LitShare: Lists, Sneak Peeks, How-tos, and More Lists

sneak peek at a proof copy of Weave 09

An interview with Karen Lillis about her small press promotion and sales efforts on the Small Press Review.

Looking for a list? I've got a few for ya. A list of things to ask yourself when making a list of poets via Flavorwire. Here's 50 reasons to avoid dating poets. Tom Holmes shares a list of presses who are currently seeking full-length poetry manuscripts via The Line Break.

"Via Poets & Writers, a Harvard professor teaches leadership skills through literature. "With literature, you can see the whole messy collection of things that happen inside our heads." -Joseph L. Badaracco, the John Shad Professor of Business Ethics at Harvard Business School.

Over at tweetspeak poetry, a couple of acorns. First, a lesson in how to read a poem. Might want to pass that one on to relatives. In fact they have a whole series of how-tos on poem-reading. Next up, check out this cool story about poem buddies and reading a poem a day for 12 years.

The Guardian wants your found poems!

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*Got some literary news to share? Send it via Twitter or G+ and/or use the #litshare tag!

LitShare: Inflections, Calls for Submission, and 100% BS-free Writing Advice

I returned from a life-changing trip to Napa on Friday with five solid poem drafts, two of which I've already revised. I worked with Jane Hirshfield and 11 truly amazing poets all week. I learned more than I could have imagined, such as Jane's invented poetic form, the Inflection, which she writes about here by using the form itself. Here is another one. Can you figure out the form? 

The LA Times is looking for opinionated poets to submit some opinionated poems. Dancing Girl Press is creating an anthology to be revealed at AWP in Seattle. They are seeking typewritten poetry or hybrid works that contain typewritten elements. Like on a typewriter.

Reading in Pittsburgh! Robert Yune reads with Nick Sturm and Carrie Long at a distillery on Monday, August 12th. Lots of boozy deliciousness. Proceeds from drinks benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Literary Council. More info here.

Jane Hirshfield & Laura, 2013 Napa Valley Writers' Conference

Delightful word canapés! Jonterri Gadson has a bunch of lush, corporeal, earthy poems up at VerseWrights. Angele Ellis wrote haikus for Lilliput Review's blog and has a piece of fiction at Prime Number. Also, Donna Vorreyer has a new book out from Sundress Publications entitled The House of Many Windows.

Concerning craft: Jane Hertenstein talks about memory and writing flash memoir for WOW! Women On Writing. Also, an old interview with Donald Hall discussing the Art of Poetry for the Paris Review. In this video via Poets & Writers, poet Nikki Giovanni says, "poetry is air and water and fire and soil... one of those basics that will always be there." Those of you who remember Def Poetry Jam will enjoy Mos Def's fan-boy introduction.

In publishing news, Amazon may not be the cheapest game in town for books. Who is? Small presses seem to offer better deals, says some folks with anecdotal evidence (good enough for me!).

Cheryl Strayed offers writing advice that's 100% awesome - and BS-free!
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*Got some literary news to share? Send it via Twitter or G+ and/or use the #litshare tag!

Literary Roundup! Do I Have a Game's High Score?

Today's title is inspired by this week's oddest google search that lead someone to my little spot in the galaxy. I know one thing. I beat Sal at Tetris by reaching the highest score first. The little Tetris pieces danced and jumped. Poet Gamer FTW!

I'm going to get right into the roundup because there's been a lot of things I've missed. So what's new with you, lit world?

ModCloth has a post up today about She's the First, a nonprofit that raises money to education girls in developing countries. They've created an anthology where writer's answer the question, "If the world were your classroom, I'd teach a girl...." Definitely check it out.


Roxane Gay writes about The Hunger Games, strong female characters in young adult literature, and sexual assault over at The Rumpus. This is an important essay to read.


I'll follow that up with some subversive Young Adult writing advice.The YA Highway talks about how your young adult narratives can subvert expectations. I think this is just good advice about writing complex characters.

Lots of online lit mags have new (or newish) issues. In no particular order: BIRDFEAST, radioactive moat, Vinyl Poetry, parcel, shadowbox, Arsenic Lobster, Eleven Eleven, and H_NGM_N.

