Poetry Friday, Week 18: Now the Hard Work Begins

Rose at Imagine the Possibilities is hosting Poetry Friday today.  She shares some of her poetry project for April.

I'm sharing some photos o my book launch. It was a wonderful evening and well attended.  My friend, Susan Blackaby, asked questions, some that were hard! Two of my college friends surprised me and I'm difficult to surprise. I was touched that the mother of the boy who tragically died in second grade (the inspiration for the book) and his siblings were in attendance. Later, the Mom said it was perfect.  
On Sunday, we went to the coast for three nights. I wanted some time to  decompress and walk on the beach.

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Top: Moi, Johnny's mom and siblings, Needed a stool to see everyone. Middle: Susan and me, my college pals, Chuck and I. Bottom: Writing critique group, flowers, tea.

So now the hard work begins.  Making sure that the Tilt gets into the hands of readers. It's a powerful story.  I'm looking for ways to get readings and talk to groups.  I'm preparing a press sheet to send to schools and groups.  I'm hoping to find some podcasts that talk about books.  
This week, Carol Labuzzetta has a thorough and thoughtful review of my book. I appreciate this poetry community supporting one another.  If you would like to write a blog post about Tilt, ask some questions or know a posdcaster, I'd like to offer you a Review PDF of Tilt.  Please let me know in the comments. You can purchase a copy through Amazon or contact me via email for a signed copy.

Finally, How I Closed the Book Launch 

I wrote it last Saturday morning. I surprised myself.

April 25, 2026
Dear Darrah, Jackson, and Lily,
Tonight I launch my book, Tilt into the world.  For twenty years I have carried you in my heart, head, and hand. Always writing, revising, getting feedback. Once I stepped away for almost a year so it could all simmer in a word soup.
Darrah, do you remember I first had you in a swing, “Whoosh up, down splat! Whoosh up, down splat!”  I wrote it in prose and there were hardly enough pages that said book.  I had these images in my head that needed to find their way to the page. I didn’t know at the time that you were a fifth grader reflecting on what happened in second grade. 

Jackson, you were there but as Stevie. You’d become a Grant for a while.  But returned to Jackson as it also spells mischief and a bright flame. Lily, you were in the background and not in the first draft. You were waiting for the changes I would make.

It was getting the words down, the images, the emotions, and the impact of Johnny’s life on our school community. It’s how I processed the trauma and the grief I felt of losing a student so tragically.  It’s how I processed the conversations with the students in the library. I didn’t know it would take me almost twenty years to publish.
For starters, what did I know about writing a book?  My first pages lacked the tension and the and the answer to “So what? Why as a reader do I care?” Thus, I began taking classes, going to conferences, and reading more books. I held written conversations between Darrah and I to figure out what she needed. How she needed to learn to speak up, how she wasn’t responsible for Jackson’s death. 
It took awhile to figure out how to create a space for the  topic of childhood death and how children cope with grief. The shift to writing in poems created the white space for the grief, loss, and forgiveness to come through.
Lily, I’m so glad that you arrived in the story. You were the third leg I needed for the three legged stool.  I know I spent a long time writing your character arc and am sorry that in the end I cut it out. However, that process was key in helping me to understand Darrah’s pain with such clarity.
So now you are in the world.  I hope you’ll reach many readers. That they will pick up the book and spend an afternoon under a tree, preferably an oak tree to read. I hope they will remember what elementary school was like. That sometimes just being a kid has unseen consequences and we need to be able to tilt.
You three have given me a community of writers and supportive readers. I would not have stumbled into the rich poetry community that has supported me. You three have given me a voice.  I am forever grateful to you.
Love always,
​Jone

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