Tag: poetry

Update

2020 – the Year of Painting and Poetry

Tiffany Renee Harmon

It’s been a new decade for a whole week now, and this has already been a great one! I’m trying to embrace the things that make me happy, even if they’re not things that other people support or understand. For me, that’s coming in two forms: Painting and Poetry.

I’ve always loved painting, but it’s a point of insecurity for me. I like abstracts, and I know that these are not super popular kinds of paintings. Still, I’m getting too old to avoid things I love just because they’re unpopular. So, I’ve set up a small gallery here as well as on ArtPal.

Regarding poetry, I’ve already been hugely encouraged by the volume of poets who want to join in the experience of Ephemeral Elegies (still open to submissions!) There are so many amazing poets who want to share, and it makes me want to share too. I’m feeling really confident that this is going to be a creatively productive year. This is the year that I’m going to take myself seriously as a writer and artist. I’m going to take risks and really work on removing the plague of self-doubt.

Thanks for reading and coming on this journey with me.

XO – Tiffany

 

 

Personal, Update

2019 – a Year in Review

Tiffany Renee Harmon

I can’t believe the year is almost over. It’s been a huge year of growth and discovery for me, and while that process is never-ending, I’m so grateful for the lessons I’ve learned and the people I’ve met on my journey this year.

In terms of the writing life, there have been a few milestones:

  • I finished my novella Suburban Secrets (stay tuned for more information about this project in 2020!)
  • My poem “The Vanishing Act” appeared in Down in the Dirt Magazine.
  • My story “Appendix A” was published by Clever Magazine.
  • My story “St. Isabelle’s Downfall” was published in Fiction on the Web.
  • “The Aftermath of Giving Up” finally found a home in The Scarlet Leaf Review.
  • I have many pending submissions with a variety of online and print publications.
  • Ephemeral Elegies has launched – This is a poetry-centered publication I’m running to help support new and emerging poets.
long exposure photography of firecrackers
Photo by Fabio Eckert on Pexels.com

So, what’s in store for 2020? I hope to be a lot more consistent when it comes to writing and submitting. I’m also going to be putting a lot of energy into Ephemeral Elegies and poetry in general. When I was younger, I wrote to escape into a different world and explore new ideas and emotions. I feel like I’ve lost a lot of that. While I loved college and my MFA experience, writing became a performance for others. My main writing goal for 2020 is to go back to writing the subjects, styles, and forms that make me feel most alive. And for now, that means poetry.

As always, thanks for reading.

-Tiffany

 

 

 

Personal, Poetry Review, Update

New Poetry Journal Open to Submissions

Tiffany Renee Harmon

I have some exciting news for 2020! In January, I’m launching a new poetry journal Ephemeral Elegies to support new and emerging poets. We are open to submissions, and you can learn more about submissions guidelines here.

black vintage typewriter
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Ephemeral Elegies aims to be the home for poems about emotional experiences. Inspired by confessional poets such as Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath, we invite submissions about personal experiences and reflections. Confessional poetry can be a great catharsis for a poet, and we want to support you on your journey of self-discovery, growth, and healing.

I hope you’ll consider submitting to Ephemeral Elegies or exploring it post-launch to support and discover some new poets!

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays,

Tiffany

Personal, Update

Making Progress…Slowly but Surely

Tiffany Renee Harmon

It’s already June! It’s crazy to think about how quickly this year is flying by, but it’s been a great one so far.

Regarding writing, I’ve had three acceptances so far this year: two short stories and one poem. The more I try to write longer works, the more it seems apparent that writing shorter things just comes more naturally. So, I think that’s what I’m going to focus on for a while.

black hanging bridge surrounded by green forest trees
Photo by Kaique Rocha on Pexels.com

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and share a bit:

Here’s one of the short stories from this year – “Appendix A”

And here’s a poem that won’t be in print until February but is available online already – “The Vanishing Act”

And stay tuned for July 8th when my short story “St. Isabelle’s Downfall” comes out in that issue of Fiction on the Web. It’s one of my favorites of all the stories I’ve written, and it’s taken literally 7 years to find it a home!

Thanks for reading!

-Tiffany

Poetry Review

National Poetry Month

Tiffany Renee Harmon

April is national poetry month! I love poetry, and I always use this time of year as an excuse to explore it more. Poetry gets a bad rap because it can be very vague or inaccessible at times, but I think a great poet can really cause you to emote and experience the poem just like an expert fiction writer can get you to experience a fictional story. I love raw emotion in poetry. That’s not always something you can find because poetry has been trending away from some of my favorite themes: naturalistic descriptions and confessionalism. Anyway, to honor national poetry month, I wanted to suggest 10 great books of poetry in case anyone is interested in delving into poetry this month.

The Infinitesimals by Laura Kasischke 

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Prelude to Bruise by Saaed Jones

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Blue Horses by Mary Oliver

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The History of Anonymity by Jennifer Chang 

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Metaphysical Dog by Frank Bidart

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Stag’s Leap by Sharon Olds

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Telephone Ringing in the Labyrinth by Adrienne Rich 

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The Rain in Portugal by Billy Collins 

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Head Off & Split by Nikky Finney 

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Time and Materials by Robert Hass 

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I hope everyone has a wonderful National Poetry month! Do you have a favorite poet? If so, be sure to let me know in the comments section so that I can check them out!

 

 

 

 

Personal, Update

Life Update: Poem Published

Tiffany Renee Harmon

Yellow Spiral Notebooks

I just wanted to thank Outcast Poetry for publishing my poem “Dreaming.” You can read it HERE if you’d like. It’s been about two years since I’ve had something published, which is definitely my fault. I went for a whole year and a half where I didn’t send anything out for submission. I went through a big slump! Part of this was because life was so busy and part of it was just due to being discouraged. I think discouragement is a big part of life for most writers because it’s hard to edit and send things out and get rejected over and over again.

Thankfully, since beginning my MFA program at Lindenwood University, I’ve been a lot more productive. I think I’ll do a whole post about my experiences there soon because it’s already impacted my life quite a bit.

Anyway, over the past two months, I’ve sent lots of things out to journals. Now, I’m waiting for those inevitable rejection letters and maybe another acceptance somewhere!

 

Poetry Review

Poetry Review: Head Off & Split 

Tiffany Renee Harmon

Sometimes, I feel like I’m on a life-long quest to convince people to give poetry another chance. For some reason, so many people I encounter have such negative views about poetry: perhaps PTSD from high school English classes or negative experiences with overly obscure poetry. A lot of people don’t find poetry accessible, especially contemporary poetry. While I’m not always a fan of the extremely ambiguous or minimalist poetry that is pretty trendy right now, I find that there are still lots of poets who employ beautiful, spellbinding imagery and emotion. One collection that really spoke to me recently because of its clear and powerful message is Head Off & Split by Nikky Finney.

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This collection won a well-deserved National Book Award, and it is a truly inspiring collection of poems that focus on civil rights, racial relationship, and even family dynamics. So many of these poems feel deeply personal, especially the title poem which was mesmerizing. Finney is an amazing poet who has been overshadowed until recently, but this collection is surely going to keep her in the limelight for a while. I would definitely recommend this collection to anyone who either loves poetry or who wants to explore how modern poetry relates to the present political climate. Poetry has always been used as a way to critique society, and Finney continues that tradition today.