Every wonder why writers are crazy? Terrible Minds has 25 answers.

In small press news, the Christian Science Monitor makes a case for more indie publishers. Flavorwire has a list of 12 Awesome Small Presses. April 30th is the Grand Opening of SPD's new Reading Room where you can stop in all day to watch writers read their work quietly to themselves and perhaps read quietly along. You also get a free book of poetry!

VIDEO: A Beautiful Marsupial Afternoon by CA Conrad.

Finally, check out the bedroom's of famous writers at Apartment Therapy. I'll leave you with a picture of our bedroom, which due to San Francisco's ban on closets larger than a bread box, all our clothes work decoration. Thanks Ikea.

Chapbook Rookie: Interview with author Karen Lillis on Planning Your Own Book Tour

Most small presses don’t have big marketing budgets to throw at every title. At most, an editor's already stretched schedules might allow her to send some postcards or make online announcements. This means a small press writer might find herself wondering how to best promote her latest book. Most editors will say that readings sell books and they are right. But how do you plan a series of readings? Where do you get the money? How do you travel and how far? Where does a rookie begin when planning a book tour? 

Karen Lillis signing Watch the Doors as They Close for her March 8th
release at Copacetic Comics, in Pittsburgh. photo by Mark Knobil.

I decided to answer these questions by reaching out to novelist and seasoned book-tour-planner Karen Lillis. Lillis is currently in the middle of her second book tour for her fourth novel, Watch the Doors as They Close (Spuyten Duyvil Novella Series, 2012). In 2000, Lillis embarked on the cross-country "United States of Amnesia" Reading Tour via Greyhound bus for her first book, i, scorpion (Words Like Kudzu Press, 2000). She's read for many a reading series in the United States and abroad, including Kilometer Zero (Paris), Experiments & Disorders, (New York), The Five Ten Readings (Baltimore), The New Yinzer Presents (Pittsburgh), among others. Also a freelance writer, small press advocate, and Pushcart Prize Nominee, she writes about indie publishing and indie bookstores at Karen the Small Press Librarian.

Lillis is raising funds for her current book tour on IndieGogo, which for a mere $15 donation gets you a signed copy of Watch the Doors. After a book release event on March 8th , she traveled to Cleveland and Baltimore and in late April she visits New York, Philadelphia, and returns to Baltimore. I caught up with Karen between tour legs to chat about her experience with planning and carrying out a successful book tour. Check out the interview followed by the promo video for her IndieGogo campaign.  

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For your first novel, i, scorpion (Words Like Kudzu Press, 2000), you traveled cross-country. Did you plan this book tour? If so, what did you learn from that first experience and how did you apply it to planning future book tours?

Yes, I booked that cross country tour. I traveled with a Greyhound 6-week pass, stayed in cities where my friends lived, and booked readings by looking at local listings and figuring out where people held literary events. Things were very different then—this was 12 years ago. I was using online newspapers to help me find reading venues, but the social web didn't exist. I was still young as a writer and most of my friends were artists or else the kind of writers (journalists, screen writers, zine writers) who didn't do readings; I didn't know many "performing writers" yet. So I made things up as I went. I was emboldened by the DIY ethos of that time (2000). 

Some things I learned for sure: When booking, pay attention to WHO is reading where, don't just go for the generically "good" venue or bookstore, but look for a good fit. Don't read alone in a far-off city—always read with a local who has a local audience. Don't assume anything—check in with your venue a few weeks and a few days before your event. Do your own publicity. If there's a blizzard, don't be afraid to reschedule the reading. Take your reading seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously. By “take your reading seriously” I mean, prepare yourself and figure out what you need to do to give a good performance—preparation for me includes picking out the right reading selection, practicing and timing it beforehand, and choosing the right clothes. By “don't take yourself too seriously” I mean, don't forget that no one except you really cares if you keep writing, keep reading, keep publishing. Do a book tour to see other places, meet other writers, see what it’s like to read to a room full of strangers, fall on your face and find out what you do after that. Do a book tour to see what you’re made of. Everything else (feedback, book sales, reviews) is icing.

