“The world will not stop spinning if you luxuriate in an hour-long writing session. If you lose track of time, that’s how you know you’ve given yourself the greenlight to be creative.” —Julie Poole
Julie Poole is a poet, journalist, and filmmaker based in Austin. Her first book of poems, Bright Specimen, was inspired by the Billie L. Turner Plant Resources Center at UT. Her second book Gorgeous Freak is out now. She has published poems in Poet Lore, Cold Mountain Review, and Denver Quarterly. Her essays and journalism can be found in the Texas Observer, Texas Monthly, Bon Appétit, HuffPost, The Baffler, Slate, and The Nation. She is currently working on a memoir. For fun, she writes short stories about terrible jobs.
On Wednesday, October 2nd, Julie Poole is teaching a class for the WLT called “Landing Your Dream Pubs: Submitting to Literary Magazines and Journals.” In this class, you’ll learn different strategies for submitting to journals and magazines, how to find the best fit for your work, and little tips that’ll make editors take notice.
Here’s what Julie had to share with us:
Scribe: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you write? How did you come to writing?
Julie Poole: I’m a poet, journalist, and filmmaker. I discovered writing as a teenager, when a therapist recommended that I write down my thoughts. I was very quiet. She sensed I had a lot to say, and she was correct. With a few exceptions, I’ve journaled every day since then. I see writing as a means of communion with the self, first and foremost, and, from there, a blossoming dialog with others.
Scribe: In your own work, how do you approach overcoming the challenges that come with writing, be it writer’s block or craft or business-related challenges?
JP: As someone with a mental health diagnosis, my main approach is to be gentle with myself. You don’t have to compromise rigor, productivity, goals, ambition, you just have to be willing to say nice things to yourself regularly such as I am a great writer, I have a delightful imagination, I love words, I am a born storyteller. See what I just did there? Connecting with self-kindness is a wonderful thing.
Scribe: Has there been a moment of epiphany in terms of your work, when you thought, “This is it! Now I know what I’m doing?” How long id that feeling last?
JP: My most profound epiphany is that I write with my body. When I take walks, jog, dance, do tai chi, I’m processing language in a different way. I’m able to return to the page and see, ah, this is the voice I want.
Scribe: What piece of advice do you find yourself giving to writers again and again?
JP: Give yourself permission to write. Remind yourself that your craft is important. That event you don’t want to go to, don’t go. That person who demands all your energy, take a pause. The “Do not disturb” phone setting is your friend. The world will not stop spinning if you luxuriate in an hour-long writing session. If you lose track of time, that’s how you know you’ve given yourself the greenlight to be creative. Hit those greenlights, my friends.
Scribe: What is one thing that people will take away from this class?
JP: Small steps really matter, and submitting your work doesn’t have to be stressful, it can be fun! Promise!
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Thanks, Julie!
Click here to learn more about Julie Poole’s upcoming class.
