Do you ever wonder who cares? Who cares about what you write? Do you blog? Do you write for profit? I think they are honest questions? So honest that just for a moment I’ll digress and tell you about the cartoon in today’s tabloid that I saw at Hess Express, as I ate my Bluffin, and drank my any size coffee for $2.15, tax included. I was reading this New York paper, and there was a cartoon of a husband and wife watching TV. A politician on TV says, “If elected, I’ll do it with a prostitute.” Then the wife says to her husband, “Finally an honest politician.”
Getting back to my self-introspective questions, I know that my family cares about my writing in a general way, but they don’t check out my Web site very frequently for changes. That I know from my grandkids. They don’t ask about what I am working on. They are used to me cornering them to look at what I’ve done on my den computer. I think they just take it for granted that I will blab about whatever is on my mind—not that I tend to be a big talker. I am more introverted than extroverted. And, unfortunately, none of my three siblings have easy access to computers.
In the second part of my life I am striving to make a difference one poem or poetry performance at a time. It’s what excites and scares me. It excites me because it’s fun and exciting to see kids laugh and light up with glee, as I share poems and illustrations from my book, Waiting to See the Principal and Other Poems. The scary part is that I want my poetry performance to go over well—lots of laughs and fun for the kids, and a pleasant break for the teachers in the audience; maybe even some poetry ideas that they can build on with their classes.
The right chemistry is usually there, but not always. Sometimes I get wonderful letters and recommendations from teachers and kids. Sometimes I don’t. Was she too busy to write or was my humor not her humor? I don’t know. I don’t want to be so popular that I am bound to my Blueberry or my cell phone. But I would like a larger audience for my poetry and performances. Yes, my goal is to make a bigger splash in the Media World and make many readers laugh.
As for profit, making kids laugh and a tired teacher smile is priceless.
If you email me and ask for an excerpt from my latest children’s book, I’ll send you a copy of Chapter One, containing 17 poems and illustrations about school. Some will make you LOL. And for me, that’s what life is all about.
My email address is jsottile@frontiernet.net.