Patricia Colleen Murphy Recommends...

“Writing itself is such a solitary act that when I am finishing a project I often feel lonely to the point of distraction. I combat that isolation by surrounding myself

with other artists. My need for a ‘writers community’ has taken on many forms: In high school, college, and grad school I rarely went a semester without enrolling in a creative writing workshop, which afforded instant access to readers, comments, and encouragement. After graduation, I struggled to recreate those ten years of workshops without the ready-made roster a classroom affords. I have filled this lack in myriad ways: 1. My writers group of six to ten trusted poets, exchanging work and comments online. 2. Attending writing workshops such as the Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference and the Blue Flower Arts Writers’ Conference at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida. 3. Attending fourteen AWP conferences, where I go to panels and readings, and work a book fair table for my magazine, Superstition Review. 4. Engaging with other artists at retreats such as Ragdale, Djerassi, and Vermont Studio Center. 5. Following other authors on social networks and engaging with them concerning new work. Even though I need to be alone in a room to do my work, connecting with my writing communities helps me get back to the page. Knowing that other writers are fiercely committed to the hard work of writing helps me stay focused on even the toughest goals.”
—Patricia Colleen Murphy, author of Hemming Flames (Utah State University Press, 2016)

Photo credit: Brad Rogers