It happens this way …
When Christi Suzanne, a writing colleague from my days with VoiceCatcher, invited me to do an author’s interview for her blog, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I’m 
launching A Penchant for Masquerades on Wednesday, March 13, at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Milwaukie Poetry Series at the Pond House , and this interview offered me the opportunity to slow down and think about what and how I’ve been writing.
Perhaps my greatest discovery in answering Christi’s questions was the fact that I no longer feel any pressure to produce. If Penchant is my last book, so be it. If the last published poem was truly the last, it’s all right. That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped writing, but I can do it for the sheer joy of the experience. Of course, the next book has already been started; of course, I’m still sending new poems out to journals. But, the energy behind both activities is un-pressured and relaxed. What a gift to myself!
Here’s the link to Christi’s blog and the interview: Another Writer Writing a Blog.
Thanks to you, Christi, for the opportunity to remember what’s important.
I talk to poets who worry that their last poem might be the last they write. This is a normal, common and understandable fear but it’s nice to have a relaxed attitude to poems arriving, not arriving and arriving. We are blessed as poets and can thank God when we also have open, relaxed antennas! Thank you for your positive blog post! Look forward to listening to the interview!
Thanks, Christi. I loved the fact I was your first poet!