Lastly, I learned that you must entertain the audience. My new book, Watch the Doors As They Close, is a very introspective book that I think lends itself best to an intense, private read. My first book tour was with a novel that had some great extroverted chapters—flamboyant characters, dialogue, diatribes. It made for obvious readings. For this book, I am combining excerpts from the book with outtakes in order to lure the audience in with something funnier, and then get to the more introspective passages once they are paying attention.

Did you set up all the readings for Watch the Doors As They Close before starting the fundraiser on IndieGogo? 

I set up several readings before the IndieGogo campaign, but it's not necessarily the end of the "tour" —I'm going to try to add more readings in 2012 if money and vacation days allow. But for IndieGogo or Kickstarter, you have to have something concrete to campaign for—so, yes, I had seven readings set up before I started the fundraiser.

What back up plans did you have if you didn't meet your fundraising goals?

I am keeping a budget and trying to raise the money one way or another to pay for the book tour above and beyond my usual life expenses. So, back-up plans include taking on some articles for extra income, selling off some signed first editions, and crossing my fingers for a good tax rebate. And of course the credit card is the ultimate back up plan that I'm trying to avoid.

Since this is your fourth novel, you've obviously done a lot of readings. I'm guessing you also have a lot of connections in the indie bookstore world. Did you have previous relationships with your reading venues or did you contact them cold? 

I don't think I ended up cold-contacting anyone for this tour so far. I did a lot of that in 2011, though, when I was setting up reading dates for a poet whose book I published. I really enjoyed doing that because working on his behalf took the ego out of it; I could just advocate for him and not have any self consciousness come into the equation. I learned a lot and made some good contacts that way with bookstores, reading series, reviewers, and some other writers. For this Watch the Doors book tour, I often started the process by contacting a writer I wanted to read with and they had a contact at a local venue. In Baltimore I got to read again at a great series where I read my last novel (the 510 Readings).

Any tips on setting up readings for newbies?

For young writers, I would advocate using your social web contacts and trying to set up readings with writers whose work you like or with whom you have some kind of personal connection. Reach out and see if they'd be interested in reading with you. Be ready and willing to do all the leg-work to set up an event, but don’t be afraid to approach other writers or to ask questions. Go to readings and pay attention—what makes readings enjoyable and what detracts? If you’re cold-contacting a venue (I suggest by email), let them know why they would want to host you. How are you going to bring them an audience? How are you going to entertain the audiences they already have? If you’re reading at a bookstore, don’t balk when they take a cut of your (chap)book sales. That’s their business—expect a 60/40 split (you get 60%).

On your fundraising page, you talk about the goal of "building an audience" for Watch the Doors. You also mention selling copies to audience members. Can you tell us about the success of these goals? How do you know if you are building an audience? Is that the same as selling your book?  

These are good questions, and not necessarily easy ones to answer. Building an audience is not the same as selling your book, no. Right now my definition of building an audience is doing my best to give readings that communicate to an audience, and being prepared to do this over and over (over space and over time). My work is also to seek out venues that might host audiences receptive to my writing in particular.

My Cleveland reading is a good example—I set up a reading there with a writer, Mike DeCapite, whose new prose chapbook blew me away. (See my review of Creamsicle Blue here.) The reading space Mike chose made me feel very comfortable. The Lit Café was a cozy neighborhood bar that caters to artists. So, I felt very free to be myself as a writer, I felt very welcomed, and I gave a very unguarded reading—it wasn’t a competition and I didn’t feel “nervous.”  The audience was incredibly receptive during my reading—they were warm and very emotionally “there,” they laughed at my most subtle jokes, their faces were enrapt—I could see their reactions as I read. But this was well set-up—I was benefiting from my co-reader’s labor. Mike has been reading at this bar for 20 years, once or twice a year when he returns to his hometown from New York. So, this was an audience he had built and perhaps for the same reasons that Mike and I really admire each other’s writing, they really liked my reading. They didn’t buy many books—sometimes bars can be bad places to sell your books because you’re competing for beer money!—but I think the work of building an audience means giving a reading that’s memorable enough to stick with exactly those audience members who don’t walk away with your book. Maybe they’ll look it up later, maybe they’ll come back for the next reading I do in Cleveland. Maybe they won’t do either but they’ll remember one image in one chapter I read. It’s still my job to do the best reading I can do.

