Podcast: Reading, Writing & Sharing Poetry

Apr 1

Poetry is having its moment right now, and we are certainly not mad about it. In episode 28 of the Exhale Podcast, we’re excited to dive into talking about poetry — how to read it, write it, and share it — with poet Kate Baer today.

Kate Baer is a writer and poet based on the East Coast. Her work has been featured on Joanna Goddard’s A Cup Of Jo and on Huffington Post. Most of you listening are familiar with Kate’s poetry on Instagram, and you can find more from her on her website. Her first collection, What Kind of Woman, is releasing November 10th, 2020 with Harper Collins, and is available for preorder now.

Poets Kate mentioned:

Olivia Gatwood’s (specifically, her book Life of the Party), Ada Limon, Sharon Olds, Ross Gay, Naomi Shihab Nye, Leila Chatti, Ellen Bass, and Margaret Atwood.

Kate’s creative prompt for you:

Get outside your comfort zone! Read books you wouldn’t normally read to absorb language, pacing, and writing techniques (my personal go to is The Iliad and The Odyssey). The same goes for TV, movies, and what you see on your Instagram feed. Push the boundaries of your bubble and seek out art that takes risks.

Kate’s submission advice for you:

Submitting your work, especially poetry, is a hot topic right now! There are so many places that would be happy to take your money for a chance to be published. This may not be the answer you’re looking for, but I would encourage anyone trying to write poetry for a larger audience to first get a meaty body of work, spend time performing that poetry and/or sharing that work to get feedback, and then submit. To figure out where to do that, the best tip I have is to find places who publish similar kinds of writing. My second tip is to expect rejection. All part of the journey.

A quote Kate shared with you:

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.”

― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

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