Category: blogging

New! Author Page!

I did a Useful Thing today!

For the first time, I made an attempt at assembling an Author Page. You can either click on the link or choose it from the main menu.

I also made a few updates to my About page.

I know that ideally I would have my own domain that centered my Author Page and poetry with a tab for my blog and maybe I’ll get there eventually, but, for now, this is a big step.

Tell me what you think! You can comment on the Page or here on this post and I’ll see what I can do to improve it.

With thanks,
Joanne

SoCS: par for the course

One more time…

I thought I had one.

As most of you know, I am a poet. This means doing submissions – and then waiting months for an answer. (Rarely, it is only days or weeks, but it’s usually months and sometimes over six.)

This morning, I saw that I had a response from an online anthology that I thought I had a good shot to win a place.

But, no.

While one of the poems had made the shortlist, I had not won a spot in the anthology.

Sigh.

It’s a good thing that Hearts came out so that I have a huge positive plus in my life as a poet because it cushions the rejections, of which I am on a pretty long streak at the moment.

Maybe soon I’ll get some positive news on a new submission.

Maybe…
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “one/won.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/07/28/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-29-2023/

One-Liner Wednesday: remembering Tony Bennett

When asked if he got tired of singing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” Tony Bennett replied, “Do you ever get tired of making love?”

This homage to Tony Bennett, who passed away last week at the age of 96, is brought to you through Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/07/26/one-liner-wednesday-whats-the-hold-up/

two months of Hearts

Almost two months ago, my first chapbook, Hearts, was published by Kelsay Books. It is available from Kelsay, from Amazon, from me personally (if you are local), or by asking your local bookstore to order it through Ingram.

I posted about the first month, so thought I’d do an update.

I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t yet gotten my bookmarks and business cards printed or made any dates for readings/signings. Soon, I hope…

I have made some new inroads in publicity, thanks to Alignable, where I am listed as Top of JC’s Mind. I was invited to join a couple of groups there, Marketing for the Small Business and Networking for Introverts! (The exclamation point is part of the group name.) As a creative, I admit to being a bit of an odd duck in the groups, but I was lucky to meet Traci Poe of Communicate Great. She graciously offered to video chat with me and sent me a number of suggestions that I am implementing, such as using Instagram as a platform, linking it to my Top of JC’s Mind Facebook page. So, if you are on Instagram, you can now find me there as joannecoreypoet. I don’t know how helpful this will be in terms of promotion, as I don’t have a large following on either platform, but I’m trying. You may also notice that my TJCM post now have a featured image, which makes them directly shareable to Instagram, although Instagram posts use square images and some of mine are rectangular, so they get lopped off. Work in progress…

I’ve also learned to use Canva to create FB/IG posts and Meta Business Suite to schedule them. My skills are rudimentary, but I have managed to schedule out a series of posts featuring quotes from Hearts poems. Traci suggested I choose a color palette as a branding tool, but, so far, I am sticking with a clear, straightforward template with black Garamond type on a light gray background. I guess black and gray are colors. Right?

I have also tried to reach out to several places about reviews but haven’t heard back from any of them after several weeks. Not quite sure what to do about that…

Hearts is available at the Artisan Gallery, the shop of the Broome County Arts Council, and at Riverow Bookshop. I have an inquiry in at another local-ish bookstore, but I haven’t heard back yet. Are you noticing a theme?

Admittedly, my introversion is not helpful in this whole marketing piece that I’m trying to learn. All the outreach efforts are draining and anxiety-producing. None of this is helped by the fact that all my other volunteer commitments have either ramped up or hit unexpected snags lately, so I’m feeling overwhelmed. Not that that isn’t a familiar feeling for me…

It’s apparently a day for ellipses…

And questions?

That might be a bad sign…

Okay. Deep breath.

I can do this.

Maybe not as well as I would like.

Or as expeditiously.

And maybe it won’t matter in the long run if some of it never gets done.

I am trying – and learning as I go along.

And taking you all along with me here at Top of JC’s Mind.

One-Liner Wednesday: Speak up for democracy!

As Heather Cox Richardson explains, now is the time for people in the United States and other democracies to speak up against illiberal democracy, Christian Nationalism, Project 2025, authoritarianism, plutocracy, and all other assaults on human dignity, rights, and freedoms.

This sobering message is part of One-Liner Wednesdays. Join us! (For the record, most of the one-liners are fun, pretty, or inspirational. I’m just a serious sort.) Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/07/19/one-liner-wednesday-new-book-next-week/

One-Liner Wednesday: healing

Do you believe me when I say
you are neither salvaged nor saved
but salved, anointed by gentle hands
where you are most tender?
~~~ Lynn Ungar

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/07/12/one-liner-wednesday-that-asparagus-again/

SoCS: LOL

Back when I was learning my first few acronyms and emoticons – a bit late because I was not an early adopter of cell phones – my older and much more tech savvy daughter was still living at home.

My favorite acronym to use was LOL, which amused my daughter because I would use it for things that literally made me laugh out loud.

Apparently, most people skipped the actual laughing out loud bit…
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is to base your post on an acronym. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/07/07/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-8-2023/

One-Liner Wednesday: race in the US

But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.

US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson from the recent decision regarding affirmative action in college admissions on the basis of race

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/07/05/one-liner-wednesday-sometimes/

SoCS: rocks

When I was a child, I collected rocks in a shoe box. Maybe “collected” is too strong a word as it usually denotes some kind of organization or classification that was not the case. I just picked up rocks that I thought were interesting or pretty for their color or shape.

Rocks were part of every day life – the stepping stones in the brook that we used to get across, the huge boulders under the high lines across from the house, the stones in the yard, the pea-stones along the side of the macadam road.

We had stone samples with garnets in them from the excavation of the underground powerhouse carved out of the mountain for Bear Swamp, a pumped storage power plant that was part of the hydro system that my father oversaw as superintendent of what was then called New England Power. (The plant is still operating over fifty years later, although under another name and company.)

I loved earth science when I took it in high school, so much so that I took a few geology courses when I was in college.

I do still have a few special rocks, including some that have been carved or inscribed with special words. I love their ability to help me feel grounded.

We all come from the earth, after all…
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “rock.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/06/30/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-1-2023/

One-Liner Wednesday: anniversary jazz

When we stayed at the Art-Deco-era Latchis Hotel in Brattleboro, VT for our anniversary, we listened to this album on the record player in our sitting room.

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/06/28/one-liner-wednesday-day-one-is-in-the-bag/