babypoet2k Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 1 hour ago, teasel said: Jeez.. I almost feel bad for the troll and their need for negative attention. Not that it excuses the behavior, obviously. But like, who hurt you dude?? lmao But yes, a few days peace would be nice. Thank you very much, @telkanuru ! I received five or six rejections from high-tier pubs the past couple months--even when you prepare yourself, it still sucks. I have some poems coming out this summer, tho! You just gotta be persistent and try not to have too many expectations. Even when a writer's work is highly polished and unique, it's still a very subjective process. I usually give myself one day to kinda feel sorry for myself--I'll make a really elaborate dinner, drink some wine, binge watch a show. Basically nothing writing related, unless I'm super absorbed in something that doesn't remind me of my inadequacies haha. I also listen to a lot of guided meditations when the thought of rejection stresses me out. Personally I don't have a rejection wall, but I admire those who use it to endure! I just think having a visual representation of my rejections would make me focus too much on the difficult part of the writing life, when I'd much rather surround myself with totems of success/inspiration. That's just me tho : ) Do you guys have a back up plan if you don't get in this round? I am thinking of trying to get a teaching certification. Obviously I'm trying to be positive! But I'm curious to hear what you guys have been thinking *Edited to ask a question a rejection wall sounds like a brave person thing, to be honest. I usually also give myself a day to feel sorry, and I try and analyse what went wrong on my end. If it's an internship or something, I go back to my application, see what I did wrong, feel sorry, and sleep on it. But for MFAs, I think I'm gonna need a full 24 hours and a few more tears haha I was accepted to a 2 year fellowship to teach low-income schools in my fav city, and yay me i did it before apps happened, so i knew in advance that i could have a lovely, full and good 2 years nonetheless. (before you wonder, i did tell my recruiter that i might leave, and i have been told that even if i do, it won't negatively impact any school or classroom so long as i do it before may.) this took off so much of the pressure because for someone straight out of undergrad, there's an expectation that you must go go go and not let there be a break. as my username suggests, i'm a baby poet, just turned 20. i think i'll live haha albeit out of a few hundred money dollars and some regrouping. teasel and The_Realeo 2
The_Realeo Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 31 minutes ago, babypoet2k said: a rejection wall sounds like a brave person thing, to be honest. I usually also give myself a day to feel sorry, and I try and analyse what went wrong on my end. If it's an internship or something, I go back to my application, see what I did wrong, feel sorry, and sleep on it. But for MFAs, I think I'm gonna need a full 24 hours and a few more tears haha I was accepted to a 2 year fellowship to teach low-income schools in my fav city, and yay me i did it before apps happened, so i knew in advance that i could have a lovely, full and good 2 years nonetheless. (before you wonder, i did tell my recruiter that i might leave, and i have been told that even if i do, it won't negatively impact any school or classroom so long as i do it before may.) this took off so much of the pressure because for someone straight out of undergrad, there's an expectation that you must go go go and not let there be a break. as my username suggests, i'm a baby poet, just turned 20. i think i'll live haha albeit out of a few hundred money dollars and some regrouping. I can't help but ask, did you get accepted to TFA, or possibly City Year? As a two-year AmeriCorps alum, it sounded like it could be one of these programs, but it could totally not be of course. Service years are awesome! Congrats! I was considering applying to Peace Corps as a potential fallback (if I got into it, of course), but they're not accepting applicants at the moment due to the Pandemic. ZaytandLabna 1
M-Lin Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 1 hour ago, babypoet2k said: English is my second language too! Writing in my first language feels wayyyy too intense and real for me, but I'm really getting into translations after taking a class at college, which is always a fun little adventure! What are your experiences like writing in your second language? I totally get what you mean. I do a lot of translation in other fields and it's been very illuminating for my own writing process. My first language, being the language of my childhood, adolescence, and family, carries different emotions for me, yet I find myself able to articulate those emotions better in English. I think that distance between the raw emotions and the language is what makes it less "intense", in a good way. The fact that my first language is of a completely different culture and history also offers me a lot of perspective when writing in English. I've always been fascinated by languages! Since I learned English, I'm thinking I could do it again, so I'm trying to get into another language right now... maybe that's what I'll do more while waiting for application results, lol. I only write prose though. I'm guessing poetry allows a little more freedom in terms of writing in the second language... much room to play and experiment. Hope you're enjoying it! The_Realeo and mrvisser 2