I think the process of building an audience includes keeping your ego in check and remembering that these people are your audience whether they purchase a book or not. I sold a lot of books when I read in Pittsburgh, and that’s a nice feeling. But when I think about it, there were people who were really into the reading who didn’t buy a book—the two are not the same thing. After doing all these readings and working in bookstores myself—how, when, and why a book sells or doesn’t sell is still a total mystery to me.

Chapbook Rookie: Marketing Resource Roundup!

In my search for help with promoting my chapbook, I've found a number of articles, interviews, and chapbooks (yes, chapbooks about promoting chapbooks. meta-chaps.). I've amassed said resources below for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

Great interview with poet Heather McNaugher over at LDP Distro. McNaugher covers so many topics, including one that I feel is super important, yet often overlooked: ask yourself, what have you done to promote someone else's poetry lately?

Jennifer Bosveld, President of Pudding House Publications, discusses, from an editors perspective, how to promote a poetry chapbook, among other things, in her article, Chapbooks—Flying Like Hummingbirds Exciting the Air Around Them: Marketing Your Chaps with Limited If Any Help From the Publisher. Longwinded title and the article does wander into some of Bosveld's personal opinions, however, it is still incredibly useful.

WordClay talks about building an audience based on your geographic location, as well other other things like subject matter of the poetry. For example, if your poems are about gardening, you might  do a reading at your local gardening center or gardener's club. Other aspects covered include book signings, book tours, reviews, and online marketing.

I have found a handful of places that review chapbooks: Prick of the Spindle, The Chapbook Store, Fiddler Crab, and NewPages. There is also this low-key website, but I can't tell how often it's updated. Also, none of these promise to write the review when you send a review copy.

My publisher recommended two books; Guerrilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Levinson and The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. If I have time, I'll do some reviews of these books.

So far, the takeaway I'm getting from most of the resources I've found is this: readings sell chapbooks. Readings seem to be the most important factor in terms of building a new audience. Of course, if you have a pre-order phase like I do, you'll want to have a plan that taps into your current network. I'm feeling pretty good about that though. But thinking in advance, I've already begun to create a spreadsheet of readings. But that's a whole other blog post.

Next time on Chapbook Rookie: Cover Art!

Literary Roundup! Belated Edition

Hello there, friend. How are you? I have some great lit news to share, but first, some personal updates.

I've been home in Pittsburgh in my parents' home, the house I grew up in, staying in my old bedroom. I've been here since the 19th and it has been a fantastic visit. Sal was here until yesterday, but had to head home for work tomorrow. We had a whopping 21 people for Thanksgiving and my 13-year-old nephew is now 5'10" which is just bizarre. I've spent time with family and friends and my heart is filled with some East Coast love. Gratitude: I haz it. Lots.

I've also been able to work from Pittsburgh since ModCloth has a Pittsburgh office. I've been working on the anthologies for my Poetry Inside Out residencies and reading Weave submissions. Now that I've made progress on all of that, I took some time to read blogs, check my G+ literary circles, and sort through emails. Here's a list of shiny (and one not-so-shiny), recent, and some not-so-recent, literary nuggets that caught my attention.

First up - journals you might want to submit to! (ending with a preposition is OK!) qarrtsiluni, Radioactive Moat, and my poet-friend Mary Stone Dockery (also a Weave 07 contributor!) is guest editing The Medulla Review.

Interesting reads: Ursula K. Le Guin weighs in on the 99% with a fantastical story. Teresa Petro poems about machinery and arts and crafts.

Writing tools for poets and prose writers alike! Check out 14 Punctuation Marks That You Never Knew Existed (I'm a fan of the exclamation comma). I really want these in a poem of mine. I love punctuation so much. Also, if you need a good starting place for a character in your next flash piece or person poem, check out this handy list of archetypes. I also like using Wikipedia for this.

