Released
by Grace Ellis - March 28, 2020
I have been contemplating posting some of my poems and short essays on facebook and wordpress. I know that using social media is not an approved method for getting work out into the world, and it could stand in the way of future publication in books or literary magazines. To keep from taking such a foolish risk, I have conjured up the most dire warnings our Southern parents used to give us: “You will live to regret this.”
But will I? Right now I am practicing social distancing because of covid 19. I am 74 years old. If I come down with this virus, my understanding is that my age would give me a 1 in 7 chance of dying. My long history of asthma, along with some other recent lung problems, probably increases those chances. So I may not, in fact, live to regret it.
I love to read my work at open mic nights, and I enjoy the audience response, leading occasionally to local publication. But in spite of many resolutions, I cannot bring myself to follow the discipline for wider submission: look for posts from literary magazines accepting new work; follow their guidelines and submit your poem or creative nonfiction; pay the fee, if required; wait for acceptance or (probably) rejection; rinse and repeat.
I have four personal acquaintances in this part of North Carolina who have developed a successful submission process, leading to published books of poetry. Most of the people who buy these books are family, friends, or fellow writers. Only a few poets, like Billy Collins or Mary Oliver, can actually make a living this way. So, really, what have I got to lose?
During this plague, all kinds of artists are putting their work out there for free. Lauren Gunderson is teaching a free playwriting class. Symphonies and Nashville singers, and shape note groups are performing on facebook live from scattered locations. Paul Simon, all by himself, with just a guitar, plays “An American Song” in the middle of an empty field. It’s his gift to the universe. So I’m thinking, Why not do it? Just “let it go, let it go.” Here is my plan. While this pandemic lasts, every day, one poem or prose piece or dialogue released into the world. Stay tuned.
Copyright 2020, Grace Ellis
Winston-Salem, NC