Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

LibraryReading
“Live from the Library”

It has been a busy time since last week’s update.

To begin: Wednesday evening, I read new poetry at the semi-annual Live from the Library event at the New York Society Library. It was a gracious, inspiring occasion. The Library did an amazing job. The room was packed, and the refreshments most welcome.

Each reader was allotted five minutes, which was enough time for me (I practiced! more than once!) to share three poems. None of them had been published.

YET.

“Poem of the Week”

But one of the poems I read last Wednesday now appears on the Israeli news site Haaretz this week as the current “Poem of the Week.”

It’s titled “Ode to a Rescuer,” and it was written in response to an event that took place early last month. (In fact, I’d initially submitted it–unsuccessfully–to Rattle’s weekly “Poets Respond” feature.)

HaaretzHeadline

I’m gratified to have the poem published by Haaretz; the “Poem of the Week” there is routinely accompanied by artwork and a thoughtful commentary from editor Vivian Eden (I’m presuming that Vivian also wrote the Abrahamic headline; that’s tied more directly to her commentary than to my poem itself).

I’m surprised, though, to see my poem appear behind a paywall; that’s not something I’ve seen happen to other work in the series, and especially since I’m not being paid even one cent (or shekel) for the poem, the paywalling seems all the more odd. You can try to access it via this link–but I can’t offer any promises.

(One more note: Remember when I reported on that burst of writing that produced multiple rhyming poems? Well, “Ode to a Rescuer” isn’t among those limericks. But it does date from that little wave of work.)

Newsletter News

This week is also keeping me busy newsletter-wise. At the day job, I’m giving the October newsletter for Fig Tree Books a final once-over. And I’m readying the November issue of The Practicing Writer as well. Please consider subscribing to one (or both!), if you haven’t already done so. Many thanks in advance.

3 thoughts on “Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

  1. Robert Knox says:

    Hello, Erica… Sad to say that, as you predicted, I’m unable to read the poem on Haaretz. It’s certainly of interest to me. Do you plan to post it?

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Thanks so much, Robert–just sent you an email.

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