I’m headed back to Nebraska City today. The home of UNOs MFA residency experience, the birthplace of my poetry career. Can a person craft a career out of poetry? 

No. 

That’s laughable. But it’s the cool aid they serve and I drank it in giant gulps. 

I exaggerate, of course, because that’s my way. A twisted kind of sarcasm. I never once thought I could be a poet. I actually hate that label… “Poet”

To me a poet is a person who makes their living with that kind of work and that’s one percent of one percent of people who write poetry. It also pigeonholes a person into one genre. A “writer” can write anything. 

The definition of “writer” is a softer and more welcoming in my opinion. A writer is a person who writes. And not necessarily to make a living. Those earning a wage and feeding their family from their writing are also a sliver of a  fraction of all writers. Most who are pursuing it in earnest are also teachers or financially stable by other means. I fall into the latter. 

Teaching? No thanks. 🙂‍↔️ 

Anyway, I’m headed back to talk to students and try and get people excited about reading for The Good Life Review.  And also soak up some of the inspirational goodness that comes from the imersional experience of the MFA program. Also I don’t have to do chores when I’m out of town. Bonus plan. 

It’s nice to break away and be a solo person in the world for a few days. 

The TGLR “talk” is on the agenda at 3:40 today. It’s pretty much an introductory session where we (Tacheny and I) talk and answer questions people have about the journal. We’re hopping to pick up a few fiction readers. That’s the genre that needs to most help. 

After that I’m a free bird. I can go anywhere at the Lied lodge, or hide in my room as I like to do. I can remeber id there’s another lecture today I want to attend but I’ll surely return to the main lecture hall at 7 for the faculty reading, which is always a treat. 

I should check the schedule again. I should finish packing. I should shower and get ready to go. 

Guess that’s it for today. Thanks for reading. 

Peace and poesy with a side of hot chocolate with marshmallows, 

~Miss SugarCookie