Day 143 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

ANNOUNCEMENT

 

1. I am a believer in the never ending process of learning. In that cause I would like to put out an invitation to poets living in the Ventura, California area. Wednesday nights, for the next four weeks, at 7 PM in Ventura at the Vita Art Center, 432 North Ventura Avenue, there will be an ongoing poetry workshop. This is a great opportunity to sharpen your craft and gather with other writers in the pursuit of excellence.

 

 

QUESTION FOR THE MASSES?

 

I'm not sure how many poets are in the audience I assume I'm reaching, but I want to ask a simple question. The premise involves your familiarity with the term "chapbook". For those of you unfamiliar with this bit of 'Ye Olde English', it translates as, "a cheap book", or one that is inexpensively produced, usually at the expense of a writer of short fiction or poetry. It is meant as a limited edition, limited distribution piece, intended to showcase a writer or small group of writers latest works. Quite often you find them after poetry readings as a means of the featured reader or readers augmenting whatever happens to come from passing a hat.

 

My question is, quite simply, how do you view this practice? Is it something you're familiar with? Do you think it useful in getting out quality work of serious poets and writers, or merely as a vanity? I ask this because the poetry workshop I am taking part in is in the process of producing a chapbook to highlight the better works that have been brought in by the participants. I hate to say it (Perhaps I'm just jaded?), but I'm having something of a crisis of enthusiasm over the whole thing. Partially, I blame a real balls to the wall spree of my own writing and having to be constantly aware that I'm flirting around the edges of creative flame out.

 

Any of your thoughts on this would be enormously appreciated. You can comment, as usual, through the box at the bottom of the page or my email address. Thanks for anything you might want to put forward.

 

 

Meanwhile...live, love, write.

 

 

Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.

 

 

Tomorrow,

 

Dane F. Baylis

Author.