Allyson Whipple

Tag: announcement

  • A Quick Note About Site Maintenance

    A Quick Note About Site Maintenance

    One of the projects I chose for 2024 was to simplify my digital life. I simply don’t enjoy trying to keep up with multiple websites or social media accounts.

    If you subscribe to this blog, you probably noticed a few weeks ago that your inbox got flooded with a series of Pilates-related posts. That was the result of me consolidating my Pilates site with this regular site, and merging blog posts. I had no idea that you were going to get notified of all of these posts en masse. That was not my intention.

    This week, I began the process of consolidating The Culinary Saijiki with this site. I’ve imported the podcast archive over here with minimal issues. Before this content goes fully live, however, I need to migrate the blog posts as well.

    I am going to do my level best to prevent you from getting notified of several dozen Culinary Saijiki blog posts that now live on this site. I’ve been reading up on how to avoid this issue, but it’s trial by fire on this one. However, this is the last round of blog imports I have to do! So I apologize in advance if I screw up and you get a big blog notification. If it does happen, it will be the last time. And thanks for your patience as I solidify my vision for this website.

  • Welcome to the world, chapbook!

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    Yes! It’s true! I have a new chapbook!

    Five Oaks Press has just released We’re Smaller Than We Think We Are.

    It’s hard to believe that a year ago, I was still struggling to get a failing project into the world. I didn’t imagine this book would happen. But I was also in the midst of a second round of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, and something was happening. I was writing a lot of cathartic poems. About my past. About my failed marriage.

    I had spent a long time trying to get over it. Get over everything. And now it seemed I finally was.

    Not all of the 30/30 poems made it into this chapbook. Most were culled; many didn’t fit thematically. But I added a few older poems and wrote a few new ones as well. By July, I had a manuscript. And after lots of revision and lots of rejection, I found out that Five Oaks Press had named it a finalist and was offering me a contract.

    Going from manuscript to publication in less than a year feels like a miracle. I’m very lucky that things all came together. I’m in love with this book, and the relationship I have with Five Oaks.

    April might be National Poetry Month, but May is an auspicious one for me, at least with my own work.

    You can purchase the book on Amazon. Or, to order a signed copy, send $15 via PayPal to literaryaustin@gmail.com. The price includes shipping, and I’ll be happy to inscribe it however you want!

  • I Am Bad Whether…

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    I Am Bad Whether is an up-and-coming feminist press founded by poet, activist, and tech guru Muerta-Paz Con Corazon Sin-Guerra. A few months ago, Muerta decided that my collection Curved Tongue, Forked Road would be the first book she published. After several more rounds of manuscript revision, we’re getting ready to launch!

    Of course, as a start-up, the press needs help to get going. We’ve launched an Indiegogo campaign to help get things up and running. I’m excited about the perks we have to offer, everything from postcards to books to workshops! So if you want to support feminist publishing in Texas, check out the campaign.

    I’m also offering a bonus incentive for readers of this blog. If you contribute, let me know (via comment here or via email), and I will send you a bonus postcard featuring recent work. This applies to donations at any level.

    For those of you who want to help but don’t have spare cash, we appreciate you getting the word out on our behalf! Share on social media, talk it up at events, and get people interested.

    Muerta and I appreciate your support!

  • AFPF On Hiatus for 2015

    I mentioned this over at the official Austin Feminist Poetry Festival blog a few weeks ago, but I’ve decided to take a hiatus from the festival this year. The past two years were incredible! However, I’ve just finished a two-year term on the Austin Poetry Society board and I’ve spent the first few months of the year giving a lot of attention to the Texas Poetry Calendar. I’m at the point where I need a break. Plus, since I’m starting my MFA in the fall, I need to focus on my studies–and running a fall festival is not entirely conducive to that!

    I also want to restructure the festival, and get it more in line with my larger vision. That requires time. So I’m going to take this year to figure out how I want things to develop.

    I do have some smaller events in the works for later this year, so stay tuned…

  • MFA All The Way!

    I remember seeing an ad for the UT-El Paso Online MFA in Poets & Writers magazine back in 2011 (or maybe early 2012). Even before I knew much about the program, I was excited by the prospect of being able to pursue an MFA online, without having to leave Austin. (Heck, I didn’t even want to go for an MFA yet, and I was still intrigued.)

    Yes, UT-Austin has not one, but two excellent MFA programs (one at the Michener Center, and one through the English Department), plus we’re adjacent to Texas State in San Marcos. But I never had a gut feeling that these programs were right for me. They’ve produced a lot of great work and have wonderful faculty, including some of my favorite poets. But I still never quite got the sense that these were programs that were right for me.

    I kept re-visiting the UTEP Online MFA description every 4 or 5 months over the next couple of years. There was always a reason to talk myself out of it. I wasn’t ready, I wasn’t sure I wanted an MFA, I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it, I was getting divorced, and on and on. I kept finding reasons not to apply.

    But toward the end of 2014, things began to feel settled. I also felt I was in a place with my writing where I was ready for the challenges an MFA could bring. It was the next logical step in my career path. So I applied.

    The funny thing about the process was, I dreaded writing the statement of purpose. I still remember how much I struggled to write one in 2005 when I was applying to graduate school the first time around. But as it turns out, this time it wasn’t so bad. Maybe because I have a stronger sense of purpose at 31 than I did at 21.

    So I applied, and I waited, and waited… and I found out last week that I got in! I’ve already received a course description list, and have an advising call tomorrow! The program starts in August, and I can’t wait. I look forward to meeting my other five new classmates when we convene in our digital space this fall.

  • I’ve moved! (Sort of)

    Just a quick note that I’ve gone ahead and upgraded, and thus dropped the .wordpress extension from my URL. So this blog URL is now http://allysonmwhipple.com. I’m not sure if you have to update your RSS reader or anything else; in theory, you shouldn’t have to. But then again, technology doesn’t always work the way we want it to…

    UPDATE: If the site seems to be acting weird, that’s ostensibly a normal part of the process. Everything should be right as rain within 72 hours.

  • Some quick updates

    Life has been a whirlwind lately. There are blog posts I’ve wanted to write, but haven’t made time. However, I have some announcements that I want to dash off before turning in for the night.

    1. Registration for the Submission Mission 2014 workshop is now open! For details and a link to the registration form, check out the Workshops page.

    2. After over a year of revision, I’m ready to start sending out my next manuscript! I finished the first draft of Curved Tongue, Forked Road a few days after Thanksgiving in 2012. After three beta readers, lots of cuts and additions, and hours spent arranging poems, I have a manuscript I’m excited to share.

    3. I’m not on the planning committee of Flor de Nopal, but I believe it’s the best literary festival that Austin has to offer. This year, they’re underfunded. If your bank account has room to spare, please consider making a donation. It’s tax deductible, and filing season is just around the corner!

    4. This weekend I’m reading at the Dos Gatos Press Texas Poetry Calendar reading, held at BookPeople on Saturday the 7th. The reading starts at 4. I’m also reading at the Austin Writergrrls Book Festival, held at BookWoman on Sunday the 8th, also starting at 4. Both events are free and open to the public.

    I think that wraps it up for now. Hopefully I’ll have time for longer updates in the new year!