Aimee Nezhukumatathil's last post on the Ploughshares' blog
Aimee has been blogging over on the Ploughshares blog. You can check out her last post on gratitude and much more here.
Here's some of Aimee's post that I loved--
What I wanted to talk about here for my last post was the idea ofgratitude in a writer's life. A French proverb says, "Gratitude is the heart's memory." I would even say that Gratitude is the writer's memory. Right now, I am knee-deep in edits for Lucky Fish, my third collection of poems from Tupelo Press, due out next year. Perhaps that, coupled with the fact that my two month-old is growing out of the "NB" or "newborn" size of clothing is making me a bit wistful these days. But with edits comes what is my most-dreaded part of the whole process--the round up of the blurbs, those little statements of praise and endorsement on the back of a book. I worry and fret over this because I try to be super-conscientious of not being a time-vacuum on a fellow writer...
and this--
My post on blurbs even gets a shout-out.
I cannot wait to get Aimee's third book, Lucky Fish. And if you have never read Aimee's work before, here are two great books to get you started (we want you up to speed when Lucky Fish comes out!) Miracle Fruit and At the Drive-In Volcano
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Here's some of Aimee's post that I loved--
What I wanted to talk about here for my last post was the idea ofgratitude in a writer's life. A French proverb says, "Gratitude is the heart's memory." I would even say that Gratitude is the writer's memory. Right now, I am knee-deep in edits for Lucky Fish, my third collection of poems from Tupelo Press, due out next year. Perhaps that, coupled with the fact that my two month-old is growing out of the "NB" or "newborn" size of clothing is making me a bit wistful these days. But with edits comes what is my most-dreaded part of the whole process--the round up of the blurbs, those little statements of praise and endorsement on the back of a book. I worry and fret over this because I try to be super-conscientious of not being a time-vacuum on a fellow writer...
and this--
How long has it been, Dear Reader, since you have picked up a pen and sat down to make a list of what you are thankful for (big and/or small)? Or if you have never taken the time to do this, what is actually stopping you? You simply will not be the same writer a month or three from now--don't you want to capture that in some small way? When you start listing the items you are thankful for, I am confident you will quickly find out there is so much good out there for you. And instead of focusing on what you don't have or what awards you haven't won, or where you haven't published, etc.--I think you will begin to see that life has a way of expanding joy in your little corner of the writer-universe. The publications and accolades will follow. But even if they don't, are they really more important than the fact, say, that your mom or dad is still around? Or that you actually know how...to read? I mean come on.
My post on blurbs even gets a shout-out.
I cannot wait to get Aimee's third book, Lucky Fish. And if you have never read Aimee's work before, here are two great books to get you started (we want you up to speed when Lucky Fish comes out!) Miracle Fruit and At the Drive-In Volcano
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Kelli -
ReplyDeleteI liked this Gratitude post, too.
Each week on my blog I've been hosting 'Thankful Thursday' which has provided a great opportunity to pause and appreciate the big and bold, the small and simple.
Join me? Let's start a Thankful Revolution!
Drew -- Great idea! I'm in!
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