Dos and Don’ts When Seeking Book Blurbs

I wrote the featured article for the 6 June 2025 issue of FundsforWriters, published weekly by Hope Clark, in which I offer tips based on my own experience soliciting blurbs for my books and writing blurbs for others. Below is a short excerpt.

Continue reading “Dos and Don’ts When Seeking Book Blurbs”

Developing a More Efficient Submission Process

I wrote the featured article for the 4 April 2025 issue of Funds for Writers, published weekly by Hope Clark, which shines a light behind the curtain of how I changed my process for submitting writing to magazines to open more time for writing. Below is a short excerpt.

Continue reading “Developing a More Efficient Submission Process”

Poetry – Medicine for the Soul Podcast episode celebrating responses to Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons

I recently had the pleasure of reading as part of a celebration of From the Belly Volume II: Food, a collection of poetry responding to Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons.

The event was for the “Poetry–Medicine for the Soul” series, sponsored by Topsham Public Library and curated by John Gillespie. I read with Karren Alenier (editor), Tara Betts, Aaron Caycedo-Kimura, and Fred Marchant, who all also contributed to the anthology.

The reading has been edited and produced into a podcast episode, which is now available for your listening pleasure.

Click here to listen to this delightful conversation about poetry, food, Gertrude Stein, and inspiration.

Gargoyle publishes my essay “A Condensed Timeline of My Life Plotted through My Relationships with Libraries”

Gargoyle 8 InstagramGargoyle Magazine published my essay “A Condensed Timeline of My Life Plotted through My Relationships with Libraries” on July 1, 2024. Below is an excerpt from the piece, and I honestly hope this essay inspires many people to learn more about the movie Library Wars and to watch it! Here’s an excerpt…


“Books have encouraged revolutions but, on a smaller scale, books have also served to open the world to people who cannot travel. I never traveled outside of the United States until I was 29 years old. But thanks to my library card, I had read stories from around the world. I read about other cultures and histories. I learned that there was a world outside of the small town in which I was raised. I learned that there were other religions. Other beliefs. Other ways of living.”

Read the entire essay here.

The Smart Set publishes my essay “Saudade for Library Book Sales”

TSS-Cover-ImageThe Smart Set published my essay “Saudade for Library Book Sales” on May 2, 2024. Below is an excerpt from the piece, which not only waxes poetic about my love of these events, but offers strategies for survival at one. Here’s an excerpt…


“On bag day, I could pick up any book that looked like an interesting read. I’d go back to the poetry section, then move to fiction again, then browse into biography, cookbooks, art history, gardening, and even into self-help. The wish list didn’t matter here, just whether a book caught my attention or not. On $5-a-bag-day, I judged books by their blurbs, their condition, and — yes — by their cover.”

Read the entire essay here.