Such sad news about the death of Ruth Stone. An amazing, committed, poetic spirit has left us. ‎"Women who love to write poetry are the hagfish of the world. We eat everything. We eat the language. We eat experience. We eat other people’s poems." --Ruth Stone 1915-2011

I thought about listing some AWP news about panels and off-site readings, but I've decided to devote an entire post to that topic. If you read my blog and you are on a panel and/or reading at AWP, let me know. I'd like to prioritize those events if I can! And I'd like to create some kind of awesome flowchart of prioritization about AWP.

Read this fantastic article from Sampsonia Way Magazine. Burmese children share their thoughts on why freedom of speech is important.

I leave you with an adorable picture of Sal and Domino taking a nap. It makes me happy.

What you got going lit world? Giddy-Up Roundup!

First a Laura update: I have been getting some more sleep these days, thanks to our amazing mosquito net! (I know you were so worried about my sleeping habits...) Though I have been restless the past few nights with some thoughts tumbling around in my mind-grapes. Money and budgeting had me spazzing out big time on Saturday, especially since all of my student loans got kicked out of the post-graduation grace period. I worked that out though, but it took a lot out of me.

I replenished my strength with some shopping at what shall now be known as The Most Awesome of All Goodwill Thrift Stores Ever! In a mere ninety minutes I left with 14 new items for only $62, including three or four vintage pieces. I really needed some new clothing because apparently it never becomes winter here in San Francisco, it's just perpetually spring-fall. Those seasons don't last long in Pittsburgh, so I needed to boost my mid-season wardrobe to only-season status. Plus I still have what I'm calling Thesis Pounds to lose. Until then, I finally have some skirts and tops and sweaters that fit me. I can't wait to go back.

Worn Journal has a new issue on the way: Lucky 13, which seems to have been stolen by Cat Woman or something. Let's see, what else? Oh yes, new issue of Moon Milk Review is up this week! I'm also excited to share that the accepted two of my poems, in particular a poem that is very personal and feels right at home amongst the other fiere MMR poems about the female experience. Why yes, I did just call my own poem fierce, because it is. I'll prove it. The last stanza: "Strike a match. / Torch it." Boom.

Weave has the issue 07 contributor list posted and it's going to be our BIGGEST issue yet. So many awesome pages, including our contest winners, a review of the anthology Beauty Is A Verb, incredible artwork and a high number of historical people poems, paintings and stories. Oh yes, and a makeover story. I love seeing all these pieces together in one place!

ModCloth has a great interview with Ada Limón from a while back. Good stuff in there. Also, more recently, they posted a picture of me as Smurfette. That's my brother, Rick with me. Good stuff!

My dear dear friend, poet D. Gilson, is so dear. He is also a freakin' badass poet. His chapbook won Seven Kitchen's Robin Becker Prize and has an interview from a few weeks back up at Joe's Jacket wherein he discusses the intersection of queerness and poetry, among other things. Also, he's super fun to follow on Twitter!

Finally, fiction writer and Weave editor Bridgette Shade has some excellent life advice. I suggest you read it to avoid absentmindedly wandering into any black holes.

A Colorful Cornucopia of Delicious Literary Autumn Squash!

I broke the ice last night and dove back into blogging after a hiatus for a couple of weeks. Maybe it was less than that, but I was writing every other day for a while there and then I started feeling guilty and so I just jumped in, jackknife-style, and now I'm covered with bloggy goosebumps and ready to share with you an autumn harvest of literary wonders!

First, in case we aren't Facebook friends, you might not have heard my happy news. My poem "Widowing" one the 2011 Crab Creek Review Poetry Contest. The contest judge of Dorianne Laux, who had some amazingly generous thoughts about the poem. It's a big huge giant honor to be selected and I'm seriously still flying high from the news.

I also attempt being a formalist poet over at Whistling Fire. Check out my poem "The Ordination of Woman" that the published last week.

