Hello, Friends!

Tis the season to say goodbye not just to my "Happy" year, but to a decade! And what a decade it has been! From my debut as a children's book author with the release of LEAVING GEE"S BEND in January of 2010 to the publication of MEET MISS FANCY earlier this year, it's been my great good fortune to

▪ welcome 8 books for children into the world
▪ sell 10 more that will make their way to readers over the next several years
▪ write swarms of poems and stories and manuscripts and blog posts and interviews and articles, some of which you may have read, most of which you will never read (because those words aren't ready yet, or the market isn't ready, or I had to write those words get to other, better words!)
▪ welcome 8 books for children into the world
▪ sell 10 more that will make their way to readers over the next several years
▪ write swarms of poems and stories and manuscripts and blog posts and interviews and articles, some of which you may have read, most of which you will never read (because those words aren't ready yet, or the market isn't ready, or I had to write those words get to other, better words!)

My writing life is rich -- I have much to be grateful for and so many people to thank... including YOU. I'm so glad we've found our way into each other's lives. Thank you!

5 Unexpected Things I've Learned

How to be a public speaker. When I first started writing, I had no idea how much of my life would be spent sharing my books with audiences. As a shy person, this took me out of my comfort zone, and quickly: the year LEAVING GEE'S BEND was released I gave over 100 presentations! And it remains an fulfilling part of my life.

What other people think isn't really the point. Awards are lovely (SO lovely! Most recent gratitude to NCTE and Georgia Center for the Book), and criticism can hurt. It's best not to be too attached to either.

The point is... to write the stories borne of my passions, the ones that evolve out of whatever is affecting me most at the moment, and especially the ones that have nestled in my heart for a long, long, time, quietly growing their wings.

The most precious resource we have in this life is TIME. It's a limited resource, so I must be ever-mindful about how I spend mine, and with whom I share it.

Connecting with readers is THE MOST AWESOME PART about being an author!

20 Things I'm Thinking About on the Eve of 2020:

The "Roaring Twenties," intersectionality of identity, Alexander von Humboldt, #lakelife, AfricaTown, enrichment for smart dogs, cello bow distribution, the close of my Butterfly Hours memoir project, what my 2020 One Little Word will be, Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, outsider art, white chocolate bread pudding, the Nile River, Apple Pencil, the number 9, how to have a relationship with the non-living, how to describe the scent of cinnamon, whether or not to plant dwarf azaleas in my small backyard garden, writing goals for the next decade, this poem by Marge Piercy

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

For 2020 I am looking at some changes in how I interact with all of you. I'll be online less, adventuring more. Instead of writing a poem a day during April, I will be spreading my annual ARTSPEAK! project across the year, and sharing art poems each Poetry Friday. I'll be traveling a lot... and reading, writing, learning... and teaching a Power Up Poetry! workshop with Charles Waters at Highlights Foundation. Y'all come! AND I'll be popping into your inbox once per season to celebrate each of my four (!) 2020 releases. Hooray!

We all have busy lives, and there's much out there to compete for our attention. THANK YOU for choosing to share some of your precious time here, with me. Wishing you the happiest of holidays and a bright, peaceful beginning of 2020!

Love,
Irene
 

©2024 Irene Latham Books | PO Box 122 Oneonta, AL 35121

 
Powered by Mad Mimi®A GoDaddy® company