I Have Permission to Write, But Do I Need Permission to Publish?

 

Photo Credit: Markus Winkler via Pexels

So there I was, writing yet another poem to go into the book of memorial poems I have been working on for several months, when a thought struck me: What if the family of the person I was writing about got angry at me for even writing this poem?

 

For context, this book of poems is a collection of verse written in memory of people I have known, as well as people I didn’t know. But saying they were people that I didn’t know doesn’t necessarily mean they were complete strangers. Some of those people I didn’t know who I have written memorial poems about include family and friends I knew on social media, but not in real life. I didn’t exactly know them for years, though there are some I knew for years via the internet.

 

Then there are the people I didn’t know personally, but knew about because of their celebrity – such as Princess Diana, John F. Kennedy, Jr., and Ozzy Osbourne. I wrote poems in memory of them sometime after they passed away.

 

But now I’m wondering: Do I need permission to include these poems in my book? What if the family gets angry at me for writing these poems?

 

I had that thought after writing a memorial poem about a cousin whose life ended this summer, and it bothered me that I might experience negativity from her family when that poem is published in the book. It bothered me so much that I reached out to another cousin and asked her if it would be okay to include this poem about our cousin in this book. I also said, “I don't want it to look like I am trying to be a part of something that I am not a part of and I don't want people to get mad at me for writing something about a person I did not know, even if it is written with loving thoughts and kind words.” My cousin replied that she thinks this late cousin’s sister would appreciate the gesture. Just to be on the safe side, I reached out to this sister to start a conversation about it.

 

With family, it might be easy to resolve that problem, because then I could reach out to them about it. With friends, I have done the same. But with celebrities? I am not so sure.

 

Would I need permission to get the poems I wrote in memory of these celebrities published? Their deaths moved me and I felt compelled to write about them. So I wrote poems in their memory – about the lives they lived and the ways they have touched others. They are all positive poems. I don’t say bad things about them. But now I wonder if even getting these poems published would be a problem.    

 

I suppose that, as in every case when it comes to an author being conflicted about something in a book, it would be better to just leave that decision with the publisher. So, that is what I will do, in this case.

Sorting Through Old Poems

I recently had the fun experience of sorting through totes containing old writings. My husband questioned why I was saving them and I insisted that I always save my old writing – even the stuff I hate.

 

Well, it’s a very good thing that I save all my old writing, because in going through a HUGE binder full of poems, I finally found a poem I have been spending months looking for! This particular poem is for a book of poems I have been working on for years. I plan to submit this manuscript after I have 100 poems for it. This one particular poem is one I remembered writing because the evening that I wrote the poem, the person I wrote the poem about was in my dream! This poem definitely belongs in the book and there was no way I was going to submit the manuscript without it. Now that I have finally found the poem (at last!), I can add it to the manuscript and proceed writing the others for it.

 

There is another poem I wanted to include in another current poetry book. I actually woke up this morning with the thought of looking this manuscript over! (It’s been a while since I have worked on it.) This particular poetry book is a revision and rewrite of an old poetry book I wrote many years ago. When I was looking through all of my old writings, I found the file folder containing that manuscript. The new edition is not the same as the first one. The new one has some newer poems in it (I like to add new poems to old poetry books). So, I didn’t use all of the poems that were in the original manuscript. 

 

However, there was one poem I wanted to include in this book that had not been included before, and I knew this poem was in one of the MANY notebooks of poetry I had dug out of that tote. I just had to find it again! 

 

So I went to my bedroom this morning, to my writing desk, and I grabbed a bunch of them and carried them to the desk in the living room. I spent some time reading and rereading them in my quest to find that poem. After spending a long time sorting through them all, I did finally find the poem. Yay!  I added it to the new manuscript, and typed up some other poems for that book, and then I was DONE. The poetry book was complete. Woo-hoo! 

