the red thing the blue jays are screaming as if they are the voice of the red thing caged inside my ribsthe red thing battling through another rejection the red thingunstoppably impossibly doingthe job of keeping me alivewithout my permission, reallyI didn’t choose this red thingthe way it ambitions the wayit pursues the way it mattersbeyond its prison… Continue reading POEM A DAY – April 14
Tag: rejection
What It Feels Like To Get Published – Part I
Herein lies the third instalment of blogs I'm writing about being a writer. The first, what it feels like to have a writing idea; the second, what it feels like to finish a writing project; and now, what it feels like to get published. This is a LONG post that is so long, I've split… Continue reading What It Feels Like To Get Published – Part I
On Mandatory Suffering
I've been contemplating suffering. I've been suffering pain in my body chronically for decades...my autoimmune system (has two diseases!) on high-alert for as long as I can remember...and more recently, a lower-back issue that's been on-and-off since 2022. The term 'comparative suffering' has been bopping around between my parts for years now too. I don't… Continue reading On Mandatory Suffering
The In-and-Out
If your first thought when you read this title had something to do with sex, welcome to the gutter, dear friend. It's nice and warm and orgasmic in here! Alas, even though I do enjoy writing about sex, this post is not about that kind of in-and-out. I'm talking about the in-and-out of submissions. I'm… Continue reading The In-and-Out
VANESSA SHIELDS 