This post is so very late! This term has gone so fast, and as we head into finals (one more week) I’m trying not to get too frazzled. Thankfully my classes remain brilliant and engaging, my teachers continue to be a bunch of cool cats, and my study binder is still saving my butt in a pretty big way. (Bless the study binder, and whoever gave me the idea, because this thing is seriously the major reason I’m not failing right now. It’s magical.)
I’m finally moving forward on some things that I’d stalled on, and I’m really excited for everything happening between now and the next review. I can hardly wait to share it all with you!
(This month’s resolution review below the cut:)
Goals:
- Make regular money from writing
- Subgoal: Small press solvency
- Schedule self-care and practice self-love
- Solidify my graduate degree path, and apply to grad school
Month in Review:
What worked? What didn’t?
1) This is still on the backburner, and I’ve done more networking than anything else. I presented a poetry writing workshop at this year’s Oregon Students of Color Conference, and was on a panel about funding creativity at this year’s Siren Nation Festival. I was also interviewed about my poetry in connection with Trans Day of Remembrance at KBOO.fm. Overall, despite not getting a lot of writing done, I’m alright with the last month, especially since…
•) Subgoal: We’re less than a week from the printing of My Body Asunder! I’m really excited to be putting out Mourning Glory Publishing’s third book. Portland’s Trans Liberation NOW! Open Mic made Mourning Glory Publishing the beneficiary of their November open mic, and I’m hoping to get more submissions, so we can start working on the next two or three books. I’m so grateful for the community support MGP is getting, and I can’t wait to share the love.
2) Sleep has been a big, big deal, and I’ve stuck to this one pretty successfully so far. The big issue ended up being food: I thought that my food stamps would get cut, so I didn’t use them, and ended up just not eating enough. It screwed my body up in a couple of pretty noticeable ways, included losing 10 lbs. in 3-4 weeks, and upsetting my hormone cycle. After checking in about my stamps, I learned that I don’t have to worry about that, and so that’s getting back on track. I’ve been working to let go of my desire to do everything ever, and living by the mantra “finished is better than perfect,” and I hope to stay as low stress as possible through the end of term.
3) I’ve decided that I’m going to apply to PSU’s MA in Publishing Program in the spring, for Fall 2016 admission. I think this is the right path for me at this point and time in my journey.
Planning the Next Month:
What am I working on going forward?
1) I’m going to work up a couple of pitches to send out, and follow up with some of the connections I made. Also, grant and fellowship applications, and some deadlines are coming up on some journals I’m interested in. I just need to sit down and pull together some stuff for these, which is what this weekend will hopefully allow.
•) Subgoal: Finishing touches on MBA, and then seeking reading and tabling opportunities for the press and the author of My Body Asunder.
2) Breathe in, breathe out. Create a bedtime routine. Cook more, eat enough. Ask for help when I need it. Let go of perfectionism and focus on GTD.
3) Scholarship apps are opening, so that’s my focus for now, as well as tracking down recommenders for both scholarships and school apps. I need to find a time to speak with folks in Black Studies to make sure I’m still on track to graduate, and to talk to the folks I know in the English department to find out what will give me the best shot at getting into the Publishing program.
See all of the Groundhog Day Resolutions posts here.
Tessara Dudley, Poet-Publisher-Educator-Activist 