Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

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Last week I spent a lot of quality time at the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble. On Wednesday, I attended Thane Rosenbaum‘s reading from How Sweet It Is, his latest novel. The next evening, I was back for Alan Cheuse’s reading from Prayers for the Living.

I hadn’t seen Thane in several years, and I’d never met Alan (with whom I’d been working remotely while Fig Tree Books prepared Prayers for publication). Two lovely evenings celebrating the work of two very gifted and generous writers! (Bonus: At Thane’s reading, I finally met one of my “Twitter friends,” podcaster Gil Roth, “in real life.” You might know Gil from his wonderful podcast The Virtual Memories Show.)

Rejection, Rinse, Repeat?

Five rejections this past week for a brand-new, potentially time-sensitive poem. But one of those rejections was significantly warmer than usual and truly made my morning the day I received it. (You know how we practicing writers are about finding the silver linings in these notifications!)

Also received this week: a rejection for an essay that had been out for quite some time. BUT, that piece appears to have found a terrific (albeit nonpaying) home. Stay tuned for more news on that.

In the Audience for The Audience

I attended a performance of The Audience over the weekend, which made me wish (yet again) that I knew something about playwriting. In the meantime, I enjoyed and admired this production immensely—and appreciated the fact that I saw it the same day a new British princess arrived! (And yes, there was a sly mention of the blessed event incorporated into the script.)
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Anyone want to share some midweek notes of your own?

4 thoughts on “Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

  1. Elizabeth Edelglass says:

    Yes, I loved Helen Mirren in “The Audience.” And bah-humbug to the rejections. My son, an artist once wallpapered a room with rejection letters (back in the day when rejections actually arrived in the mail), most saying something along the lines of: Wonderful work; we know it will find a wonderland home… somewhere else.

  2. Good things happen to good people like you. Keep trying and someone who values good writing will give your poem a published space. Next time in NY we hope to see ” The Audience”.

  3. Erika Dreifus says:

    Oh, you’re both wonderful! Thank you!

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