In online literary news, a bunch of journals have released their latest issues including Toad, Boxcar, PANK, and Sweet. I plan to sit down with all of these issues and read read read this weekend. I love them all. I'm a particularly big fan of Rachel Bunting and Mary Biddinger, both who are featured in Toad. Also, Adanna Literary Journal, a lovely new feminist print journal, has featured the work of some of their latest contributors online. Check out Carol Berg and Mary Stone Dockery, two upcoming Weave contributors.

I just got my copy of Gregory Sherl's Heavy Petting. Super excited to read it. I've flipped through it and caught a few pages, but I've been super busy with starting new jobs this week. I'll be honest, I don't read a ton of male poets. It's taken me a while to find people I like, and sometimes I find myself being uber-critical, and I have to step back and try to take in the experience and perspective of another. Sherl's poetry, often about relationships and sex, is open, funny and honest. It's quirky, which seems to be "the thing" in the hip-poet world at the moment, but not so quirky that it misses the emotional boat ride. These poems resonate. Some are also pretty sexy. I like sexy poems. Also, can I just say, nice job YesYes Books! Your design and print work is simple, yet stunning. Check out the review of Heavy Petting at Read This Awesome Book.

Let's see, what else?

Read this interview over at Poets & Writers with John Murillo, where he discusses voice and reading your poetry.

In the intersections of technology and all things literary we find two great bits of news. One, the Poetry Foundation has an app for your smart phone. Pretty sweet to be able to pull up any poem you want, whenever. Also, for you Kindle users out there, you can now check out books from certain libraries that use a service called OverDrive. I haven't tried it yet, but if you do, please let me know how it works. I think this has the potential to be HUGE.

Pittsburgh, I miss you. I miss autumn and pumpkins and the gorgeous hillsides ablaze with color. The last reading I attended in Pittsburgh was City of Asylum's 2011 Cave Canem reading. It was fantastic and featured readings from poets Toi Derricotte, Cornelius Eady, Natasha Trethewey, and special guest Amiri Baraka. If you missed it, never fear. I've posted the video of Amiri Baraka's reading at the end of the post. You can also read an interview with Baraka in the latest issue of Sampsonia Way. While his poetry often sparks controversy, I think that is one of things I see less of in the world of poetry these days. Let's all go write some poems that piss people off this week, okay?

Oh boy, there is still more literary deliciousness!

Issue 06 of Weave was reviewed by NewPages. Says reviewer Hazel Foster, "this issue offers an accessible mix of prose and poetry." I agree! Also, "Weave is a great example of how an independent print magazine can succeed. Subscribe, submit, find a comfortable place to devour and enjoy." Thanks so much. Oh yes, subscribe or purchase by tonight and you can get half off anything you buy. Just use the code "BICOASTAL" at checkout.

On an unrelated note, everyone in California is wearing these shoes. I want them too now. They look super comfortable. I'm going to Nordstroms tomorrow to try on a pair I think. I need some comfy walking shoes. Also not literary, but still fun, are these comics about bisexuality. Definitely relatable.

My last morsel of lit news comes from the United States Postal Service. Thanks for putting more poets on stamps. I can't wait to get my hands on these! Send me a postcard with one of these and I'll love you forever and ever.

Happy reading everyone.

Why Poets are the Worst Salespeople Ever AND Seven Ways to Get Involved in Your Local Literary Community

I've been quiet here all week, waiting for the dust to settle after the BlazeVOX thing. It will soon be out of our minds, because that's how things go these days. So many words out there, so many people talking. Is anyone listening? I've been listening this week, reading blogs and TwitFacePlus updates and I keep encountering the same words over and over.

Poetry doesn't make money! There is no profit in literary publishing. You won't get rich publishing a lit mag! No one reads this stuff except other writers and even that readership is debatable. Give up on life because all your dreams will never come true.

Geez, when you put it that way, what hope is there for any of us?

Poets are the worst at sales. We run around saying things like this and then act surprised when no one wants to listen to us read our poems or buy our books. I can hear people saying our words back, "Well, you said no one reads poetry anymore..."

