Organizing your writing life

NEW YEAR NOTES: I spent a good bit of time yesterday getting my desk cleared of clutter so my pretty Macbook has room to breathe and be the center of attention. I cleaned out my desk drawers, reorganized the file cabinet, got receipts together for the upcoming tax season (blech!), etc. I got Word for Mac up and running finally thanks to some tech support from, shockingly, Microsoft, so all my files are transferred. Rather than get rid of my old laptop, I'm using it for storage of old photos and files.

Today, it was back to work and getting caught up on email and trying to connect with folks for all the stories I have to write for the February issue. It was a busy, but not too hectic. I think a lot of people are still out of town, taking full advantage of how the holidays fell this year on the calendar. During lunch hour, I ran into Borders because they usually have all their calendars 50 percent off, so I was able to buy a new monthly planner to keep track of all my po' biz stuff and a Renoir calendar for my office. Cost: $10.24 for both. I love a bargain. 

In the mailbox today was Jeannine Hall Gailey's beautiful broadside, "The Snow Queen Explains" (pictured). Absolutely gorgeous! It's a limited edition, so if you want one, cruise over to her blog and check it out. If you don't have her collection, Becoming the Villainess, order that, too. It's a brilliant collection full of pop culture persona poems.

Also in the mail was an acceptance letter from Atlanta Review! They are going to publish "Barney Rubble Saves Our Lives" in the Fall 2008 issue. Despite it being the local lit mag and all my work with editor Dan Veach on Poetry Atlanta, I've never been able to crack his tough criteria. He's gotta love it to publish it and doesn't do favors, so I'm extra honored that after all these years, I'm joining the ranks of those poets published in AR. Booyah!