Sturgeon's Law

So I mentioned a professional issue a few posts ago, and here it is:

The owner of the primary resume writing company I subcontract for wants to promote me to a Resume Manager position. Of course, on a basic level, it's very flattering that she wants me to move up. However, I'm not sure I should on a practical-for-me level. The money she sees me making in the position represents about a 33% annual raise from what I'm making right now, which is pretty impressive. However, I'd also have to work probably 25% more hours per week, I'd have to be available to and working for that company from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every weekday (they're on Eastern Time), plus likely more, as opposed to my current schedule that's very flexible as long as I meet my deadlines for orders, and the position is brand new, so both the work and payment structures would essentially be seat-of-the-pants and subject to change.

I already make more than enough for me to live on, so the money isn't a necessity, but that size of raise is still a big deal that could help me out in a lot of ways, including letting me save up more toward grad school next year. Also, if anyone knows the value of promotion, increased responsibility, and managing others on a resume, it's me. On the other hand, the relatively short hours I work now (and not needing to wake up at 7 a.m.) are a blessing in a lot of ways: for my writing, for what constitutes my social life, and for my general sanity. And she's not been entirely clear on whether she's amenable to me stepping back from the manager job into a flexible writer position once I go back to grad school, which is what I'd have to do. Finally, the Resume Manager job would require a ton more client relations, which is one area that my writing orders with this company blessedly avoids (the owner and now the managers are a buffer between the writers and the clients).

So I haven't made up my mind yet, but I told her I would within a week. I can't simply waffle and irritate her--whatever I decide, I have to tell her clearly and reasonably. I think the ideal situation would be for me to go to grad school right now and have an established Resume Manager position when I come out, but of course I can't be hoping for things like that. So at this point, I'm just hearing from as many people as I can. What do you think?

The Eleventh Muse is seeking help in the form of sponsorships for the 2007 edition. I would be very grateful if any of you would like to help sponsor the magazine, or if you know anyone else you can pass this appeal on to.

There are four levels of donation:
Friend: $25
Sponsor: $50
Patron: $100
Benefactor: $250+

All donors will receive a copy of the journal and their name (or "Anonymous," or the name of a favorite nonprofit) listed in front. The higher levels of sponsorship are eligible for additional benefits, including extra copies and advertising space, should they want it. Also, since Poetry West is a nonprofit organization, any contribution is tax deductible.

If you can't sponsor The Eleventh Muse but want to see what we've been doing and still provide us with much-needed assistance, you can buy a copy of the 2006 issue for $5 or reserve a copy of the 2007 version for $8 (be sure to mention this blog offer when you purchase). For both sponsorships and copies, you can pay via Paypal to poetrywest@yahoo.com or send a check/money order payable to Poetry West to:

PO Box 2413
Colorado Springs, CO 80901

Many of you have already contributed to the Muse by sending poetry, buying and reading copies, and sponsoring previous issues. Thank you all for your past and future generosity. If you decide you'd like to help this time around, or if you know anyone else who might be interested, I'll look forward to hearing from you.

I mailed my absentee ballot in on Friday. I urge you all to vote in the upcoming elections--they're the most important midterm elections I've seen yet in my politically aware life, and we have the opportunity to change the political landscape as much as the 1994 elections did.

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Major professional decision coming up for me this week. I'll probably post some details on here.

Yeah, we had a real blizzard this time. Sorry for the mediocre picture quality. It was effing cold and still snowing a little.

Writers' Harvest benefit reading for Care & Share, Thursday, Nov. 9, 7:00 p.m., The Smokebrush, 218 W. Colorado Ave. (under the bridge in the Depot Arts District). Enjoy some of Colorado Springs' finest writers while helping to fight hunger in Southern Colorado. A $5.00 (or more) tax-deductible donation and/or the equivalent in non-perishable food items will be accepted at the door. Call 200-4268 for more information.

(Incidentally, I will be reading at this event.)

I went into my web stats a few days ago and found out that my resume website was getting 500 unique visitors per day, over five times the previous average. A little research found the reason: if you search for "resume samples" on Google, two of the three images that pop up at the top of the results are from my site.

I'm pretty happy with my team now. I'm 5-2. My quarterbacks are still kind of a mess, though a different mess than the ones I originally had (Green and Roethlisberger, both of whom have now had severe concussions this season). Here are the key players now:

QB: Favre & Alex Smith
RB: Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson (just traded Frank Gore and Lamont Jordan to get him), Travis Henry, & Wali Lundy
WR: Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne, Mike Furrey, & Greg Jennings
TE: Tony Gonzalez
K: Nate Kaeding
DEF: Denver & New Orleans

List of presses with reading periods for poetry manuscripts, plus notes:

Open: BlazeVOX Books
Open: Persea Books
Open: Red Morning Press
Open: Eastern Washington University Press (query/sample)
Open: Counterpath Press (query/sample)
Open: Coffee House Press (sample, not first books)
Open: Mayapple Press ($10 fee)
Open: Etruscan Press ($20 fee)
January & June: Milkweed Editions
January-June: BkMk Press (sample)
January-July: Ghost Road Press (query/sample)
January-November(!): Graywolf Press (query/sample)
January-March: CavanKerry Press
January-? (not first books): BOA Editions
March 1-May 1: Ahsahta Press
Feb. 1 - June 1: Carolina Wren Press
April-September: Waywiser Press
June: Four Way Books
June: Ausable Press
June: Steel Toe Books (you have to buy one of their previous books)
July: Tupelo Press ($35 fee[!!!])
September: Sarabande Books (sample)
September-October: University of Pittsburgh Press (not first books)
October: Carnegie Mellon University Press ($10 fee)
October-November: C&R Press ($10 fee, $15 to received published book)
November-December: the various WordTech Communications imprints

Anyone got others, please add 'em.

