2021. Welcome. I keep checking out my window to make sure nothing is sneaking up on us, Mad Max style. It’s Day 1. So far, so good.
Marking the New Year is supposed to be about resolutions. As writers, resolutions are easy to make and a bear to keep. The Muse is fickle, and despite our best intentions, likes to desert us just when we need inspiration the most. Knowing that makes beating her/him/they at their own game a bit easier.
Plan ahead for the 2021 fallow times. Stockpile some motivation against the blank page. Buy a poetry book you’re longing to read, put it on the shelf within eyesight, buy a journal or notebook that brings you joy. I have a thing for pens. I’m convinced the right pen will make the words flow smoother, appear quicker, make my words sparkle. Surround your workspace with things you love. Funko Pop you couldn’t resist. The odd candle, a cool cup to hold your pens. Pictures. Pinecones. Pencils. A teak Buddha to let you know you got this. (Or deity/daemon of your choice.)
Find a Happy Place
For me, music is important. It got me through 2020. Most of it was soft, background noise. Ambient, meditative, with the occasional burst of metal and rock to balance my brain. A bell to ring. Whatever puts you in your happy place. Or knocks you out of it. Sometimes your brain needs to be slammed into gear like a 1972 Ford Pinto. The best poetry comes from some unexpected places.
I think 2021 will be a great year for poets, a continuation of the fantastic work I saw in 2020. We’re gaining perspective on an awful year now, looking ahead, and mining words for possible futures to explore. Think to yourself, “What do I have to say?” Don’t believe no one is listening. We’re out here, waiting, wanting, and longing to experience your words. Send them out like little ships on the water to the far corners of the lands. We’ll help you reach out. It’s 2021, we’re moving forward no matter what, and your poetry is going to take us there.
Some Housekeeping
Gyroscope Review will publish the Winter 2021 Issue on January 15th, and also open that day for submissions for the Spring 2021 issue. We can’t wait to read your work, whether writing about the past, present, or future. See you there.
Read about what we were up to last year at this time:
A New Year, A New Logo, A New Issue
Here’s a few 2021 Poetry Book ideas for you:
26 Best New Poetry Books To Read In 2021
11 of the Most Anticipated Poetry Collections