Confessions, Secrets and Desires

7 Days in the Orange Verse #29

A rare blue sky

1 Unpopular Opinion: What I've learned from reading collections cover-to-cover

As I embark on the journey of putting together a chapbook, I've been anxious that the themes and images in my poems are too repetitive. But, reading poetry collections front to back - instead of dipping in and out - has been an enlightening experience. I lay out everything I've learned in this Substack post.

2 Art Made by Monsters

I’m saddened to hear the allegations against Neil Gaiman. I’ve listened to the podcast and it made me sick to my stomach. There’s a big debate over whether we should discredit an artist’s work once we discover how monstrous they are, but I’m beginning to wonder if we consider their art exceptional because they’re monstrous. They tap into the darker parts of the human psyche the normal person would not reach, creating a space in which we can tackle our own monstrousness in safety.

This substack essay on the revelations about Alice Munro is very well-reasoned, and applies context from

Brandon

‘s own experiences of child sexual abuse.

3 Writing in the Summer Workshop

Let’s face it, it’s still winter. The rain is incessant, I’m still in jogging bottoms and thick jumpers and my summer dresses are looking forlornly at me from their hangers. Let’s get together and write in the summer, calling on the Sun Gods to bring us a bit of sunshine. 

17th July, Zoom, use code ‘Butlins’ for 20% off. Sign up.

4 I Never Wanted to be a Poet

Loved this confession from

Segments with Maria Giesbrecht

. It’s lyrical, poignant and uplifting.

“Some people hide their singing voices better than their addictions, their cruelty, and their misfortunes. The voice is a deer. Easily scared away, terrified to return once it has fled.”

5 Poem

Introduction to Poetry
~ Billy Collins

litbowl

A post shared by @litbowl

6 Quote

“And the speaking will get easier and easier. And you will find you have fallen in love with your own vision, which you may never have realised you had. And you will lose some friends and lovers and realise you don’t miss them. And new ones will find you and cherish you…”
~ Audre Lorde

7 Prompt

What words aren’t you speaking? Confess them all. Spill your secret desires across the page and give them space to live.

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Don’t forget to join Writing in the Summer on Wednesday. We need to create our own sunshine this year.

Happy creating folks. Lots of love,

Lorna 🍊