Wednesday, October 10, 2007

systems

I have decided that the chaos which is my life desperately needs systemization. I now have a system for poetry related tasks---dgp business on Mondays, wicked alice on Tuesdays. My own work/projects and writerly business on Wednesday. Atelier stuff on Thursday. Then whatever I want to work on--random art stuff, crafty projects, poems--over the weekend. So far, I've got an amazing amount done with such focus, instead of just sitting every day trying to do too many things, getting frustrated, then wasting time freaking out or compulsively making to-do lists. On Monday, I got out most orders, (there are still a couple larger ones I need to pull together..)and finished the final version on Secret Meaning of Greek Letters. Luckily the boxes arrived that very day in the mail, so I got to put a mock up together for the full effect. Yesterday, I was able to get through the stuff I was considering for the Fall Issue and design the contents page, plus finish my layout on the print annual. I was also very productive on some new things for etsy last night after work, but more on those soon... Today, I revised the poem I finished last week, and wrote a new one (I tend to scribble notes all week and put them together all at once. I find, after a couple of years of finishing a poem every other day, one a week is a nice rhythm that doesn't make me crazy with it.) Tomorrow, scheduling a reading at Quimby's for December and designing a postcard for the studio.

I've also developed a system for dealing with wicked alice subs. I always feel a little weird when an issue winds up overly heavy with people I've either published quite alot before, or people who I sort of know, be it the real world or the blog world, or whatever, especially when I always roll my eyes at certain web and print journals who don't seem to make any effort to find new voices at all. So I've decided for every person who I know, or know of, I have to publish someone I don't know at all. So since this Fall issue seems to have an ample number of people I have a previous connection to, I had to fill it with an equal number I've never encountered before. Next years dgp schedule somehow tips the other way--there are more people I don't "know" actually or virtually, than ones I do(except for the Chicago people--most of whom I know by circumstance.)

1 comment:

Nanette said...

hi kristy,

oh, how I envy your ability to have your own journal, press and now, workshop.

i love the idea that you want to publish poets you don't know of.

good on you!

all the best,
nanette