Stop Waiting. Start Moving.

April 8, 2013 By

Seth Godin says, on his blog, to pick yourself.

An example: Many years ago, I started a poetry journal called 32 Poems Magazine. Here’s why I thought I could start a magazine:

  • I knew excellent poets who could provide poems.
  • I understood print buying and production.
  • My background in direct mail fundraising would help with subscriptions and fundraising.
  • My web experience meant I could build a website in WordPress.
  • My graduate degree meant I could edit.
  • I had the fabulous John Poch to help.

Was I an expert? Nope. Did I have any experience with running a magazine? Nope.

Here’s all that I did not know:

  • How to start a nonprofit (took 18 pages of paperwork and hours on the phone with the IRS).
  • How to form a board.
  • How to code PHP for WordPress.
  • Many other tasks too numerous to mention.

Despite all of the above, I just did it. I started it with a small pink flyer we handed out at the Associated Writing Programs conference in Baltimore, MD. Stan Plumly may have been one of the first to receive a pink flyer. He kindly did not tell me I was insane. If he had, however, he would not have stopped me.

Then, we got the first subscriber. I thought I’d throw up, but I kept pressing forward anyway.

Bottom Line: Don’t wait to be asked to:

  • Start a magazine.
  • Manage a literary website.
  • Edit literary work.
  • Publish a book.
  • Create a Jewish poetry anthology (for instance).

Create and then do.

bpr

Birmingham Poetry Review

March 29, 2013 By

This afternoon, the mail carrier brought me the Birmingham Poetry Review (two copies, actually). I'm delighted to be in this magazine with Erica Dawson, Claudia Emerson, Carrie Jerrell, John Poch, David Kirby, Chad Davidson, and many other fine writers. I have two poems in the issue, and this is one of them: Connecticut Avenue The buildings are not tall but tall … [Read More...]