview series, “Hey Guys, Other People Read Too!“ A Taiwanese-American songwriter, Vienna’s chamber-folk style has led her to
Why Poetry Can’t Find its Public
Hey Poets. I was in LA last month for music work, and I think I found something you dropped: The public. So—Maybe you weren’t sure when you lost it, but you seem pretty certain music stole it. Or film perhaps? Or YouTube cats? Meanwhile, poetry’s stayed alive. It’s been breeding
What Do Taylor Swift and Faulkner Have in Common?
Um, the answer is this guy. Hey Writing World, meet Amos Heller: The much-loved, many-fanned bass player for Taylor Swift. (And, ahem, for Ellery.) I’m introducing you to him because—(#truth)—Amos’ literary prowess would put many of us to shame. When I first I got to know Amos, he was always making reference to
Help! How Do I Use Microphones??!
Okay. So you know that microphones are devices you put near your mouth to make your voice louder. Beyond that, there be dragons. So let’s bust through seven common mic Q’s. Then sail on, writers! #1. Won’t using a mic make me seem stiff and formal? If I hear another author
So… Readings. What’s the point?
If you’re a writer, you’ve likely subjected yourself to awkward, lifeless Readings enough times to wonder whether there’s still a purpose for these mysterious liturgies. We probably don’t need an old time tent revival (I hope not!)… But asking, “what’s the point?” may be long overdue. What I mean is: perhaps who/whatever began
Giving a Reading? How Not to Panic.
In my previous post, I discussed the crying shame that is the Public Reading. You commented, shared, and agreed. You asked how to feel more confident, use a microphone, give more creative readings, etc. I’ll tackle all of these over coming weeks – starting, today, with confidence. HAVE SOME COMPASSION.
Why Are Readings So Awkward?
Hey Writing World. I love you. You’re brilliant. You make amazing things happen on a page. But you have NO IDEA what to do behind a microphone. And so many of your venues are grim! They make us forget that there’s ever been magic in words. Basically, there’s an