Mary Lee is hosting the first Poetry Friday of the new year. Hop on over
there for the roundup.
Poetry in the News
The Cybils’ finalists lists were released on January 1, and I always love looking at the lists to see what amazing books I missed.
Check out the poetry list. It has collections and verse novels. I was excited to see that
Clara’s Kooky Compendium was on the list!
Word of the Year
2024: GROW
Last year my word was grow. I did try to do a reflection every week about ways I was growing.
I didn’t even look at this page in my bullet journal regularly, but when I revisited it again, I am so proud that I have done everything on this list!
The thing I really proud of is my commitment to getting physically stronger. After a New Year’s Day walk & talk with a friend last year, I started going to weight lifting classes at Orange Theory. I’m so much stronger physically in 2024 than in 2023! I can’t wait to be healed from surgery enough to return.
2025: RECREATE
I wanted to come up with a word this year that had multiple meanings.
RECREATE stood out to me because there are so many ways it applies to my life right now. I brainstormed a bunch of other words, but I kept coming back to this one.
Just like a spider creates webs that are practical and also beautiful, I want to create. Almost always their pieces of beauty are only temporary. But there’s more where they came from. More webs to make.
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, RECREATE is “to give new life or freshness to” or “to take recreation” or “to create again.”
My agent left the business at the end of 2024. I wish her so much love in her next steps. I also had surgery a few weeks ago, so I’ve had a lot of lounging time to think. How do I want to move forward to the next step? What IS the next step? I first needed time to wallow in the “Oh crap! I have to go out into the query trenches again” and “no one else is going to like my work.” But I also made space for: How could this circumstance allow me to recreate my career? If I have difficulty getting a new agent (a very real possibility), how could I advocate for myself?
I always have the goal to get outside more and be in nature more. Those things make me feel better. I struggle with this the most in the winter when it’s dark and cold (and I’m at work most of the daylight hours). The word RECREATE is a reminder to spend some time in recreation in the “parks and rec” kind of meaning. I want to be outside. I want to take more artist’s dates. I want to spend time filling up the well in ways that aren’t sitting. The spider I chose was from my summer of libraries and parks. It reminds me of my dedication that summer to see more of my local treasures.
I also have lots of projects that I want to RECREATE. I have a chapter book that I want to age up to a middle grade. I have a middle grade that I’ve been struggling with how to revise. The night before my surgery, I had an epiphany of HOW I could fix it and make it more unique to ME.
25 Museums in 2025
This year, I wanted to do something a little cheaper and that coincides with my word of the year: RECREATE.
I’m going to visit at least 25 Museums in 2025. Your first question might be: how is that cheaper? Well, I live just outside of Washington, DC. Most of the museums around here are FREE. There are some that you have to pay for, but they aren’t the $30 pp that you see in NYC. I fully expect to pay for some of the museums I visit. But many of them will be free. I’ve already started my list of museums that are local. I especially want to get to two of the Smithsonians that I’ve never visited before. I also want to give myself permission to not see an entire Smithsonian but to go visit new exhibits. Just like my bookstore challenge allowed me to see cities last year in a unique way, this museum challenge will also give me a focus for the year when traveling.
25 New-to-Me Poets in 2025
This year, I want to explore new-to-me poets.
I don’t know that I have the bandwidth to do this weekly, but I hope I can do it at least 2x a month. I’m going to explore Virginia state and local poet laureates. I’ve also been keeping a list of poets who intrigue me from anthologies. My goal is to read at least 5 poems by this new-to-me poet each time I discover one.
Stay tuned…my first new-to-me poet is coming next week. It’s
Francis Ponge.
25 Poetry Markets
While I submitted my poetry last year, and had some minimal success, I want to do a better job this year of researching markets for my poetry and submitting. Last year, I started out the year well, but I missed a lot of deadlines for children’s poetry opportunities because their deadlines coincided with a lot of our health issues in 2024.
