A Writer's Notebook, Day Seven-Hundred-And-Forty-Six

 I was invited to take part in an online conversation with several other poets this evening.  In general, I do not have a great many opportunities to take part in these kinds of dialogues.  The last time I was continually involved in a community of that sort was while I was in graduate school, and since then, I have been largely surrounded by non-writers, and certainly non-poets.  One of the major parts of taking a workshop at the Palm Beach Poetry Festival in the past few years has been the community aspects, and I've made numerous friends who I have kept in touch with over the years, even some who I have seen outside the festival week.  Even more than those friendships, however, is the ability to discuss and consider ideas with other writers.  I attempt, as much as I can, to use this blog as a way to discuss the various things on my mind, whether it is a specific idea related to the work I am engaged with, my frustrations about developing my publishing credentials, or whatever it may be that comes.  Often, I know that I fail to engage in much more than recounting my progress, and I acknowledge that this blog has existed from the start, in part, to help keep me motivated and accountable, and that reality does cause me, at times, to rush through a quick entry late at night (often not as late as it is now, ironically).  But, even were I writing more comprehensive blog posts each night, with a focus on serious issues surrounding writing and poetry, that is never a substitute for the opportunity to engage with others and work through those ideas.  I am not always inclined to join groups, and often find that the communities I have access to are not quite right for me, and so I do find a great pleasure in the opportunities I get, and I think that, beyond whatever I may gain intellectual from these dialogues (which should not be dismissed), the thing I can often take away for myself is more the energy, is the sense of communing others who share a connection to the same type of work.

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