Seriously folks, we need a new slogan. It's late here and I'm beat so I can't think of anything at the moment. I'm toying with something like, "Poetry makes you rich in metaphors and ideas!" Maybe that's lame. Right now it sounds kind of cool. And by cool, I mean super nerdy.

Additionally, I keep hearing people talk about themselves. How it's SO HARD to be a writer. Yeah, it is. But it's also hard being human. Sure, things like money can soften the edges and, you are right, we already have established that most writers aren't rich. But you know what else can soften the edges? Community. Getting involved with your local literary community can help lighten the burdens that come with writing. But don't think about what you can GET from your community; think about what you have to offer. Not sure exactly? Well, here are some of my thoughts I've come up with this week to get you started.

1. DONATE money to a local literary organization.

Yeah, we have established we're all broke. But think about all the money you spent this year on beer. Or movie rentals. Or delicious candy treats. Whatever it is, consider opting out one week and donating $5 to a local literary organization. And in the process you could get a little healthier by cutting down on extra calories or going for a walk instead of zoning out in front of the television. Just saying.

2. SHARE your time, skills & knowledge with a local press.

When I imagine an editor, reading manuscript after manuscript, searching for funding, running a business, designing, printing, promoting and selling books of experimental poetry, I think to myself, why in the world has no one volunteered to help him? I could not run Weave with my amazing staff of volunteers. Everyone that is involved with Weave has come forward on their own and offered to help. Not sure what you can do? Well, if you aren't confident in your editorial skills, perhaps they need help stuffing envelops or running to the post office. Maybe you are awesome at social networking and could set up a blog and Facebook page. Or perhaps you are great at event planning and could volunteer to help set up a reading. The door is open. Walk through it and offer to help.

3. ATTEND local literary events.

Go to readings. Especially ones where you don't know the people who are reading. They are usually free, sometimes they ask for a donation, or just ask that you buy a drink from the venue. Awesome! Now you can have that drink back that you donated from step one. Don't underestimate the power of your own physical presence in an audience. Engaging with the work of others has ripple effects in our own lives.

4. BRING your non-writer friends to the next lit event.

This is a big one. Next time you head to a reading, bring along you BFF from college or that friend from work you've been meaning to hang out with. You never know how people will be affected by a reading. This will help open the poetry doors to a wider audience and strengthen the community.

5. ADVOCATE poetry on a daily basis.

Talk about poetry with your mom and your coworker. Your neighbors and kids. Tell friends about your favorite poets. Tell them about the last reading you attended. Talk to people about the volunteer work you do with your local lit mag. Of course, you can also talk to them about the latest episode of Parks & Rec, thereby demonstrating that poets are completely out-of-touch with popular culture. Lend someone a book of poetry you think they might enjoy or show them a cool animated poetry video. Reach them. Talk it up. Be an advocate. Demonstrate poetry's relevance in your life.  Don't complain about how poor you are. Instead, write a poem on a post it and put it on back door of a bathroom stall. Sew poems into shirt tags at the Goodwill. Mail a postcard poem to an old friend...

6. BUY books. 

And READ THEM. Yeah yeah, money again. But lots of presses have sales or discounts on older titles and back issues. Speaking of which, Weave is having a half off sale right now! Again, figure out a way to make it a priority. Make coffee at home instead of hitting Starbucks. If you can't buy books, then get your butt to the library. Libraries are awesome.

7. CHAMPION the work of others.

Offer to help your recently published poet-friends hold a reading at your local library. Write book reviews. Chat up your social networks about an awesome piece you read online or a great new book by an emerging writer. Email a poet whose work you admire and tell them you are a fan. I've done this last one before and boy, is it a powerful thing to let someone know how their words affected you. I highly recommend it.

While these steps might have some overlap, I think they are a great starting place for those who are looking for a community. Not sure where to start in your community? A quick Google search will show you what organizations are nearby. If nothing is close, well then, start something! A reading series, a monthly workshop, a book club. Whatever. You have something to offer. Get your butt out there and get involved. I'm talking to you. Yes, you. Stop blogging about how you'll never make money from poetry and get out there and make something even better: a friend. Yeah, corny I know, but it's the truth.

Go.