babypoet2k Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 34 minutes ago, The_Realeo said: I can't help but ask, did you get accepted to TFA, or possibly City Year? As a two-year AmeriCorps alum, it sounded like it could be one of these programs, but it could totally not be of course. Service years are awesome! Congrats! I was considering applying to Peace Corps as a potential fallback (if I got into it, of course), but they're not accepting applicants at the moment due to the Pandemic. you're super close! it's TFI (Teach for India). Thank you so much!! Hope you get a backup too! It take a lot off the whole "what will i do if i don't get in" conundrum. ❤️ The_Realeo 1
babypoet2k Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 1 minute ago, M-Lin said: I totally get what you mean. I do a lot of translation in other fields and it's been very illuminating for my own writing process. My first language, being the language of my childhood, adolescence, and family, carries different emotions for me, yet I find myself able to articulate those emotions better in English. I think that distance between the raw emotions and the language is what makes it less "intense", in a good way. The fact that my first language is of a completely different culture and history also offers me a lot of perspective when writing in English. I've always been fascinated by languages! Since I learned English, I'm thinking I could do it again, so I'm trying to get into another language right now... maybe that's what I'll do more while waiting for application results, lol. I only write prose though. I'm guessing poetry allows a little more freedom in terms of writing in the second language... much room to play and experiment. Hope you're enjoying it! I relate so much to what you said. It's the distance that makes writing possible, for sure. Poetry is so different in my mother tongue vs english, sometimes i use structures of language and writing from mother tongue to write in english. It's a fun exercise, and i like to believe that it makes us better writers for it. Would love to learn more about your process with translation!!! does GC have a messaging option? i really should learn the ropes of gc for how much time i spend on it these days aa
babypoet2k Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 How have you been keeping yourself busy these past few weeks/months? Any new hobbies that you've picked up? Experimenting with your writing?? Books you've read?? Hype yourself up, you're doing GREAT!!! i'll start: 1. I've been making little fridge magnets and bowls out of clay. keeping my hands busy so i dont feel the urge to refresh every waking moment. 2. I started writing creative nonfiction (i've strictly been a poet up until now) 3. after 3 years of a lit degree, I've finally gotten around to my personal tbr that is not for critical reading/writing purposes or essays. recent reads have been brandon taylor and ocean vuong. the dream!!!! teasel 1
The_Realeo Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 21 minutes ago, babypoet2k said: How have you been keeping yourself busy these past few weeks/months? Any new hobbies that you've picked up? Experimenting with your writing?? Books you've read?? Hype yourself up, you're doing GREAT!!! i'll start: 1. I've been making little fridge magnets and bowls out of clay. keeping my hands busy so i dont feel the urge to refresh every waking moment. 2. I started writing creative nonfiction (i've strictly been a poet up until now) 3. after 3 years of a lit degree, I've finally gotten around to my personal tbr that is not for critical reading/writing purposes or essays. recent reads have been brandon taylor and ocean vuong. the dream!!!! Your bowls and magnets sound really cool! If we're in the same program (total longshot, I know), I'd love to see them! I'm curious, how has Nonfiction been? Do you write about the everyday or about more adventurous stuff? 1. I'm actually finishing undergrad this semester. I'm an older student, but never too late to finish! I'm taking a mural class that I'm stoked about. I'm not sure how it will work given the Pandemic, but I'm excited nonetheless. I also have a virtual internship teaching remedial English to some of our international students for one of my classes. I'm super excited about that also! 2. I've been working on a music video for one of my songs. I'm totally new to making visually-interesting videos, so it's quite fun to experiment and be creative! 3. I've been blessed with an amazing job that I love. God has been good to me. largeheartedboy and teasel 2
babypoet2k Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 21 minutes ago, The_Realeo said: If we're in the same program (total longshot, I know), I'd love to see them! I see that we've applied to three programs in common. Hoping things work out this way!!! 21 minutes ago, The_Realeo said: how has Nonfiction been? Do you write about the everyday or about more adventurous stuff? more adventurous, i would say. without me even realizing it, i've ended up with multiple pieces with similar themes. might make a series out of it. it's been so different, to be honest. almost like my mind feels and thinks in poems and now i'm kind of rerouting it to remember to finish sentences and stick to the things at hand. it's liberating and also challenging! your life seems pretty cool, not gonna lie. a wonderful internship, an amazing job AND you're working on a music video? SO LOVELY!!!!!!! The_Realeo 1
