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So glad you have signed up to receive the For Random Learning Comes Newsletter! This is the one hundred and seventeenth edition.
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This time I have just one poem to offer, called Private. It recounts some memories of my mother, who wrote reams of poetry, which I did not have much chance to see or hear until she died, which is a shame.
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We are two weeks out from JaxbyJax, so I will be practicing my story until I can deliver it well. I'll be reading at 11 am on Saturday, but there are several events on both days, including appearances by the authors Tia Levings (A Well-Trained Wife)and Michael Wiley who has written various in the thriller suspense category. I possess a few but haven't read them yet, darn it!
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I did read A Well-Trained Wife, and it was disturbing and enlightening at the same time. I had a lot of sympathy for her on her homeschooling journey, though she homeschooled for very different reasons than I did.
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It has a lot of good feminist messages which I loved, but first you have to plow through a lot of pain and growth. She does a good job of examining how strict Christianity and the default preference for men in our culture subjugates women even to this day.
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I flirted with the idea of producing a book by self-publication before going to JaxbyJax but once I got into the weeds, the process became too daunting. I have immense respect for those with the patience and attention to detail it takes to produce a book for market. I am not included in their number, I'm afraid. Once I made the decision to not do it, a huge weight slid off my shoulders.
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This past weekend from Thursday through Sunday I had the great pleasure of attending FWA's Convention in Orlando. There were many classes to attend and several social opportunities.
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I visited classes on Querying, Marketing, the Publishing Journey, and a nice panel discussion on Publishing. There was a class on flawed characters, which I enjoyed and shared a little about my main character.
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As the presenter said, there's just something magical that happens, when you are in a room full of writers. Hearing everyone's version of the "Try,try,try again" motif for traditional publishing was very encouraging. After all, persistence is a skill in almost everyone's toolbox, even if we don't use it as much as we should.
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Awards were given to Florida Writers who were the best or who placed, in each category. Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry were all represented, as well as Children's and YA books, SciFi and Romance, and Literary/General Fiction. Blogging even had its own category. It's a great way to learn the Literary Who's Who of your state.
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The Mixer and the Awards banquet were big networking opportunities. But so were the hallways, the bar, and the breakfasts they provided. I walked away with no business cards left, which was my goal. And now I have many new cards, given to me by the authors I just met.
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I also got two of Richard Blanco's poetry books. He was the headline speaker and is known as a Poet Laureate of Miami and as the poet at Obama's Inauguration.
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I loved his take on the immigrant experience. His family is from Cuba, and so he plays with the notion of Home in his poetry. The pain of longing for where you came from, while simultaneously wanting to fit in where you are, came out strongly in his reading. I wish more people would read poetry like that. It might change their minds.
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It didn't hurt, that I left with a pile of dirty dishes and came back to a clean kitchen! It's always refreshing to get away from the same old same old. I may go into the FWA weekend more in a later blog post, but I'm a week behind on this newsletter as it is.
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FYI: JaxbyJax takes place November 8 and 9th, 2024 at the Jacksonville Public Library in downtown Jax. Please mark your calendar and be sure to come, if you can! I hope to see you there!
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On the novel, my current word count is still 58,083.
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If you know of anyone else who might be interested in receiving this newsletter, please forward it to them. They can sign up on my website, linked in the logo above if they like it! The more the merrier!
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Stay safe, if you're in the path of any hurricanes (God forbid!) or other rotten weather. Till next time!
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So Close and Yet So Far
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This essay discusses the Semiquincentennial celebration and compares it with Fourths of Years gone by.
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Drawing
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A poem on redistricting, the drawing of new districts to serve the ruling party's political purposes, with the blessing of the Supreme Court and with enthusiasm unchecked by either the people's will nor the State's Constitutional provisions.
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Attempt
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A poem describing the swirling emotions on and offline provoked by the attempted assassination of President Trump at the dinner for the press. Caveat: I do not doubt the attempt on his life was real. P.S. The photo is an attempt at beauty.
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Approaching May 1st, 2026, Anniversary of The Great Fire, Jacksonville, FL
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A poem about a very dry spring in Florida which calls to mind the terrible fire which consumed Jacksonville early in the 20th century.
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Smiles
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This poem analyzes the loss of reputation of the US in the eyes of its closest allies, and the attitude it projects, about that loss.
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