Lisa Young

Sometimes you get to a certain point and you just don’t know what to do with a poem.  You might have many drafts and you don’t know what’s working anymore. You’ve lost perspective. And on top of that, maybe you’re surrounded by a whole bunch of other discarded poems that aren’t working either and you’re getting different critiques and you don’t know who to believe and you’ve kind of lost your mind. I’m going to give you an exercise to help you deal with that situation. Many people say one of the best ways to deepen your craft is to read in your genre, so in this case, go out there and read poetry. But I’m going to make it a little more specific in order to help you be your own best poetry editor. Exercise: Read three different literary magazines and find a poem in each one of them that you’re absolutely crazy about. Now, what can you glean from these poems? How does searching for favourite poems help you? 1. These poems hold a key to what you’re aiming for in your own ...

  I am offering online poetry craft talks on metaphor at The Wychwood Poetry Workshop! Find out more  here .

I had a chance to be interviewed by Jack Dempster about Juniper  as well as my work as a poetry instructor. You can read it online at The Ex-Puritan . 

MY TYPICAL WRITING DAY? WELL, IT USUALLY STARTS IN THE MORNING But today it didn’t. And come to think of it – it is rare to get to the page every morning – but that is the aim. Before I run out of energy, time or inclination, I like to schedule writing time at the beginning of the day. But I had to go to an appointment this morning, so writing was delayed till the afternoon.  walking over slabs       of ice to our parked Yaris             city sparrows sing *** THERE IS SO MUCH HOPE NESTLED IN MY PLAN TO WRITE But when it finally comes down to putting pen to page – I’m already doubting how much can be done. I mean writing isn’t a linear journey. It’s not as if I can plan to write a poem in an afternoon – writing has a mind of its own – or at least poetry does. There seems to be a contradiction at work when it comes to putting aside time to write. Even a half hour dev...

Ten questions to keep in mind Choosing which Magazines to Submit to There are so many journals that it can be hard to choose. Here are some key questions to ask yourself to narrow them down: 1. What literary magazines do you like that match your writing style? It’s important to get a sense of the publications you’re going to submit to. Read a recent issue. You’ll have a better idea of what pieces you have that match the editorial aesthetic of the magazine and vice versa, not to mention that it’s worthwhile to read as much as you can in your genre.  2. Are you looking for a print magazine? An online magazine? Both? These days, writers are seeing the value of online magazines, which are readily accessible to readers. However, print magazines are still coveted by many writers, especially if they’re available in bookstores and newsstands. Some publications have their issues both online and in print—a decided advantage. Where would you ideally like to see you...

“ The truth, and the vulnerability of sharing it, is liberation. ” Robin Richardson is the author of two full-length collections of poetry, and is Editor-in-Chief at   Minola Review, a Journal of Women’s Arts & Letters .    Her work has been shortlisted for the Walrus Poetry Prize, CBC Poetry Award, Lemon Hound Poetry Prize, and ReLit Award and has won the John B. Santorini Award and the Joan T. Baldwin Award. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in many journals including POETRY , Tin House , Arc , The North American Review , and Hazlitt of Random House. She holds an MFA in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College and BA in Design from OCAD University. Richardson’s latest collection, Sit How You Want , is forthcoming with V é hicule Press. She is represented by Samantha Haywood at Transatlantic Agency, who is working with her debut memoir this year.  A couple of weeks ago, Robin Ric...