The_Realeo Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 49 minutes ago, babypoet2k said: I see that we've applied to three programs in common. Hoping things work out this way!!! more adventurous, i would say. without me even realizing it, i've ended up with multiple pieces with similar themes. might make a series out of it. it's been so different, to be honest. almost like my mind feels and thinks in poems and now i'm kind of rerouting it to remember to finish sentences and stick to the things at hand. it's liberating and also challenging! your life seems pretty cool, not gonna lie. a wonderful internship, an amazing job AND you're working on a music video? SO LOVELY!!!!!!! Yeah, that makes perfect sense crossing genres. You should totally make a series too. I can't speak for the whole gang, but I for one love to hear about the adventures of other poets. And thanks, I've been very blessed. Your life also sounds freaking legit. Teaching in India as a fallback. That's hands down pretty awesome. babypoet2k 1
ZaytandLabna Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 8 hours ago, The_Realeo said: I can't help but ask, did you get accepted to TFA, or possibly City Year? As a two-year AmeriCorps alum, it sounded like it could be one of these programs, but it could totally not be of course. Service years are awesome! Congrats! I was considering applying to Peace Corps as a potential fallback (if I got into it, of course), but they're not accepting applicants at the moment due to the Pandemic. I was in the Peace Corps for almost a year before getting evacuated!!
unfortunate ith Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 (edited) 16 hours ago, teasel said: Do you guys have a back up plan if you don't get in this round? I am thinking of trying to get a teaching certification. Obviously I'm trying to be positive! But I'm curious to hear what you guys have been thinking This may be a bit out of left field, but for adventurous folks without kids, pets, etc. keeping them in one spot, I'd highly recommend looking into Workaway as a potential Plan B. It's basically a site which connects travelers with hosts around the world who are looking for some sort of help in exchange for room and board. It's informal and therefore a bit trickier to navigate than something structured, but it's a really great experience if you're up for a little uncertainty. I did it after getting across-the-board rejections in 2019 and ended up working in an animal sanctuary with one host, pet sitting for another, and even living in a monastery for a while. The whole thing, including transportation, ended up costing less than what I saved by not needing to pay rent for those months. Obviously this is somewhat pandemic-recovery-dependent, of course, but I thought I'd toss it into the ring here since surprisingly few people are aware that it's an option! Edited January 19, 2021 by unfortunate ith largeheartedboy, hl2767 and mrvisser 3
M-Lin Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 14 hours ago, babypoet2k said: I relate so much to what you said. It's the distance that makes writing possible, for sure. Poetry is so different in my mother tongue vs english, sometimes i use structures of language and writing from mother tongue to write in english. It's a fun exercise, and i like to believe that it makes us better writers for it. Would love to learn more about your process with translation!!! does GC have a messaging option? i really should learn the ropes of gc for how much time i spend on it these days aa I've translated a lot of screenplays, which is what my background is in, and the most fun I have with is translating dialogues, because most of what people say and how they say it cannot be directly translated between languages. Do you have any established writers you can learn from? I only have very few, but it's good to read them and see how other writers made the leap from the mother tongue into English, regarding both content and style. I hope where I end up (if anywhere) will have teachers and classmates who are interested in exploring diversity in cultural background and language! babypoet2k and Graceful Entropy 1 1
feralgrad Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 21 hours ago, pattycat said: In the meantime, let's talk strategies for dealing with rejection. Chiming in to say that there's absolutely no shame in getting rejected from a publication -- especially a big one. I read for both my school's lit mags, which are well-respected but by no means household names. We still get inundated with submissions, and great pieces get turned down regularly. Heck, I've seen pieces I loved get turned down for pieces I thought were "meh." Like MFA apps, it's as much about luck as skill. Usually your success comes down to 1-3 people, and there's no unbiased way to judge art ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ CayceCamus, largeheartedboy, teasel and 1 other 4
The_Realeo Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 11 hours ago, ZaytandLabna said: I was in the Peace Corps for almost a year before getting evacuated!! You can totally not answer this if it's personal. I was wondering, but all of my friends who were PCVs already served, so they don't know either. Do you get to return to service at some point after things are safer?
