Blog #8
New Voices is such an exciting publication! I’m really excited to be part of something that encourages young writers. Because of the overwhelming amount of poetry submitted, I got to read some of that, in addition to the fiction. I could go ahead and not ever do that again and not feel like anything was missing from my life… And a lot of the fiction was hard to get through. But this is a process for both the writers and us on the editorial board. I think New Voices reminds us of the humility that comes with writing. To prepare myself for the New Voices process, I read some of my journals that I wrote in high school. They were ridiculous. And pretentious. And pretty much just a hot mess. But it’s where I started. These kids are just starting out and the feeling that comes with getting something published for the first time is overwhelmingly positive. Sure, it’s hard work to read through all the overly dramatic and over worded pieces, but knowing that we’re giving these kids this kind of opportunity is such a reward.
On the other hand, the situation that came up with the mass submissions from teachers was a problem. It would be nice if they would pick out pieces that they had confidence in or ones that struck them in some way as unique. This formulaic writing and 50 copies of the same thing was a little insulting. Some of those students were clearly writing because it was mandatory. But it is what it is and we can’t do anything this year except be thankful for the pieces that we were able to find.
Of the two publications that we work with in this class, I have to say that I like the writing in Dust and Fire better, but the New Voices anthology is such a positive opportunity for youth, I really have to say that I love it more. Plus, that cover will look amazing. I love the lips. Love them.
I agree about the teacher’s creating strict writing guidelines for the students. I found it a little painful to basically read the same poems over and over again.
Oh, I think it’s so tremendous that you looked back at your high school journals to remember what kind of teenager you were. When I look back at mine, I can’t believe how hard I worked to express my confused/confusing feelings — feeling was EVERYTHING.
I’m also glad to know you plan to continue writing. Your honesty and the directness of your voice made your blogs a pleasure to read.