Ready Or Not

The countdown begins. Ten days until the submission deadline for the anthology I’m editing. Like any creative project it’s been a lot of work, accompanied by a lot of doubt. It’s been exhausting. Overwhelming. Exciting. 

It hasn’t been an entirely smooth ride (hello, man not from Rockford who sent me a nasty email). Mistakes have been made (What was I thinking only printing 30 posters and 500 business cards?). Expectations dashed. (Holding free community workshops with high interest levels, yet low attendance rates? Check.) Meeting semi strangers for coffee and calling total strangers when people have thrust their phone numbers on me? Check, check. Doing interviews on a local news station, for public radio, and an online newspaper? Check, Check, Check. Scheduling ‘Procrastinators Unite!’ community writing sessions (Good idea? only time will tell). Updating my website after a dear friend surprised me by translating the submission call and offering to translate submissions received in Spanish (I don’t deserve her, we should all be so lucky to have such a friend). 

And not just her. Many wonderful people have helped in big and small ways. So much that I could fill half the book with acknowledgements alone. It’s been beautiful to watch—how much creating a book about my community has shown the power of, well, my community. 

behold the power of this sunset over this city I love

But a month before the deadline, I hadn’t received many submissions. I did everything I could think of to get the word out, but it struck me—maybe it wasn’t enough. 

I didn’t talk to enough people! I didn’t do enough with social media! I didn’t do enough to pull off creating a book in a few short months! It wasn’t enough! I’m not ready!

In case all the exclamation marks aren’t clear: I began freaking out. 

I needed to talk, and somehow it felt safer to unload my insecurities on someone I barely know. This project has introduced me to a lot of cool people who fall into this camp. So I called someone I’d just met. What am I even doing? I’m not getting many submissions! This is going to be a disaster!

And this person assured me that wasn’t true. Many people were hard at work on their submissions, revising and polishing before sending anything my way. It’s going to be great, he said. And because he’s basically a stranger, and had zero reason to lie to me, I believed him. 

I got off the phone and realized great anthologies, like any creative project, are built with passion, drive, commitment, lots of hard work, and a bit of faith. And I have loads of those ingredients. I’ve poured my heart into this project. I did everything I could to get the word out, and all I can do now is trust that I reached the right people.

And you know what? I think it’s going to be great. 

Reading Recommendations

Thank you to everyone who shared recommendations when I was in a reading slump! While I haven’t had as much time to read these days (see above), the slump has officially ended. Hooray.

Recently read: 

I’m reading as many of Belt Publishing’s other city anthologies as I can. Just finished Car Bombs to Cookie Tables: The Youngstown Anthology, edited by Jacqueline Marino and Will Miller, which I enjoyed. 

I loved John Elizabeth Stintzi’s short story collection, Bad Houses. Super inventive and humorous, made even more fun by the cool illustrations that accompany the stories. 

Currently reading: 

Art Is Everything by Yxta Maya Murray: A hybrid-ish novel about a lesbian Latina performance artist whose world begins falling apart amid a career breakthrough? I’m in. 

Up Next: 

Another city anthology, of course. This time The Milwaukee Anthology, edited by Justin Kern. 

The post title came from this classic number: 

Wishing you passion, drive, commitment, lots of hard work, and a bit of faith for whatever you’re working on! <3