Entries by Adrian S. Potter (90)
The Poetics Noire: Volume I
Great news - I recently found out one of my poems titled Survival Tactics is slated to be part of an anthology called The Poetics Noire: Volume I. Much thanks to editor Britany Elise Rickett for deciding to include my piece.
The Poetics Noire: Volume I is an anthology dedicated the promoting the minority point of view. This book is not dedicated to only portraying how minorities feel on given issues; it is about helping to rid stereotypes of ALL people through art. Sounds like an ambitious book that our world really needs, which is why I am excited about the chance to contibute.
According to the website, submissions are still being accepted for this anthology. Click here to check out more info on this future publication if you are interested.
Electronic Copyright Office
Some good info for US writers who choose to copyright their work...
As of July 1, 2008, the US Copyright Office has a new online registration system, electronic Copyright Office (eCO), which offers lower filing fees and quicker processing as compared with traditional paper applications.
Check it out (if you want) at:
http://www.copyright.gov/eco/index.html
Adrian S. Potter
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New Poem at Prairie Poetry
Despite the lack of posts lately, I'm not dead. Trust me. In fact, I can even supply proof of my continued existence: a new poem published online over at Prairie Poetry called Finding Religion on Interstate 80.
Prairie Poetry has been online since 1996, offering bi-monthly images and poetry from and of the North American plains - poems to feed the vast open places of the soul. Click here to check out my poem or here to check out the July 2008 edition of Prairie Poetry.
How Poetry Can Influence Prose, and Vice Versa
Note: This was originally posted on 4/21/08 at the Scribes' Tribe Scribbings blog as part of an April poetry workshop.
I’ve learned to never throw any writing away – always recycle. Why? Because out of a bad poem may exist the plot of a decent short story; similarly, a strong descriptive paragraph in a scrapped fiction piece may be a poetic gem waiting to be unearthed.
Since I write both verse and prose, I often teeter on which one should be used to express an idea. One thing is clear: I fail miserably when I try to cram a 2000-word story into a twenty line poem, and I ruin plot development with ten-sentence paragraphs about the weather in the middle of a fiction piece.
Yet I cannot claim to control my muse, or tell it exactly what to create. Therefore, I continue writing and deal with this issue during editing. Often when I struggle with a poem, I may be trying to say too much within it. If I’m on the computer, this is when I “save as,” give the work an alternate title, delete all line breaks, put in standard punctuation, and then attempt to fill in the blanks that are naturally left vacant by poetry, but must be filled in to make prose. It doesn’t always work, but when it does it produces strong results.
One example is a micro-fiction piece that I wrote last year titled “Details of an Author’s Divorce,” published at an online magazine/blog called Six Sentences, where all the works are exactly (you guessed it) six sentences. This piece, which started out as a poem, developed into flash fiction. Its metamorphosis followed the aforementioned blueprint. The original version of “Details…” told the story of an author’s failed marriage through a free verse poem. It was an interesting concept, but the piece was clumsy and wordy. I put it aside, but then kept studying it periodically. It had too many vivid images for me to just discard it. So I deleted the line breaks, added transitions to give it a prose skeleton, and then started editing it as fiction instead of poetry. The first place where I submitted it promptly rejected it, which made me revise yet again – I discovered that I had edited a little too much out of the piece.
After some tinkering, “Details…” told the entire tale that was too lumbering to explain through poetry. I submitted it to Six Sentences and it was accepted; you can see the finished work at http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2007/12/details-of-authors-divorce.html. What makes it work (at least to me) is the richness of the description that’s derived from its poetic roots, coupled with the fiction structure that tells the complete story without it being awkward.
This transformation can also be performed vice versa, from prose to poetry. I’ll sometimes spot a paragraph in a draft of a story that drones on about the landscape, only to realize I’ve abandoned the plot during that paragraph. Once I cut out some of that imagery, I’ll often save it for another project where that level of description is needed. It may be another story, or I might toss in some line breaks and see if this descriptive leftover can stand alone as a poem.
I wonder if this is something others may have done. It has definitely become a key component of my process and a contributor to my development as a writer.
Adrian S. Potter
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New Poem at Asphalt Sky
My poem Last Call Confessional is now viewable online as part of the inaugural issue of Asphalt Sky.
Asphalt Sky’s goal is to connect audience and author, and create a little virtual space for a vibrant artistic community. The first issue is chock full of fresh poetry, fiction, and art. Check it out by clicking here.
May Update – 100 Works in 2008
I stated on my blog awhile back that it is my goal to write 100 creative pieces in 2008. It is also my goal to publish that many works, but let’s just focus on what I can control – I can’t account for editors’ tastes.
Right now I am on track to meet that 100 works goal. I count 48 pieces of work that I’ve wrote or rebuilt so far in 2008, and a good deal of them have been published or are forthcoming in journals.
The inventory: 32 free verse poems, 9 prose poems, 3 short stories, 1 creative non-fiction/ranting piece. I am also going to count the 3 lectures I wrote on writing and the creative process during my poetry workshop/guest blogging stint over at the Scribes’ Tribe Scribblings website.
Hopefully I can keep up this workrate. Although I admit there are a few throwaway pieces in the bunch (and a few that need major revising), most of this work is up to par with my previous writing and is currently touring the submission and contest circuit trying to find a home in some magazine, journal, website, or whatever. Fingers crossed.
Such is the life of a writer, I suppose. Be good…
Two Poems at Denver Syntax
The Spring 2008 issue of Denver Syntax is now online. Denver Syntax is a literary, art, and music review based out of (you guessed it) Denver. The writing in it is edgy and provacative, and its format and style are top notch, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, I am lucky enough to be in this kick-ass issue of Denver Syntax. I have two poems included in the issue, When I Speak of Life and Burn Everything Down and Start Over. Much thanks to editor Jonathan Bitz for the chance to contribute. Go on check out my poems and the whole issue. C'mon, it's just a click away. You know you want to.