People who say there’s nothing to do in Birmingham are lying or just not paying attention. Here are just a few things to do this weekend.
Birmingham
Write Yourself Back Together Again
In the wake of the killings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, the Dallas police officers, and others, the past week has drained us all emotionally, spiritually, and perhaps even physically. I do believe that as writers we are to use our words to speak out against injustice. We are to use our writing to help bring about change. We are to speak our minds, even if our voices shake.
But I know that as humans, sometimes tragedy leaves us speechless. Sometimes we just can’t find the words. Sometimes we’re left metaphorically paralyzed by the pain we feel from all the madness around us.
This is why I believe that we must not neglect self-care, even in such a time as this.
Build Your Brand with Speaking Engagements
I have three speaking engagements over the next two weeks. (More info on those below.) Though I’m getting paid for two of these gigs, I didn’t really accept any of these offers to speak for the money.
Speaking at conferences, meetings and other events is a great way to get the word out about who you are and what you do. Speaking engagements are a great way to build buzz about your blog, book, or personal brand.
If you want to delve into public speaking, but you’re not quite sure how, here are a few tips to get you started:
To Understand the World: Why Ashley M. Jones Writes Poetry
I have a confession: I am jealous of poet and educator Ashley M. Jones.
I don’t envy Jones because last year, at the ripe old age of 25, she was one of only six winners of the 2015 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, a prestigious award given annually to support emerging women writers with exceptional talent. I don’t envy her because she landed a dream creative writing teaching job at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) as soon as she finished her graduate work at Florida International University. I’m not jealous of Jones’s book deal (her first full-length poetry collection will hit bookshelves in November) and I don’t envy her because last yearB-Metro gave Jones their Fusion Award, an honor given to Birmingham residents who champion diversity, inclusion, and acceptance.
I am jealous of Jones because she is in love—with poetry.
Read complete article at B-Metro.com.
How See Jane Write Has Changed My Life
Five years ago today I gathered with a group of a dozen women at a local Mexican restaurant to talk about writing. This was the first official event of See Jane Write.
Today, See Jane Write is an award-winning business and boasts a lofty mission — to empower women to be the authors of their own lives through writing, blogging and entrepreneurship. I want women to write and live lives worth writing about. I want to teach women how they can use their words to make a living and to make a difference. I want to help women build their blogs into businesses and turn their passion for writing into a profitable career.
But when I started See Jane Write five years ago, my intentions were less noble. I started See Jane Write five years ago because, quite frankly, I was sad. Very sad. So sad I could barely get out of bed most mornings.
In 2009 I left my newspaper job in Louisville, Ky., and moved back to Birmingham (where I was born and raised) to teach. The classroom and the newsroom are very different places and I was having a hard time adjusting. And since I no longer felt like a “real journalist,” something I’d wanted to be since I was 15, I was having an identity crisis, too. I was also regretting returning to my hometown and, most of all, I missed being around fellow writers.
So, I started See Jane Write. And that changed everything.