I want to publish a book of my poetry this April

And it was at that age … Poetry arrived
in search of me. I don’t know, I don’t know where
it came from, from winter or a river.
I don’t know how or when,
no, they were not voices, they were not
words, nor silence,
but from a street I was summoned,
from the branches of night,
abruptly from the others,
among violent fires
or returning alone,
there I was without a face
and it touched me. — Pablo Neruda

I’ve been planning for a very long time to share what I write in other forms than here on my humble site, and even posted in a previous entry about publishing (or self-publishing) this year… And I’d begun the process, started designing each page, but during odd moments here & there. But then, in an outburst of creative excitement, I recently confided how far I’d gotten to someone who’s recently become a wonderful part of my life…

I told her I want to publish a book of my poetry this April.

wait until you see the back cover!

In a beautiful stroke of luck, I captured the perfect picture for the cover while she was visiting – calm, peaceful, intimate – and yet full of story, which is how I like to think of my poetry. Enterprising readers will likely discover the source of the front cover and figure out what’ll be on the back – but I’ll reveal it soon enough!

At this point, I’ve set about half of the pages – each poem will be accompanied by one of my pictures, just as most are displayed here on the site – and am eager to finish the rest of them by the end of March. The first edition will be in full-color throughout on high-quality paper, probably 7×7, and then I’d like to release a more affordable full-color cover/b&w inside version by the summer, followed by another for the Kindle, just because.

It’s incredible! When I was a young writer, subscribing to Writers’ Digest, self-publishing still remained far out of the reach of most aspiring artists, but now there are a handful of affordable on-demand publishers offering prices that give me a chance to make this dream of mine a reality. I’m excited, even if the only copies ever printed are the ones I order for myself or to share with others.

So – sometime soon I’ll have a small site up with more information on how and when the book will be available! Stay tuned!

And to my dear A., thank you for the energy, the excitement and the inspiration you bring to my days. I can only keep smiling and feeling grateful for that light.