One of the challenges about writing is you sometimes don’t realize you use the same concepts throughout your work and you fall into those patterns naturally. When I was heavily involved in slam, I used “rib cage”. A lot. When I was getting back into fiction, I noticed I was using a lot of lists, mixtape stuff especially later last year. So far, I’m noticing I have a lot of guns. I probably should stop doing that (unless the NRA sponsors me, then every problem in my stories will be solved with firearms). It’s important to recognize your crutches. The sooner you do, the sooner you can splinter them and push yourself into new and interesting directions.
I’ve picked up on We Will Celebrate Our Failures again and it felt good to write another piece for it and make revisions to one of the stories. I might get this thing done at some point. I put together a sampler and I’ve sent it out to a place or two to test the concept out and see how folks receive it. Still trying to get the Ghosts manuscript published with no success. Have to keep hustling.
There Will Be Words #4 was probably my favorite out of all of them so far. You can watch here and find out why.
I bought this the other day.

She made this to commemorate her final National Poetry Slam performance and because of this, she is also the only reason why I’m kicking myself for not going (though I heard really good things about finals from people who have the same discerning taste as I do and about the festival overall). It didn’t feel the least bit weird to not have a team go and represent. I’ll be happy if someone takes up the mantle on the national level here in Orlando but I think There Will Be Words will be a far superior show in comparison. I still haven’t met anyone with the drive to do slam here on an adult level for as long as I did. Hopefully, one of the Brave New Voices poets here decide to get off their ass and start a show. Hopefully.
Fifth installment of I Am Trying To Break Your Sex Laws is up. You can read that here.