On Writing Poetry

I have been going through the papers that have accumulated in my house and generally organizing and downsizing my crap. I hate doing this, but it is a necessary part of life, one that I would like to do better. A couple days ago, while going through my old journals and papers, I came across a stack of poetry I wrote between 2000 and 2003. I was struck by how much quality material I found in these stacks. The poetry was so raw, unpretentious, gritty, full of pain and hope and blood. This poetry was written largely during my time as a homeless teenager. I have since then polished my style quite a bit, finding other things to write about besides cold, hunger, and watching my friends become addicted to hard drugs. I had dismissed the poetry written during that time as simply the therapeutic release of a confused 18 year old girl. Now, I think that, perhaps, this work needs to be included along with my more recent writings, as I seek a publisher for my poetry. I am thinking that perhaps self-publishing my poetry would be the best decision. Poetry isn't as marketable as fiction, and, unless you are an established author, getting a publishing house to take a risk on your poetry is very difficult. Having a published book of poetry, with an ISBN number and a listing on Amazon.com has been a lifelong dream of mine. Perhaps, soon, I will realize that dream.

Update... finally!

The last few months have flown by very quickly in a flurry of activity. I decided to go back to school and study counselling, which has proven to be very rewarding. I am feeling closer to my goal of entering the helping profession. It will be wonderful for me, a former street kid, to be able to work to help marginalized people. Also, I have secured exhibit space at East Side Pride festival this summer. So I have been painting madly to prepare for this event at the end of June. I am exploring two major themes in my art. One is the feminine divine and eroticism. These paintings are a celebration, filled with bright colours and symbols of life and beauty. I enjoy these paintings. The other theme is homelessness, oppression, social inequality and violence. As an activist and an artist, I feel compelled to create these pieces. They are not pretty, feel-good paintings, but rather ones that (I hope) will rip into your guts and make you think. It's Eros and Thanatos on canvas. Perhaps the upcoming booth at East Side Pride isn't the prime space to display such raw, often brutal images. I am shopping around for other venues where I can display these pieces. In the meantime, I do not create art because it is practical. I create art because I must, because it claws its way out of me and demands to exist.