News from This Wild Feeling

An update for July

How are things going?

Hi everyone, I thought I’d give you an update on how things are going in the tortured poets department.

Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash

Stepping away from Substack -was it a good idea?

You may remember I took the decision last month to step away from Substack. It’s a great platform, and I know if I was a full capacity, it would be a superb way to make more connections with writers and artists – something my work always benefits from. Despite these benefits I’ve absolutely made the right decision. My work week feels more fluid, and I feel less pressured to ensure I’m writing a top-quality article each week. Time and energy are so precious, and this decision means that I can devote the best of myself to new creative projects, and to my bespoke poetry business.

What new projects am I working on?

My pamphlet “Daughter of a man who loved birds” was longlisted for the Mslexia pamphlet competition. This is a big achievement – Mslexia is a hugely respected magazine, and being one of forty longlistees in the competition shows my work has what it takes. The judges report gave superb insight into what could be improved and developed to transport work all the way to the shortlist and even the winning spot. This paragraph rang particularly loud bells

“The main issue with many manuscripts this year was a sort of cautiousness. Though the writing was consistently fine and showed a range of technical skills, the poems were almost too polite and well-crafted, as though wary of breaking rules and calling attention to themselves. Here the addition of three or four riskier pieces might be all that’s needed to inject a bit more verve and texture into a collection. Do you have a cache of weird and wonderful drafts that might be worth a second look? You may find that adding two or three new poems gives your pamphlet a slightly new slant, which in turn suggests a fresh edit of some of the other poems. Add a new title and you may find you have crafted a pamphlet that is not only significantly different from the original but significantly stronger too.”

Imtiaz Dharker, Judge Mslexia Pamphlet Competition 2024

I’ve identified this cautiousness as a strong trait of mine – I am afraid of being “too poetic” and frequently censor my own work as silly, or too high thinking. Confidence is the root of this and oh how I envy those who are self-assured enough to believe that they and their words are of value.

Next steps

I’ve embraced the feedback and really considered the identity of work I’m submitting. I realise I actually have two pamphlets – both with strong themes and identities and both with stories I want to tell. I’ve redrafted, revised and submitted to three competitions run by publishers I respect – now it’s a case of waiting and strengthening resolve for the outcome.

Success and Disappointment

Poetry is a mixed bag when it comes to good and bad news, and all too often we only hear about the fabulous success people have. My own month has been a real mix of highs and lows.I had disappointing news last week about a development programme I applied to with Fawn Press. I wanted this opportunity so very badly – it’s local, I love the work the press produces and really felt I could feel at home there. Here’s what the judge’s report said.

“Although we absolutely enjoyed reading your work, there were only a very small number of places on the programme, and we hope that you will submit to us again in the future. Due to extremely high levels of submissions we received we cannot offer individual feedback, but here are some of the elements that led to work being rejected:

-Too similar to recent pamphlets we have published

-Did not adhere to submission guidelines

-Some entries were literally too good (no, this isn’t a cop out!) and we thought other poets would benefit from a place on the development programme

Things that stood out to us as highlights when reading work:

-Personal and authentic poetic voice

-Unique vocabulary

-Surprising form and structure

-Consideration of playing with the blank space to manipulate reading pace

Poetry is very subjective and we hope you aren’t disheartened by this rejection email.”

Obviously I was a bit disheartened – I hoped this opportunity might give me the kind of environment and support I need to flourish and grow as a writer – the old confidence aspect again. Nonetheless it’s not to be and as ever I lick my wounds and keep going. I have to grasp the tiny wins to do so, and I’m grateful for the people that help me remember I’m doing ok.

Some successes

Luckily I’ve had some successes too in the form of magazine publication. I’ve had work selected to the published in three well respected magazines, Spelt, Dreich and Ink,Sweat and Tears. There’s nothing quite like seeing my name and work in print. I’ll keep you posted when each one is published.

Kathryn Anna Writes Bespoke

Writing poems for other people is a real joy. I’ve had a steady stream of orders through the year and each commission brings its own charm and sense of doing something significant with my words. The poems are less literary but no less crafted and knowing my words are part of such important events never fails to bring me joy.

One area I’m struggling a little with promotion – Google Ads is an expensive mystery, and people are reporting challenges around leaving reviews on my business pages. My best tech head Is struggling to figure out why – is anyone has any insight I’d be over the moon to hear it!

I’m hoping to expand my commissioned work into working with local business, as well as bringing a couple of local history projects to life. Ideas are percolating at the moment, but I’ll let you know as soon as I have news.

So there we have it, the usual round of ups and downs, health is an issue at the moment, with lots of new diagnoses and investigations, as well as the usual M.E. complications, but overall I’m in a good place and grateful that I can still do what I can. Here’s to better weather, and abundance of homegrown lettuce and hopefully some good writing news.

Thank you, as ever, for reading,

Until next time,

Kathryn

xx