ZaytandLabna Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 11 hours ago, The_Realeo said: You can totally not answer this if it's personal. I was wondering, but all of my friends who were PCVs already served, so they don't know either. Do you get to return to service at some point after things are safer? Yeah ofc! Yes we did have the option to return, but the thing is.. we had to make the decision within a couple months of being back, when they told us that if we decide to return, we would have to wait 6 months to a year before going back. Some of us couldn't afford to just wait around and drop everything when they told us we could go back. Some could. My husband and I decided, it was best for us to move on to the next step in our lives. we also had some reservations about how the organization was run.. undertones of saviorism and all. We plan to go back to visit, just not through the Peace Corps. We still talk to our host family and friends every week na dmiss them everyday. We had TWO days to pack up all our things, say goodbye to students, co-workers, our host family, neighbors... it was a lot of crying all around to say the least.. Graceful Entropy and unfortunate ith 1 1
hl2767 Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 20 hours ago, unfortunate ith said: This may be a bit out of left field, but for adventurous folks without kids, pets, etc. keeping them in one spot, I'd highly recommend looking into Workaway as a potential Plan B. It's basically a site which connects travelers with hosts around the world who are looking for some sort of help in exchange for room and board. It's informal and therefore a bit trickier to navigate than something structured, but it's a really great experience if you're up for a little uncertainty. I did it after getting across-the-board rejections in 2019 and ended up working in an animal sanctuary with one host, pet sitting for another, and even living in a monastery for a while. The whole thing, including transportation, ended up costing less than what I saved by not needing to pay rent for those months. Obviously this is somewhat pandemic-recovery-dependent, of course, but I thought I'd toss it into the ring here since surprisingly few people are aware that it's an option! Wow, this is amazing! Thank you for sharing this info.
unfortunate ith Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 4 hours ago, ZaytandLabna said: we also had some reservations about how the organization was run.. undertones of saviorism and all. I've been wondering about this a lot, as someone who's intermittently interested in the Peace Corps but also firmly anti-US imperialism. I know the organization has roots in imperialism/colonialism, but I can't find much info from people who've done it about how much of that (as well as the implicit white saviorism) still remains. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on the matter if you're comfortable discussing! teasel 1
Graceful Entropy Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 On 1/18/2021 at 5:28 PM, telkanuru said: Hi All, Thanks for your reports on the account above. The account above seems to be the same person as the other troll(s) earlier in the thread. They're taking various measures to get around the bans on new account registrations, so please keep reporting. I'm looking into some options, but sometimes you have to keep banning them until they get bored. -T Lolz. As the venerable poet will.i.am once quoth, "I gotta feeling." FairleyAlfy and The_Realeo 2
Graceful Entropy Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 On 1/18/2021 at 8:39 PM, Greithe said: Teaching certification in some places is made to look and sound so complicated, but your school will walk you right through it and everyone needs teachers now - that sounds like a great plan to me! That's awesome! And yea, I would definitely reach out to your district to see pathways (subbing is always a good start to get a feel for the district.) One thing I would caution is that teaching certification is not quite that simple in every state*. In my own, you can't become certified unless you already have a degree in education. Worked w/ a dude last year who moved up here from FL, and despite teaching for the past six years, is not eligible for a teaching job up here, and can only be a para. *Speaking from my own experience w/ this process. I work as a long-term sub. One of the smaller reasons I'm trying get into an MFA program is that it will allow me to afford to go back to school and double down w/ a MEd, so that I can become a 'real' high school teacher.