Off to drink buy antifreeze. Also, I just learned how to do a strikethrough in HTML. Wheeeee!

Here's a picture off my balcony from a few hours ago:


And here's one from a few minutes ago:


It's a mess out there. And this is the first snow of the year, outside just a few flakes.

In case you've sent any e-mail to my primary personal address in the past day that needs a reply, I'll be getting back to you at some point, but Adelphia's e-mail server has been down for an ungodly long time, so I'm not sure when I can even retrieve your message. If it was truly urgent, please send it to my steveschroeder.info address.

Sorting out my manuscript for actual submission (two places by the end of this month, I hope, plus a couple more by the end of the year, and then a host of open reading periods starting in January). Also working on finishing up a review for CutBank. And there may be a promotion in the offing at the real job. We shall see.

I'm very much looking forward to the A. E. Stallings reading tomorrow at Colorado College (7 PM at McHugh Commons). I also got my contributor copy of The National Poetry Review with my Laureate Prize-winning poem in it. I haven't read through the issue yet, but it looks lovely, and what I've read is very nice. I'm in good company, too: Bob Hicok, Lynne Knight, and Michael Meyerhofer, among others.

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"Francesca Can Too Stop Thinking About Sex, Reflect upon Her Position in Poetry, Write a Real Sonnet" by Olena Kalytiak Davis (Tin House)
"No, Popsickle" by Gabriel Gudding (Court Green)

...this time in a letter to the New York Times regarding Joel Brouwer's review of Charles Wright's new book. Unfortunately, since there's no profanity or threat of physical violence, he's trying to defend someone else, and the personal attacks are relatively minimal versus the substantive attack on the review, this only rates a D on the Franz Wright Jackassery Scale. I would like to add, though, that one of his central premises (that Charles Wright or any other popular poet of long standing has somehow earned the right to have his work be "disliked with some degree of thoughtful reverence") is beyond silly. I'd also like to give Joel Brouwer his due for avoiding the royal critical "we," and state from both reading and personal experience that he's far from a beginner or nonentity.

We're heading into the home stretch for Eleventh Muse submissions. I'm really happy with how it's shaping up so far, but I'm still also looking to add more good poetry. If you're reading this, chances are I want to see some poems from you, though of course I can't guarantee an acceptance. If you know any good poets who have poems they're looking to place but don't know about this blog or the Muse, please give them the link.

Here are the poets in the 2007 Muse so far:
Margaret Ronda
Doug Ramspeck
Carsten Rene Nielsen
John McKernan
Gary McDowell
Timothy Liu
Steve Langan
David Keplinger
Genevieve Kaplan
Charlotte Innes
Joseph Hunt
H. L. Hix
Jason Fraley
Jehanne Dubrow
Diane Elayne Dees
Tom Daley
Gary Joseph Cohen
Gaylord Brewer
Paul Benton
Danielle Aquiline
Mary Alexandra Agner

The Kansas City Royals were my boyhood baseball team because I was learning about baseball when George Brett was chasing .400 in 1980, and my dad and I listened on the radio. Then came the Colorado Rockies, who were the local team and were fun and exciting at the same time as the Royals were going through a massive decline in the early-to-mid 90s. Now, thanks to two decades of pervasive mismanagement throughout major league baseball and a decade of the same from the Rockies, I have no team and little interest in baseball. Each year in the playoffs, I root for only one thing: the Yankees to lose. Therefore, this year's baseball playoffs are once again a success. Thank you, Detroit Tigers.

Even my confessional poems have lies. We'll see what Eric thinks of this one...

...that they don't want to see any more of my poetry. Yay! Can't say I'm surprised, though.

The Shit Creek Review

My poetry pal Aaron is maintaining a Colorado Springs poetry events calendar. I'll also be adding this to my resources (links) page soon.

Delighted today to receive my copies of the textbook I have a poem in thanks to Emily. My poem's sandwiched in between one by Eduardo and one by Hart Crane, because that's the kind of company I keep, baby. It even has discussion questions (see the title of this post). I can't tell you how fun I find this whole thing. Thanks again, Emily!

I hate this new process for organizing my manuscript at least as much as I thought I would.

I'm rereading The Hobbit (and will probably reread The Lord of the Rings). I hadn't done so in a long time, but I've noticed recently a desire to recapture certain positive aspects of my childhood, and those books are one of them. Another thing I've done recently is thought about buying old GI Joe toys because, damn, I used to have a lot of fun with those. I haven't done so because (A) the old toys are pretty expensive now, even out of the box, which is how I'd want them, and (B) what the hell am I going to do with a bunch of GI Joe toys anyway?

Other things about my childhood I'd like to recapture but probably can't effectively do at this point:

• Playing touch football with friends.
• Certain computer and video games. Quite a few, actually.
• Staying up all night inventing idiotic games like "nail the person in the sleeping bag with slingshotted stuff."
  
• Being a big fish in a small pond.