Gwaith 21: Recent Successes

As most of you know, the life of anyone engaged in the creative arts is filled with the despair of rejections and the occasional joy of an acceptance (however your art defines these things). That is, lots of hard work, with rewards few and far between, if at all. Even though I’ve been spending much of my creative energy on the novel the last six months, I still managed to submit a number of shorter pieces. The last month has seen some of these published and an earlier publication recognised in a Reader’s Award.

For those of you wanting to see how my poetry has been going lately, below are details of these welcome bright spots of success.

My poem ‘Holy Communion’ was published in the anthology Dreams and Desires published by Kardia. It is available here.

My haiku ‘gleaming milky way’ was published in the online journal The Heron’s Nest in December 2016, but I only found out about this last month. It can be read here.

Three poems were published in this week’s issue of Eureka Street. Their titles are ‘A Marvel’, ‘Class Photo’ and ‘The Dark Entrance’, which can be read here.

My haiku ‘sheep crop grass’ was published in hedgerow #105 this week. It can be read here.

My haiku ‘that moment between’ was joint runner-up in the 2016 Shamrock Haiku Journal Reader’s Choice Awards. You can read the announcement and the poem itself here.

Being a writer can be a hard, lonely job, with no guarantee that what we write will be understood or appreciated. I’m grateful for these recent successes, as they tell me I’m doing something right. Generally, the work is its own joy and artists certainly don’t do it for external validation. Still, as I’m sure other artists can understand, I do welcome the occasional affirmation of my path.

My thanks to you all for your continued interest in and support of my endeavours. I hope you’re enjoying your own successes and rewards as you travel your own paths.

Warm wishes

Earl