ZaytandLabna Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 1 hour ago, unfortunate ith said: I've been wondering about this a lot, as someone who's intermittently interested in the Peace Corps but also firmly anti-US imperialism. I know the organization has roots in imperialism/colonialism, but I can't find much info from people who've done it about how much of that (as well as the implicit white saviorism) still remains. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on the matter if you're comfortable discussing! yes im glad you asked! i kind of wanted to mention it off the bat but i wasn't sure how you felt about imperialism. either way, this is just my opinion/experience. but i would recommend following nowhitesaviors on instagram. they have a whole story highlight where they call out the Peace Corps, I even had a disucssion with them about it because i felt so strongly that the premise was wrong and wanted to go home, but they gave me the advice that "as long as organizations like this continue to exist, its best for people like you who can challenge PC to do better to be there, than people who may carry that white savior complex and justify PC's actions." which i don't know entirely resolved my concern. Anyway here are some lovely things I've heard PC presenters, leaders, and volunteers say "x community is underprivileged and we are here to help them" "we have better resources than x community, that's why we're here" in the host country i served in we teach WITH the local teachers, which i liked (some countries you teach alone, which most volunteers are ENTIRELY inexperienced to do). but some volunteers did not work with their counterparts, instead they would show up to work anx expect their counterpart follow their lead. They did not let host country nationals take lead, but carried they idea that they know best.. which let me tell you.. none of us did. My counterparts had been teaching for YEARS and taught me so much of what i know now. When a small group of volunteers, including myself, brought up these issues of white saviorism to the director (american), she basically said we can sit and talk about it over lunch, but we won't address it to the entire cohort. There was one volunteer who studied abroad for a couple of months in Jordan, and literally found every possible moment to spew out INCORRECT things about MY culture, language, and even gave his own opinons on the politics of the country... oh and made an ISIS joke to my face.. (one volunteer came up to me later saying what he said was wrong and that she felt bad for not saying anything). months later after having to see him at a mandatory training, i confront him to which he apologized and said he wanted to be an ally to the community, asked how he could do that and we had a good talk. Anyway, for the most part, it feels like they are not maliciously ignorant. Just plain ignorant, but what can we do if the directors are refusing to address this, and educate volutneers so that they are not HARMING these communities? That was a lot I'm sorry. TLDR: If you go, ask LOTS of questions. and challenge the higher ups. unfortunate ith, teasel and CayceCamus 2 1
teasel Posted January 20, 2021 Author Posted January 20, 2021 5 minutes ago, Graceful Entropy said: That's awesome! And yea, I would definitely reach out to your district to see pathways (subbing is always a good start to get a feel for the district.) One thing I would caution is that teaching certification is not quite that simple in every state*. In my own, you can't become certified unless you already have a degree in education. Worked w/ a dude last year who moved up here from FL, and despite teaching for the past six years, is not eligible for a teaching job up here, and can only be a para. *Speaking from my own experience w/ this process. I work as a long-term sub. One of the smaller reasons I'm trying get into an MFA program is that it will allow me to afford to go back to school and double down w/ a MEd, so that I can become a 'real' high school teacher. Thank you @Greithe for your advice! I wish that we in the US would appreciate and protect our educators more. My sister is a teacher and she's had to work so hard, creating an online curriculum at the drop of a hat. She said that 1/3 of her kids had parents who were essential worker, and it's been hard to know how to even grade them this year. If I'm being honest, I'd rather teach at the post-secondary level, but I know that those jobs don't really exist anymore--at least not in the humanities. But I think I could be very happy teaching HS, too! I've been researching certification programs online but it's a lot to navigate--I'll take your advice and email my alma mater to see if they have advice : ) @Graceful Entropy It's crazy how different the requirements can be depending on where you live. In WA you need a BA in addition to certification to be a teacher (if you don't have a degree in education that is). Your plan sounds really practical! The MFA is a kind of a "vanity degree," in the sense that it doesn't guarantee any employment, so it's smart to be thinking ahead. If I'm fortunate to get into an MFA program, I hope to be doing something similar! largeheartedboy 1
unfortunate ith Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 5 minutes ago, ZaytandLabna said: TLDR: If you go, ask LOTS of questions. and challenge the higher ups. This is all super helpful information. Thank you for sharing! ZaytandLabna 1
mrvisser Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 Looks like an Ohio State acceptance went out for someone in nonfiction! Greithe, largeheartedboy, sylviaplate and 1 other 4
yahearditherefirst Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 Ah exciting! Any news from Ole Miss? Wondering when the next round starts...
mrvisser Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 11 minutes ago, yahearditherefirst said: Ah exciting! Any news from Ole Miss? Wondering when the next round starts... I applied to Ole Miss and haven't heard anything yet. It looks like in years past they haven't moved people forward until February at least.
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