A few days ago, I posted a poem called “What Are The Rules,” and had a moment of clarity about the fact that after all these years of doing this, I actually do have an understanding about poetry, my relationship to it, and how it works for me and perhaps for others as well.

Which led me to another thought: that maybe, just maybe, my long standing resistance to putting together a full length manuscript needs to come to an end.

I’m 61, and after literally 50+ years of doing this, my stubbornness about adhering to the whole DIY thing is bending a bit. Self-published chaps, eBooks for patrons, the public blog, all those things are going to remain in place, but I think I want something more — a collection out there that pulls together the stuff that matters most to me and that I think will have appeal to the more “mainstream readers” of poetry, who dig the whole “book culture” thing.  Also, y’know, mortality, legacy, etc…

So.  Into the fray with this. And I’d like your help.

On my Patreon site, I’m running a special offer (through November 22) in which anyone who joins, upgrades to, or is currently part of the site at the $10 and up tiers, will see posts, videos, drafts, etc. — not sure what exactly — of the process of putting together this beast.

I’ve got over 6,000 poems to consider; you can help me think about selection processes, ordering of the works, etc.  I need the assistance and the encouragement, so I hope you’ll jump into the conversation about the project.

More as this develops, but thanks in advance for considering this, and feel free to share the offer if you have friends who might want in.

Onward,
T