Tying Up Loose Ends
September & October 2025
What a whirlwind this last month has been! I’m tying up loose ends from September and October but it feels like a year has gone by in this last month.
Some Recap Questions:
How have you been growing as a creative? What small (or large) steps have you felt yourself moving toward?
Have you been consciously marketing yourself as a writer/artist and fostering community to feed yourself and others?
How have you been holding space for your writing? Have you made any adjustments or changes to help yourself feel less pressured and more joyful in your practice?
What I’ve Been Reading:
I have been reading but I also have been acquiring more reading than I have had the time to finish…TBR piles, I believe they are referred to and they are springing up like bunnies all over the place. To avoid embarrassment I will not qualify these as read or unread:
Chapbooks— Fish Wife by McCanna, Atlas of an Ancient World by Orozco, Lonely Women Make Good Lovers by Kuipers, Stationed Near the Gateway by Bashaar, Rivers Within Us by Coomer, and Paper Crown by Christle.
Nonfiction—Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry, Poet Warrior: A Memoir by Harjo and Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book by Nash.
Fiction—Greenteeth by O’Neill
What I’ve Been Creating:
A lot of poetry, per usual. I am working on a new chapbook tentatively titled “Not a Father, Not a Daughter” about a man, my neighbor, who I grew up with. I have ten poems written so far and want at least sixteen before I stop writing. Four of them have been published thus far.
I also have been wrestling with a bunch of published poems to try and fit them into a chapbook that has to do with pollinators, plants and eco-diversity. It is in the very first stages of formation.
And I spent most of September and a good part of the first part of October drafting many paintings and collages for my third, soon-to-be-published, chapbook..
What’s Been Getting Published:
My third chapbook has been accepted for publication from Dancing Girl Press—it is my heart’s work for the last eleven years: A Harmony in the Key of Trees: A Healing Myth. It will be coming out later this fall, so stay tuned—I’m sure I’ll have more to say about this later. And as of right now it looks like my art will be gracing this cover as well!
In the past two months I have sent out approximately 77 packets of poetry and 4 packets of art. So far, I have gotten 18 rejections and 3 acceptances for poetry, and two acceptances for my art. I have art two pieces coming out as well as five photographs—a major win for me as I’ve been so reluctant to be vulnerable in this regard. Took me ten months to work up the courage and I’m very glad I took the leap.
New Adventures:
Firstly, I have begun doing copy editing work again—I was doing this as a job in Graduate School to pay for schooling. I only have one client right now, but am going to take on at least two other clients. If you have interest in utilizing my services, I charge $25/hour and will give you a small project service (1-3 pages) free of charge so we can see if we would work well together. If you are interested, feel free to contact me: loraleeclarkcreative@gmail.com
Secondly, I am helping one of the editors of The Nature of Our Times to work on marketing in the Virginia/Maryland area. It already had a book launch in Ohio earlier this month and lots of other events are planned for the coming year. It is an amazing book and if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading it, I highly encourage it!
Some Amazing News:
I’ve been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes for 2026! One of the poems, which I wrote for my dear friend Cara, was nominated while I was visiting her (first time in-person in 21 years!) and it was such a lovely way to receive the news and celebrate. While visiting, we took a tiny writing retreat at Allerton and this is where we stayed:
The grounds are beautiful, there are fourteen gardens, and I had such a magical time walking around, having drinks at the solarium, and writing up on the second floor of a rotunda. (Apparently I have a permanent scowl when when I’m writing.)
Free Writes:
Keep the hand/pen moving and if you go blank write “What I want to say is…” or “I don’t know what to say, but…”
What color upsets you? What color feels friendly?
What is big to you but small to others?
When I am silent…
There is only a month and a half left to 2025! What creative goals will you manifest?