A Day Late...

Hi everyone! I am writing a day late, but hopefully not a dollar short. Still on the job hunt, and enjoying it for the most part. Every time I put myself back out in the job market I am reminded of the first time I lived on my own. I worked two to three jobs, and lived in a small apartment in Athens, GA. I remember receiving my first light bill and thinking, "Wow! I can't believe this is it! I work and all of the money I make just goes right back out." How depressing! After a while it seems you just get used to it, and the bills always get paid somehow. It's really not about the job and the bills though, it's about living life and enjoying it, right?
My remedy for the "work, come home, and pay the bills blues" is to write. Just like I am writing now. Just getting something down on paper seems to help, whether it's creative or otherwise. I spoke with a Dr. friend of mine today and he told me that he doesn't know why, but it is helpful for people to write things down, whether it's for diet and exercise or just to keep your head on straight. So, I suppose I am reminding myself as much as my readers to get it out, write it down and never let the humdrum of the daily grind kill your creativity.
Until next week.
Ivy

Publishing

I always thought getting published was like being inducted into a mysterious cult. It seems like such a daunting task to put your work out there for others to judge. This is to say, I have been submitting my work to journals. And BIG NEWS!!!! I am getting published in January in Cantaraville Five. It is an online Lit. Journal! While this is not my first publication, it is the first literary journal, outside of my alma mater's literary journal, that I will have my work in. It's funny how sometimes that outside vote of confidence is just what you need.
On the other hand I also submitted poems to the BoxCar Poetry Review, and I am submitting a couple of poems to the New Yorker. I fully expect to get rejection letters from both. I tend to think that way when submitting my work for publication. I guess my reasoning is that if I don't expect to get in to the journal and I don't then I'm not disappointed. Some would consider this a fatalistic attitude, but I believe that it is simply honest.
I just got back from GA two days ago, where I spent a day with my family. I decided it would be a good idea to share my poems that are being published with my mother. And in response to my poems my mother said, "Where are your happy poems? Aren't you ever happy?" It made me laugh. Not an hour later my grandmother (Mema) asked to see my poems, and her response to my mother's comment was "Poems are rarely happy." And the moral to this story is: Trust your voice, and the emotions you put into your work."
Until next week,
Ivy

Welcome!

Hi Everyone!
Thanks for visiting my blog. Like many of you I have just finished celebrating a lovely 4th of July with family and friends, and now I am preparing to embark on the exciting task of finding a job in my chosen field. I have been going to school for six years now in the hopes of completing a terminal degree in Poetry. It is almost over. I will be graduating from New England College's low residency MFA next summer. In the mean time I am offering courses in creative writing through Plymouth State University's Community Education Department. I taught my first class there this past spring and loved every minute of it.
In our ever slumping economy the job market is becoming a bit like fishing in a vernal pool. That is to say, the pickings are slim. Best wishes to all of you who may find yourselves in the market. Until next week!
Ivy Page