Q&A with author Rachel Kann

Later this week I’ll be sharing a full interview with Rachel Kann at www.poetsquarterly.com, as part of the “higher learning” interview series. However, I wanted to share a brief excerpt from our interview to continue Monday’s blog discussion of writing workshops.

Rachel is an instructor with the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, which you can learn more about here. She is also an award winning poet and the author of 10 for Everything, a collection of short stories.

I spoke with Rachel about her pedagogical philosophy and the benefits of writing workshops. This is a brief teaser of our discussion:

You've experienced the writing workshop both as a student and as an instructor. How would you prepare a young writer who is considering participation in a workshop for the first time?
I would tell them to come with an open mind and an exceedingly positive attitude; that their ego will not be of much use to them in this environment. I'd advise them to be open to trying new things, but to stay true to their distinct voice. I'd urge them to be exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to mix it up with other writers in the workshop environment, and to focus on what is working in their fellow writers' pieces.

As someone who has a lengthy history of teaching, what is your response to the question, "Can writing be taught?"
Absolutely, yes. But more importantly, can writing be learned? Again, the answer is yes. It's up to each individual to decide how dedicated they want to be to any pursuit. Basically, I have a lot of faith in the human ability to achieve. I mean, people can survive concentration camps. Heather Mills, with a prosthetic leg (love her or hate her,) can ballroom dance and do flips on TV. I believe in any person's capability to reach whatever artistic goals they have, regardless of how long the journey may be. And it's a never-ending journey. For everyone. How hard is the person willing to work?

What other options might an emerging writer explore, if not a formal workshop?
The best part about workshopping is the opportunity to interact with other writers. So I'd encourage a writer to explore creating a writers' group with some fellow poets and/or prose writers, and meet regularly. The gift of a workshop (or a writers' group) is accountability.

*****

Check Poets’ Quarterly at the end of the week to read the full interview with Rachel Kann. If you’re interested in taking a class with Rachel, her next open session is an online poetry workshop with UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. The class is "Writing The Poetry of Luminous Things" and it starts January 20th. More information is available here.

Thanks for stopping in for the Wednesday author Q&A. I’ll see you Friday with more musings, reviews, and news.

Photo credit: UCLA Extension Writers' Program website

thank you Rochester Writers

The 2nd annual Rochester Writers Conference has come and gone and what a wonderful event it was! Congratulations and thanks must go out to Michael Dwyer for programming such a successful conference.

Now, to my regular blog followers, please excuse me as I share some information specifically for the benefit of those who attended my lecture at the conference. It’s okay; you can eavesdrop. Of course, for Monday’s post you know I’ll be sharing a recap of some of my favorite moments and resources from the conference for all to enjoy. But for just one post, I must do this, if you will:

***Attention Rochester Writers Conference Attendees***

Thank you so much for all of the kind words and feedback you provided after my session: “Promote Your Writing by Building an Online Presence.” I very much appreciate the feedback and discussions we had throughout the day and I am pleased to hear there was something I could offer you in my presentation. Please do not hesitate to contact me (lori@loriamay.com) with follow-up questions or if you need clarification on anything, or simply wish to discuss a point further. I welcome your emails.

There were two things that came up in post-session discussions I want to offer up for the benefit of everyone who attended the lecture.

First, many of you asked if I have any other workshops or sessions coming up in the future, within this region. The answer is yes and if you wish to be notified of workshops, lectures, critique opportunities, and other such activities that are happening within the area, please do let me know so I can be sure to email you with details.

I would like to request your assistance, if I may, since I have been discussing options with a few regional venues and we need to narrow down our options. So, if you are interested in workshops, lectures, etc, please take a moment to email me (lori@loriamay.com) and let me know the following:

1] What topics you would like to explore in a more intense workshop setting? Are you interested in additional skills development and resources pertaining to online marketing? Are you interested in participating in a craft-writing workshop, with poetry, fiction, and/or non-fiction? Do you want to take part in a workshop that assists you with writing query letters, synopses, and polishing the first three chapters? Please let me know your area of interest.

2] Also, if you don’t mind letting me know the town/city you live in, so I can be sure to offer the desired workshops to those regional areas where there is interest, it would be helpful. If you can, also let me know which days of the week work best for you. I’ll try my best to accommodate your requests, so please don’t be shy!

Secondly, something that came up after the lecture was on the topic of sharing portfolio samples or examples of your writing on your website, blog, etc. Specifically, the question came up about publication rights and selling to a publication once you have published your piece online.

First, to be clear, anything published online is published. Period. Thus, while I encourage you to share a small sampling of your work on your website or blog, be sure this is something you do not plan on marketing for sale – as is – to publishers. Once it’s been published – anywhere - you have used up your first time rights. That’s not to say you can’t sell future work on the same topics you share on your website; it’s just very unlikely you will find a publisher (magazine, book, etc) who will be willing to reprint the same exact piece.

Thus, my suggestion is that you only post articles or excerpts online that are either a) previously published and for which you have had the rights returned to you, or b) do not have any intention on submitting to future publishers. As a substitute, you can very easily draft a sample to reflect your work, but keep the sellable stuff for selling.

If you have any additional questions about this topic, let me know. I’m happy to discuss this further.

Again, thank you to all who attended the lecture and please do drop me an email to share your feedback, ask questions, or inquire about future workshops. I’m hoping to hear from those of you who want to participate in future workshops, courses, etc, so let me know your responses to my above questions, by sending an email to lori@loriamay.com.

It was a pleasure meeting you all today and I look forward to hearing about your writing successes!

Keep in touch!