tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81637224085062919312024-02-08T05:11:08.479-08:00Poet Barb McMakinBarb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-62827545426368127362012-06-18T17:58:00.001-07:002012-06-19T20:40:38.510-07:00Barb's poem, "When I Think of that Place I See It in Rain" is published in the April 2012 issue of Curbside Splendor's E-zine. The poem and bio are published on pages 6,7, and 8.Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-90355392753408600342012-06-15T17:39:00.003-07:002012-06-15T18:06:37.535-07:00Please google "Carharrt" and click on Carharrt's home page (www.carharrt.com.) Next, click on "It's Your Story, Tell Us About It." Scroll down to my essay "Lending A Hand."Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-28803199982526727102012-06-15T13:53:00.004-07:002012-06-16T13:16:33.943-07:00<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Country Dog Review</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> has just published my poem, New Pasture, in their Spring/Summer issue. Click on <i>Country Dog Review </i>on the left side of the page. Scroll down and click on my name to read the poem. Click on my name again to go to the bio. </span>Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-52316631413465658242011-03-03T14:16:00.000-08:002012-06-15T18:17:01.194-07:00Now available on Amazon and through the Finishing Line Press bookstore (click to the left of this entry) - Barb's new chapbook, Digging BonesJacket blurbs from Digging Bones:<br />
<br />
From first-kiss Woody to husbands and lovers with<br />
their boxes of junk, and finally down to her one true<br />
love, <i>their hands linked in a well-worn hinge, </i><br />
Barb McMakin excavates her life. <i>Would we miss </i><br />
<i>them any less if our time together had been perfect? </i><br />
McMakin asks in this insightful collection. These<br />
poems unearth the treasure and pain of the ordinary,<br />
the sudden and subtle realizations of a woman<br />
who chooses to engage whole-heartedly with<br />
those who people her world.<br />
<br />
<b>Mary O'Dell</b><br />
<b>President, Green River Writers</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Barb McMakin writes the everyday but beneath<br />
each poem is a well placed shadow. Her free verse<br />
echoes like rhyme. Come dig bones with this special<br />
woman. It is a quest you won't forget.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>E. Gail Chandler</b><br />
<b>author of <i>Where the Red Road Meets the Sky</i></b><br />
<br />
<br />
This stunning collection of poems is impeccably crafted. Barb McMakin's <i>Digging Bones</i><br />
is a syntactic tour de force. How beautiful.<br />
<br />
<b>Leah Maines</b><br />
<b>author of <i>Beyond the River</i></b>Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-23329547346857676682010-12-04T11:29:00.000-08:002010-12-04T11:30:56.598-08:00"The Sweet Letting Go" by Mary Ernie O'DellThis is without a doubt the best story I've read in a long time! I couldn't put it down (and didn't, except to take nourishment and go to the bathroom). Reward yourself with the pleasure of its company -- you'll remember Jess and Ren long after the last page is turned.Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-26140399111876300742010-10-14T14:49:00.000-07:002010-10-14T14:49:58.693-07:00Hawthorne quoteHappiness is a butterfly,<br />
which, when pursued,<br />
is always just beyond<br />
your grasp, but which,<br />
if you will sit down quietly,<br />
may alight upon you.Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-81328436137697507982010-09-26T14:33:00.000-07:002012-06-16T10:16:51.115-07:00My neice, Julie, interviews me for a college English writing assignment How long have you been on the job?<br />
<br />
I started writing seriously in 2004 after watching Mom and Dad suffer in their last days. That experience<br />
made me confront some feelings I didn't even know I had.<br />
<br />
<br />
What are the work conditions like?<br />
<br />
My work conditions can be whatever I make them. I've written at the beach shaded by a pink umbrella<br />
or from a lounge chair at the pond where I watched snakes play.<br />
<br />
What kind of special training is required for this job?<br />
<br />
All that is required is a pencil or a pen and the willingness to closely observe your surroundings and draw<br />
comparisons. It helps to associate with and learn from more experienced writers and teachers. To that<br />
end, I meet weekly with a group of seasoned writers - we've been together for about four years. Also,<br />
I am an active member of Green River Writers and the Kentucky State Poetry Society. I completed<br />
Spalding University's Community Creative Writing Workshop in 2008.<br />
<br />
I also recommend that you read everything that you can long the way. Let the words of those who have<br />
gone before filter through you and add another layer of possibility.<br />
<br />
What is your title/position?<br />
<br />
I am a poet and a board member for Green River Writers, Inc. and the Kentucky State Poetry Society.<br />
<br />
What affect does this job have on family life?<br />
<br />
My husband, friends, and extended family seem to respect and even cheer my bizarre obsession to capture<br />
situations on paper, even though they may not understand it. I'm not sure I do, either. I'm just thankful for<br />
their patience. Not everyone has that luxury.<br />
<br />
What kind of hours does this job require you to work (weekend, evenings, variable, etc.)?<br />
<br />
The need to write can strike at any time. Although I can't always fully honor it, I always keep a<br />
