I’ve gone and done it. I must be crazy.
Throughout September, I will be “running” a poetry “marathon” for the Tupelo Press 30/30 project. By donating in recognition of my efforts, you will be supporting a fabulous independent, nonprofit press.
I promise to write a poem a day for 30 days. Since it took me decades to cough up not even twice that for my first poetry collection Doll God, you can see what a feat I am trying to accomplish.
To help preserve poetry as an art, it’s important to support the independent presses and literary magazines. These are the places that publish nearly all published poetry today. It hasn’t been a positive era for them. I’ve seen many lit magazines close up—and when the presses go out of business, we often don’t even hear about it.
Every dollar you donate will go toward the operation of the press, enabling it to continue publishing beautiful books that would not get picked up by large commercial publishers. You can read the daily poems, as well as the bios of this month’s poets, and donate here.
As incentives to donate, I am offering the following:
- For a donation of $10, you tell me what subject or image you want to see in a poem, and I’ll write that poem.
- For a donation of $20, I will dedicate a poem to you or someone of your choice.
- For a donation of $40, I will send you or someone of your choice, a signed and personally addressed copy of my book, Doll God.
- For a donation of $55, I will send you or someone of your choice, a signed and personally addressed copy of my book, Doll God, and I will dedicate a poem to you or someone of your choice.
- For a donation of $100, you get two copies of Doll God and two dedications!
- Remember that if you donate $129 for a Tupelo Press subscription, you will receive the 10 free books of their current series.
For any of the above donations, including the subscription of 10 books, please remember to click or write my name in the honor field. Then email me at luannecastle@gmail.com and let me know what dedication or subject you are interested in. If you “earned” a copy or two of Doll God, please give me your mailing address and to whom you would like the book(s) addressed.
Again, you can read the daily poems, as well as the bios of this month’s poets, and donate here.
If you decide to help keep Tupelo Press publishing its amazing variety of books, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
Wish me well, please. It starts tomorrow, and I’m nervous as can be!
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If you are not able to donate, the other poets and I would still love for you to read our first draft work. I love feedback. Every day, I will post a link to that day’s poem over here so feel free to critique or pat me on the back (or the head, if you think that is more appropriate after reading the poem), encourage me, tell me what you like or what you don’t like. Or tell me a funny story or something completely unrelated that the poem reminded you of ;). Or just say hi in your own incomparable way so that I remember there is a world outside poetry. Gonna be an intense month!
One more thing: by November 1, I plan to take down all September’s 30/30 posts.
That’s us poets in the photo 😉
I think I just donated, I’m always a little confused by donating to a different currency! I wish you well, I know you’ve been through a lot recently and I admire your ‘bouncebackability’. I wish you well Luanne.
Oh, Jackie, thank you so very much! Tupelo Press and I both thank you! I love that word “bouncebackability.” It’s such a long and complex word that it well suits its meaning! My best to you, too, Jackie.
Clearly you’ve lost your mind 😉
A poem a day? You must be magic.
No question I’d like to read your book, so I’ll see if I can’t scrounge up some funds! Two birds and one crazy lady with 40 stones! Haha!
I suppose those would be hummingbirds, the crazy lady is me, and the stones are what I’m going to throw at myself for signing up for this. Magic, yeah,I need a little of that about now. Thanks, Joey!!!!
I admire you….ummm….craziness! It’s a good cause and you can do it!
Thanks, Kate! The support means a lot to me because the pats on the back will keep me moving forward instead of slumping on the floor in a huge sobbing mess!
No sobbing allowed! You can do this!
I will try!!
I plan to donate, but I need to get over this migraine before deciding at what level I will donate. Maybe the topic will be migraines. I wish you well in this speed-poetry contest. I bet you will get some surprising and surprisingly good poems out of it.
WJ, ugh and shudder. I so empathize with you and your migraine. As you know, that would be a well known subject for me! Thanks for your good wishes!
Luanne – Looking forward to your poetry. Can’t wait! xo
Thanks, Rudri! I’m nervous and excited both!
Good luck, Luanne!
Thanks, Merril! Every pat on the back gets me closer to accomplishing this!
What a challenge to yourself. Good luck! That should chase away writer’s block in a hurry.
Thanks, Anneli. This is worse stress than writer’s block, though, I’m figuring out!
Nawwwwww! You can do it!
Love the photo caption! You all look so…poety. 😉
I’ve begun this sort of thing before, though I don’t think I’ve ever made it through the full 30 days. And I’ve definitely never been bold (she said euphemistically) enough to actually post the poems I wrote each day.
But I have faith in you and in the strength of your insanity. (Being a poet is, after all, a form of insanity.) Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead! 🙂
I made a donation via Paypal and thus didn’t get to dedicate it to you. But now you know. Go get ’em! 🙂
Jennifer, thank you so much!!! I asked them about that because I know it’s really difficult and sometimes impossible to find a place on paypal to put a comment in. They said you can write it in the comments on their page if you like–saying on whose name you are donating.
LOL, I am so happy you have faith in my insanity!!! That is the only thing I have faith in re this project, let me tell you! Thank you for your encouragement–it means the world!
Oh wow, you’re courageous. But I have no doubt you’ll pull it off. Good on you. Best of luck with it!
Hah, now that you mention I feel either really stupid or really brave! Thanks for your support, Carrie!
You’re going to have fun, Luanne. Really! Heh heh.
Oh no! That sounds ominous! hah
Pingback: Day 1 of the 30/30 Tupelo Press Challenge: About Cats, Of Course | Writer Site
Good luck Luanne, I’m sure you won’t need it 🙂
I plan to donate and comment as soon as I get to my own computer (yeah, I’m at work. Don’t tell anyone ;))
Yes!! and never (tell)! Thanks, Marie!
I ponied up $20 and it’s all about me 😉
Ah thanks so much, Marie! Tupelo Press and I are both thrilled! (Yes, I can speak for the press on this issue haha). I will dedicate it to you!!!
Pingback: Day 2 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “That Which is Not Nothing” | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 3 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “On the Origins of Claustrophobia” | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 4 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Michigan Couplets” #poetry | Writer Site
Good luck Luanne!
Thanks, CC!
Pingback: Day 5 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Too Much and Everything Falls Apart” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 6 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Them” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 7 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Grammar Danger” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 8 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “To Create a Star” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 9 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Sometimes They Come Back” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 10 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “What Do you Want to Hear?” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 11 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “A Tale of Dwindling Lungs” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 12 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Tennessee Valley” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 13 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “You Choose” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 14 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “The Art of Dissatisfaction” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 15 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “City Driving in the Time of Monsoons” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 16 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Today and Today and Today” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 17 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Lament for San Francisco” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 18 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Out of Reach with Incantations” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 19 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “How to Buy a Poem” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 20 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Inspiration Mine” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 21 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “A Poem for Three Weeks” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 22 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Intrepidity in the Face of Inevitable Calamities” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 23 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “When the Grave is Far from Here, But the Flame has a Fine Heat” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 24 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Let’s Meet in a Paris Cafe” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 25 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Why We Wait for Rain” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 26 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “Puzzles and Passages” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 27 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “What Came Between A Woman and Her Duties” #poetry | Writer Site
Pingback: Day 28 of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project: “An Ode to Autumn Babies” #poetry | Writer Site