This year, my role at Red Dirt Poetry shifted from Director of Membership to Director of Outreach. Essentially, this means that my role is now to partner with local organizations and help to create opportunities for our poets - something I'm really passionate about! My first project this year was organizing a showcase for female and non-binary artists for Women's History Month! It was such a joy to put this together, and we had so many talented performers! We had poetry from Abigail Pappas, Mary B. Gray, Stevie Guymon-Clemens, Val, Kara Bullen, & myself. In addition, Dance Skate 405 did a skate routine, Amanda Kerri performed comedy, Chelsea Banks played cello, and Cheyanne Marie sang. Becky Robinson had her artwork there for sale. We also had gift bags for artists, with donations from Becky, Bath Sorbet, Second Story Books, and Afropop.
This was a powerful evening, and it was beautiful to see so many talented, diverse performers share their experiences. Our next showcase will be for AAPI Heritage Month in May - I can't wait to share more!
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I had a poem published in each of these two new anthologies from Wingless Dreamer Lit, Love Chronicles and Hearts in Orbit.
I had two poems published in Issue 2 of Canary Collective, along with an art piece collaboration that I did with my friend Sami!
My poem "My Power" is on the most recent episode of Okie Bookcast's Behind the Rain poetry podcast. You can listen to it here: https://www.okiebookcast.com/behindtherain
Poetry recap for 2023:
- Attended my first open mic ever in February at Factory Obscura - Started attending Red Dirt Poetry events in May and was asked to join their Board of Directors - Had 5 new print publications: Oklahoma Women's Journal, There We Grew, Wingless Dreamer Lit, Quarter(ly) Press, and Audience Askew by Nat 1 LLC - I have an official author page on Goodreads - 8 performances (including my first 3 paid performances): Factory Obscura's Future of Sound, First Fridays at the Paseo with Poetic City, OKC Metaphysical Fair, Sunny Dayz Mural Festival, Norman Arts in the Wind, Yule-terus Fundraiser, and Oklahoma Women's Journal's issue 4 launch party - had poetry art collaborations with my friend Sami that were accepted into 3 art shows: DNA Galleries' Pride & Inclusivity Art Show, Norman Arts in the Wind, and Dragon Yoga's Launch Party art show - had a poem featured in IOCD’s online art gallery for OCD Awareness Week - had a recorded affirmation added to a sound art piece at Factory Obscura - helped lead 3 writing workshops: Creative Mish Mash Evening with Jelliii, Red Dirt Writes, and Red Dirt Talks: Publishing - had 2 poems on Okie Bookcast's Behind the Rain poetry episodes - did two poetry book reviews for Okie Bookcast, and one for Belle Point Press - won the "Darkness in Me" poetry competition from Wingless Dreamer Lit - placed 3rd in the "Her Kind: The Witch in History, Pop Culture, and Poetry" contest for Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry, and have a poem on display there through the end of 2024 Kevin and I visited the Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry and got to see my piece that is on display in their witch exhibit! I wrote a piece entitled, "I've Been Burned Before" that placed third in their contest, "Her Kind: The Witch in History, Pop Culture, and Poetry." Here are some photos from our visit!
Today marks 6 months since I attended my first Red Dirt Poetry open mic! It's interesting to see how my involvement has changed so much during that time. I went from dragging Kevin there, knowing no one, to becoming a member of the Board of Directors, attending lots of events, hosting a few open mics, inviting friends to join, helping to create new opportunities within Red Dirt, & making lots of new friends! Here are some photos from past open mics. And here are a few other fun Red Dirt Poetry events I've gotten to participate in, but haven't shared on here yet!
First two photos were from Red Dirt Writes, led by Amethyst Eyed. Second two are from Red Dirt Edits events, led by Kara Lisa. Next two are from a little t-shirt making party I had at my house. And final two are from judging Red Dirt Slams! My mom and I attended the Tulsa NightWriters' Craft of Writing conference this weekend! The keynote speaker was author William Bernhardt, pictured below, and we each attended 4 breakout groups. I attended:
What Every Novice Author Needs to Know - Jude Bayton (This was a helpful guide to getting a book published!) Pitching an Agent 101 - Amy Brewer Poetry Styles - Phetote Mshiari (pictured below) Cultural Sensitivity & Accuracy - Kat Lewis I really enjoyed this conference, and hope to attend more in 2024! The Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry recently opened their exhibit, "Her Kind: The Witch in History, Popular Culture & Poetry." As part of their opening, they held a witch-themed poetry contest, and my poem won third prize & a $50 prize!
They held an opening event on October 21, which I unfortunately had to miss because I was attending a writing conference. But my piece, along with the other winners, will be up in the Her Kind exhibit through December 2024! I hope to go visit the museum soon, so I will share photos when I do! My poem, "Ghosting," was just published in the Halloween issue of Audience Askew by Nat 1 LLC! You can read the piece below.
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About the AuthorSydney Aerin is a published and performing poet, as well as a licensed therapist. She is passionate about disability awareness, mental health education, and equality for all. Sydney lives in Oklahoma City with her two dogs, Lily and Padfoot. Archives
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