Ever since I saw this tweet from Erin Adair-Hodges, I’ve kept an image of it on my desktop. I’m in love with how she shuts up the patriarchy and shouts that she got a starred review from Publishers Weekly. I keep it to remind myself that valuing ourselves (i.e. engaging in fierce self promotion for writers) can be an act of resistance.
It's not nice when women brag SHUT UP PATRIARCHY VOICE HERE'S MY STARRED REVIEW IN @PublishersWkly https://t.co/SrEQVZdxwf
— Erin Adair-Hodges (@ErinAdairHodges) November 7, 2017
Isn’t it just what we need? Bold writers standing on their desks shouting not only about the importance of making art but also about the importance of the tender things they themselves dared to create?
I spend a few hours a week volunteering for the Tupelo Press 30/30 writing project. It’s a gig in which I use Twitter (@TupeloPress3030) to celebrate other writers. Trust me when I say it’s such a joy to see poets find audiences for their work! I’m not the only one who craves this kind of light. Here’s what Emily Yoon says:
I like when people I love and respect talk about their achievements, although often they're abashed to do so / don't want to brag. But I'm like NO, brag to me all the details about your glorious moment, let me be a part of the light and celebration!!!! *clingy*
— Emily Jungmin Yoon (@EmilyYoon) November 30, 2017
It’s not always easy to toot your own horn, but you must. You must. You must. You must. “These days,” said the old lady poet, “it’s one of the only ways to get your work out there.” You’re on social media scrolling and scrolling anyway, and you’re probably using it to praise other writers at least some of the time. Throw yourself a bone. Speak up about your own writing successes! Get to work on your own behalf.
Here, Morgan Parker celebrates the strength of her effort:
2017 when i became a marketing powerhouse (for myself)
— Morgan Parker (@morganapple) December 30, 2017
In the event that you’re ready to be super bad ass and stick it to the patriarchy right out of the gate, like Erin, or be like Morgan and market yourself like it’s your job (it really is your job), go for it. I’ll hold your beer. However, if you’re a little skittish, I offer some examples of other approaches below. May they inspire you!
(Note: Even though these samples are all tweets, you can, of course, be the boast-ess with the most-ess on Facebook, Instagram and anywhere else you like!)
1. Stick to the facts.
In case you missed it, two new poems, "The School of Morning & Letters" and "Summer" in @TheLiftedBrow ::https://t.co/cMdKKHPyZg
— 兔兒神 (@chenchenwrites) January 4, 2018
2. Share what others are saying about you.
For example, Heather Derr-Smith retweeted this praise from fellow poet Eileen Chong.
https://twitter.com/eileenchongpoet/status/949167386023804928
3. Post cover art.
you're probably sick of me promoting my own @glass_poetry chapbook but here's what the back&front cover look like, and my bff did the cover art bc she's a literal saint pic.twitter.com/UfD7Pm2Fnd
— h⭐️nn⭐️h (@hcohenpoet) January 5, 2018
4. Use a GIF. GIFs make everything less frightening.
My students just Oh Captain My Captained me so please send my mail to this feeling because this is where I want to live now. pic.twitter.com/2rwMAyrPVF
— Erin Adair-Hodges (@ErinAdairHodges) December 7, 2017
5. Share the spotlight.
This is a great list, featuring me and @jamelbrinkley and a lot of other amazings: https://t.co/9AtE1pXR00
— Natalie Eilbert | All Black Lives Matter (@natalie_eilbert) January 4, 2018
6. Allow yourself to be excited!
People! I cannot wait to hear what you think of this one! I LOVE it. @aireadee is AMAZING. https://t.co/RApkbhj4iL