notebook in my pocket and beside my bed. A writing instrument is either with me or within arm's reach. <br />
If nothing else, I can jot short notes to jog my memory at a later time. I am always thinking "Writing" and average close to twenty hours a week working at the Oldham County Public Library. I'm going to say that I <br />
spend another twenty hours or so writing and preparing assignments for my Thursday group and promoting <br />
my work online and otherwise. Right now, I am promoting my first chapbook, <i>Digging Bones,</i> which is to <br />
be released later this month by Finishing Line Press.<br />
<br />
What would you say is the average starting salary for this field?<br />
<br />
I am a freelance poet, so there is no starting salary. I entered and have won and placed in several contests<br />
that have paid along the way. I won $250.00 in 2007 for a Valentine's Day essay contest sponsored by<br />
Red Robin Restaurants. In 2008, I placed sixth out of 3800 entries in a Writer's Digest competition and<br />
won books and cash totaling $75.00. Last year, I won first and second place in the Chattahoochee Valley<br />
Writers' Conference with a pay-off of $250.00. There have also been smaller pay-outs along the way.<br />
<br />
That is why I think it is important to acquire formal training if possible. A degree in English would be a<br />
worthy goal and would certainly up the ante in terms of teaching and being taken seriously. I regret that I did<br />
not take advantage of those opportunities when I was younger. I have not completely ruled out the<br />
possibility of getting involved in an MFA program.<br />
<br />
What is an average day like?<br />
<br />
As I said, I go through my days, whether or not I'm working at the library, with paper and pen to capture my<br />
feelings. Sometimes, my voice will take over and I've learned to honor that as best I can. On a few <br />
occasions, I have dropped a pan back in dish water to run to my desk, to get the words down. In some <br />
cases when I've done that, a strong (and almost finished) piece has presented itself.<br />
<br />
What problems and/or dangers and/or disadvantages does this job have?<br />
<br />
I'm not sure there's a downside, although the writing does take over your life if you let it. But, that can be a<br />
good thing and I find myself thinking of things I can do to support my habit. In my case, others could say of<br />
my writing that it provides only a negligible payback in terms of dollars. Although, I don't really see it that<br />
way. I didn't start down this path to earn an income - it was more to learn my true feelings and to be honest<br />
with myself. In some respects, it may have been the first time I had ever done that.<br />
<br />
How stable is this job?<br />
<br />
I suppose it is as stable as I am and that makes me wonder. Poetry books are selling like crazy these days<br />
and more and more people seem to thrive on the honesty that comes through the page.<br />
<br />
What lead you to choose this career and would you choose it again if you could change your choice?<br />
<br />
I didn't choose poetry - it chose me. I couldn't ignore it if I wanted to. As grammatically incorrect as it is,<br />
my answer to the question, "Why do you write?" would have to be "Because I can't <i>not write."</i><br />
<br />
What one piece of advice would you give someone wanting to go into this field?<br />
<i> </i><br />
It would have to be "Read, read, read. Surround yourself with the works of writers who you admire. Read<br />
the works of those you don't. Learn from them. Learn to trust your mind and to honor it. Spill your words<br />
uncensored on the page -- there will be plenty of time to go back and change that tree to a sycamore.Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-51754054792051163432010-09-26T10:44:00.000-07:002010-09-26T10:48:49.056-07:00Stories tell you the way they want to be told. Author, Sue HalpernI just finished listening to KET's One to One hosted by Bill Goodman. He interviewed writer Sue Halpern about her new book on dementia and memory loss. Even though Ms. Halpern writes primarily non-fiction, she wrote her story as fiction because she felt like she could treat the subject more effectively. Listening to her interview makes me want to run right out and read some of her work.Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-70644724450819093232010-09-25T21:18:00.000-07:002012-06-15T18:39:03.081-07:00Critique of my poem, No Salvage, by Tracy Koretsky of www.winningwriters.comI have to pinch myself on this one - I love this critique.<br />
You can read it by clicking on the link for Winning Writers - Poetry under "Favorite Sites" (on the left side of the first page of this blog.) Also, feel free to check out Tracy's own work under the link, Even Before My Own Name (4th from the top).Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8163722408506291931.post-63638881134443777692010-09-25T10:50:00.000-07:002010-09-25T10:59:13.202-07:00Baby StepsMy friend, Linda, is pulling me kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century. Bless her for her expertise and gentle persistence. Till now, I have been pretty computer illiterate. To give you an example, I maintained the books for our business and personal finances on a 286 IBM using Quicken Home and Office until November 2007 when we sold the business.<br />
<br />
I am crawling into a U-shaped learning curve that sometimes leaves me stuck at the bottom. But, today I'm attempting to scale the opposite side - I envision sitting on the rim - pondering the possibilities.Barb McMakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04901413662004139492noreply@blogger.com1