This year, I want to keep my organization I started last year for poetry submissions and make an effort to submit to 25 different markets (journals, anthologies, contests).
Haiku of the Week
My haiku of the week isn’t going away. I write a haiku every weekday as part of a daily practice. I’ll keep doing it until I grow bored (and I haven’t been bored a day since I started).
Christmas Eve
promises hope
after darkness
Photo Taken: December 24, 2024 in my yard of my soon-to-bloom hellebores
Haiku Written: January 1, 2025
I always feel hopeful when there are blooms in winter. My hellebores bloom when it’s cold. Green Spring Gardens has a gorgeous Japanese apricot tree that blooms and buzzes with bees in the winter. Our woods have a random patch of snowdrops that bloom in winter. And, of course, I love daffodils. Sometimes we get snow after the daffodils bloom.
RECREATE
How did I recreate this week?
I saw “
Wicked” with a friend—a friend who doesn’t like musical theater. I think she felt sorry for me and spent three hours with me in that cozy theater.
I cleaned out projects in my office. I now only have active projects for the first quarter of the year on the shelf where I can see them.
I renewed my Library of Congress readers’ card. Here’s to two more years of researching! If you are ever in the area and need a good place to write, I highly recommend the 5th Floor Reading Room of the Adams building. It has huge tables and is extraordinarily quiet and usually not very busy.
I’ve read a LOT of books over my break. It’s the only good thing about recovering from surgery—it’s a great excuse to put your feet up and read. I’m trying
StoryGraph to track my reading this year.
What are you looking forward to in 2025?
10 Comments
Ruth
This was a wonderful, and hopeful, post! I love your OLW and the challenges you’re setting yourself!
Tracey Kiff-Judson
Marcie, I hope you are feeling well! Thank you for all your wonderful posts in 2024. I am so looking foward to reading about your museum adventures in 2025!
Rose Cappelli
You always set such interesting goals, Marcie! You’ve encouraged me to push myself a little to try and see new things. Thank you. Much luck, health, and happiness in 2025.
Mary Lee
There’s always so much in each of your posts!
Love your OLW!
Museums will make for a fascinating goal!
I’m not sure my hellebores will bloom this winter 🙁
Maybe I’ll join you on StoryGraph. I’m trying to de-Amazon my life as much as possible…
Linda Baie
I love going to museums and now I will have the pleasure of seeing what you’ve seen, Marcie. I loved that you shared so much from the bookstore visits! Your post is full of goodness, and the compliment you give to the spider is a favorite. One super-power that I cherish is getting outside. It makes me happy every time! I wish you the best of “re-creating” in 2025.
Linda Mitchell
You are an inspiration! Recreation is a wonderful word. I like how you tease out different meanings that you can put directly to use in your life. There are a couple of tiny but mighty museums out here in Manassas! Let me know when you want to visit. I so look forward to ‘One Step Forward’ coming out. I have zero doubts you will acquire a new agent that will be fortunate to take you on. Onward, upward!
PATRICIA FRANZ
I am looking forward to gleaning all sorts of inspiration from your 2025 posts!
I’m also looking forward to contributing to your museum visits (2 in Tahoe!) and your RECREATE-ING: keep getting strong so we can hike in July!
Happy New Year, Marcie!
Sarah Grace Tuttle
I love your lists! My notebook is also filling up with lists of things to write and projects to create and challenges to stretch my reading… hope your lists are inspiring and that you discover many joys this year!
Carol Varsalona
Marcie, it sounds like you have been busy while you are recuperating. Today’s haiku has a lovely photo with great word choice. Recreate is fabulous word. I look forward to seeing where it takes you this year. Get well soon and enjoy your resting time. Happy New Year. here’s to a wonderful 2025!
Irene Latham
Dear Marcie, I love “recreate!” Also: some of my best book ideas have come from museums. I know this will be a rich experience for you! And: you will find the just-right agent. I am sure of it! xo