— Rachel Zucker (@rachzuck) December 21, 2017
7. Show your work.
Yesterday, @RondaBroatch came over for a few hours of writing. She left 8 hours later and we each had 10-11 first drafts of poems. #ProTip: Make sure a few of your good close friends are poets. 💕
— Kelli Russell Agodon (@KelliAgodon) December 30, 2017
https://twitter.com/SandmanSimonds/status/948651505405628416
Confirmed pub details & permissions for new poem (about not attending the Women's March bc, baby) at playcenter w toddler #writer #realtalk
— Jen Stewart Fueston (@JenniferFueston) October 27, 2017
8. Express gratitude.
Muchas gracias to @sundaygray for the interview on writing the body & #HandsThatBreakandScar! #poetry #xicanalit https://t.co/MlS7VCgfAL
— Sarah A. Chavez (@sa_chavez7) November 3, 2017
For now, though, I want to give a deeply grateful shout out to the folks who were kind enough to publish my work this year: @TheShallowEnds, @riseupreview, @TheEllisReview, and, today, @CottonXenomorph. Eternally grateful for their faith in my words.
— Anthony Frame (@anthonyframe) December 26, 2017
9. Cat pics.
I'm so thrilled I'm jumping up and down screaming. I got the final copies of the the Plath anthology! I put some blurry pics here: https://t.co/pfyKASweiL pic.twitter.com/Zz8s8FSSrW
— the hammer (@deadkitty12) December 22, 2017
10. Sell it.
Friends, snag a limited edition poetry broadside, if you pre-order GIRL TORPEDO through Cyber Monday. Send me a screenshot of your receipt and I'll send you the broadside <3 https://t.co/W83IUHCk3J
— Emari DiGiorgio (@Emari_DiGiorgio) November 26, 2017
Grab the approach that’s most comfortable for you and ready, set, GO! Better yet: get on the one that makes you most UNcomfortable. And you know what would be the bombogenesis of horn tooting? Use. Them. All.
And remember! You don’t have to celebrate acceptances only, as alluded to in the “tip” above about “show your work.” There are lots of ways to measure success: Do you feel like a successful poet? 7 ways to cope in the meantime.
Here’s where you can find (and follow) the writers included in this post: Erin Adair-Hodges, Morgan Parker, Chen Chen, Heather Derr-Smith, Eileen Chong, Hannah Cohen, Natalie Eilbert, Rachel Zucker, Kelli Russell Agodon, Jen Stewart Fueston, Sarah A. Chavez, Anthony Frame, Christine Hammer and Emari DiGiorgio.
I love reading Tupelo’s 30/30 project. Robert Okaji used one of my suggested titles in his 30/30 and I love the poem he created. Cool to know you’re involved!
i love the project! i’ve done 3 months myself, including just finishing one in december!
Good advice, I think — not that we male poets necessarily need any more encouragement! I mean, I tend to think of myself as pretty low-key (ha!) but as I went through your list I was thinking, yup, I do that, I do that… I’m more active on Facebook than Twitter, but it’s ridiculous how happy people seem to be to help celebrate one’s accomplishments. Once in a while, they even buy a book, or so my publisher tells me.
it’s good for all of us to see other people succeeding, to celebrate others & let them celebrate us. we have enough outrage for this lifetime. gotta balance it out! 🙂
I’ve been thinking a lot along these lines lately too. I have always found myself uncomfortable promoting my own work, but Dave’s right, people seem to want to join the celebration, and we should be wanting to share when makes us want to celebrate and toot our horns a little as you say.
That should be “what makes us want”
absolutely! & as long as it’s not the *only* thing you’re doing, people will embrace it.
Love adding cat pics. And music wherever and however you can. Keep on shouting!
Thanks for these great tips, Carolee! Actually, I do very little promoting of my own work on social media. My book, Swimming This, was published by a small press in May 2015, but right when it was published, I went on a month-long pilgrimage in Spain. I had one or two readings, and that was that. I did very little promotion. I will try to do more celebration of poetry I love and hopefully that will inspire me to “toot my own horn” as well. One more thing–I need to learn how to put Twitter posts into my blog posts :p
Reblogged this on The Real McCoy.
I cringe, but promote anyway. It’s good to imagine some beneficent goddess patting me on the head and saying, “permission granted!”
Yes, promote anyway! No permission needed!!