 

When I was typing that poem I had found, I at first thought that I wasn’t going to change ANY of it in the book. I wrote that poem when I was undergoing reconstructive surgery in Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. I was a part of a creative arts group in that ward and someone in the group who read the poem really liked it a lot. Sadly, he later passed away. I wanted to keep the poem as close to the original as possible, because of my friend, but there was one line that had me stumped. Even after I read it twice, I mumbled, “What the heck does that even mean?!” So, for the sake of clarity, I fixed just that one line, but the rest of the poem is the same.

 

I also found an old poem I wrote about Grand Central Station. It wasn’t so bad! I just might submit it somewhere. I also found a few songs I wrote, along with a poem that had been published in my college newspaper that I forgot about!

 

There’s another old poem that I wrote which I thought was pretty good but … the formatting is a little different. I mean, the poem is literally all over the page. I don’t know how I would be able to type it the way it is formatted! Maybe I could scan it? I wonder if editors accept scanned submissions.

 

And, finally, not only did I end up with a mini poetry book as a result of the work I did on the completed book, but I also uncovered a poetry book I had written years ago that I forgot all about! Not sure yet if I will type it up and submit it.

 

So today has been all about the poetry. I have been reading lots of poetry this month, too. So far, it’s been a good National Poetry Month for me. This poetry book I just finished putting together just may be the second poetry manuscript I will submit this month!

Finding Strength Through Our Faith: Meditating Heart Offers Christian Poems of Faith and Devotion

Several years ago, I met a woman named Joy. True to her name, she brought joy into my life. Joy lived next door to my grandmother (in Indio, California), and I often visited with her. Since we both wrote poetry, we often shared our poems with each other. Joy wrote beautiful verse, and I was inspired by her enduring faith as a Christian. (At this time in my life, I was a Christian too.) Joy gave me a blank journal and encouraged me to write more poetry in it. I did so – and all of the poems were religious poems. 

 

Sadly, I lost touch with Joy after we moved away and I don’t know what ever happened to her. Yet her presence in my life always touched my heart and I never forgot her. I still have that journal of poems. 

 

Because Joy had such a profound impact in my life, I decided that one day, I would get these poems published as my tribute to her and her faith. 

 

It turned out that the poems did eventually get published, and I saw to it to make that happen. I self-published the poems as an ebook, which I titled Meditating Heart. The title comes from a Bible verse I came across from my daily Bible reading. (The verse is included at the front of the book.) I thought it was a fitting title, since all of the poems came from my heart. Meditating Heart is a free ebook available from Smashwords. 

 

Here is the book’s blurb: 

 

“Take some time to reflect and renew your faith with Christian poetry. Meditating Heart shares poems of devotion, faith and guidance to God and how turning to the Lord can help in troubled times. As we grapple with so much struggle, fear, worry, confusion and pain in this world, our faith can be shaken to the core. We may lose hope or we may start to doubt our faith. Meditating Heart contains poetry and musings which will help you find solace in your faith and renew your closeness to God.” 

 

You can download a free electronic copy of this ebook here

The last words you ever wrote

Do you ever think about the last thing you ever wrote?

No, I mean REALLY wrote. Wrote as in, this is a poem. This is a song. This is a story.

I have to read a poem today and there will be a child listening to that poem. My daughter. And the last poem I wrote was about domestic abuse. She is young. Untouched by the cruel realities of this world. So I cannot read that poem.

Then something moved me. A word in an email from a sibling. This word lingered in my brain. This one word. It got my muse roiled up.

I tried to write a poem using this word. I wrote it on demand, without inspiration as my guide. Forcing words. Forcing images. I tried to push them all into something coherent. Something that could possibly pass as a "poem" for me to read. An age-appropriate poem.

But all for naught. My work was in vain, for the poem was awful. Without life, without fervor, without passion or direction. Or heart.

So I am stuck with a miserable poem, instead of a poem that is too mature for young ears to hear.

And I wonder...which of these is the greater evil?