Recently, a fellow Every Day Poems reader told us she loves reading with you on Substack.
We asked her what made it special, and she said,
I like the possibility of chatting with others sitting around the same fire, listening to the day’s poem. And I like how I can see the week’s poem titles and art in a glance. It reminds me of where I’ve recently been, and if there was something I wanted to revisit.
We loved that description! The thought of sitting around the fire together, talking about the week’s poems, especially warmed our hearts.
Maybe you already know who some of your fellow readers are? We’ve introduced you to Megan Willome, Bethany R., Sandra Heska King, Jack Cooper, and Monica Silva.
But there are so many more of you sitting around the fire, enjoying poems each week. It would be lovely to meet you, if you’d like to introduce yourself.
You could share what the others have already shared. Or you could introduce yourself in an altogether different fashion. Either way, we’d love to hear from you. Just tell us about yourself in the comment box at the bottom of this post.
Some of What Was Shared, If You Want to Follow Suit
Your job or vocation
A few of your hobbies
How long you’ve been an Every Day Poems reader
Where you hail from (now or earlier in life)
Your Every Day Poems reading ritual (if you have one)
What kind of tea or coffee you drink when reading your poems
Your favorite kind of cake
Or, Just Introduce Yourself in Another Way
Maybe you know exactly how you’d like to introduce yourself. Go for it! We’d love to meet you. And we think others around the poetry fireplace would love to meet you, too. :)
Digital collage by
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I love to help people find their voice. And to stir their creativity. And to deepen their relationships with themselves and others. Mostly I do that through my work with Tweetspeak Poetry and all its related offerings.
I adore tea, especially French and Japanese teas, and I've come late to coffee (I can't turn down a mocha now, and a hint of caramel doesn't hurt, either). Tea and coffee are my hobbies in the sense that I build my life around them in myriad ways. (I own a lot of tea cups, I write about tea and coffee, I search for the next coffee or tea shop wherever I go :). Books, of course. Poetry, well, yes. Good conversation. Studying French and Spanish for the fun of it. Art, wherever I find it.
I've been an Every Day Poems reader for 12 years (makes sense; I began the publication ;-). And it has deepened my relationship to others. I've met so many wonderful readers and so many wonderful poets. What an honor.
I'm originally from the countryside in New York. A little town in the absolute middle of nowhere. I will always miss the woods and fields. (I live near NYC now, and though it's lovely, it's not the solitude I grew to love as a child. But? The culture is vibrant and inspiring. So I'm not sure I could ever go back to... the middle of nowhere. :)
No particular ritual for reading Every Day Poems. I do read the poems on the day they release, even though I've already read them once when choosing and prepping them. If there's any ritual at all, it's just this: to give myself fully to the words that someone else gave themselves to in crafting the poem. I don't skim. I don't hurry. It's less than a few minutes, and it can easily make my day.
Cake!!! Must I choose? The Jamaican restaurant just down the avenue from me has a coconut cake that is not to be missed. And a rum raisin, too. Sometimes I am compelled to order both. It's a good thing I don't meander down there too often. Or there would surely be consequences. :)
A favorite line of poetry: Adrienne Rich ... "and somehow, each of us will help the other live"
I write, lead workshops, take care of the real estate that affords the freedom to do what I love--write, teach. I love coffee with hot milk. My partner who is a coffee fanatic orders the coffee from Finland. I put the pot on to drip while he is still asleep, the head out for my walk on the peninsula where we live, in Long Beach California. I was born in a tiny town in Oklahoma, but have live in Southern California since I was seven. My avocation of late is photography, which I find to a perfect companion to poetry. I am closing in on my next collection, Enormous Blue Umbrella, to be published by Moon Tide Press. Coconut cake is my favorite!