gratitude, which I fail at journaling

If you know me, you know I struggle with calendar time, and time (thank you, Covid, and everything else), but I want to take a pause on the cusp of the year, and reflect for a moment on the past year, because each of us—we are not very good at celebrating ourselves, are we? Or, very rarely do I meet someone who does this too well, haha.

In no particular order, and with special thanks for the pines and their light above my home, here are some events from this past year I’d like to note and celebrate:

• Amorak Huey and I took River River Books to AWP for the first time! And we sold enough books to pay for the table. And we had the best time.

• Larks won the Hollis Summers Prize in April, right when I did not expect it at all. What a joyful surprise to receive that phone call from Sarah Green, when I was out having drinks with my beloved on their birthday (!!). So grateful to Chanda Feldman for selecting Larks.

• We accepted four amazing titles from River River’s summer reading period…and then two more in the autumn—bringing our full and forthcoming catalog to twelve titles, each one an absolute gem. This work is so close to my heart, I could not be more proud and excited and grateful for each of our authors, their poetry and their trust. For our incredible designer, Alban Fischer. So much gratittude.

• Amorak and I also took River River to Youngstown Lit Fest in October, and were on an incredible panel with Sara Moore Wagner of Driftwood Press and Lefty Blondie Press and Seven Kitchens Press.

• My work supervisor secured grant funding for me to lead a Friday creative writing workshop for students—free, drop in, come-as-you-are. I work at a community college, so there are layers are gratitude here.

• My essay “Singing in the Outhouse: Frank Stanford, Labor, and Southern Listening,” was published in American Poetry Review

• I published 23 episodes of Of Poetry Podcast this year—pretty good for a volunteer gig, haha—and tomorrow, NEW YEAR’S, I’m dropping EPISODE 64: CAROLYN OLIVER (Of Alcestis, Space and Star Trek, and What Would You Give Up For Love?) So tune in for this wonderful episode and to hear Carolyn read new poems from The Alcestis Machine (Acre Books, 2024).

• My new Sunday evening writing group, with a (largely) nonfiction writing and fiction writing friend, which is a balm I needed, which I very much needed—gratitude to my friend J.D. for organizing and leading this group.

I also had some poetry published, and I’m grateful to these editors, who are incredible writers, readers, and community workers themselves:

Now time to thank the big baddies, which include our couples’ counselor, my therapist, my preventative and acute migraine meds, zoloft, my ridiculous dog with the anxiety the size of a planet, my beautiful kids, the light and the birds.

Sending so much love into your new years. Hang in there, y’all. Take care of yourselves and each other. Get your care lined up now. Retreat when you need to. Ask for help. Walk with fear and trembling and gentleness, fresh notebooks, refilled pens.

Warmly,

Han