Write with TLC

Last year I guest blogged on 50 Authors from 50 States about Oregon and focused mainly on hiking, so this year I decided to go a different way and explore another interests - the arts scene in Oregon. While this barely touches on the deep and diverse art scene to be found in Oregon, I wanted to show what the diversity in the Oregon art scene that I've experienced. Please check it out at 50 Authors from 50 States . While you're there, comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Vulnerability in Silhouette: Poems. And don't forget to check out what other authors have had to say about their states!! If you'd also like to read last year's guest post , you can.

I'm currently giving away 10 copies of the Kindle version of Vulnerability in Silhouette: Poems! Only a few copies left, so act quick! See this #AmazonGiveaway for a chance to win: Vulnerability in Silhouette: Poems (Kindle Edition). https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/1738d057cbca3444 NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends the earlier of Sep 18, 2016 11:59 PM PDT, or when all prizes are claimed. See Official Rules http://amzn.to/GArules .  If you win, reviews are always appreciated... If you prefer to just purchase a copy outright, please visit  Amazon . Also, if you'd also like a chance to win a signed trade paperback copy of Vulnerability in Silhouette: Poems, please visit Goodreads .

Vulnerability in Silhouette: Poems, my second poetry book exploring the relationship between vulnerability and strength, celebrates its first birthday in September. To celebrate I'm offering a giveaway over on Goodreads. Enter to win 1 of 10 signed copies! Reviews are always appreciated, particularly if you enjoy the read! < Goodreads Book Giveaway Vulnerability in Silhouette by T.L. Cooper Giveaway ends October 01, 2016. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway /> And, if you're wondering, the first book of poetry that explored the relationship between vulnerability and strength was Strength in Silhouette: Poems . And, if you just don't want to wait, you can purchase an unsigned copy or the Kindle version of Vulnerability in Silhouette: Poems now.

My relationship with trust is... well, complicated, chaotic, and ever-changing! It is also affirming, inspiring, and reassuring! I suppose that takes us back to complicated. I've spent my life vacillating between being too trusting and not trusting at all. Errors in judgment and taking the blame for other people's actions led me to having less than zero trust in my own judgment. I walked around terrified that if I trusted someone that by definition made them untrustworthy, but if I couldn't trust them then maybe I should trust them but if I trusted them.... Oh, what a tangled circle we twirl in when we practice illogical logic. Dizzy yet? Anyway, at some point I convinced myself I trusted no one, not my friends, not my husband, not my family, not myself. I spiraled deep into that dizzying circle of mistrust, distrust, total lack of trust. Oh, I could put on the proper face at the proper time for the proper reason, but underneath every expression of trust was a loathin...

  On June 14, I watched The United State of Women Summit livestream, or at least much of it. I picked it up a few hours into it - the downside of living in the Pacific Time Zone.  I was disappointed that I missed the morning sessions focused on violence against women. I was thrilled a few days later when I received an email stating the full program was available to watch - all 11+ hours of it.  At least, I could watch the parts I missed including Vice President Biden's intense and emotional speech, Mariska Hargitay's insightful, heartfelt, and emotional words, and the enthusiasm of so many people coming together to create positive change in our world. As Vice President Biden spoke about his decades of work to eradicate violence against women, tears welled up in my eyes. I thought about all the women I know who've encountered violence in their lives. I thought about my own experiences with violence at various times in my life. I thought about how we write a narra...

Blogger's Block... Is that a thing? Regardless, I think I've had it lately... I've written several posts and discarded them for a variety of reasons. I wrote one post about the advice we hear so often to do things first thing in the morning. That piece of advice grates on me every time I hear it. We all have so many priorities in life, it's impossible to take care of all of them first thing in the morning, and I honestly believe trying to sets us up for failure rather than success. I understand the idea behind the advice, but the practice is ludicrous. Close your eyes and imagine doing every thing you prioritize first thing in the morning. Stressful, huh! I think a far better alternative is to look at your day and space out your priorities at intervals that allow you to give each the attention it deserves. But, that's just me. That post got long and windy and... well, a bit ludicrous, so I deleted it. I also tried to write an open letter to Prince's ...

I read as the featured poet at  Salem Poetry Project  on February 11, 2016. Salem Poetry Project is a weekly poetry reading with a featured poet followed by an open mic that takes place at Frozation Nation in downtown Salem, Oregon. Every event has its own vibe. As a poet sharing my work, it's my responsibility to set a mood that conveys my message while reading my audience's receptivity to the words being shared. I picked out enough poems to read for the requested approximately 25-30 minutes. I read from each of my five published books of poetry as well as a few unpublished poems. The audience remained receptive throughout. The poets who read during the open mic were wonderful. Each brought their own unique attitudes and experiences to the poems they shared. I would encourage anyone in the Salem area who is in the slightest bit interested in poetry to check out Salem Poetry Project.  Poets, Salem Poetry Project is a wonderful event to share your wor...

Somewhere around mid-Spring last year, I began to acknowledge I felt overwhelmed when accessing my creative energy required navigating unexpectedly rough terrain that had once been a joyful jaunt. At first I couldn't see that the problem lay in my support of other people's creativity at the expense of my own. I kept wondering why I had no creative energy left for my work at the end of each day, but it never occurred to me that I was giving it away. After all, we hear all the time that creative energy begets creative energy, so if I was sharing my creative energy with others, I should be increasing my creative energy, right? Somewhere in there, I signed up for Christina Katz's Unwrapping Your Creativity Challenge ( no longer available ) with every intention of participating. S he emailed a challenge each day to those who signed up. I didn't even start the challenge. The emails went into their own special folder on in my Inbox, and I felt guilty each day that I didn...

Inertia... We've all fallen prey to inertia... Recently, I discovered I missed one of Kristin Nador's blog posts, 5 Ways To Get Rid Of Inertia , back in October. As I read through it, I thought about how often the problem isn't the doing, it's the getting started. It's amazing how often just writing that first word seems to create a kinetic energy all its own. The first word is down and then the second and then the third and then... the next thing you know, you have a whole sentence, then a paragraph, then a page, then a chapter, then a book... But it all starts with breaking the inertia. This doesn't just hold true for writing but really for anything we want to do. Hiking a trail starts with one step and then the next and then the next until the movement feels natural and not overwhelming. As we follow the path, we discover new beauty and reawaken our appreciation for the world around us and the fact that our bodies allow us to take these journeys. At...